A Crown of Strength

---- Chapter 4 The bouquet landed in the hands of a girl in front of me. She raised the flowers excitedly, shouting as she ran to her lover. "I got it! | got it!" She threw herself into her lover's arms, beaming with joy. "We'll definitely be as happy as Mr. Fuller and Ms. Walton!" | watched the scene with a cold gaze. Noticing my icy stare, the girl snapped at me with dissatisfaction. "| caught it, so it's mine! I'm not giving it to you!" Her words drew everyone's eyes to me. When Dorothy recognized me, she gasped, covering her mouth. "Lorraine?" Some in the crowd who knew me began to sneer.

"Lorraine? What's the point of clinging to him like this?" "Mr. Fuller doesn't love you. He loves Ms. Walton!" "If you really loved him, you'd let him go!" The crowd's chatter gave me a headache. ---- Dorothy stood among them, her eyes full of provocation and disdain. Surrounded by admirers, she glided toward me in her expensive custom gown, like a peacock fanning its tail She looked at me with the air of a victor. "Lorraine, | know my presence shattered your dream of being a wealthy wife, but you were always just a substitute. | hope you understand.

| also hope you're grateful for Xander saving your life back then and won't ruin our engagement party." Seeing no reaction from me, Dorothy assumed Xander's abandonment had crushed me, and her smugness grew. Some people stepped forward, grabbing at me to drag me out of the venue. "Get out! How can you be so shameless?" "Mr. Fuller saved you and let an orphan like you live a luxurious life for three years! Isn't that enough?" "Some things aren't for someone like you to dream about! Only someone like Ms. Walton is worthy of Mr.

Fuller!" Dorothy lifted her chin, clearly pleased with their reactions. She seemed to relish the crowd's adoration and my humiliation. | yanked my arms free from their grip and snapped sharply. ---- "Don't touch me." My fierce aura stunned them into silence. Dorothy froze for a moment but quickly regained her proud demeanor, trying to mask the fact that my presence had rattled her. She offered fake sympathy. "Lorraine, | know you're hurting. But you have to understand, Xander doesn't love you. No amount of clinging will change that.

I'm begging you, let us be happy." At her words, | couldn't help but clap for her performance. "If you two are so in love, why didn't you face the danger with him back then?" Dorothy fell silent, her fake smile crumbling. Seeing his beloved upset, Xander rushed to her side, pulling her into his arms with a look of heartache. Then he turned to me, his eyes blazing with anger and his voice dripping with ice. "Lorraine, you should feel honored to have been Dorothy's stand-in!

If it weren't for her giving you that chance, someone like you would never have entered my world!" | let out a cold laugh. "You're right, we're not in the same world -because yours doesn't even impress me."