In the fifth year of our secret relationship, Jeremy Hudson, who had been unwilling to make it public, suddenly proposed to me. I cried tears of joy, unaware that what awaited me was a hellish life.
The day after we got our marriage certificate, he brought home his stepsister, whom I had never met.
After his stepfather died in a car accident, this so-called “stepsister” moved in as if it were obvious.
When I stared at Lucy Hudson's face, which bore seventy percent similarity to mine, my heart clenched instantly.
Later, I deliberately fell ill with a high fever on her birthday, forcing Jeremy to abandon her and stay by my side. Then, under the pretense of pilgrimage, I made him kneel and crawl for a day and night to pray for us at a sacred site.
After testing him repeatedly, Jeremy's compromise and indulgence led me to let go of my suspicions gradually.
That was until the wedding day. As we exchanged rings, the stepsister who had been well-behaved and weak suddenly picked up the fruit knife and rushed towards me.
As I clutched the dagger with all my strength, my gaze locked onto Lucy's neck. On it, there was an identical tattoo to the one that Jeremy had on his lower abdomen.
My world shattered and instantly, the strength drained from my hands.
Then the cold metal plunged into my body. Before I fainted, I heard my beloved husband screaming the name of another woman heartbreakingly.
###Chapter 1
The melodious wedding march filled my ears as I gazed upon the man I loved most, dressed in a suit, ready to slip the ring symbolizing our love onto my finger. I thought this must be the happiest moment imaginable.
But the next second, Lucy, who had been sitting quietly in the front row of the audience, suddenly ran toward us, her right hand clutching a gleaming piece of metal.
By the time I recognized what it was, it was already too late.
She lunged at me and the sharp blade cut through my customized wedding dress. The diamonds on it fell one by one and the crisp sound resounded throughout the hall.
Only then did the people around us realize what had happened. Relatives and friends nearby rushed onto the stage, flustered as they struggled to restrain the crazed woman.
My eyes instinctively sought Jeremy, only to find that he had vanished from beside me.
When I turned back, I saw him standing beside Lucy.
“Quick! Let her go! She’s my sister!”
I looked at Jeremy, who used to be so reserved and was losing his composure and pushed away the relatives and friends who were holding Lucy one by one.
His two relatives and friends on his side immediately released their grip upon hearing his words.
My relatives and friends, however, held firm, looking up at me to gauge my stance, because after all, I was the one Lucy wanted to hurt.
“What do you say, Anne?”
Before I could even gather my thoughts or decide how to handle this, Jeremy beside me had already spoken up for me.
"Anne is standing right here, isn't she? Let's just think this matter is over."
After he said that, he pushed my relatives and friends away. As he was protecting the perpetrator, Lucy, in his arms, he looked at me and said, "Anne, I'll take Lucy home first."
“What about the wedding?” I blurted out instinctively.
"What? At a time like this, you’re still thinking about the wedding?” Jeremy retorted impatiently.
I laughed bitterly.
“Jeremy, so you do realize what just happened wasn't trivial. As the victim, I demand an explanation from Lucy. Otherwise, no one leaves here.”
Jeremy held the pitiful-looking Lucy tightly, signaling for her not to be afraid. Then he looked at me with an expression that said I was being unreasonable.
“Anne, we're family. Don't make a big deal out of this. Do you really want her to go to jail? She's practically your sister!”
I took a few steps toward them. "What sister? The sister who tried to kill me? Your earlier suggestion was spot-on—she should rot in jail. I’ll press charges for intentional assault!"
“You!” Jeremy pointed at me furiously.
"Anne Larson! You always force Jeremy like this! I hate you! I'll never let you marry him!"
As she shouted this, Lucy lunged at me and stabbed me with a fruit knife.
None of us present, myself included, had expected her to bring two knives.
Fortunately, I reacted in time and was able to hold the blade with all my strength. Because we were so close, for the first time, I saw clearly the tattoo on Lucy's neck. It was identical to the one on Jeremy's lower abdomen.
My world shattered. The strength drained from my hand instantly. The blade pierced my body and searing pain erupted through me.
Before I lost consciousness, I heard Jeremy shouting Lucy’s name and saw him pull her into his arms again.
Then everything went dark. In a haze, I felt someone carelessly touching my body. They kept touching my unhealed wound several times and jolting me awake with pain.
My eyes fell upon Jeremy, dressed in his usual formal attire. He, who never lifted a finger for household chores, now held a towel, wiping my arm.
I instinctively pulled my arm away. Seeing me awake, he showed none of the joy a husband should feel, nor any concern or care. He only said stiffly, “You've been lying here for two days. It's time to clean up.”
I sneered. “Then should I thank you?”
Caught off guard by my retort, Jeremy was momentarily speechless. He could only sigh deeply, as if I were just some unreasonable woman.
