Chapter 2 Not Being Loved

The elegant face of her fiancé flashed before Aurora Wells' eyes, and her heart, numbed by pain, began to ache all over again.

"I don't agree!" she said, her voice trembling. "Ryder would never abandon me!"

Her emotions surged, and she was rushing toward the door before she knew it. But just as she was about to step out, Lucas Wells grabbed her arm and yanked her back with such force that pain shot through her shoulder.

"You're shameless, but our Wells family still has our pride!" Lucas' voice was like ice, his grip as hard as iron. "You think you can storm over to the Jin family and demand answers? Do you even have the right? Take a good look at yourself in the mirror, Aurora. Do you really think you're worthy?"

Aurora flinched at his words, her heart twisting.

What had she done wrong?

Ruby Wells had struck her. She had been wrongly imprisoned. Her own brother had turned against her. And now-even her fiancé wanted nothing to do with her?

"Sign it!" Lucas growled, slamming a document down on the table. His eyes burned with anger, their intensity piercing through her like daggers.

Aurora was overwhelmed with sadness, her nose tingling as she fought back tears. Though her vision blurred, she refused to let them fall.

Taking a deep breath, she picked up the pen. With a heavy heart, she signed her name at the bottom of the divorce agreement, swallowing her grievances like bitter medicine.

The next morning, Aurora woke early, as she always did. Pulling back the curtains, she was startled to see a luxury Cayenne parked in the courtyard.

Standing next to the car was a tall man in a perfectly tailored gray suit. His slightly curly hair framed his face, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of his nose.

Ryder.

Her breath hitched.

She had already signed the divorce agreement. Why was he still here?

Aurora's chest tightened as she left her room, her mind swirling with questions. Was he here for her?

But as she stepped into the living room, the answer hit her like a slap to the face.

Ruby Wells stood in the center of the room, twirling in front of Lucas as if she were showing off a new dress. She was draped in a fox-fur coat, her white boots clicking against the floor. Her voice was laced with excitement.

"Brother, do I look too mature like this? Will Ryder like it?"

Lucas chuckled, his earlier coldness gone. His eyes softened as he looked at Ruby. "How could he not? If that boy dares to dislike you, I'll smash his head in."

Ruby giggled, grabbing her designer handbag. "Then I'm going!"

As she turned toward the door, she caught sight of Aurora lingering at the top of the stairs. Immediately, she shrank back, her expression guilty.

She looked like a mouse caught by a cat.

Lucas followed Ruby's gaze, and his expression darkened when he saw Aurora. The warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by that same cutting disdain from the night before.

"Although your marriage with Ryder has fallen through," Lucas said coldly, "the engagement between the Jin and Wells families cannot be annulled. Ruby is now Ryder's fiancée."

Aurora felt as if her heart had been ripped from her chest.

Ruby turned to her with a falsely innocent expression. "Sister, you won't blame me, right?"

Before she could even respond, Lucas sneered, pushing Ruby toward the door. "She almost ruined the generations-long friendship between our two families. How could she possibly blame you?" He shot Aurora a glare full of contempt. "We've been too soft on her, and this is what we get in return. She doesn't even know what's good for her-always trying to take advantage of us!"

Aurora felt her throat tighten as she watched Ruby skip toward Ryder's car, her heart shattering with every step she took.

She turned away, unable to bear the sight any longer.

Back in her room, she fumbled through her desk drawers, her hands shaking. Finally, she found what she was looking for-her old phone. She plugged it in to charge, and the moment it turned on, she dialed a familiar number.

The call connected almost immediately.

A teasing, aged voice came through the line. "What's wrong, little thing? Have you finally been wronged enough to call your master?"

Aurora bit her lip, tilting her chin up defiantly. "No!"

Her voice was stubborn, but deep inside, she knew she was lying.

When she was three years old, a wandering Taoist priest had taken one look at her and declared that she was a lucky star destined to experience calamities. He had offered to teach her skills, and over the years, other than her mother, he had been the one person she trusted the most.

She could still remember what he had told her the day she went to pick up Ruby from the orphanage.

"Be careful," he had warned. "This is a calamity."

At the time, she had laughed off his words.

"Sister Ruby has been lost for twenty years," she had argued. "If she hadn't made a name for herself in that talent show, our family wouldn't have even found her. Master, didn't you always teach me to be compassionate?"

But now...

Her master had been right.

Ruby was not the innocent half-sister she had thought her to be. She was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Her master's voice turned serious. "You're the most stubborn disciple I've ever had." He paused. "I assume your marriage is ruined, and you have no family to rely on anymore."

Aurora's grip tightened around the phone. "I still have my mother," she insisted, refusing to believe that she had truly lost everything. "She loves me!"

Her master hummed in thought. "Aurora, be obedient. I've found you a perfect match based on your birth date. This man was born under an unlucky star and carries the Seven Killings Fate. With your good fortune, you two are a match made in heaven."

Before Aurora could respond, several photos popped up in her messaging app.

She tapped on them.

Most of the images were candid shots of a man dressed in a well-ironed suit. He was tall, his angular face sharp as a blade.

Aurora zoomed in on one of the photos.

His cold eyes and intimidating presence sent a chill down her spine.

Did her master... want to send her to her death?

Just as she was about to demand an explanation, a knock came at her door.

"Aurora, come downstairs for dinner," her mother, Vivian Wells, called gently.

"Okay!" Aurora quickly hung up the phone.

Before the call fully disconnected, she faintly heard her master say something about sending a betrothal gift.

A betrothal gift?

Wasn't that something the groom's family sent to the bride's?

What kind of joke was her master playing now?

She sighed, setting her phone aside and heading downstairs.

The Wells family's dining room was always immaculate, and today was no exception. Her mother sat at the head of the table, a timeless beauty in her fifties, showing no signs of aging.

She smiled warmly at Aurora, picking up some food with her chopsticks and placing it on her plate. "Eat more, Rory. You've lost weight these past few days."

Aurora felt a warmth in her chest.

For the first time since returning home, she smiled.

But the moment was short-lived.

Ethan Wells strode into the dining room, a file bag in one hand and his tie loosened. He grabbed a glass of milk and drank half of it in one go.

"Ethan, where are you off to in such a rush?" Vivian asked, concerned. "You should at least sit down and eat."

Ethan shook his head. "Today is the Winter Veil Festival. My company is selecting design drafts. The first-place winner is going to be a big deal for us."

"You can't work on an empty stomach," their mother insisted. "Take some cakes with you."

"I don't have time!" Ethan waved her off. Then, catching sight of Aurora, his lips curled into a sneer. "Our family might be wealthy, but it's all because we work hard. We can't afford to feed freeloaders forever."

Aurora's grip on her chopsticks tightened.

Was that how he saw her now?

She glanced at the design drafts in his hands.

A thought struck her.

Winter Veil...

She wanted to participate too.