"Dale... What should we do? How can the deceased man be alive?" A delicate, small voice, trembling with barely-contained panic, pierced the heavy silence of the room.
"I don't care," Dale snapped, his eyes burning with fury. "She must get a divorce. That's all that matters. She owes me, Layla. Those shares are mine, and she will transfer them to me—no matter what."
Layla's hands fidgeted. "I… I'm sorry, Dale. It's all my fault. If I hadn't been so greedy, if I hadn't begged you to marry me first and pushed you to forge that marriage certificate for my sister, we wouldn't be in this mess—"
"Shh." Dale pressed a finger against her trembling lips. His dark eyes softened with tenderness. "It's not your fault, Layla. Don't you see? It's Poppy's fault for playing the victim. You're the only one I want, and I'd do it all over again if I had to."
His hands cupped her cheeks, and he pulled her into a possessive embrace.
Poppy Sinclair stood frozen behind the half-open door. Her fingers tightened around the edge so hard that her knuckles turned white, and her pulse thundered in her ears.
She had just returned to the Sinclair's mansion after her father's summon, only to be met with this truth she'd never imagined.
Slowly, she pushed the door wide open.
That was when Layla looked at the door behind her and froze. Her face drained of color instantly. "Poppy!" she gasped. She quickly broke away from Dale's embrace. "I... How long have you been standing there?"
Poppy felt her lips part, but no words came out at first. Her eyes locked on Layla's innocent face, then shifted to Dale's cold stare. She could barely find her voice as her throat tightened with raw pain. "You… you forged the marriage certificate?" she whispered shakily. "You and Dale... You planned it all?"
Layla's hand trembled at the realization that Poppy had heard it all. She took a step toward her. "Poppy, please, let me explain. I didn't want this…"
But Poppy took a step backward, shaking her head vigorously in denial as numerous thoughts swirled in her head. She felt like going crazy, and her heart ached so deeply it felt like it might stop. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to steady herself against the flood of memories that washed over her.
Three days ago, she had stood at the civil bureau with excitement. She had been so full of love and happiness that she'd clutched Dale's hand, smiling through her tears at the thought that they would finally get to start their life together.
But then everything had shattered.
The officer that was supposed to register them had told her she was already married to a stranger, a man whose name she had never even heard before.
Everyone had looked at her with disgust at the revelation. They'd called her a liar, and a whore.
Her father's reaction was even worse. He hit her in front of everyone after calling her a disgrace. Her stepmother's reaction was no better too. She'd backed her husband, calling her all sort of names. And Dale, her supposed fiance, had turned away from her, telling everyone she had betrayed him.
She had stood there, humiliated and broken, begging them to believe her, to believe she had done nothing wrong. But no one listened. No one cared.
And the worst of it all, she'd watched her betrothed, Dale Roosevelt, get a marriage certificate with her stepsister, Layla, right in front of her, right in front of her family.
She remembered leaving the house that night with a numb feet, and her body shaking so hard she could barely breathe.
For three days, she hadn't come back. She couldn't face him or her family. Until her father called her today.
But... it was all a lie?
Every pain and humiliation she'd gone through was because of them? What had she ever done to deserve this?
A soft, broken sob, somewhere between a whimper and a gasp, escaped Poppy's lips, and she clutched at the doorframe as if it were the only thing holding her upright. She looked at Dale heartbrokenly.
"Y-you humiliated me in front of everyone just to hide your affairs with my sister and get married to her?" Poppy's voice cracked. "What did I ever do to you?!"
"Stop raising your voice, Poppy. And for once, can you not act like a victim?" Dale frowned heavily. "Why are you eavesdropping on someone else's conversation?"
"Eavesdropping on someone else's conversation... That's what you're worried about, Dale?" Her lips parted in disbelief, and her vision blurred with tears as she stared at him. "After everything you've done, you're blaming me for finding out the truth?!"
"I've always told you to mind your own business, Poppy. Why don't you ever listen?!"
Layla shifted uncomfortably beside him, twisting the hem of her sleeve. She forced a soft, pitiful sigh as she reached for Poppy's arm.
"Poppy… please don't make this any worse. It's not as bad as you think. And don't blame Dale... It was all my fault. I pushed him, and forced him to do it because I love him so much. I was afraid of losing him—"
"Don't touch me!" Poppy choked out, yanking her arm away in disbelief. "You called me a whore in front of everyone while you were having an affair with my fiancee?" She fought the urge to laugh hysterically. "Who is really the whore?!"
Anger bubbled in Layla's chest, but she tried to suppress it. Showing her anger right now wouldn't do any of them good. "I'm sure we can find a way to make this work without causing a scandal—"
"A scandal?" Poppy laughed bitterly. "You want me to keep quiet to protect your precious reputation after everything you've done?"
Layla's face paled. As much as she enjoyed seeing Poppy break down, she knew this was dangerous. If Poppy told anyone else, this was going to be a bigger problem. She bit her lip, feigning a tearful expression.
"I didn't mean for this to happen, Poppy. If our parents hear about this, they'll be furious. You wouldn't want to ruin the family, would you?"
Poppy's eyes widened as she realized what Layla was really saying. "You're… you're asking me to not tell everyone what you both did and cover up your betrayal?"
"Don't tell me you plan to ruin Layla's reputation just because yours is ruined," Dale said scornfully. "Are you that heartless?"
Poppy gaped at him speechlessly.
Layla sniffled and darted to Dale's side, grabbing his arm like a frightened child. "Poppy, please, don't be angry. I—I didn't mean for it to go this far. I was scared. I thought Dale would leave me if I didn't do something…"
"Stop apologizing, Layla. You've done nothing wrong!" Dale glared at Poppy, gently rubbing Layla's back. "And don't worry about Poppy saying anything to your parents. Even if she tries to, It's not like your parents will believe her over us."
Poppy's face paled as if an invincible hand had just slapped her. She stared at Dale in shock, wondering if he was the same man she'd grown up with and wanted to spend the rest the rest of life with.
But before she could muster the courage to reply, the door behind her creaked open, and a familiar elderly man walked in. His eyes fell on Poppy instantly.
He cleared his throat. "Welcome home, Miss Poppy," Ralph, the household's butler said, earning Poppy's attention. "Mr. Sinclair is in the living room. I urge you follow me. You know how he despises waiting."
"She will be there in no time," Dale said with a small smile. "You can leave us." The man bowed slightly before taking his leave.
When he was gone, "You better do as you're told, Poppy. If not, you know what will happen," Dale said, taking Layla's hand. "And don't keep Father waiting," he said while walking out of the room with her.
Poppy's eyes were still wide and haunted as she watched them walk out. She didn't move. She couldn't. Not when her entire world had just shattered for the second time. Her legs felt like stone, yet her body shook vehemently.
Her heart thumped so loudly she could barely hear anything else. Tears blurred her vision, but she didn't bother wiping them away. Instead, she pressed a hand against her chest, feeling the sharp, painful rhythm of her heart as she let them fall freely down her face. She felt like suffocating.
When she received a call from her father about coming home today, she'd thought of asking for forgiveness from Dale again.
She laughed bitterly. "Unbelievable... I am such a fool," she whispered into the empty room.
Poppy wiped her tears and took a deep breath. If they think she was going to keep quiet, then they must be out of their minds. Her jaw tightened as she walked out of the room.