“Lucas, I know you’re unhappy about the arranged marriage our family set up for you. But forcing your younger brother to take your place, do you think that’s right? You should apologize to Mr. and Langford right now.”
My mother’s voice rang out sweetly, but I could hear the cold blade beneath her words. I sneered inwardly.
In my previous life, I had stormed onto the stage to confront Tristan and my mother never had the chance to shift the blame onto me.
Now I understood: Tristan dared to pull this stunt because he had my parents’ full support.
No wonder they suddenly insisted on a full ceremonial wedding steeped in old rituals, complete with a custom-made mask that covered my face from start to finish. It wasn’t about honoring tradition, it was about concealing the truth.
I’d only returned to the Everhart Family two years ago, while Tristan had been raised by them since birth. In their hearts, he was the real son. Two decades of affection had long outweighed a mere blood tie.
Tristan glanced at my mother, then stepped forward and knelt beside Sienna with practiced grace.
“Uncle, Aunt… Sienna and I truly love each other. Lucas has no feelings for her. Forcing them to marry will only bring misery to both sides. I’m willing to marry into the Langford Family and be her husband…”
Before he could finish, Daisy cut him off, voice sharp and cold.
“What nonsense are you spouting? You don’t have a yang constitution. Marrying you would only doom Sienna!”
She glared down at him with disdain. “And you? You’re nothing more than an adopted bumpkin from the countryside. Do you really think you’re worthy of marrying into our family?”
Tristan’s face turned ghostly pale. His lips trembled, bitten so hard they bled.
Seeing this, Sienna’s eyes filled with pity. She turned on her mother with righteous fury.
“Mom! What age are we living in? How can you still believe in these feudal superstitions?” She helped Tristan to his feet and shot me a venomous glare.
“Lucas, that so-called sacred bloodline of yours is a lie. You must’ve bribed some quack to fake those results!”
“You can crash the wedding all you want, but I’ll never marry you. The only man I will ever marry is Tristan!”
Tristan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and wrapped his arms protectively around her.
“Lucas, you were the one who said I could marry Sienna, so I agreed to step in. Why are you making a scene now?”
I nearly laughed aloud.
They’re the ones who schemed behind my back, yet now they’re turning the blame on me?
I took a deep breath, pulled out my phone and tapped open a message.
“Tristan. Mom. Dad. You all sent me this text yesterday, saying the wedding had been postponed to the evening. So why did it go ahead as scheduled?”
In my past life, if I hadn’t randomly seen a photo of the wedding car online, posted by a bystander, I would’ve missed everything. I would’ve shown up to an empty venue, too late to stop anything.
I angled my phone toward the crowd. The wedding photographer zoomed in. The contents of the message flashed across the massive screen behind the stage for all to see.
A low hum of murmurs spread through the guests. “So it’s true… The Everhart Family really favors the adopted son.”
“I’ve heard Mrs. Everhart has always doted on Tristan. Looks like she’d do anything to help him marry up.”
“Poor Lucas Everhart. After all those years lost, he finally returns home, only to find his own parents never truly accepted him.”
My father, who had been silent this whole time, suddenly turned crimson with rage.
“Stop spouting nonsense! This has nothing to do with favoritism. Lucas refused the marriage, he asked Tristan to take his place!”
“Fortunately, Sienna and Tristan are genuinely in love. Otherwise, they’d both be miserable.”
I let out a cold laugh.
“When did I ever refuse? I’m standing here today because I came to marry Sienna.”
The words barely left my lips before my father raised his hand and struck me hard across the face.
Smack!
“Lucas! How dare you! First, you run from your wedding and now you fabricate text messages to frame your family? You think the marriage alliance between the Langford and Everhart families is some kind of joke?”
“Sienna and Tristan’s wedding is already done. You… you have no place in this anymore!”
