Chapter 2Midnight on the River Styx

The next morning, numerous dead cats and dogs were found in the upscale gated community where the Vance family lived.

At the breakfast table, the atmosphere was peaceful. No one suspected me.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

But a neighbor had somehow caught wind of my illness and splashed a huge bucket of red paint on the Vance family's front door.

Before leaving, they didn’t forget to drop a threat:

"Keep your psycho locked up!"

"I did it! It has nothing to do with Mia!"

Perhaps fearing his parents would look at me differently, Cole actually took the blame.

I was moved, but also anxious.

Could someone like me really be accepted by his parents?

To my surprise, his parents didn't make a fuss. Instead, they came over to comfort me:

"Of course we believe Mia. Don't listen to what those people outside say. How about this: our family will take a cruise for a few days, and we'll come back when the butler has cleaned this up."

"Okay."

I naturally had no reason to refuse.

After packing a few clothes, I followed the Vance family onto the cruise ship.

The Vance family controlled a leading corporation in New York, one of the wealthiest families around.

And Cole was a top-tier elite lawyer.

They weren't short on cash; chartering a multi-million dollar cruise ship was nothing to them.

Besides being shocked, I was also a bit confused.

Was it necessary to spend so much money just for a few days' getaway?

It wasn't until we boarded the ship, amidst a shower of rose petals, that Cole got down on one knee:

"Mia, I love you, until death do us part."

I finally understood. He was proposing to me.

This cruise ship was his gift to me.

There were thirty people on board in total. Aside from the twenty service staff we brought along...

The rest were Cole's friends, family, the butler, and bodyguards.

They came here to witness my love with Cole.

The moment he slipped the ring onto my finger, I thought, all of us here...

Were the happiest family in the world.

We embarked on a one-week romantic getaway.

Cole said he wanted to give me the most beautiful scenery of my life.

But only a day later, he changed his mind.