Chapter 2

2

The next day, Tristan did something unusual―he skipped the office.

He took me to the amusement park, then to a movie, and finally to that upscale bistro I loved.

Everything seemed perfect on the surface. If I hadn't heard that phone call, I might have believed the lie.

Halfway through our dinner, Tristan headed to the restroom.

That's when his phone lit up. The contact name was "Babe."

"Tristan, I'm not feeling great. Can you come over and stay with me?"

It was a pathetic, transparent move. But Tristan bit the hook instantly.

When he returned, he glanced at his phone and his entire demeanor shifted into a rush.

"Willa, something came up at the office. Don't wait for me, just finish your dinner."

"I'll make it up to you next time, I promise."

He didn't even wait for me to respond before he was out the door.

I looked down at my own phone. A new friend request had appeared. I clicked accept.

The person had the exact same matching profile picture as Tristan and me.

"Do you like the icon? I picked it out myself."

Then came a photo. It was a shot of two people kissing in a dimly lit, high-end club.

The faces were blurred by the neon lights, but I recognized Tristan instantly.

The woven bracelet on his wrist was one I had made for him by hand.

He never took it off. Apparently, that didn't stop him from holding another woman.

Tears splashed onto my screen, blurring the image. The last spark of hope in my heart died.

I wiped my eyes and dialed a number I had never initiated a call to before.

"Lukas, I accept. Let's do the arranged marriage."

There was a long silence on the other end before Lukas Yale found his voice.

"Are... are you serious? Really?"

I nodded to the empty restaurant. "Really."

Lukas was the heir to the Yale fortune and my classmate from elementary school through college.

I knew he had always carried a torch for me. He had even begged his father to propose the alliance.

At the time, I was so blinded by Tristan that I turned him down flat.

But Lukas never gave up. He told me he would wait.

"Willa, I know your heart is elsewhere. But I'll wait for you to look back at me."

"If you ever change your mind, I'll marry you with more grandeur than this city has ever seen."

I thought I would never say yes to him. Life has a funny way of making you eat your words.

I hung up and caught a cab back to the villa.

On the way, I couldn't stop myself from looking at Sienna Snow's social media.

What I saw made my blood run cold.

I used to think everything Tristan gave me was a sign of his devotion. Reality slapped me hard.

Sienna's feed was full of photos of gifts Tristan had bought her. Some she kept.

The ones she didn't want? Those were the ones that ended up in my room.

It was hilarious, in a sick way. My treasures were her leftovers.

Through her posts, I watched their entire love story unfold.

It was love at first sight. They had fallen fast and hard.

Tristan would pause million-dollar meetings just to take her call. He'd buy out entire auctions for her.

When she was sick, he'd drop everything to cook for her and nurse her back to health.

They were the stars of a romance novel. I was just the villainous side character.

Every time Tristan went to "the office" late at night, he was with her. I had been such a fool.

I even felt sorry for him, thinking he was overworked. I'd cook elaborate meals to pack for his lunch.

Now I knew where those meals went. They went into Sienna's stomach.

She had even posted a photo of one of my bento boxes, calling it a gift from "Tristan's maid."

"The cook at Tristan's place has decent skills, though I prefer things spicier."

Everything clicked. No wonder Tristan's palate had suddenly changed.

He used to hate spicy food, then suddenly he couldn't get enough of it.

When I asked him about it, he told me it was because of me.

"Because you love spicy food, Willa. I want to be closer to you, even in the things we taste."

I had been so touched. I thought he was sacrificing his preferences for mine.

It was all a lie! He wasn't trying to understand me; he was just catering to her!

He took the love I poured into his meals and used it to woo another woman.

I couldn't take it anymore. I messaged Sienna directly.

"Do you know who actually makes Tristan's food?"

She replied almost instantly. "Of course I know. Who else but a pathetic little maid would make heart-shaped lunches?"

"Tristan says you're the help, so I play along. Why ruin his fun?"

I was shaking with rage. In Tristan's eyes, I wasn't his sister or his lover. I was just free labor.