Chapter 1

My fiancé, Elias Sterling, was a man of cold, saintly restraint.

In our two years together, he never touched me. He claimed he had taken a vow of celibacy before God and couldn't break it.

He even insisted on a medical procedure to get me pregnant before we could legally marry. He said we needed a child first.

When I finally conceived, Elias smiled and promised me the grandest wedding in the city.

But at the ceremony, I called him 99 times. He never showed up.

Instead, his sister-in-law, Mabel Thornton, sent me a video of them together in bed. He was a different man in those clips―wild, passionate, and unrecognizable.

My heart turned to ash in that moment.

He didn't have a vow to keep. He just didn't love me.

Later, Elias sent a text: "Mabel had a fever last night. I had to stay and care for her."

"You know my brother is gone. I'm the only one she can rely on now."

"The wedding will have to wait until she's recovered."

I watched the screen as tears fell silently.

I dialed my father's number. "Dad, I've changed my mind. I'll come home for the arranged marriage."

1

My father's voice spiked with excitement.

"Sweetheart, you finally came to your senses!"

My heart softened, and I felt a wave of guilt.

When I first started dating Elias, my father was dead set against it.

He said our families didn't match and worried that Elias's obsession with his 'vows' would only make me suffer.

But I was blinded by love back then. I ignored my father's warnings like they were white noise.

Now, covered in scars, I finally realized he was right.

I promised my father I'd be home in three days to meet my new fiancé.

Right after I hung up, Elias called.

"Avery, why haven't you replied to my messages?"

"I know you felt slighted today. I promise I'll make it up to you with an even bigger wedding soon."

His voice was still gentle, just like it always was.

But remembering the video Mabel sent, I felt only a vast, empty wasteland in my chest.

"There's no need," I said calmly. "The wedding doesn't matter anymore."

The line went silent for a few seconds. When he spoke again, his voice was ice-cold.

"Avery Monroe, are you really throwing a tantrum over this?"

"I explained the situation and I apologized. Mabel was sick, and I had to be there."

"She's been through enough after losing my brother. We're going to be family. How can you be so heartless?"

I laughed mockingly, my eyes stinging.

I never realized what a talented actor he was.

I swallowed the bitterness in my throat. "Since we never had the ceremony or signed the papers, Elias, let's just end this."

"I don't want to marry you."

That sentence seemed to snap his patience.

"Do you think because you're carrying my child, you can act like a spoiled brat?"

He gave a cold snort through the phone.

"You went through all those hormone shots and procedures just to have this baby. I don't believe for a second that you'd actually leave me."

"Stop talking nonsense. Get back to the house. I'm waiting."

He hung up without waiting for an answer.

I touched my lower abdomen, feeling a surge of misery.

Once, this child was my greatest hope. I thought it was the bridge to becoming his true wife.

But now, everything had changed.

I didn't go back to our house. I went straight to the clinic.

I told the doctor I wanted to terminate the pregnancy.

When I walked out of the procedure room, I felt hollow and weak.

I touched my flat stomach, and the tears finally broke free.

I forced myself to drive back to the house I shared with Elias. I had important documents and my passport there.

The moment I pushed the door open, the scene inside felt like a physical blow.

Mabel was wearing a tiny silk slip, her legs draped casually over Elias's lap.

The man who claimed he couldn't touch a woman for three years was gently massaging her feet.

They were laughing together, looking like a blissful couple on their honeymoon.

I remembered how he refused to even share a bed with me, using his faith as a shield. I had been such a fool.

The difference between love and indifference was glaringly obvious now.

Elias looked up and gave me a smug smile, as if he knew I'd crawl back.

Mabel put on a fake, sugary expression.

"Avery, I'm so sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have called Elias away on your big day."

"But I felt so sick, and I was so scared. You aren't going to hold it against me, are you?"

I didn't have the strength for her performance. The physical pain from the procedure was starting to throb.

I ignored her and tried to walk toward the stairs.

As I passed Elias, he grabbed my arm. His face was twisted in a scowl.

"Where are your manners? Your sister-in-law is talking to you, and you can't even say hello?"