chapter 4

I couldn't take it anymore and walked out. "Ms. Snow, if you're feeling unwell, you should see a doctor, not come to someone's home to cling to her husband."

"Yeah, Juniper. I'm married," Leander said, frowning.

Juniper's body went rigid. She pushed away from him as if shocked. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here. It's just... force of habit."

"Olivia, please don't misunderstand," she said, bowing apologetically to me. "I'm young. I don't always know where to draw the line. I've caused you so much trouble. It won't happen again. Never again."

She then turned her tear-filled eyes to a guilty-looking Leander, her voice breaking with self-pity. "This feels like a nightmare where you married someone else. I keep forgetting you're married now. You're completely... not mine anymore."

With that, Juniper wandered away, looking utterly lost.

I watched coldly from the sidelines. I saw the pity in Leander's eyes, and right on cue, I saw Juniper collapse to the ground.

"Juniper!" Leander shot over like an arrow, scooped her up, and hurried back toward the house.

He was in such a frantic rush that he didn't even notice me standing in the doorway. He slammed right into me, knocking my arm hard against the doorframe and leaving a long, deep scratch.

Blood welled up instantly.

But somehow, I couldn't even feel the pain anymore.

Leander carried Juniper up to the second-floor guest room.

He fetched water, gave her medicine, and attended to her every need himself.

Juniper was crying too hard to drink. Leander whispered soothing words, feeding her the water sip by sip.

The scene was so harmonious. Standing there, I just felt like a third wheel, so I finally stepped out and left them to it.

I went to the living room to clean the cut. Just as I finished applying the iodine, my mother-in-law, Fiona Vance, called. She'd flown overseas right after the wedding, and her plane had just landed. Yet she was already in the loop.

Fiona said, "Olivia, Leander only ever does what he wants. I'll deal with him when I get back. You know how the media is—they love to twist things and blow everything out of proportion. Please don't take it to heart."

I was stunned for a second, then immediately opened the entertainment news feed. Sure enough, it was flooded with headlines.

"Heir Leander Vance Flees Wedding Night, Leaves Bride Alone, Speeds Off to Ex's Place in Sports Car for Overnight Stay—Spicy Details Inside."

"Socialite Olivia Hood Spends Wedding Night Alone—From A-List to Laughing Stock"

"New Wife No Match for First Love—The One Men Truly Want Is Never the One They Marry"

Leander's and my wedding had been a huge, high-profile event. Quite a few reporters had shown up, but they all had to be asked to leave because we wanted to keep it private.

Turned out, those paparazzi never left. They'd staked out our place and caught Leander rushing off to Juniper's on video.

And what a coincidence, the first news story broke just half an hour ago. Then, as if someone was pulling the strings, more reports kept popping up, one after another, and the story kept getting hotter.

And Juniper had shown up exactly half an hour ago.

My eyes grew cold.

"Where's Leander? I can't get through to him. Put him on the phone—let me give him a piece of my mind and make him apologize to you properly," Fiona said, sounding annoyed.

My voice was eerily calm. "Fiona, Leander's home. But he's tied up at the moment. We have... a guest."