Chapter 2The Choice You Made

Julian and I were a business arrangement. A merger between the Thorne and Sterling families.

Grandfather Thorne and my grandfather had served in the military together. That bond sealed the marriage pact years ago.

But the engagement was originally meant for Lily. She was the Sterlings' golden child, raised like a princess for eighteen years.

I was the biological daughter who had been switched at birth.

Julian Thorne was New York royalty. A guy like him and a girl like me were never supposed to meet, let alone fall in love.

Until I was eighteen. The Sterlings found me, crying about how a nurse’s mistake had separated us. They said I was their flesh and blood.

Back then, I was living in a foster home. When I saw my biological parents in their luxury sedan, I thought my life was about to get easier. I thought I wouldn't have to collect cans to pay for school fees anymore.

But I didn't get love or compensation. I got indifference.

They told me the "fake" daughter’s parents had passed away, so they couldn't just send her away. But the way they treated us? Night and day.

I didn't feel like the second daughter. I felt like the help.

I didn't mind. I just wanted to finish college.

Then came the marriage pact.

I found out that Julian, the handsome boy Lily had been following around like a puppy, had been in a severe car accident. Doctors said his leg would never fully heal. He would walk with a limp forever.

Lily screamed and cried, refusing to marry a "cripple."

So, the duty fell to me.

I could have said no. But I remembered seeing Julian once, years ago, before I knew who he was. He was brilliant, kind, and handsome.

I was twenty, a sophomore at Columbia. My parents made me take a leave of absence to get married.

When I first met Julian after the accident, he was furious. He smashed a vase near my feet, screaming for Lily.

But Lily? She had already taken her parents' black card and fled to Paris for "art school."

The Sterling family business relied on the Thornes. Lily wouldn't marry him, but they needed a body to secure the alliance.

That body was me.

That was the first time my mother, Mrs. Sterling, showed me any kindness. She wept about how hard it was for the family, how pitiful Lily was, how my father’s hair was turning gray from stress.

I didn't care about their tears. I wanted to marry him. Not for them, but for him.

When I was a freshman, Julian was a senior. He was the campus legend—brilliant, wealthy, unattainable. And back then, Lily was always by his side.

Everyone admired his looks, but I admired his mind.

He published papers on advanced mathematics that blew me away. I read every single one. They helped me solve problems I was stuck on.

I fell in love with his brain first.

On our wedding day, Julian didn't smile once. I was so nervous my hands were sweating.

When he took my hand, I almost tripped.

The guests chuckled. I felt like an embarrassment. I heard people whispering about Lily, and Julian’s face went black.

He loved Lily. I knew that. That’s why he resented me.

For a moment, I regretted everything. The marriage. The secret crush.

That night, Julian was rough, venting his anger. But his leg was hurting him. I saw him wince.

So I pushed him back gently, straddled him, and took control.

Soon, the anger faded into something else. His face flushed, and we both got lost in the rhythm.