Chapter 2

That night, I went back to the home I shared with Dante.

I entered the password, and the lock gave an error beep.

I froze, then entered it again.

“Incorrect password.”

The mechanical female voice echoed through the hallway.

I stood outside the door, looking at the place I had walked in and out of for five years, and suddenly it felt completely unfamiliar.

Two hours later, the elevator doors opened.

Dante walked out, supporting Nora.

When he saw me standing at the door, he frowned.

“Why aren’t you going in? What are you doing out here?”

I looked at him.“The password doesn’t work.”

Dante slapped his forehead.“Nora said the old numbers weren’t lucky, not good for the baby, so I changed it.”

He walked up and entered Nora’s birthday. The door opened.

I followed them inside. My slippers were gone from the entryway.

In their place was a pair of anti-slip maternity slippers.

“Your slippers were too hard. I was afraid Nora might slip, so I had the maid throw them out,”Dante said casually, helping Nora toward the master bedroom.

I walked to the bedroom door and froze completely.

All my skincare products had been swept into the trash on the vanity.

The closet doors were wide open, half of my clothes gone, replaced with Nora’s maternity wear.

“Dante, what is this supposed to mean?”

I pointed at the empty closet.

Dante was pouring water for Nora and didn’t even look back.

“Nora is pregnant. She can’t stand your perfume.”

“I had the maid move your things to the guest room. You sleep there for the next few months.”

Nora leaned against the headboard, touching her belly as she sighed.

“Aurora, you’re not mad at me, are you? The doctor said my pregnancy is unstable. I need rest.”

“The master bedroom has better light. It’s good for the baby. You’ve always been so good to me, you’ll give it to me, right?”

I looked at her fake face and felt no urge to argue.

The next morning, I sat at the dining table, drinking coffee.

Dante walked out of the bedroom with his phone in hand.

Right in front of me, he turned on speaker.

“Hello, Viktor.”

“Change the bride’s name on the welcome sign. Replace it with Nora.”

My hand holding the spoon froze.

There was a pause on the other end.

“Boss, then Miss Aurora…”

Dante pulled out a chair and sat down, glancing at me.

“Aurora? She’ll be the bridesmaid.”

He hung up and took a sip of his coffee.

“Nora said she’s dreamed of wearing a wedding dress since she was a child. She’s pregnant now, her emotions can’t be affected.”

“We’ve been together this long anyway. The wedding is just a formality. Let her have the bride’s place. Think of it as fulfilling her dream.”

His tone was calm, like he was talking about something trivial.

Nora walked out of the bedroom wearing my pajamas and wrapped her arms around Dante’s neck.“Dante, you’re so good to me.”

She turned to look at me, smiling innocently.“Aurora, will you be my bridesmaid? I want you to witness my happiness with your own eyes.”

Dante tapped the table, urging me.“Nora is talking to you. Don’t be so petty. It’s just a wedding dress.”

I lowered my head and looked at the coffee in my cup.

Ten years of devotion couldn’t compare to a single sentence from her. Even the place of the bride was taken from me.

I put down the cup and took a napkin to wipe my lips.“Okay.”

Dante smiled in satisfaction.“That’s more like it. A family should live in harmony.”