Chapter 1

At our engagement party, my fiancé, Ethan, suddenly vanished.

The guests and I searched the hotel for nearly half an hour, only to find him fast asleep in the arms of a front-desk receptionist named Chloe.

Chloe’s uniform was soaked through. She looked up at me with shy, innocent eyes.

She looked strikingly like the woman Ethan had harbored an unrequited obsession with for years.

The guests exchanged awkward glances, looking back and forth between us. My face instantly froze.

Chloe bit her lower lip, offering a timid, aggrieved explanation. "Mr. Vance was just so exhausted. The moment he saw me, he pulled me into his arms. I really didn't do it on purpose... I just couldn't push him away."

Ethan stirred awake. Glancing at me, he put on a cold, indifferent face. "Don't blame her. Today is supposed to be our engagement party. You've already gotten what you wanted, Clara. Don't make a scene."

Right. I had waited five long years for this day.

It was supposed to be the moment my dreams finally came true.

Yet at this exact second, I suddenly didn't want him anymore.

Seeing me stand there in dead silence, Chloe stepped forward and whispered an apology. "I heard Mr. Vance was getting engaged today. I only wanted to witness his happiness with my own eyes.

"I know I didn't belong in the ballroom, but I couldn't bear to miss his big day. That's why I took a shift at the front desk. I just wanted to catch a glimpse of him from afar. I swear I had no other intentions!"

She delivered every word with heartbreaking sincerity. It didn't sound like an apology or an explanation to me at all.

It sounded like a desperate love confession meant to soften Ethan's heart.

I was sick and tired of her little games.

I let out a cold laugh. "Forget it. Let's end this right here. I don't want to get engaged anymore."

A spark of triumph flashed across Chloe's eyes, though she quickly forced out a fresh layer of tears. "The ceremony is about to start! You shouldn't waste time over an insignificant person like me. Please, don't let me ruin your relationship."

She acted so delicate and fragile, shrinking back as if terrified of me.

The way she carried herself made it look like I was the bitter, unreasonable bully humiliating her on purpose.

An insignificant person?

Those words weren't meant for my ears; they were aimed straight at Ethan.

Ethan’s already sullen face darkened even further. "Enough! Everyone is watching. Stop talking nonsense.

"I promised your father back then that I would take good care of you. The position of my wife was always going to be yours."

Ethan had always been ruthless toward me. I honestly thought my heart was so scarred and battered that it could no longer feel pain.

Yet he always managed to find a raw spot to stab. "So what? Am I supposed to fall to my knees and thank you?"

Ethan replied without missing a beat, "You should be grateful. After all, I was the one who pulled you out of the gutter and gave you this luxurious life.

"Since you know you owe me, stop taking your temper out on Chloe. You know how much she means to me."

He tightened his grip on Chloe’s hand. The tender adoration overflowing from his eyes was something I had never once experienced in all these years.

He was willing to treat me like trash just for a cheap knockoff.

I closed my eyes. "Since she means so much to you, why don't you get engaged to her today instead?"

Ethan's brow furrowed tightly. The curious, judging stares of the surrounding guests were clearly getting under his skin.

"My patience has limits, Clara."

In the past, whenever he made that face, I would be frightened out of my wits. I would lose sleep over it.

I would bend over backward to please him, sobbing as I apologized over and over until he finally uttered the words, "It's fine."

Now, his coldness didn't move me at all.

I shoved the velvet box holding the engagement rings straight into his chest. "I offer you both my heartfelt blessings."

May the two of you stay locked together for eternity—tormenting and destroying each other without end!

I turned on my heel and walked away, ignoring his furious shouts calling my name behind me.

I had personally designed every single detail of this engagement party.

Every corner had reflected my beautiful hopes for love. I might wish them ruin, but I wouldn't allow them to defile my hard work.

I grabbed a nearby chair and smashed everything in sight.

Ethan instinctively moved to stop me, but Chloe timed a sneeze perfectly and shrank back into his chest, trembling in fear.

So he just stood there, shouting at me furiously, "Stop acting crazy! Are you trying to piss me off?!"

Looking at the photo collage on the wall—the pictures I had so foolishly thought proved our love—I couldn't hold back my tears any longer. They streamed down my face.

The frames were stuck firmly to the display board, so I grabbed a bottle of red wine, smashed it open, and splashed the dark liquid all over them.

The smiling faces in the photographs were instantly ruined, stained beyond recognition.

Just like my feelings for him.

I looked over at Ethan holding Chloe protectively in his arms, his face painted with worry.

A chilling, mocking smile spread across my lips.

What was the point of putting on such a devoted show? It wasn't like Isabella wanted him anyway!