Half a month ago, her half-sister and her boyfriend — the one who had sworn to love her forever — betrayed her trust.
She had walked in on them, and that moment of betrayal was twisted into their excuse to push her into marrying Oliver in Hailey's place.
Adrian claimed he had to take responsibility for Hailey.
"Adrian, it hurts so much! My hand hurts! What if it leaves a scar? I'm a model!
I can't afford to have scars!" Hailey cried, burying her face into Adrian's chest.
The truth was, the freshly brewed coffee hadn't been that hot. With proper treatment, it wouldn't leave any scars — just some superficial pain at most.
"Baby, don't worry, I won't let that happen," Adrian reassured her softly, and then turned sharply, ready to confront the person who had "hurt" Hailey.
But the moment he turned around, he froze.
"Natalie?!"
His voice was filled with disbelief as he looked at Natalie — his tone no longer angry, but stunned.
He remembered how, back then, he had pursued Natalie with persistence for nearly six months before she finally agreed to date him.
Natalie had always been reserved and conservative, and even after two months of being together, they had only held hands and shared the occasional hug.
Meanwhile, Hailey had often flirted with Adrian. He knew exactly what she was doing — and when she invited him to have drinks with her alone one night, he didn't resist. One thing led to another, and they ended up crossing a line. That was the very night Natalie came home and discovered them.
"Natalie, did I push you too hard? I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. Are you hurt?"
Adrian let go of Hailey and took a step toward Natalie.
Seeing this, Hailey grew uneasy, worried that Adrian still had feelings for Natalie.
She bit her lip and quickly clung to Adrian's arm, trying to look pitiful.
She said tearfully, "Natalie, I know you're upset about me and Adrian being together, but… you shouldn't have poured hot coffee on me on purpose! Besides, you're already married to Oliver. You're his wife now! Please… just leave us alone, okay?"
The Harrington family was one of the most prestigious in the country, second only to the mysterious and powerful Windsor family.
Adrian was handsome, charming, and proud — and in Hailey's eyes, he belonged to her.
She also knew that he had a fragile ego. He liked women who relied on him and looked up to him.
What he couldn't tolerate was disobedience or disloyalty.
Just as she had expected, Adrian's guilt vanished instantly.
He turned toward Natalie with a sneer, his gaze filled with contempt, as if even looking at her again would be beneath him.
He said coldly, "Natalie, you misunderstood everything that night.
You didn't give me a chance to explain. Instead, you ran off and married Oliver just to feed your own pride.
If that's the choice you made, then stick with it.
Stop trying to come between me and Hailey.
I love her now."
Inside, he thought mockingly, So what if something happened between me and Hailey? It's not like it's a big deal. Only dramatic girls like Natalie act like it's the end of the world.
"Natalie, apologize to Hailey. Now."