He Chose His Stepsister, I Married A Tycoon

Chapter 2

Why should I feel guilty?

My childhood shattered when I was eight years old. Not only did I almost lose my mother, the shares under my name in the Clark Group nearly slipped away too. Every disaster in my life had their fingerprints all over it.

And yet after five years together, Larry still chose Daisy. Knowing everything I'd suffered, he still stood on her side. What a joke.

Larry wrapped an arm around Daisy's waist with practiced ease, then told his staff to clear the area as quickly as possible, like he couldn't bear for her to suffer even the slightest bit of discomfort.

We stood only a few feet apart. But it felt like we belonged to completely different worlds.

"So what are you now? My fiancé, or hers? The way you're protecting her, anyone would think you two are getting married tomorrow." I asked coldly.

The second our eyes met, Larry let go of Daisy like he'd been burned.

"I just feel guilty toward her. I got drunk and crossed a line with her. I can't just walk away from that. At the end of the day, I'm the one who wronged her."

His voice softened. "You understand me, don't you?"

As he spoke, he carefully reached for my hand.

I stepped back instantly.

When we first got together, I was the center of his world. No matter how small the thing was, if it had anything to do with me, he cared deeply, sometimes more than he cared about anyone else, even his own family.

Even now, I can still feel that love in the way he looks at me, the way he lowers himself to apologize, the way he keeps trying to hold onto us.

Every attempt to make things right feels like proof that some part of him still loves me.

But so what?

He betrayed me. And with the person I hated most in this world.

My mother and I were the same kind of people. We could never tolerate betrayal.

Larry rubbed his forehead impatiently. "I have already swallowed my pride and apologized. Why are you still making this into such a huge deal? What exactly do you want me to do before you forgive me?"

I stared at the frustration in his eyes and suddenly felt like I didn't know this man at all.

"So this is your version of apologizing? You pressure me into backing down, then use my mom's health to guilt-trip me so I'll help cover up your affair? Did you really think you were my only option?"

Panic flickered across his face for the first time.

Before he could speak, Daisy suddenly chimed in softly. "Freda, you're just saying that to upset Larry. The wedding's tomorrow. You've got, what, less than twenty hours? Where exactly are you gonna find another man willing to marry you that fast?"

Larry's expression darkened again.

"Aside from Daisy, I've never wronged you in any other way. So why are you still obsessing over this? Do you really have to make this miserable for everyone?"

My mom had tried to introduce me to better men before. But because of our five years together, I turned every single one down.

There was even one person who never gave up on me, someone who still texted me from time to time to check in. I never replied once.

I stayed loyal. And what did I get in return?

His betrayal.

I looked straight at Larry. "Then what exactly did our relationship mean to you? If you'd already been sleeping with her since last year, why didn't you tell me sooner? Why today?"

Another important man in my life had chosen my birthday to drive the knife in deeper.

Daisy suddenly burst into tears. "Freda, don't blame Larry. It's my fault. I accidentally got pregnant. We can't hide it anymore, so Larry had no choice but to tell you. He just wants to take responsibility as the baby's father."