Chapter 1
Bradley was a superstar, and he once bet with his friends that even if he ended up penniless, some woman would still be willing to marry him.
That was why he chose me, a poor girl, to be his fiancée.
Then one night, I stood outside a private room and overheard the truth. One of his friends asked, "Bradley, how long are you going to keep up this act with that cheap fiancée of yours?"
Another guy said, "Can't you see? Bradley is still in love with Samantha. If she hadn't dated that loser, Bradley wouldn't have been with Rosalie just to spite her."
They laughed, but Bradley stayed silent, lazily sipping his drink.
And in that moment, I finally understood that every bit of love and promise I'd been given was fake.
It was nothing more than a game between my fiancé and another woman.
*****
After the party, I saw one of Bradley Clark's buddies heading into the room next door.
I remembered Bradley was meeting up with his friends tonight, too, so I tagged along.
The door was left slightly open, with just enough of a gap for me to see what was going on inside.
A woman's sobs echoed through the room. "Bradley, are you really going to get engaged to that girl? What makes her better than me?"
It was Samantha Rogers, Bradley's junior and his first love.
My heart started pounding, and curiosity pulled me closer to the crack in the door. I just had to know what Bradley would say.
The room was shrouded in dim light as Bradley closed the distance between himself and Samantha. Right there, in front of everyone, he kissed her, then pulled back with a sly grin.
He said, "Come on, Samantha, admit it. You still love me, don't you?"
It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over me. I gripped the doorframe just to keep myself from collapsing, but Bradley's words shattered whatever dignity I had left.
He said, "I know you're afraid of the pressure that comes with fame, and worried that having a baby would ruin your career. That's why I'm marrying her. It's all a cover for you.
"As soon as our child is born, I'll leave her. You're my only one."
I just couldn't take it anymore. I collapsed to the floor.
I always thought Bradley was with me, even wanted to marry me, because he loved me. Turned out it was all just a carefully staged act to provoke Samantha.
I had always been just a tool in their twisted game. He never truly cared about me, not for a second.
I just couldn't figure it out. If he didn't love me, how could he be so comfortable getting close to me, doing all those intimate things like it meant nothing?
When he held me, who was he really thinking about?
Once Samantha got the answer she wanted, she stopped crying and started gently pounding on Bradley's chest, her tone turning playful.
She said, "Men always say sweet things, but they're all lies. I don't buy it."
Bradley just held her hand tenderly, then leaned in and kissed her again.
Their friends around them started cheering.
Feeling sick to my stomach, I barely held it together and staggered out of there.
When I got home, I locked myself in and ran a bath, filling the tub to the brim.
I scrubbed at my skin like I could erase every memory of Bradley, every touch, every lie.
However, the harder I scrubbed, the filthier I felt. After what felt like a century, the water beneath me was bone-chillingly cold.
It hit me that it was another day. When I finally checked my phone, I saw countless missed calls.
Of course, every single one was from Bradley.
Back then, I didn't even need a call; just thinking about Bradley could make my day.
However, now, even seeing his name made my skin crawl.
He wasn't worried about me at all; he only cared about the child I was carrying. After all, he'd never let Samantha suffer through pregnancy herself.
Someone was banging on the door downstairs. I threw on some clothes and stared at the sky outside. It was just starting to get light. I told myself that I had to break up with him.
However, the moment Bradley came charging up the stairs, yelling my name, I just lost it. I couldn't stop the tears.