Chapter 2

2.

Last month during a spring boat trip, Colton sent me an invitation.

I dressed up with a heart full of joy to meet him. But unexpectedly, I overheard his conversation with Blair in the peach orchard.

Blair, wearing a stunning pink dress, smiled flirtatiously at him. "Colton, you have played Harper so many times for me. She has her pride, why would she believe you again?"

Colton leaned against a peach tree, looking at her with deep affection. "Pride? I only know she has been shameless since we were kids. As a lady of high society, she insisted on sticking to me."

"Childhood sweethearts? That's just her one-sided delusion. I find her incredibly annoying."

My smile froze on my face. My fingernails dug so deeply into the tree bark that one of them snapped off completely.

Blood gushed out instantly. But this physical agony was nothing compared to the shattering of my heart.

Blair said proudly, "Then let's make another bet. Let's bet on Harper's auction night. I bet you can't make her choose you without spending a single dime."

She provoked him further. "I heard the Duke of Blackwood is going to buy her freedom that night. Does she really love you so much that she would give up her chance to escape this hell?"

Colton grabbed her hand firmly. "It's a bet. But if you lose this time, you have to agree to marry me."

Under the peach tree, the two of them hugged each other intimately.

The extreme tenderness in Colton's eyes when he looked at Blair was something I had never experienced.

Looking at my bloody fingers, I suddenly let out a soft laugh.

Harper Monroe, why are you such a damn idiot?

Last winter, I agreed to Colton's request to dance on the frozen lake. I danced for two whole hours and almost froze to death, but he never showed up.

The year before, I went to the holy temple to meet him. I was surrounded by a group of filthy beggars. If the Duke hadn't passed by, I would have been completely ruined.

When confronted, Colton simply said he forgot.

It turned out that absolutely everything was just a bet to make Blair smile. They used my deep love for him to flirt and entertain themselves, never getting tired of it.

I walked aimlessly to the edge of the lake, where Blair suddenly pushed me into the water.

Ever since I accidentally fell into a river as a child, I had a severe fear of water.

I desperately spat out mouthfuls of water and habitually screamed his name. "Colton, save me!"

Standing by the lake, Colton coldly glanced at me and smiled at Blair. "See? I told you she would beg me for help."

Then he stared at me with icy eyes. "Harper, you come from a military family. When did you become so afraid of a shallow lake?"

"You were once a noble lady. Now you have perfectly learned the cheap, seductive tricks of a common whore!"

Blair was angry that I made her lose the bet, so she ordered everyone not to save me.

"Didn't the young general say she was faking it? If she can fake it, she has the strength to swim. She doesn't need rescuing."

That day, Colton only ordered someone to pull me out when he saw I was truly about to pass out.

It was also that very day I received the tragic letter. My parents had perished on their harsh journey of exile.