Chapter 2

Yes, I had agreed to it.

Back then, Lillian still went by her birth name—Lillian Gray. She'd shown up at our door alone, tears streaming down her face, clutching a letter from James's late friend.

The letter explained that Lillian's mother had died in childbirth, and her father had terminal cancer with only months to live. He had no trustworthy relatives to leave her with.

He begged James to raise Lillian until she turned eighteen. After that, she'd be free to live her own life.

James had broken down in tears after reading it. He'd pulled Lillian into his arms and held her so tightly, as if he wanted to absorb her into his very bones.

From that day on, Lillian became Lillian Windsor and moved into the Windsor estate as James's foster sister.

I'd agreed to take her in because her story mirrored my own so closely.

My parents died in a car accident on my twentieth birthday. James and I had just gotten engaged. At my father's hospital bedside, James knelt down and swore an oath.

"Dad, from this day forward, I will protect Aurora with my life. As long as I'm alive, she'll be safe."

"For the rest of my life, I won't let anyone hurt her."

Who could have imagined he'd break that promise so soon?

Last month was Lillian's twentieth birthday. I'd hinted to James that it was time to help her settle into her own life—before rumors started to spread.

He'd just shaken his head and told me she was still too young. He wanted to make sure she had a good future before he could let her go.

Now I finally understood what he meant by "a good future."

He meant himself.

Lillian tugged on James's sleeve as they walked out together, their bodies pressed close.

Just before she disappeared through the door, she flashed me a smug little smile.

I understood exactly what that look meant.

She was declaring war.

She wanted me to back down. She wanted me to know that James would always choose her.

I lowered my head, digging my nails into my palms until they nearly broke the skin. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony tearing through my chest.

Five years of marriage. If this was what James's love looked like, I didn't want it anymore.

Their voices drifted back from outside.

"James, do you think Aurora is really mad at me?"

James's reply was sickeningly affectionate. "Don't worry. I'll always protect you."

"You know you're the most important person in my life."

Lillian's laugh rang out like wind chimes—bright and cheerful. But to me, it sounded like a blade slicing through my heart, leaving it shredded and raw.

I wiped away my tears with shaking hands and somehow made it home alone.

But the moment I stepped inside, I froze.

Lillian was standing in the living room, directing a crew of workers to take down the framed wedding photo of James and me.

When she noticed me, her lips curled into a contemptuous smirk.

"Oh, look who's home," she drawled. "If it isn't Aurora."