Erin's POV

Raven Sadler, my fiance's adopted sister, shredded my million-dollar custom wedding dress. Thanks to her, Ralph Sadler and I had to postpone our wedding.

Then she swapped my asthma inhaler with pepper spray, and I spent three long days in the hospital.

During the wedding banquet, she appeared with red-rimmed eyes, holding an agreement. "All of Ralph's firsts should be mine.

"Sign this Virginity Transfer Agreement, or you're not marrying him.

"A man faces a lot of temptations out there. You should be understanding—this is just my way of testing you.

"This is the final test. Only when you pass it will I feel confident about you marrying Ralph."

I didn't take the agreement. Instead, I turned to Ralph. "So you're fine with her treating me like this?"

He sighed helplessly. "Raven has relied on me since she was little. She's just throwing a tantrum.

"Sign it and move on. She'll forget all about it by tomorrow."

Watching the way he coddled Raven Sadler, I suddenly felt so exhausted.

I stomped the agreement under my foot and slapped her hard across the face.

Tears flooded her eyes instantly. "Erin, why would you slap me?"

Ralph pulled her behind him, sounding impatient.

"Erin Maximilian, what are you making a fuss about now? Raven's my sister. She's been spoiled her whole life, and she's just throwing a childish tantrum. You're about to become her sister-in-law, so learn to put up with it."

Put up with it. That phrase had followed me throughout my ten-year relationship with him.

No matter how badly Raven messed up, no matter how far she crossed the line, it always ended the same way. She was indulged.

And somehow, I was always the one who seemed unreasonable.

Even when she came along on every single one of our dates, he would look at her with affection. Helpless, he'd try to comfort me.

"Raven's my sister," he said. "She's been clingy since she was a kid and can't be without me. You just have to put up with it."

Emboldened by his favoritism, Raven kept causing trouble during the wedding preparations. She boldly tore my million-dollar custom wedding dress to pieces, forcing us to postpone the wedding.

I grabbed the shredded remnants, ready to confront her, but Ralph held me back. "It's just a wedding dress. You can always get another one. Raven's just acting childish. Why are you getting worked up over her?"

Just a month ago, she had swapped my asthma inhaler for pepper spray. I was home alone, struggling to breathe, and nearly suffocated.

Thankfully, my junior spotted me in time and called the paramedics, giving me a fighting chance to survive. Even the emergency doctor couldn't help but exclaim, "If you'd been any later, she wouldn't have made it!"

Ralph stayed by my side in the hospital for three days straight, refusing to eat or sleep. When I finally woke up, he held me tight and promised nothing like this would ever happen again.

But the moment I said I wanted to call the police, he grabbed my phone. He, who usually carried himself with such pride, suddenly sounded almost as if he were pleading. "Raven's just spoiled. We've let her get away with too much. I promise I'll talk to her and set her straight. Give her one more chance, okay?"

I had never seen him like that, so I gave in.

But what I got in return was something even more outrageous. At our wedding banquet, she handed me a so-called Virginity Transfer Agreement.

Ralph took a pen from his pocket and held it out to me. "Bring the agreement here and sign it. Then apologize to Raven, and we'll call it even."

I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. "And if I don't?"

Ralph frowned, impatience written all over his face. "What's your problem? Just sign it.

"Raven's acting like a kid. Just play along and get it over with. You're going to be her sister-in-law. Can't you cut her a little slack?"

He shoved the pen into my hand. "Hurry up and sign this. Stop making a scene! Are we going to have this wedding or what?"

Raven smirked at me, certain I'd cave for Ralph's sake.

I tossed the agreement onto the floor and grabbed a glass of champagne.

Half of it soaked the paper, which I crushed under my heel. The rest went straight into Raven's face. Her smug grin froze. As if on cue, her eyes grew glassy as she played the victim to perfection.

Ralph grabbed my wrist, hissing, "Erin! Are you crazy? Everyone's watching! You're embarrassing Raven!"

She lowered her head and tugged at his sleeve. "Ralph, it's fine. Erin must think I'm ruining the wedding. I'll just leave."

Then she moved as if she were about to dash out. He yanked her back, shielding her behind him. "It's not your fault."

Then he turned to me, his tone cold and commanding. "Raven's never been treated like this before. Start groveling and apologize, or this wedding is off."

Chapter 2

Ralph's eyes were icy when they met mine, as if I were nothing more than some villain who had hurt Raven.

It was like he'd forgotten I was his fiancee.

Raven held onto his shirt, trembling, looking frightened and wronged.

And there I was, standing across from them like some vicious woman trying to tear them apart.

It suddenly struck me how ridiculous and pathetic it all was. It was ridiculous that I'd spent ten years giving in to Raven, backing down again and again. It was pathetic that I'd poured a decade of feelings into this.

I shook off Ralph's hand. He froze. It was the first time in all these years that I'd been the one to pull away.

I held his gaze, my voice steady. "Ralph, if I'd died a month ago because Raven swapped my inhaler with pepper spray, would you have called the police?

"Or would you have brushed it off as her throwing a childish tantrum and continued protecting her?"

For a moment, he didn't answer. Then, as firm as ever, he said, "You and Raven both matter to me. So… don't make things hard for me, okay?"

I laughed until tears ran down my cheeks.

"Fine," I said. "Then let her suffer as I did, and I won't make things difficult."

His face darkened.

Raven came over in tears, her shoulders trembling with every sob. "Erin, I'm sorry, I… I just couldn't bear to part with Ralph."

