Chapter 2

2

Within three days, Marcus and his mother had spread the news of the “failed wedding” to every corner of the city.

In the family group chats, they called me a gold-digger and ungrateful. “She found someone richer and backed out,” was the version someone cooked up. They even invented a new boyfriend for me: a guy in a Porsche who just moved back from London.

Martha said it at least ten times in the group: “My poor Marcus is ruined. All that wedding money wasted, and she stole our thirty-thousand-dollar engagement gift.”

Engagement gift? In my last life, that money was my own savings for the wedding.

She had taken it and immediately used it as a deposit for Leo’s house. Now, she was accusing me of being the thief.

I didn't argue in the group chat. I only did one thing―I took screenshots.

What hurt more was my own mother’s side of the family. Two aunts kept calling me, telling me not to be “stubborn” and that the wedding was already half-done. They told me to “think about the family reputation.”

My mom was caught in the middle, looking stressed. Finally, she sent a tentative text: “Clara, honey... maybe you should come home for a few days?”

I told her I would.

Marcus was even more aggressive―he showed up at my office.

I was working late until 8 PM that day. When I walked out of the lobby, I saw him leaning against a pillar, his hoodie pulled low.

The moment he saw me, his expression shifted to one of heartbreak. His eyes turned red, and his lips trembled.

“Clara, I can change everything. Just give me one more chance. I’ll give you anything you want.”

My colleagues walking by slowed down. Curious eyes swept over us like searchlights. Some people even pulled out their phones to record.

By tomorrow, the rumor that I was “cold-heartedly rejecting a devoted boyfriend” would be all over the company. That was exactly what Marcus wanted. He wanted everyone to think I was the villain who broke a good man’s heart.

But he forgot one thing.

In my last life, I was soft-headed, but my phone had plenty of storage. I had saved everything.

I pulled out my phone and turned the screen toward him. It was a recording of a conversation between him and his mother. The audio was crystal clear.

Martha’s voice: “That Clara girl’s family is just average. Her old house isn't enough for Leo’s down payment. You have to make her hand over her paycheck. Keep her on a tight leash, maybe three hundred a month for spending.”

Marcus’s voice: “She’s easy to play. I just say a few sweet things and she believes anything. Once the house is in Leo’s name, it won't matter if she throws a tantrum.”

Marcus’s lips turned white instantly.

“This recording,” I said, pulling the phone back. “Your mom said this in your car. My phone was unlocked and I left it in the backseat. It recorded for thirty-five seconds automatically. Did you know?”

He took a step back. His heel hit the edge of the stairs.

“Also, that thirty thousand your mom is crying about? The day it left my account, I labeled it ‘House Payment’ for Leo. I have the bank statements right here.”

“I have every conversation of your family plotting to steal my pre-marital assets.”

His hands were shaking now.

I tucked my phone away, walked down the steps, and hailed a cab. As I looked in the rearview mirror, he was standing there, looking like a man who had lost his spine.

The driver asked where to, and I said home. I paused, then added, “To my actual home.”