Chapter 1

The night before our engagement party, my fiancée posted a photo on Instagram of her and her childhood best friend drinking cocktails with their arms intimately linked.

Her caption read: “Nothing pleases the eyes quite like a truly gorgeous face.”

Moments later, a courier arrived at my door with a high-end concealer kit from her, along with a text: “Cover up that hideous scar on your face tomorrow. Do not humiliate me in front of our guests.”

She seemed to have completely forgotten that the scar was from pulling her out of a burning building years ago.

I quietly tapped the like button on her post, followed immediately by a text breaking things off.

Within seconds, she called, screaming at me for making a scene out of nothing.

“I am already lowering my standards to marry a damaged freak like you!” she snapped. “What more could you possibly want?”

In the background, Jaxon chimed in with his usual condescending smirk.

“Playing the martyr card again, Gavin? You really never get tired of using your little rescue act to guilt-trip her, do you?”

In the past, I would have swallowed my pride, begged for her forgiveness, and done everything to appease her.

This time, I was never looking back.

01

Standing outside the buzzing banquet hall, I adjusted the lapels of my tailored suit, took a slow breath, and stepped forward.

The moment Fiona saw me at the entrance, her smile vanished.

She grabbed my arm and dragged me violently into a secluded corner.

“Did you not put on the makeup I sent?” she hissed, her eyes darting around in panic. “Did you do this on purpose?”

She checked our surroundings frantically, terrified that someone might catch a glimpse of the left side of my face.

“Do you have any idea how lucky you are that I do not look down on you?” she whispered viciously. “You are going to terrify the guests!”

This was the girl who once claimed she was too fragile to open a water bottle, yet her grip dug so hard into my wrist that it left deep red welts.

I pulled my arm back and rubbed the sting, the last piece of affection in my heart finally crumbling into dust.

“Let us call off the engagement,” I said quietly.

I fought to keep my voice steady, hiding the hollow ache in my chest.

There was a time when Fiona would tenderly kiss that very scar, whispering tearful promises about how much she adored her brave protector.

Now, I was nothing more than an embarrassment, a stain on her pristine social life, and a burden she could barely tolerate.

“What is your problem now?” Fiona threw her hands up, her tone dripping with annoyance. “I agreed to marry you despite everything. Why are you still throwing tantrums?”

She checked her diamond watch, completely disregarding my words.

“Go to the restroom and cover it up right now. Jaxon will be here any minute, and I will not let you give him a reason to laugh at me.”

Jaxon. The man she had been drinking with all night.

They had grown up together before his wealthy family moved overseas, leaving a void in Fiona’s heart that no one else could ever fill.

Years later, Jaxon returned as an overnight pop sensation, publicly building his brand around the persona of a devoted boy next door searching for his childhood sweetheart.

His meteoric rise to stardom had reignited an obsession in Fiona that eclipsed everything else.

From the moment he stepped back into her life, I became invisible.

I closed my eyes, letting out a long breath to steady the storm inside me.

“We are done, Fiona. Since you adore Jaxon so much, why not just make him your groom today?”

Fiona froze, clearly caught off guard by my blunt response.

Her expression flickered with surprise before settling into cold arrogance.

“You are still throwing a fit over last night? I had no idea you were this petty and insecure.”

She sneered, crossing her arms. “Fine by me. I am sick of looking at your grotesque face anyway.”

With a harsh flick of her wrist, she hurled her bridal bouquet straight into my chest.

She turned on her heel and carefully lifted the train of her custom designer gown, terrified of getting a speck of dust on the fabric.

To her, the dress was worth far more than the man who had nearly died for her.

I picked up the bruised flowers from the floor, brushed off the dirt, set them on a nearby table, and turned to leave.

“Hey, Gavin, do not take it the wrong way,” Jaxon’s smooth voice called out as he caught the edge of my jacket. “Fiona was just helping me celebrate landing my new lead role last night. Nothing happened between us, man.”

Fiona snapped back before I could speak. “Do not waste your breath on him, Jaxon. I have spent the last few years taking care of him, which is more than enough to repay whatever favor I owed.”

She shot me a venomous look. “It is not like I begged you to rush into that fire anyway. Acting like a jealous, insecure child is pathetic.”

Her words hit like a serrated blade, carving deep into what was left of my wounded heart.

She truly believed I had used that rescue to hold her hostage.

She genuinely thought that because of my scarred face, I was unemployable, unwanted, and entirely dependent on her charity.

That was why she felt entitled to walk all over me, even spending the eve of our engagement wrapped around another man.

Tasting the bitter sting of betrayal, I pulled away without another word and walked toward the exit.

“Gavin! Do you really expect me to spend the rest of my life staring at that hideous face?” she shouted after me.

“He is my best friend of over a decade! What is wrong with celebrating his success?”

“You said it yourself! Today, I am getting engaged to Jaxon instead! Do not come crawling back crying when you regret this!”

The heavy doors swung shut behind me, and cold raindrops immediately splattered against my face.

It felt as though the sky itself was trying to wash away the humiliation stamped onto my skin.

Fiona did not follow me. There was no apology, no explanation, not even a single message.

Of course. In our relationship, I was always the one bowing my head and begging for peace.

Why would she ever care about how much I was bleeding inside?

Ten years of devotion, ten years of putting her above my own life, and all I had left was absolute exhaustion.