Her tears fell like they were endless, and she clung to my hand as she sobbed. "We grew up together, and thinking about Ralph getting married just… it hurts. Don't blame him—if anyone's at fault, it's me for not knowing better."

Noticing the pity in his eyes, she burst into even louder sobs. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have held him back just because I didn't want to lose him. I shouldn't have gotten in the way of your wedding. From now on, I won't have Ralph to rely on anymore… I'll have to grow up, I guess."

The crowd whispered among themselves, their voices dripping with the accusation that I was being heartless.

But I'd become numb to it.

Whenever she cried, Ralph felt sorry for her—that was her usual tactic.

When I didn't react, Raven's gaze flickered, and a sly smile tugged at her lips.

"Erin, please…" She suddenly threw herself at me, clinging to me. Then she leaned close to my ear and said viciously, "That slap you gave me? Time to return the favor."

With that, she grabbed my hand and suddenly let herself fall off the stage.

A dull thud echoed, and no one had time to react.

Raven hit the ground hard, her elbows and knees scraped raw and bloody.

"Raven!"

Ralph rushed over, checking her injuries with tense, hurried hands. She clung to him, burying her face in his chest as she sobbed. He held her tightly, his heart aching for her.

Her voice shook with guilt and remorse. "This is all my fault! I ruined your wedding! If Erin told me to jump off a building right now, I'd deserve it!"

She tried to break free and rushed toward the window, but he caught her and pulled her tightly into his arms. "Raven, don't do this to yourself. It breaks my heart."

His eyes blazed with anger as they landed on me. "She's just spoiled, that's all! Why can't you just tolerate her? Someone as petty as you isn't fit to marry into the Sadler family!"

The look in his eyes was so cold, so unfamiliar, it made me feel like my heart had been plunged into icy water.

Being "spoiled" had given her the right to slash my wedding dress. Being "spoiled" had allowed her to swap my asthma inhaler for pepper spray. What would come next? If Raven ever killed someone, would Ralph just shrug and say she was used to getting her way?

Raven gently patted Ralph on the back, pretending to be considerate. "Don't blame Erin, Ralph. This is all my fault. I was immature.

"If Erin wants to punish me, she has every right."

Ralph became even more heartbroken and angry, and he continued to blame me. "Raven's been more than reasonable! What else do you want from her? Are you out to get her?

"Erin, when did you become so wicked? Just because nobody loves you, you can't stand anyone else loving her?"

Chapter 3

I looked at Ralph in disbelief, a dull pain stabbing at my heart.

I had loved him and trusted him enough to reveal the broken parts of myself. Now, those pieces had become weapons he could use against me.

For a moment, he seemed to realize what he had said. His expression froze.

But the next second, it hardened again into cold certainty.

He grabbed my chin and looked down at me. "Get on your knees and apologize to Raven! Do it, or the wedding is off immediately!

"We're not even legally married yet. You do know what canceling the wedding now would mean, don't you?"

His eyes, once full of tender affection, now brimmed with threats and icy resolve. Yet beneath the coldness was a quiet certainty.

He was sure I loved him and couldn't let him go. He believed I would endure everything for the sake of our ten years together and kneel to apologize to Raven.

She looked at me provocatively, out of Ralph's line of sight, her eyes sparkling with victorious mischief.

But when he had asked, "When did you become so wicked?", it stabbed me like a knife in my already scarred heart.

I should have gotten used to it by then, but hearing it from the person closest to me still hurt.

I sneered. "Then cancel the wedding."

Ralph's jaw tightened. "Fine. As you wish. The wedding's off.

"Go home. Think about what you did wrong. When you figure it out, then we'll talk about the wedding again."

With that, he picked up Raven and strode out of the banquet hall. She looked back and made a face at me.

The remaining guests shifted awkwardly. I stepped onto the stage and apologize.

"Please accept my sincere apologies for the unfortunate events you witnessed today. The wedding has been canceled, and I regret any inconvenience this may have caused. Thank you for your understanding."

After all the guests had left, Ralph's mother, Edith Wilhelm, called me back home.

"On your knees!"

Her harsh, unfair attitude made my heart sink. "I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I kneel?"

Edith didn't waste time arguing. With a sharp command, the butler stepped in and forced me to the ground.

The tip of her shoe hooked under my chin, lifting it as she sneered, "You've been with my son for ten years, and now you've gone and held a grand wedding. Who's going to want you now? If you want the Sadler family to put up with you, you'd better do as I say.

"Calling off the wedding with Ralph just because Raven made you sign an agreement?"

I stared coldly at Edith, all jewels and makeup.

She had been warm and friendly when we first met. Now that she was convinced I couldn't leave Ralph, she didn't even bother pretending anymore.

"That's a Virginity Transfer Agreement!" I said.

She admired her manicure, unfazed. "So what? Raven was just testing you. She's Ralph's sister. You really think she could take his first night? After the wedding, he'd still end up in your bed.

"Raven's right. Men face plenty of temptations out there. You need to be more understanding. If you can't handle a little test like this, how do you expect to marry into the Sadler family?"

I kept my voice calm. "Was this really just a test? Raven is his adopted sister. They are not related by blood."

Edith jumped to her feet, her voice sharp. "That's impossible! Ralph only sees her as a sister. If there were anything between them, you wouldn't have had a chance!

"Get out! Apologize to Ralph and Raven. You can only come back to marry him once they forgive you."

I let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Mrs. Sadler… I hope you won't regret what you've done today."