Chapter 1

As we were about to exchange rings , a woman burst through the door , leading a child by the hand .

With tears in her eyes , she cried out , Are you really going to abandon us , your own flesh and blood ? The entire room fell into shocked silence .

My fiancé froze , his hand hovering over my finger with the ring .

He turned to me and said , As you can see , that’s my child .

I cant let my own blood be cast aside .

You’ll have to treat this child as your own from now on .

Without a word , I walked over to the woman and slipped the ring onto her finger instead .

Why make things complicated ? You two should be together , I said , starting to clap .

Today’s a joyous occasion .

You star crossed lovers can finally be united .

The room was stunned into silence .

As my parents were about to explode with anger , I held them back with a smile .

Mom , Dad , they’re clearly in love .

I’m gracious enough to step aside , I said lightly .

Then I signaled to one of the staff members .

In an instant , the video showcasing my love story with Ethan Guthrie was replaced by security footage of him having an affair with his subordinate in the office .

The video was extremely graphic .

The room fell deathly quiet before erupting into gasps and exclamations .

Ethans face turned ashen .

Have you lost your mind ? he hissed .

After a chaotic moment , Ethan finally managed to shut off the video .

Anna Shirley broke down in tears .

She had been in shock , barely breathing , during the brief 30 second clip .

It felt like she had been dragged through hell .

She glared at me resentfully , not understanding why I had to be so cruel .

She had only come today to secure a future for her child .

Why did I have to utterly destroy them ? The child started wailing , frightened by the commotion .

Mother and son clung to each other, looking utterly pitiful .

My parents anger gave way to stunned expressions .

Dad sighed , looking at me with sympathy .

Mom hugged me tightly .

Oh sweetheart , youve been wronged .

You should have told us earlier .

I shook my head with a smile .

Its fine .

Theyve gotten their comeuppance now .

Behind me , Ethans face had turned black as coal .

I shot him a mocking smile before turning to address the crowd .

Everyone , the engagement party ends here .

Ill refund your gifts later .

But please , enjoy the food and drinks .

Consider it a celebration of my escape from misery .

With that , I left with my parents .

But we had barely stepped outside when Ethans parents blocked our way .

Guthrie looked at me reproachfully .

Stella , you went too far today .

Even if our Ethan had an affair , you shouldn’t have caused such a scene at the wedding .

I hadn’t actually planned to go this far .

This incident would make both the Guthrie and Moore families the subject of gossip .

My engagement to Ethan had been more of a business arrangement than a love match .

Or rather , I no longer had feelings for him now .

< I used to like him a lot .

But he never truly cared for me .

He had one girlfriend after another , and now he had even gotten his subordinate pregnant .

I wanted to go crazy , to lash out recklessly .

But I couldn’t .

The business ties between our families were too deep .

I couldnt afford to be petty .

So I had endured it all .

I thought we could get married first , then I would slowly distance myself from the Guthries .

I wanted the Moore family to extract themselves from this mess unscathed .

But Ethan and Anna were too greedy .

They actually tried to force me to accept that child at the wedding .

Since it had come to this , we would have to go down together .

Guthrie continued to berate me as my parents argued back .

Soon , two pairs of normally dignified elites were hurling insults at each other on the street .

My heart ached .

I had caused my parents such embarrassment .

Just then , Ethan emerged with the child in tow , Anna following behind .

Seeing the chaotic scene , he frowned , his icy glare fixed on me .

Look what you’ve done ! he snapped .

Rage surged within me .

How dare he blame me ? I could no longer contain myself .

I stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face .

Ethan Guthrie , how dare you say that ?

You two caused this scene at our wedding , humiliating both our families , and you expected me to just swallow this bitter pill ? How dare you !