Chapter 1

At the wedding, Vivienne Sterling and I were just about to exchange rings.

As the spotlight hit me, I suddenly heard her voice in my head.

[If it weren't for the fact that Caleb is sterile, I would never marry this man!]

Was she planning to cuckold me before the ink was even dry on the license?

I'm done with this wedding!

1

I turned my head to glance at my twin brother, Caleb Vance, sitting in the front row.

We were twins, but we didn't look much alike.

He was born just a few minutes after me, but he had always been sickly.

That frailty was exactly why he had stolen every bit of affection that should have been mine.

Right now, Caleb was staring at the stage with a look of deep longing and jealousy.

He was watching Vivienne, the woman who was supposed to become my wife in seconds.

Their eyes met, and I saw a flicker of tenderness in Vivienne's usually icy gaze.

But when she turned back to me, her fiancé, her eyes went cold, as if she were looking at a total stranger.

"Didn't you beg and crawl just to get me to marry you?" she whispered harshly.

"What are you waiting for? Put the ring on and let's get this over with."

Vivienne held out her right hand, signaling for me to hurry up.

Instead, I instinctively lowered the ring.

In an instant, every eye in the ballroom was fixed on me.

I looked at her annoyed face and heard her thoughts again.

[I already agreed to the marriage. What kind of cheap tricks is he trying to pull now?]

I let out a cold laugh in my mind.

All my years of devotion were nothing but "cheap tricks" to her.

I had never done anything to hurt her in this relationship.

Yet, here I was, being treated like a backup plan for a sterile man.

I grabbed a bottle of champagne from the nearby table and slammed it onto the floor.

After the loud crash, I spoke clearly, making sure every guest heard me.

"The wedding is off!"

The entire hall erupted into chaos.

"Silas, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Vivienne was the first to react, her face frozen in a mask of fury.

I knew this was the calm before her storm.

In the past, I would have apologized immediately.

But after hearing what she really thought, I realized I was just humiliating myself.

"Can't you hear me, Vivienne? I said I'm not marrying you!"

The guests gasped again.

Vivienne remained cold and composed, not showing a hint of panic.

She knew how much I loved her, or at least how much I used to.

She didn't believe for a second that I'd actually walk away from her.

"Think carefully, Silas. If we don't marry today, we're finished."

She was only this confident because she thought I was obsessed with her.

But the moment I stopped caring, she became nothing to me.

I scoffed and ripped the "Groom" boutonniere off my chest, tossing it into the glass shards.

"I'm done with you, Vivienne. We're breaking up!"

Before I could even step off the stage, my father rushed up.

The next second, a sharp pain blossomed on my cheek.

"You ungrateful brat! Are you trying to humiliate the Vance family on your big day? Apologize to Vivienne right now!"

My mother was staring at me from the front row with pure hatred.

It was as if I weren't her son, but her mortal enemy.

"Mom, Dad, let me explain..."

I tried to defend myself, but then Caleb walked up.

He spoke softly to my mother, his voice dripping with fake concern.

"Mom, don't be too hard on Silas. I'm sure he didn't mean to embarrass us like this."

It had been this way since we were kids.

Caleb always pretended to take my side, but his words only added fuel to my parents' fire.

He used this tactic to make himself look like a saint while making me look like a villain.

Slowly, in everyone's eyes, I had become the selfish, cruel older brother.

Sure enough, my mother's glare grew even more venomous.

"Silas, apologize to Vivienne this instant! Otherwise, get out of this family!"

I swallowed the lump in my throat, still wanting to explain.

But as I opened my mouth, I heard her inner voice.

[If I knew this kid would be so rebellious, I should have smothered him in his crib!]

My eyes widened in disbelief.