Chapter 1

The night before our engagement, photos of William Kent carrying his childhood sweetheart Lily Monroe into a hotel room went viral online.

Instantly, everyone condemned Lily for knowingly being the other woman, calling her shameless.

To protect Lily, William posted an official statement on the company blog, claiming that I was actually the one trying to steal him away.

He even proudly announced that he and Lily were getting engaged.

Countless users flooded my inbox, hurling insults and wishing me dead.

When I confronted William, he just frowned and said, "Lily isn't strong. I can't just stand by and watch her get torn apart online.

"Emily, give in this once. Don't say anything reckless on the internet. Once this blows over, we'll get married."

Pale-faced, I asked him what would happen if I refused.

His eyes turned icy in an instant.

He said, "If you don't, then there's no need to continue your father's treatment."

He used my father's life to threaten me, so I had no choice but to back down.

Later, on the very day when he and Lily held their lavish engagement party, I went to the hospital, checked my father out, and disappeared from William's world forever.

*****

As the engagement day got closer, William sent over a bunch of dresses for me to pick from.

On the phone, his voice was soft.

He said, "Emily, I've still got work to finish up. Once I'm done, I can't wait to see you in that dress."

I couldn't help but smile as I listened, then told him to get back to work.

William had been working late at the office these days, just so he could have more time for me after we got engaged.

The Kent family was the top family around, while I was just a regular girl from a normal home.

After I agreed to William's confession, I worked hard to better myself, all so I could be good enough for him.

Now, five years later, I'd made a name for myself. His parents had finally accepted me, and our long romance was finally heading for its happy ending.

After hanging up, I was about to put my phone down and try on the dresses when a notification popped up.

[Breaking! The Kent family's CEO and his first love were spotted checking into a hotel together. Are wedding bells about to ring?]

The bold headline hit me like a punch. I clicked on it. The post was already trending.

At first, I thought it was just another rumor, but then I saw a video.

In the video, a man in a sharp suit and gold-rimmed glasses had a woman in his arms.

The woman was wearing a white dress, clinging weakly to his neck. They looked way too close, way too cozy.

Even though the video was kind of blurry, I recognized William instantly. That burgundy tie he wore was the one I'd picked out for him myself before he left.

And the woman in his arms was Lily Monroe, his childhood friend who had just returned from overseas after recovering from an illness.

Even if they grew up together, they were way too close for just childhood friends.

Under the post, some were just here for the drama, others were sending congrats, but soon someone commented: [Hold up, didn't Mr. Kent have a girlfriend he's been dating for five years? And she's a well-known artist, isn't she?]

[Yeah, I remember that, too. Let me @ her real quick.]

[Wait, Mr. Kent has a girlfriend? And that girl in the video is all over him. Isn't she just playing the childhood friend card to steal someone's man? Shameless.]

[Yeah, totally shameless. People like her deserve to get dragged through the mud.]

The comments kept flooding in, but I couldn't even bother with them. I just grabbed my car keys and rushed downstairs.

My fiancé had just told me he was busy with work, and then he was at a hotel with another woman. I couldn't stop my mind from racing.

I drove straight to the hotel, got the room number, and brushed right past the staff as I headed upstairs.

After pounding on the door three times, I lowered my trembling hands, praying under my breath that it wouldn't be William on the other side.

But luck wasn't on my side this time. The hotel door swung open, and there stood William, dressed in a bathrobe.

The moment he saw me, a flicker of panic flashed in his eyes.

"You... What are you..." he started, but didn't finish.

Before he could get the words out, a sickly sweet voice called from inside the room.

The woman asked, "William, who's at the door?"

William didn't answer her. He just stared at me, his expression unreadable.

After all these years together, he didn't even bother to explain himself to me.

I raised my trembling hand and slapped him hard across the face, my voice cold as I demanded, "Not even going to give me an explanation?"

The sharp sound of the slap echoed in the room. William looked caught off guard, a flash of shame and anger crossing his face.

Lily realized something was wrong and rushed over, also in a bathrobe.

When Lily saw the slap mark on William's face, she jumped in front of him, all fired up and ready to defend him.

She snapped, "Who the hell do you think you are? What gives you the right to hit William?"

Those marks on her neck set me off. I swung my hand back, ready to slap her, too.

"Because I'm his fiancée!" I shot back.

Anyone with half a brain could tell what was up between William and Lily.

We were about to get engaged, and William was messing around behind my back. I just couldn't hold back my anger.

Just as my hand was about to slap Lily, William's face darkened. He grabbed my wrist, his grip tight and his voice harsh.

William snapped at me, "Emily, that's enough.

"Lily was drugged. This whole thing is just a misunderstanding. Stop being unreasonable."

I let out a cold laugh. "So, let me get this straight: she gets drugged, you heroically bring her to a hotel to 'save' her, and then oops, you just happen to end up in bed together? That's your excuse?"

All these years together, I'd never once snapped at William.

But my words were so sharp, William instantly frowned.

He said, "Emily, do you have to talk like that?

"I told you, it's just a misunderstanding.

"Can't you just act as if nothing happened?"

His grip on my arm was so tight it made my whole arm tingle, but honestly, that was nothing compared to the ache in my heart.

I stared at him, totally in disbelief. Not long ago, he called me. He told me that he couldn't wait to see me in my engagement dress.

But at that moment, all I could see in his eyes was pure annoyance, and all that concern for Lily.

I gritted my teeth, yanked my arm free, and snorted. "William, turns out you really are disgusting.

"You did all this, and you still want me to act like nothing ever happened?

"Too late. The news of you checking into a hotel with Lily is already blowing up online. Everyone knows you two have something going on.

"When I get back, I'm calling off the engagement and announcing we're done. I'll make room for your precious childhood friend."

I really did love William, but that didn't mean I had to put up with this humiliation and keep pretending everything's fine after he betrayed me.

I fought back my tears and turned to leave, but William grabbed my arm again, his voice urgent.

He asked, "Emily, wait, what do you mean Lily and I are all over the trending topics?"

I shook him off without a second thought. "While you were at the hotel talking to me on the phone, the video of you two checking in together was already blowing up online."

Lily unlocked her phone with a look of terror. When she saw all those comments calling her a homewrecker, her eyes welled up with tears.

She clung to William's arm, her voice full of hurt. "William, everyone's calling me a homewrecker, but I swear I didn't mean for any of this to happen.

"You have to help me. I don't want to be dragged like this."

In her mind, she believed William and she were truly in love. They didn't have the right to call her that.

William hadn't expected things to blow up like this. His expression turned grim.

He said, "Lily, you're not in good shape. Don't worry about it. Leave it to me, and I'll handle everything."

Seeing him still fussing over Lily at a time like this, I let out a sarcastic laugh and turned to leave.

But I'd barely taken a step when a sharp pain shot through the back of my neck.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness, I saw William looking at me, guilt written all over his face.

William said, "Sorry, Emily. Lily's not in great shape, and I can't let you run your mouth and mess things up for her.

"Just back off for her sake. Once this whole mess is over, we'll get married."

My head was all fuzzy. I couldn't even process what he meant. All I saw was him dialing his phone.

Lily was standing behind him, flashing me a look that screamed, "I won."