Chapter 3

3.

The entire hall plunged into dead silence, every pair of eyes locking onto me.

Alana stared at me with pure irritation.

She looked at me as if I were a lunatic throwing a tantrum, as if I had no right to question her betrayal.

“I told you, Simon and I are true love,” she said, her voice completely flat.

Seven whole years of devotion, yet she dismissed it without a second thought.

“Get lost. We’re done. Simon and I are the ones who belong together.”

She shoved me backward in disgust.

Seven years ago, she followed me around for two solid months just to get me to notice her.

She used to say: “I’ve never loved any man the way I love you. You’re my everything.”

Now, she threw me away like an old wrapper.

Bitterness flooded my throat, mixed with an uncontrollable fury.

Why did I have to roll over and leave just because she told me to?

I was still her boyfriend by every standard.

“Alana, you’re cheating on me.”

Her expression darkened instantly. Without warning, she grabbed a glass of champagne from a nearby tray and splashed it directly into my face.

“The person who isn’t loved is the real intruder.”

“Declan, I never truly loved you, so this isn't a betrayal.”

The chilled alcohol dripped down my cheeks, freezing my heart to its core.

The unloved one is the intruder.

What a vile, disgusting excuse.

She had committed blatant infidelity, yet hid behind cheap philosophy to justify her actions.

Looking at the woman in front of me, she felt entirely like a stranger.

Seven years, and I never saw through her venomous nature.

Before I could say another word, she pulled Simon back onto the center stage.

“Today isn't just about my proposal to Simon,” she declared into the microphone.

“I also have an extraordinary announcement to share.”

Their fingers were tightly intertwined, stabbing agony straight through my vision.

If she never loved me, why couldn't she tell me years ago?

Why wait until this very moment to tear me apart?

“I am gifting the exclusive copyright of the game ‘Gods of Lore’ to Simon as his engagement gift.”

Her announcement detonated in my mind like a bomb.

Both Alana and I were top-tier game designers in the industry.

‘Gods of Lore’ was my life’s masterpiece.

I had originally planned to license the rights to fund our dream wedding.

Just last month, she pleaded with me not to sell it, claiming she wanted to keep it for our shared future.

Because I loved her unconditionally, I gave her whatever she asked for.

I transferred the rights into her name without hesitation.

Now, the harsh truth hit me: she took my hard work just to hand it over to another man.

She conveniently forgot that I spent five grueling years and emptied my entire savings account to build that game from scratch.

I glared at her, but there was no guilt on her face―only doting warmth for Simon.

Simon cast a smug, mocking glance down at me.

“Thank you so much, babe,” Simon cooed.

Gasps of admiration echoed through the audience.

“She actually gave him ‘Gods of Lore’?”

“I heard that game cost over ten million dollars in private development!”

“Alana loves him so damn much.”

Whenever I created something for Alana, I never bragged about it on social media.

I only cared that she knew my devotion.

Because of that, the public had no idea that I was the sole creator of ‘Gods of Lore’.

Alana knew better than anyone what that game meant to me.

Yet she gave it away to her lover without batting an eye.

Overwhelmed with rage, I took a step toward the stage.

Alana’s sharp, threatening glare pinned me to the spot.

Her firm was still my father’s largest corporate partner and investor.