Chapter 2

Lydia Reese POV

The dining room fell silent.

Christine's mother's coffee cup froze mid-air.

Christine looked up. The gleam in her eyes was unmistakable before she quickly lowered her head again and said softly, "Lydia, did you not sleep well last night? Don't say things you don't mean about the wedding."

I didn't look at her. I only spoke to Vincent. "The Carter family engagement still stands. Let Christine marry instead."

Vincent slammed his palm on the table.

"Lydia Reese! Have you lost your mind? Do you think this marriage between our families is yours to give away?"

I pushed my chair aside.

"I'm not giving it away. I just don't want it anymore."

Christine bit her lip, her eyes quickly reddening. "Lydia, if you say things like this, Harrison will be heartbroken."

Only then did I turn to look at her.

"Haven't you always wanted to marry him?"

Christine's face stiffened.

Vincent's anger stopped halfway.

He looked at Christine, then at the wedding procedures on the table. His expression quickly changed.

I was too familiar with that look.

Full of calculation.

The engagement couldn't be broken.

The Carter family's benefits couldn't be lost. The Reese family couldn't lose face in New York.

If his daughter wouldn't marry, replacing her with an obedient one wasn't out of the question.

Vincent coughed and had the butler escort Christine and her mother back to their room.

Before leaving, Christine looked back at me.

That glance looked like she'd already tried on the wedding dress.

I stood there, watching Vincent pick up his phone, lowering his voice as he began testing the Carter family's attitude.

He didn't ask me why I wouldn't marry.

He didn't ask if I'd been wronged.

He was only afraid this engagement would break on the Reese family's end.

I turned and went upstairs.

I locked the door and opened the safe.

Inside were asset ledgers, jewelry, trust account documents, and the inheritance my mother had left for me, item by item.

This wasn't the kind of show the Reese family put on to maintain appearances.

This was the escape route my mother left me.

In my previous life, these things were first taken by Vincent to support the wedding's grandeur, then later picked through by Christine. I never got them back, not until I died.

This time, I called my mother's lawyer friend first.

"I want to transfer the asset ledgers, account permissions, and the jewelry my mother left specifically for me."

The phone was silent for a few seconds before responding quickly. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Does Vincent know?"

"Don't let him know."

The lawyer quickly agreed, confirming they'd start processing everything in two days at the earliest.

I hung up and submitted an application to leave New York, booking the earliest flight out after the wedding.

After doing all this, I tossed aside the plain clothes the Reese family had prepared for me and pulled out a vibrant dress from the bottom of my closet.

In my previous life, when Harrison first saw this dress, he said it drew too much attention.

I never wore it again after that.

That evening, I entered a VIP room at a private club.

My old friends saw me and were stunned at first, then started teasing with laughter.

"Isn't Lydia Reese about to marry into the Carter family? You can still come out tonight?"

I took the wine glass without explaining.

I just wanted to see if I could still find my way back into the liveliness I once knew.

The wine had barely touched my lips when the door was pushed open from outside.

Harrison stood in the doorway, his face dark and ugly.

The room fell silent.

His gaze swept from the dress I wore to the wine glass in my hand, then over the group of friends beside me.

"Come out."

I didn't move.

Harrison walked in, his voice lowered. "Lydia Reese, the wedding hasn't even happened yet and you already want everyone to see the Carter family's embarrassment?"

I looked up. "The Carter family's embarrassment. You shouldn't be asking me."

Harrison's face grew colder. He reached out and gripped my wrist.

"Stop making a scene. Come with me."

His hand tightened more and more. No one in the room dared make a sound.

My purse vibrated.

I looked down and saw the screen light up.

My mother's lawyer sent a message: Asset transfer application received. First batch processing begins tomorrow morning.

Harrison didn't see it.

He just gripped me and pulled me toward the door.