Chapter 1

Julian hired a new waitress at his bar.

The once mature, steady man instantly turned into a reckless boy head over heels in love.

Every time she caused trouble, she would tear up and beg him to clean up her mess with cash.

All that was left for me were endless wedding postponements.

He told me to wait a little longer—just until he saved up a hundred thousand dollars to give me the most lavish wedding in town.

I believed him, but the money was never enough.

One day, Chloe smashed an expensive vintage wine; the next, she offended an important VIP. Julian’s money was constantly poured into digging her out of holes.

The night before our wedding, a gang of thugs cornered her, groping her and threatening to take illicit pictures. Chloe turned her panic-stricken, teary eyes toward Julian once again.

Julian’s face darkened as he pulled out his phone.

"Let her go. I'll trade other photos with you."

In the next moment, my explicit photos were leaking all over the internet.

"They're just a few photos. If they saved an innocent girl's dignity, it was totally worth it."

"Besides, we're getting married anyway. As long as I know you're clean, that's all that matters. Just get ready for tomorrow and be my most beautiful bride."

A bitter smile touched my lips.

Because three days ago, I had already texted Lucas, the billionaire who raised me, asking him to take me back to New York.

After giving in so many times, the bride was finally running away.

My phone lay on the floor, its screen buzzing non-stop with viral notifications. It was a leaked intimate photo of me, barely censored.

I was wearing my wedding dress in it...

The person who took that photo was my fiancé.

That day, he coaxed me into posing for the shot, whispering sweet promises that he would cherish it forever.

I believed him. Yet the very next day, an avalanche of cyberbullying and disgusting rumors crashed down on me.

My private pictures were circulating everywhere online, and my inbox was flooded with creeps harassing me all day long.

Silently, I scrolled through my contacts and found a number I hadn’t dialed in years.

[Lucas, I’m calling off the wedding. Come pick me up and take me home in three days.]

Just three seconds later, his reply popped up.

[Finally came to your senses? In three days, even if you chicken out, I'm dragging you back myself!]

A hollow laugh escaped my lips—just as the door swung open, revealing a scowling Julian.

"Serena, how could you let Chloe deliver wine by herself? She barely just turned eighteen!"

He grabbed my shoulders and pinned me roughly against the sofa.

"If I hadn't made it there in time, those thugs would have..."

"You know how important a woman's dignity is!"

Right. Dignity is important for a woman, yet he gave mine away without a second thought.

He took a deep breath, his face turning grim.

"I didn't mean to yell at you. But you crossed the line this time. Tomorrow, you're going to apologize to Chloe!"

Not a single word of explanation about my leaked photos.

My heart sank to rock bottom. Over and over, my compromises hadn't earned his love—only sharper daggers plunged deeper into my chest.

I stared at him numbly and asked just one question:

"So, is that why you traded my private photos to those thugs?"

Hearing me bring up the trade, the man who had been fiercely defending Chloe suddenly went dead silent, guilt flashing across his face.

His tone softened instantly as he pulled me into his arms, his hand gently patting my back to soothe me.

"Serena, it was an emergency. Those scumbags were about to strip Chloe right there. I couldn't just stand by and watch her get violated."

"They're just a few pictures. If they saved an innocent girl's dignity, it was a bargain.

You've always been so generous—you won't hold this against me, right?"

I stood there, stiff as a board. A bargain?

So on his scale, my dignity was just cheap currency to be traded away at will.

Seeing my silence, he cupped my face with both hands.

"Babe, stop throwing a tantrum. Once this blows over, I'll marry you right away.

We've postponed it ninety-nine times already. Do you really want to blow it on the final shot?"

Even now, he was threatening me.

"No matter what others think, in my heart, you'll always be the purest..."

Subconsciously, my hand brushed over my flat stomach. Before I even had the chance to share my good news with him, life had dealt me a crushing blow.

I couldn't fathom how the man who claimed to love me so deeply had turned into a complete stranger.

Pulling back, I put some distance between us, my expression cold.

Assuming I was just being petty, he leaned in to kiss me, desire flickering in his eyes.

"Serena, I want you..."

I dodged his touch without hesitation. "I'm exhausted."

"Get out."