Chapter 1

On my wedding day,when the officiant turned to my fiancé Luke Henson and asked.

"Do you take Miss Pruitt to be your wife, to stand by her all your days?"

I smiled as I gazed at the man I loved, my heart overflowing with happiness,waiting for him to say those two words .

My fiancé’s assistant Eva Fox suddenly shouted and came rushing up onto the platform.

"Wait!"

She pulled out her phone, looking up at him, hopefully.

"Mr. Henson,Mr. Henson, our TikTok streak is about to hit thirty days. If we keep sending each other messages today, we'll keep the streak alive. Do you want to?"

The entire hall fell into an uneasy silence, every glance exchanging knowing looks because there wasn't a person there who couldn't hear what she really meant.

I held tight to my fiancé's hand and begged him under my breath.

"Luke Henson, don't say 'I do' to her."

Luke brushed my hand away without hesitation.

"Eva's just a girl. Don't embarrass her in front of everyone."

He took out his phone and sent his assistant a heart, his eyes soft with indulgence.

"I do."

The whole hall broke into an uproar, everyone turning toward me waiting to see how the bride would react..

I gripped the hem of my wedding dress so tightly that my fingertips turned numb, forcing myself not to let the tears fall.

On the day I was supposed to hear my fiancé promise me forever, I heard him say "I do" to another woman instead.

The assistant let out a delighted cheer and threw herself into his arms, pressing a kiss onto his cheek as if she were the one standing beside him at the altar.

"Thank you, Mr. Henson!"

The sound of her voice, the whispers around me, the mocking looks from the guests—everything blurred together. I could barely feel my own heartbeat anymore.

I stepped down from the platform alone. I didn't cry, I didn't argue, and I didn't ask him for an explanation.

I simply walked away and went to find my fiancé’s grandma Cheryl Henson.

The moment I saw her, I placed the contract she had once given me in front of her and spoke quietly.

"Grandma, I won't be renewing the contract to take care of Luke."

……

Watching Eva's kiss land on Luke's cheek, the whole hall sucked in a sharp breath at once.

The sight struck me like a brutal slap, leaving my mind spinning and my body frozen in place.

I used every last bit of strength just to stay on my feet.

Luke quickly shoved Eva behind him, his eyes turning cold and guarded.

"Nanette Pruitt, Eva has a child's temper, she doesn't know any better. Don't you dare try to bully her."

My nails dug deep into my palms and all I could manage was a bitter smile.

"Luke, in our own wedding vows, you said 'I do' to another woman."

"You tell me. Who exactly is bullying who?"

Eva's eyes welled up instantly as she leaned into his chest.

"I'm sorry. I only wanted to hit thirty days on the streak with Mr. Henson. I didn't mean anything by it."

"Please don't read too much into it, okay? It's my fault. Don't be angry."

In just a few sentences, I became the villain in everyone’s eyes. The guests stared at me from below the stage, amused, mocking, and waiting for my downfall

The officiant hurried to smooth things over.

"The bride doesn't look well. Let's pause the ceremony for now."

Before I could get a word out, Luke was already guiding Eva toward the guest room backstage.

He handled her so carefully, as if she were some priceless treasure he was terrified of chipping.

I stood there alone on the stage, humiliated like a fool in front of everyone.

It felt like a piece of my heart had been carved out alive, every breath tearing at me.

Three years by his side, and this was the absurd ending it brought me.

In that moment, I knew it was over. I didn't want this marriage anymore.

My legs felt weak as I stepped down from the platform, but I forced myself to keep walking. I didn't want anyone to see me break.

I went straight to the lounge to say goodbye to Cheryl.

The door opened and she pushed herself up on her cane, anxious, gripping my hands tight.

"Sweetheart, I heard what that bastard did."

"You wait right here. I'm going to go beat him, and I'll set this right for you!"

Looking at the pain in her eyes, my nose stung and the tears nearly came out.

But I shook my head hard, my voice thick and rough.

"There's no need. I've already decided. I'm not marrying Luke."

The truth was, I should have made this decision long ago.

Three months ago, Luke hired Eva as his assistant.

When he first mentioned her, he came home complaining that she talked too much, that she was too troublesome, and that she was affecting his work.

But I saw it clearly. The man who was always really strict with subordinates never once showed that irritation toward Eva.

Instead there was a warmth I'd never seen in him before.

A month ago, he started staying on his phone with Eva every night, talking until it was late.

The man who used to only ever pick up the phone for work was now smiling at the screen, his expression gentle and almost tender..

When I couldn't stop myself from asking, he wouldn't spare me a proper glance.

"Eva's just a girl. She wants to keep our streak going every day, so I humor her. That's all."

Just a streak?

Does keeping a streak going take talking until the middle of the night?

I knew something was wrong. I knew the distance between us had started growing.

But I lied to myself. It was just a passing whim of his.

Until today, when he stood at our wedding and said "I do" to Eva, finally forcing me to face the truth I had desperately tried to ignore.

Cheryl looked at my reddened eyes, sighed with an ache, and stroked my hair.

"It's that bastard who doesn't deserve his luck. He isn't good enough for you."

She took a contract out of the drawer and handed it to me.

"This is the contract from back then. You keep it."

I had just reached out to take it when the lounge door was shoved open.

I looked up and saw Luke standing there. His face was dark with anger, and he pointed at me as if I were the one who had done something wrong.

"Nanette, the guests are still waiting."

"I only granted Eva one small wish. Do you really have to throw a fit and walk out, and make the Henson family to be laughed at?"

The moment those words left his mouth, something inside me went cold.

Before I could speak, Cheryl raised her cane and brought it down hard against his leg.

"You bastard, the one making the Henson family a laughingstock is you. Now hurry up and apologize to Nanette!"

Luke winced at the pain and, unwilling to back down, was about to argue.

Then his eyes caught the contract in my hand, before I could react, he stepped forward and snatched it away from me.

The moment he read the contents, his expression twisted with disbelief and fury.

When he saw what it said, his face went livid, and he flung the contract hard into my face.

The sharp edge of the paper cut across my cheek. A thin line of pain spread through my skin, followed by the warmth of blood sliding down my face.

I froze. Not because of the cut, but the look in his eyes.

The man I had loved for three years was looking at me like I was a villian who had deceived him.

"Nanette, so you stayed with me for three years because my grandmother paid you two hundred thousand a year?"

I could see scorn and disgust full of his eyes.

"A woman who stayed by my side for money, and you think you actually think you have the right to be jealous?"