My Uncle Married Another Woman, So I Married His Rival

Chapter 4 He Slapped Me for Another Woman

Serena had intended to refuse, but the moment she met Lucien's gaze, she knew that doing so would only earn her another accusation of being childish and unreasonable. Pressing her lips together, she stepped inside.

As soon as the dressing room door shut, the gentleness vanished from Vivian's face.

"To be honest, Serena, I never even liked this dress."

Serena's heart dropped. "What do you mean?"

Vivian's expression sharpened into something cold and cruel. "Lucien and I are getting married soon, yet you still hover around him as if you stand a chance. Today, I'm going to make sure you understand exactly who matters more to him."

Before Serena could react, Vivian seized the zipper at the back of the dress and tore it down with brutal force. The metal teeth caught her skin instantly.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I shouldn't have taken your dress. I'll explain everything to Lucien, alright?"

Though tears streamed down Vivian's face from the pain, she deliberately raised her voice loud enough for the entire boutique to hear.

Lucien burst through the door almost immediately. The instant he saw the angry red gash across Vivian's back, his face darkened with fury.

"Serena! Have you lost your mind? How could you be this vicious? She's your aunt!"

The savage accusation snapped Serena out of her shock.

"Uncle Lucien, it wasn't me! She did it to herself!" Her voice shook as she frantically searched the room for anything that could prove her innocence. "She hurt herself on purpose to frame me!"

But this was the dressing room. There were no cameras. A crushing sense of helplessness washed over Serena.

Lucien looked at her with nothing but icy disgust. "Serena, I'm deeply disappointed in you. So now you won't even admit what you've done? You expect me to believe Vivian would injure the very back she relies on as a model just to frame you? She would never do something so vile."

Serena stared into his eyes and saw absolute certainty there. In that instant, every defense she could have made felt pointless.

The corner of her mouth lifted in a faint smile. "Fine," she said softly. "Then I'm vile."

Her gaze turned sharp without warning. She snatched the tailor's shears from the nearby table and slashed them at the hem of the gown.

"Then no one gets to wear it!"

A brutal slap snapped her head sideways. The scissors clattered to the floor. Her ceramic charm earring fell from her left ear with them, the tiny handcrafted figure shattering across the cold tile.

Serena barely felt the sting spreading across her cheek. She stared blankly at the broken earring on the floor as tears slipped soundlessly down her face. It had been made on her fifteenth birthday, when she and Lucien shaped it together at the Clay Room Studio, molding it by hand, glazing it, firing it in the kiln, and crafting it in her likeness.

That pair of earrings carried too many memories between them. Over the years, her jewelry box had filled with priceless gems, yet she had never gone a single day without wearing this plain little pair.

Lucien's gaze dropped to the shattered pieces, then lifted to her rapidly swelling cheek. The vivid handprint stood out starkly against her pale skin. Something flickered in his eyes, and for a moment, he looked as if he wanted to say something.

Vivian let out a weak groan at the perfect moment. "Lucien… my back hurts so much. Can you check it for me?"

Lucien closed his eyes briefly, almost as if relieved by the interruption, then lowered his voice and said to Serena, "Let this end here, Rena. I'll let today slide, but don't ever do something like this again."

With that, he bent down, lifted Vivian carefully into his arms, and walked out without another glance.

Serena stared at the empty doorway, her whole body trembling so hard she could barely stay on her feet.

Chloe, who had been anxiously waiting outside, rushed in and caught her just as she nearly collapsed. Wrapping Serena tightly in her arms, she whispered through a breaking voice, "It's okay, Rena. It's okay. We don't need him. We'll be just fine without him."

Holding her even tighter, Chloe forced out a shaky smile. "Just wait. I'll make you the most beautiful wedding gown in the world, one no one else could ever have. A man like him isn't worth your tears."