Chapter 2 No.2

Sophia grew up in a poor family. After her parents divorced, she was left with her abusive father, and her mother paid her no attention. She had a very unfortunate childhood.

Back then, I saw how weak and pitiful Sophia looked, and when she tearfully recounted her struggles to finish school and get into college, my sympathy for her grew.

So, during the college years, I took extra care of Sophia, and after graduation, I even helped her land a prestigious job that most people would fight tooth and nail for.

This was how she repaid me.

I glanced at Sophia, then grabbed Ethan's shirt with my other hand.

Cheating and you still think you're in the right? You went behind my back and made it public in our circle. Do you enjoy sneaking around?

I noticed Ethan still showed no signs of regret or embarrassment. At most, he seemed a bit angry at being humiliated.

His friends stepped in to persuade me again.

Olivia, Ethan was just fooling around. In the end, he's definitely going to marry you.

Yeah, we all know how deep your relationship goes.

As soon as they finished speaking, I saw Sophia shed a few well-timed tears and burrow into Ethan's arms, crying pitifully.

Will you really marry her?

I couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Is the mistress feeling wronged now?"

The next moment, Ethan moved to completely shield Sophia and glared at me coldly.

I stepped to the side, raised my hand without warning, and slapped Sophia hard across her pitiful face.

Ethan hadn't expected it and didn't have time to protect Sophia.

I chuckled lightly.

I treated you like a best friend, giving you the best food, the best drinks, and showering you with gifts worth tens of thousands on holidays. And this is how you repay me? By crawling into my fiancé's bed? I have records of every transfer I made to you, and all the gifts are accounted for. If you don't pay back the full amount within three days, we'll see each other in court.

After saying that, I didn't even look at the pair of scumbags. I grabbed a few tissues and wiped the cream off my hands in disgust.

The crowd automatically parted to make way for me, and behind me, I could hear Ethan's furious shouts.

Get the hell out of here and stay gone. Don't come crawling back to beg for reconciliation.

I heard every word. So the first thing I did after walking out was call Ethan's mother.

Ethan was born when his mother was older, and now she was quite aged and widowed.

She had been eager for a grandchild for a long time and had always pushed for this marriage.

The phone connected quickly. I leaned against a wall for support, my voice trembling as I told her everything that had just happened.

Away from the crowd, I fought to hold back my tears.

I had imagined countless times what it would be like to marry Ethan, to have children and build our own family. But reality hit me like a ton of bricks.

After a long pause, I didn't hear the gentle, comforting words I expected. Instead, Ethan's mother's voice was faint and vague.

I know, Olivia. I'll handle this. Don't overthink it, and don't make a fuss with Ethan. You two need to get married this year.

I was stunned. What? She thought I was making a fuss?

I froze in disbelief, staring at my phone.

She just found out that her son had a mistress, and that was her reaction? It was clear now. Ethan's mother had known about Sophia all along.

I laughed bitterly and hung up, immediately blocking her number.

Get married? Keep dreaming!

On my way back, I called my parents. I kept it brief with just six words. "I want to cancel the engagement."

There was a moment of silence on the other end before my mom carefully asked, "Sweetheart, what happened?"

I bit my lip, too afraid to speak, worried that they'd be hurt.

I was their only daughter, and my parents had never let me suffer even the slightest grievance. They had also been delaying the wedding, insisting on waiting until I turned twenty-five.

When I felt tears welling up, my father took over the call and agreed swiftly.

Alright. Leave it to us.

After leaving, I didn't go home. Instead, I slipped into a bar in the alley downstairs.

The owner knew me and stayed to drink with me for a while. When he went to get more drinks, I stumbled my way to the restroom.

I was leaning against the cold wall, trying to steady myself, when someone passed by and knocked into me hard.

Suddenly, I felt a strong hand pull me up, and I fell into a cool embrace.

This person brushed aside the damp hair on my forehead and spoke in a low voice.

When did the arrogant Miss Bennett fall so low?

The voice was so familiar.

It sounded like Alexander Pierce, my mom's favorite student.

When Alexander saw that I wasn't responding, his soft fingertips gently wiped the tears from the corner of my eye.

I instinctively grabbed his wrist.