Chapter 1

1

My father passed away after a long, painful battle with his illness.

The day before his funeral, my fiancé went to the courthouse to get a marriage license with his first love.

I confronted him, demanding to know why he would do this to me. He just looked at me with pure annoyance.

"Her father has terminal cancer, Alana. His last wish was to see me marry her," he snapped.

"I'm just doing a good deed for a dying man. Can't you stop being so selfish for once?"

That night, I called him, but his first love, Gigi, was the one who picked up.

"Hudson is in the shower right now. Do you want me to give him a message?" she asked, her voice dripping with fake sweetness.

I didn't say a word. I just quietly hung up the phone.

Late that night, Hudson finally called back, sounding exhausted. "I'm going to be busy with the wedding reception for the next few days. Don't bother me with your dad's funeral."

Once again, I remained silent.

I took off my engagement ring, threw it in the trash, and canceled every single plan we had for our future.

...

My father's funeral was simple, just as he had requested in his will.

I greeted the guests with a numb expression, trying to use the busyness to drown out the suffocating grief in my heart.

On such a significant day, Hudson, the man who was supposed to be my husband, never showed up.

My father had spent his life worrying about me. I didn't want him to suffer anymore, so I handled everything myself, making sure every detail was perfect.

The guests didn't say much to my face, but they couldn't hide the pity in their eyes.

Still, I couldn't help but overhear their hushed conversations.

"His own father-in-law is being buried, and he won't even show his face. What kind of heartless man is he?"

"No manners at all. I wonder what kind of family raised someone so disrespectful."

"He's probably sucking up to some other family right now. What a pathetic loser."

My friends grew angrier as they spoke, even spitting on the ground in disgust.

I just gave a helpless smile and let them talk. Our family had been losing face for a long time now.

I was already used to it.

Besides, Hudson was currently overjoyed, preparing for his big wedding with Gigi. He didn't have time to see my father one last time.

His heart wasn't here anymore, so what was the point of forcing him to stay?

Honestly, I didn't want him at the funeral anyway. His presence would only have stained the sanctity of the service.

As my father's casket slowly disappeared from view, I realized the man who loved me most in this world was truly gone.

Looking at his photo on the headstone, I finally broke down.

I collapsed to my knees in front of the grave and sobbed uncontrollably.

It was my fault. My poor judgment led my father to die with a heavy heart.

After the funeral ended, I sent Hudson a single text with my trembling hands.

【It's all over. Dad is gone.】

There was no reply.

He was probably busy being the world's most handsome groom, or perhaps he was out on a romantic date with Gigi.

Even if he saw the message, he wouldn't care.

He had never truly cared about me.

But it didn't matter anymore.

Why should the emotions of a stranger affect me?

As soon as I got home, I received a video from Gigi.

It was a beautiful, romantic wedding venue. Gigi was clinging to my husband, Hudson, and they kissed passionately while the crowd cheered.

For the first time, I saw a look of pure satisfaction on Hudson's usually cold face.

So, he did know how to smile. He just never smiled for me.

In the video, a guest asked a question.

"Hey, man! Do you love our Gigi more, or that loser ex of yours?"

Hearing the insult directed at me, Hudson just shrugged indifferently.

"Gigi, obviously. Don't even mention that woman! Being with her was the biggest mistake of my life. She makes me sick."

The whole room erupted into laughter.

Gigi hugged him and pointed her phone at the camera.

"Send it to her! Let her see how happy we are together!"

Hudson agreed immediately.

"Her dad just had to die this week. I bet he did it on purpose just to stop her from coming to the wedding. How annoying."

My hands shook as I gripped my phone. I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood, trying to keep from screaming.

To him, my father's death was nothing more than an inconvenience?

Can a human being truly be this cold-blooded?

I held onto one last shred of hope and dialed his number. It went unanswered several times.

Finally, Gigi's voice came through the line.

"Hudson is in the shower. He's exhausted after today, you understand, right?"

I hung up instantly.

Yeah. I understood perfectly.