All Audrey felt was irony.
So the sudden change in his attitude toward her had only been so he could marry Lillian without trouble.
"Marry whoever you want. It has nothing to do with me," Audrey said flatly, without the slightest ripple in her heart.
Julian grew anxious. "How can you say that? You're my fiancée. I'm about to marry someone else, and you don't care at all?"
Audrey let out a cold laugh. "Then what exactly do you want from me? Wasn't it you who said I shouldn't make things hard for Lillian anymore? Now I'm doing exactly what you asked, I'm agreeing to your marriage, and suddenly you're not satisfied?"
Julian was left speechless.
He did want Audrey to stop causing trouble, but hearing her say it so plainly still left him uneasy.
So he convinced himself she was just being stubborn.
"Audrey, don't worry. This wedding is just for show. We've been engaged since childhood. You're still the only fiancée I have."
Audrey only gave a faint, empty smile, her gaze drifting to the falling leaves outside the window.
There was no need. She would be gone soon anyway.
Who Julian married, whether it was real or fake, no longer had anything to do with her.
In the days that followed, preparations for Julian and Lillian's wedding began in full swing.
The house was adorned with twinkling fairy lights and delicate white floral arrangements.
Beatrice took Lillian out every day to shop for wedding items, trying on countless dresses.
Edward handled the banquet arrangements, calling venues and inviting friends and relatives to attend.
Julian even put aside all his work to focus entirely on the wedding preparations.
If this was what they called fake, then what could possibly be real?
Audrey watched it all without a word, quietly waiting for the day she would leave.
That was until one day, her parents knocked on her door.
"Audrey, Lillian is getting married soon. She's all alone with no one to rely on... We were thinking... maybe she could move back here for a while, so that we could spend some time with her."
Beatrice spoke cautiously, afraid Audrey might refuse.
But Audrey didn't even blink. "Whatever you decide," she said calmly.
Seeing that Audrey didn't seem upset, Beatrice grew bolder. "A wedding is a big deal. She needs proper rest..."
She hesitated before adding cautiously, "Your room is the largest and most comfortable. Could she stay there for now, and you move to the guest room for a couple of days?"
Audrey let out a soft laugh.
This was the room she had grown up in. Even during the ten years she had been missing, her parents had kept it exactly the same.
So when she had returned, seeing it untouched had moved her to tears.
Every drawing, every trophy inside carried pieces of her past.
And now, they wanted Lillian to move into it.
Audrey took a deep breath. After a long pause, she said quietly, "Fine. I'll move."
Noticing something off in her expression, Beatrice hurried to reassure her. "Lillian is only staying temporarily. Once the wedding is over, I promise the room will be yours again."
Audrey said nothing more.
There was no need.
Anything that was once hers, she no longer wanted.
That very afternoon, Lillian arrived with bags and suitcases in tow.
Seeing Audrey still packing, Lillian said deliberately, "Audrey, let me help you..."
As she spoke, she reached out as if to take Audrey's things.
Audrey shoved her away instinctively. "Don't touch me!"
Audrey hadn't used any force at all, yet Lillian stumbled as if she'd been violently pushed and slammed into the bookshelf.
