Chapter 1

On my engagement day, I discovered that the object of my father's affair was none other than my best friend.

Watching the two of them embracing not far away, I nearly collapsed.

Instinctively, I reached for my fiancé Alec's hand, seeking comfort.

But I touched the back of a hand that was ice-cold and clenched into a tight fist.

Confused, I looked at Alec, only to see his eyes blazing red, his face contorted with jealousy and madness. Before I could react, he charged forward and landed a punch square on my father's face.

"Quint, you dare touch my woman? I'll kill you!"

1

I stepped out onto the bustling city street in my engagement gown.

It felt like I'd been plunged into an icy abyss.

On the day of my engagement party, my fiancé and my father had come to blows over my best friend.

I couldn't imagine anything more scandalous or soap opera-like than this situation.

All the guests stared in disbelief at the unfolding scene, their whispered gossip barely masking expressions that ranged from concern to schadenfreude.

My best friend sauntered over to me, a smug smile playing on her lips as she looked me up and down.

She didn't seem the least bit flustered, radiating an air of triumph.

"Scarlett, why should you have it all while I have nothing? It's not fair that you've been living the high life since childhood, basking in all of life's pleasures. But it's all good now. No matter how it happened, everything you had is mine now."

Dazed, I turned to look at my mom.

Even knowing she was just as much a victim in this mess, I desperately sought a shred of comfort from her.

To my shock, Mom stood by, watching with cold indifference.

In that moment, my heart plummeted. I walked towards her, unable to believe what I was seeing.

"You knew all along, didn't you?"

Tears spilled down my cheeks unbidden, smearing my carefully applied makeup and painting an ugly, messy portrait of my life.Mom sighed, her expression devoid of the tenderness she had shown earlier at the engagement party when she held my hand and told everyone I was her most beloved treasure.

"Yes, I've known for a long time."

"Why didn't you tell me!"

I cried out in anguish, feeling like a complete fool.

"What good would telling you have done? It would only have caused more suffering. The marriage alliance between the Harrington family and the Prescott family won't be called off. Do you have a better option?"

I laughed.

It was a bleak and desperate laugh.

"So, in your eyes, I'm just a tool for an arranged marriage. Happiness doesn't matter, loyalty doesn't matter, and honesty between family members matters even less, is that right?"

Mom shifted her gaze to look at the father-in-law and son-in-law pair in the distance, who were now being pulled apart by their assistants.

"Scarlett, what do you have to complain about? In this family, no one has it better than anyone else."

I stumbled backward, my vision blurred by tears, shaking my head and gritting my teeth.

"How wonderful. On my engagement day, one of the most important days of my life, my dad, mom, fiancé, and best friend all betrayed me at once. What a pathetic person I am."

With that, I turned and ran.

Ignoring the voices calling my name from behind.Too disgusting.

Everyone here is utterly revolting.