Chapter 1

To make his first love smile, my boyfriend shoved my face into a peanut butter cake.

My allergic reaction blew my face up like a balloon, and the whole room burst into laughter.

"Zack, you should go comfort your girlfriend," someone called out.

He sneered, "No need. She can't live without me. Give it a few days, and she'll come crawling back to beg for my forgiveness."

Six months later, he received my wedding invitation and tracked me down with bloodshot eyes:

"How dare you?"

01

Zack Powell and I grew up together as childhood sweethearts. I had been deeply in love with him ever since I first understood romance.

I never dared to confess. I was terrified that if he rejected me, we wouldn't even be able to stay friends.

Besides, he constantly had a new girlfriend by his side, never leaving an opening for me.

When my family went bankrupt, I thought I would never see him again.

Instead, he stepped in like a knight in shining armor, offered financial help, and asked me out. We finally got together.

On my birthday, he told me he had planned a massive surprise for me.

When we arrived at the VIP lounge, all our old socialite friends were already there.

Ever since my family lost everything, these people had avoided me like the plague, terrified I would ask for a loan.

Only Zack had the clout to gather them all together just to celebrate my birthday.

Zack pushed a cart with a cake toward me, his voice dripping with tenderness. "Look inside. Can you guess what's in there?"

I thought it was an engagement ring, especially since I had caught him browsing diamond rings a few weeks ago.

When he asked me out, he had told me I was the ideal woman to be his wife.

"Okay," I smiled sweetly at him, leaning down eagerly to look inside the cake.

Suddenly, his hand slammed down on the back of my head.

My entire face smashed into the dense frosting. Whipped cream shot up my nose, making it hard to breathe.

The room erupted into deafening laughter.

I pulled my head up, wiping the thick cream from my face while coughing uncontrollably.

Phone cameras flashed in my blurry vision, and I instinctively ducked my head.

"Hahaha! That's priceless! Did she really think Zack hid a ring in there?"

"Look at Miss Cole acting like an ostrich! Lift your head so we can get a good shot!"

"Hey, look up! Do you still think you're an untouchable heiress?"

Just as I managed to catch my breath, a terrifying scent hit my nostrils.

It was peanut butter.

The cake was filled with peanut butter, and every single person in that room knew I had a deadly peanut allergy.

The skin on my face immediately began to burn and itch furiously.

I scrambled for my purse to grab my medication, but Zack snatched the bottle away.

He held up a napkin and turned to the crowd. "Keep filming this way, guys. The real show is just getting started."

As he tried to wipe the frosting off my face, I fought back in horror. "Zack, why are you doing this to me?"

A soft, gentle voice spoke up from behind him.

"Alright, Zack, stop teasing her. I'm already feeling much better. I'm so sorry, Shannon. I just moved back to the States and work has been stressful, so Zack only did this to cheer me up. Go wash your face, sweetie."

I recognized that voice instantly. Jenna Lang was there―Zack's first love.

He hadn't brought me here for a birthday surprise. He had set me up as a humiliating clown just to make Jenna smile.

My heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest, suffocating me with excruciating pain.

Waves of betrayal and humiliation burned behind my eyelids. I forced my tears back, refusing to give them any more satisfaction.

Zack pinned me down anyway, wiping the cream away to reveal my swollen, blotchy, and rapidly deforming face.

"Holy crap, she looks like a pig!"

"Incredible! Who knew the great Shannon Cole could transform like that?"

Phones were shoved directly into my face.

Furious, I smacked the phones away and flipped the entire cake over, splattering frosting all over their designer clothes.

They cursed loudly as they jumped back, frantically trying to wipe the mess off themselves.

A glob of cream landed on the hem of Jenna's designer dress.

"Shannon Cole, are you out of your damn mind?" Zack roared.

He grabbed a stack of napkins and gently dabbed at Jenna's dress, handling her with far more care than he had ever shown me.

"Zack, do you even know what today is?" I asked, my voice trembling with rage.

Zack didn't even bother looking back at me. "Apologize to Jenna right now, or we're done!"

I let out a cold, bitter laugh. "What a coincidence. I was just about to tell you that today is the day I dump your sorry ass!"

Without another word, I stormed out the door.

Behind me, Jenna's faux-sympathetic voice echoed through the lounge. "Zack, go comfort your girlfriend."

"No need. She can't live without me. She'll come crawling back in no time. The Cole family is ruined anyway. She's nothing more than collateral to pay off her dad's debt. How dare she throw a tantrum?"