Chapter 1

At our engagement party, two hundred guests raised their glasses to wish us a lifetime of happiness.

But my fiancé, Ryan Hawthorne, turned sideways, picked up shrimp from the plate, peeled them, and arranged them neatly in Nina Sterling's dish. "Nina hasn't had enough protein. You all go ahead. I'll finish peeling these for her."

The room fell quiet.

I looked down at the untouched lobster on my plate.

The irony was that back when we were dating, he'd take the steak I couldn't chew and cut it into small pieces, saying, "From now on, you won't have to use any effort when I'm here."

It turned out that tenderness didn't disappear. It transferred.

I picked up his wine glass and gently dropped my engagement ring into it. "Mr. Hawthorne only has two hands. He can't peel for everyone. Don't force yourself to keep up this act."

I stood, gave a slight bow to the two hundred guests, and said, "Apologies for the poor hospitality. The party is over."

*****

The hall was dead silent.

Ryan was still holding half a peeled shrimp, his face darkening. "Summer."

He used to say my name like that to comfort me. But at this time, it was a warning.

Nina sat beside him, her shoulders tensed, and her eyes went red. "Don't get me wrong, Summer. I have low blood sugar. That's why Ryan..."

"Shrimp for low blood sugar? Seriously?" I glanced at the perfectly lined-up shrimp on her plate and couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe you should give a lecture at the hospital's nutrition department."

Nina's face went pale in an instant.

Ryan set the shrimp down and wiped his hands with a napkin. "Enough. Do you even realize what kind of event this is? Why do you have to put everyone on the spot like this?"

I looked at him. Wasn't this laughable to him? Did he even realize what day it was? It was our engagement party.

My mom spent three months picking the perfect hotel, and my dad went over the guest list himself.

I tried on seventeen dresses, and finally chose the one he liked best.

And it was also the day he peeled shrimp for another woman, right in front of two hundred guests.

I didn't bother arguing anymore.

When one was completely let down, one was too drained to make a scene.

I turned to leave.

Ryan caught up and grabbed my wrist. "If you walk out now, the whole city will be laughing at the Hawthorne and Linwood families tomorrow."

"So when you were peeling shrimp for her, did you even care about the Hawthorne and Linwood families' reputation?" I shot back.

He was stunned.

I forcefully pulled my wrist free from his grip. "Ryan, I'm not the one making you look bad. You're the one doing this to yourself."

With that, I lifted my dress and walked out.

Behind me, Nina's voice trembled with tears. "Ryan, you should go after Summer. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have come."

That same old "innocent" routine. It was so familiar. This always happened.

Every time she backed off, Ryan would instantly feel bad for her.

But whenever I gave in, they'd take advantage and push even further.

Just as I expected, Ryan didn't come after me. He comforted her, whispering, "It's not your fault."

*****

I stepped out of the ballroom and found it was raining.

The driver still hadn't arrived.

I stood at the hotel entrance, the cold wind making me shiver.

My phone buzzed. It was a message from Ryan: [You really crossed the line tonight.]

Then another message popped up: [You made Nina cry. Come back and apologize to her, and we'll move on.]

I stared at those two lines for a long time. Then I replied: [The ring's in your wine glass, the shrimp's on her plate, and your dignity's on the floor. Fetch them yourself.]

After sending it, I blocked him right away.

By the time the driver arrived, my fingers were numb from the cold.

*****

Back at the Linwood house, the living room light was still on.

My mom was sitting on the couch, like she knew I'd be back.

She saw my empty hand, her eyes pausing for a moment. "Where's the ring?"

"I threw it away."

My mom didn't ask why. She said, "Are your hands cold?"

My nose stung. I didn't cry at the party. I didn't cry when Ryan confronted me. But my mom's simple question almost made me break down.

I sat down next to her and gave her a quick rundown of what happened tonight.

My mom listened, her expression steady and calm. "Have you really thought it through?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I have. I'm not getting engaged."

My mom gently stroked my hair. "Then let's call it off. A Linwood girl doesn't need to sit at someone else's table waiting for shrimp to be peeled for her."

I lowered my head, and the tears finally fell.

*****

Early the next morning, the Hawthorne family called my mom.

Monica Hawthorne sounded annoyed. "Mrs. Linwood, the kids are being dramatic. Why are you going along with it?

"With all those guests from both families there last night, Summer called off the party on a whim. How do you expect us to handle the aftermath?"

My mom put the call on speaker.

I sat there, slowly eating my oatmeal.

My mom said coolly, "Mrs. Hawthorne, my daughter isn't your waitress. She's not here to clean up the Hawthorne family's mess."

There was a brief silence on the other end.

Monica continued, "But the engagement has already been settled. The contracts, joint projects, and press releases are all ready. Isn't Summer being willful right now?"

My mom looked at me.

I put down my spoon and picked up the phone. "Mrs. Hawthorne, since you mentioned the contract, that's actually perfect.

"The Linwood family lent Hawthorne Group twenty-seven million dollars last month, just like the supplementary agreement says.

"With the engagement off, you've got thirty days to return the money, with interest."

The line went dead silent.

I continued, "No need to send out the press release. But you'll be getting a payment reminder."

With that, I hung up.

The oatmeal was already cold. But weirdly enough, my appetite had never been better.

It turned out the first step to letting go wasn't about forgetting. It was about settling the accounts.