In her happiness, she completely forgot Gideon's previous warning.

So when Xavier arrived to take her for a wedding dress fitting, a breath caught in her throat, making her cough until tears nearly came to her eyes.

Annie, biting into a marshmallow, asked excitedly, "Lulu, can I be your maid of honor?"

Luna choked again.

Xavier smiled politely. "The wedding will be held tomorrow evening. We can finalize the wedding dress and the bridesmaid gown this afternoon."

And just like that, Luna was escorted into the car.

In her previous life, marrying Gideon meant simply registering the marriage and moving into that cold, giant mansion. There had been no wedding ceremony at all.

Things were playing out very differently now, including Gideon’s frequent appearances before her. Was it... really because of the share transfer agreement she signed?

Luna felt a headache coming on. She just wanted to sever all ties with Gideon, but she hadn't expected to get even more entangled.

The wedding dress was beautiful, but Gideon didn't show up.

Luna felt the current direction of events was slipping out of her control. For instance, when she finally got home and tried to find a chance to run away, she found the entrance and the building surrounded by people Xavier had sent.

Supposedly "for her protection."

Despite her thousand protestations, the sun rose as usual, and the wedding arrived unexpectedly.

Luna sat in the hotel’s dressing room. No matter how animated Annie was beside her, she couldn't muster the slightest interest.

At that moment, the door opened.

It was Serena.

She spoke softly, "Luna, can I talk to you in private?"

Annie didn't recognize her but knew she wasn't there with good intentions. Just as she was about to refuse, Luna sighed and said, "Annie, please step out for a moment."

Chapter 13: No Wonder He Hates Her So Much

After Annie left, only the two of them remained in the dressing room.

Serena’s expression was no longer soft. After surveying the room, she let out a cold laugh. "You kept saying you didn't want to marry Gideon, but look at the result. You used every trick in the book, stopping at nothing. Are you satisfied now?"

"Just say what you have to say. Don't use rhetorical questions; I'm not in the mood."

"Don't tell me you didn't feign returning the shares to Gideon just to incite the shareholders to riot, eventually forcing Gideon to marry you under pressure? Luna, I really underestimated you. I didn't expect you to be so calculating."

Luna twitched the corner of her mouth, unwilling to speak.

Fine. In their eyes, she was the villain, guilty beyond redemption.

Taking her silence as a sign of guilt, Serena tried to make her back down. "Even if you marry Gideon, he will never love you. Do you know what the ending is for someone like you? You will only..."

Luna cut her off, speaking with eerie calm. "I will only wake up every day alone in a cold room. Even if I have a fever until I’m unconscious, I’ll just lie on the floor until the cleaning lady finds me. Despite having a husband, I’ll live like a widow, never receiving a single glance from him, until I fall ill from grief and finally jump off a building to end it all, right?"

Serena froze, then sneered. "Even if that happens, you brought it on yourself."

Luna smiled, a trace of bitterness in her throat. "Yes, I did it to myself."

"Luna, it's not too late to regret. Gideon hates you so much, you..."

"Hates me?" Luna frowned and looked up at her. "Why does Gideon hate me?"

If it were her previous life, where she destroyed their relationship and kept them apart, she could understand his hate.

But now, it was Gideon who insisted on marrying her. Even if she had used the shares to threaten him into marriage before, he should only feel revulsion, not necessarily hate.

Serena looked flustered, seemingly realizing she had said something she shouldn't have. She took two steps back but accidentally knocked over two glass water cups, which shattered on the floor.

Water splashed everywhere, and shards covered the ground.

"Of course he hates you! If it weren't for you, he wouldn't be unable to marry the person he loves..." Her defense was weak and hollow.

Luna frowned; there really seemed to be something she didn't know.

She stood up, lifted her skirt, and walked toward her. "Did you speak ill of me to Gideon?"

Serena bit her lip and suddenly shoved Luna. "So what if I did? You are someone who stops at nothing to get what you want. If it weren't for you, would Grandpa Arthur have died?"

"Does Gideon believe that too?"

"How else? Grandpa Arthur was in good health before. The doctors said his illness could be treated. But after you showed up, he not only gave you a massive amount of shares but also passed away so quickly. Do you think he doesn't know about the rumors spreading outside? He wishes you were dead! Even marrying you is just for revenge!"

Luna leaned her hand against the corner of the table behind her and smiled self-deprecatingly. So in Gideon's heart, she was a wicked woman capable of murder.

No wonder he hated her so much.

A flash of calculation crossed Serena’s eyes, and then she forcefully threw herself onto the pile of glass shards.

At that exact moment, the door was pushed open.

Luna watched in disbelief, thinking Serena had just tripped in her high heels. Just as she was wondering if she should help her up, a man strode into the room.

Oh, so that was the plan.

Chapter 14: Won't Sit and Wait for Death Anymore

Serena was covered in blood. Her voice trembled as if she were consumed by uncontrollable fear. "Don't kill me... I know I was wrong. I promise I won't fight you for Gideon. Please, spare me..."

Luna watched coldly, objectively critiquing the performance: the acting was truly atrocious.

"How many people do you have to hurt before it's enough?" A cold male voice rang out, and at the same time, a hand gripped her neck tightly. "Hmm?"

Even though she thought her heart had turned to stone, Luna still felt a pang of pain. "Gideon, aren't you even going to ask me what happened?"

"Are you worth my trust?"

"Gideon, it hurts..."

Gideon let go of Luna, turned around, and picked Serena up to leave.

He left Luna with nothing but his cold, rigid back.

Luna only smiled. This was fine; at least the wedding wouldn't proceed.

"You..." Luke appeared at the door. After a quick scan of the room, he spoke tentatively. "Is your real name Luna?"

She didn't answer. She sat back in the chair and looked at herself in the mirror, feeling a sense of trance, unable to understand why things had turned out this way.

She had tried her best to stay far away, so why did these disasters keep finding her?

Could she really never escape this in her entire life?

Luke scratched his head, knelt down to look at the blood on the floor, and cleared his throat. "Looking at this, the wounds are just a few scratches at most. The blood just looks like a lot because it’s mixed with water. It's a minor issue; don't worry."

"Why should I worry?" Luna looked at him expressionlessly. "Do you also think I pushed her?"

"I didn't mean that. Hey, Ugly Duckling, that person you said you used to love but don't anymore... could it be Gideon?"

Luna suddenly turned to look at him, her tone incredibly serious. "What I said before still stands. Since the marriage is still one step away, we..."

"No, no, no!" Luke jumped up from the floor, backing away several steps. Messing with Gideon’s woman? He wasn't tired of living.

In Luna’s eyes, this reaction was a sign of extreme rejection and disgust.

Her expression darkened further. "Am I really that loathsome?"

Luke was left speechless, unable to explain himself even if he had ten mouths.

Luna thought the wedding would be canceled and that she and Gideon could finally end their story on an imperfect note.

But to her surprise, while the wedding was temporarily halted, the title of Mrs. Gideon became official.

Xavier directly packed her and her belongings up and delivered her to Gideon’s house.

As the door clicked shut, the surroundings plunged into darkness.

Luna stood there, isolated and helpless, as if the familiar coldness and despair were sweeping back over her like the flicking tongue of a venomous snake, tightening around her until she couldn't breathe.

The three years of loneliness and fear from her previous life felt like they were taking root, spreading infinitely in her heart, growing wildly at an unstoppable speed.

Luna knew that in the days to come, she would once again spend her life alone in this cold, empty mansion.