When I got home, my mother happened to be there. The moment she saw my head covered in blood, she was terrified.
Not wanting her to worry, I told her I had tripped on the street and hurried back to my bedroom to tend to the wound myself.
As I stared at the gash on my forehead, I clenched my fists.
At most, he had seven days before the serpent curse erupted. I was looking forward to seeing Adrian Hughes’ miserable end.
Before I knew it, the day of Ethan Hughes’ return had arrived.
I was just about to head out to pick him up when, coming downstairs, I saw Adrian and Isabella Reed.
Adrian spoke to my mother with arrogant condescension.
“I’m getting married the day after tomorrow. Since our families have known each other for so many years, I’ll allow you to attend. Make sure you arrive on time.”
With that, he tossed the wedding invitation onto the floor.
His purpose wasn’t to deliver an invitation—it was to humiliate my parents.
My father trembled with rage.
“We’re not interested! Get out!”
Isabella sneered.
“Uncle, why so angry? Adrian was just being kind—he thought you’d never seen such a grand occasion and wanted you to broaden your horizons. How can you be so ungrateful?”
Seeing this, I quickened my steps toward them.
Just as I was about to speak, a cold voice came from outside the door.
“The day after tomorrow is my engagement to Claire Bennett. I’m afraid I won’t have time to attend your wedding.”
Ethan Hughes walked in, naturally placing himself between me and them.
Adrian’s face turned an ugly shade at his words.
“Uncle, that’s not a joke you can make lightly.”
Ethan’s expression was calm.
“When have I ever joked with you?”
“She’s a woman I cast aside. What business do you have picking her up?”
Adrian’s eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Ethan with pure malice.
In our last life, he’d been outmaneuvered by this very man and thrown into prison. He’d thought Ethan’s motives were about the family fortune, but it seemed now it was for revenge on my behalf.
Ethan, unwilling to waste words on him, said simply,
“My affairs don’t need your interference.”
Adrian shot me a venomous glare.
“Fine, fine, fine. I’d like to see if the family will approve of you marrying her!”
Then he dragged Isabella away.
I looked up at Ethan. He was still as handsome and composed as ever—time had left no marks on his face. If anything, he looked even better than he had three years ago.
Thinking of what he’d just said, I couldn’t help asking,
“When did we decide to get engaged? How come I didn’t know about it?”
He smiled faintly, pointing at the large pile of gifts behind him.
“Didn’t I come here today to claim my place?”
Naturally, my parents were delighted with him, and the engagement was set.
On the day of the engagement banquet, I was busy making the rounds to toast the guests when I suddenly received a call from Adrian.
He was in a panic, his voice shaking as he cried,
“Claire, my body is mutating—please, please save me!”
I was silent for a moment before laughing.
“Mr. Hughes, you must have dialed the wrong number. I don’t do curse removal. If that’s all, I’ll hang up now.”
Hearing I was about to hang up, his voice turned desperate.
“Don’t! Claire, I was wrong. I really was wrong. Right now only you can help me. I don’t want to become this… this thing.”
“If you’d known this would happen, why do what you did back then?”
I spoke the words, then deleted his number and blocked him in one go.
After the banquet, Ethan escorted me home—only for us to see the Hughes family car parked outside.
Robert and Martha Hughes rushed up to me as if they were mad, clutching my hands with tear-streaked faces.
“Claire, you can’t just watch him die! Our families have been connected for so many years—can you really bear to let Adrian perish?”
Suppressing my irritation, I pulled my hands free and said coldly,
“Uncle, Aunt, it was Adrian himself who said he didn’t need me to get the medicine, and he was the one who proposed breaking the engagement. I owe the Hughes family nothing—so what exactly is the meaning of this now?”
