Chapter 1

Right before the wedding, I handed my fiancé an invitation, but the groom wasn't him.

He stared at me, looking almost thrilled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I waved it off and said calmly, "Exactly what it looks like. Charles, we're done."

Charles stared at me in disbelief, his eyes starting to redden.

It took him a long moment before he finally managed to say, "But didn't we agree you'd wait for me?"

*****

My fiancé, Charles Greenwood, was still the same as always. He honestly believed my world revolved around him.

But the moment he decided he was going to marry our family's little housemaid, Emily Stevens, I made up my mind to walk away.

And this happened barely two weeks after we had been the golden couple everyone in the textile factory envied.

Charles tried to talk me down. "Grace, don't be stubborn. I know this hurts, but I can't just watch Emily suffer."

"You used to be so kind," he added. "Why can't you understand this one thing?"

I looked at him and almost laughed. I didn't bother answering.

Since I stayed quiet, he kept talking. "I get that it's hard to accept. But come on, we've been together for years. You should trust me."

Trust him? And let myself become the other woman in his brand-new love story?

I was about to say something when Emily leaned halfway out of the office door, her eyes already red.

"Mr. Greenwood," she said softly, "Nathan only lost one arm. I don't mind marrying him. Please don't fight with Grace because of me."

Her words were humble, but her expression was anything but. Every look she gave me was a silent accusation.

Charles felt so sorry for her he practically melted.

His hero complex kicked into high gear.

He took her hand and whispered, "Don't cry. I said I'd marry you, and I'm not changing my mind for anyone."

Watching the two of them act all lovey-dovey made my stomach turn.

I didn't want to argue anymore, so I walked away.

Even though I had already decided to let him go, it still stung.

After all, Charles and I grew up together. We were childhood sweethearts, and we officially became a couple under the eyes of both our families.

His father was the factory director, and my father was a well-known technical expert in the industry, so everyone said we were a perfect match.

Once our relationship stabilized, our parents naturally began discussing the wedding.

But Charles was ambitious and kept pushing himself to be the top performer every year.

The wedding kept getting delayed because he wanted to achieve something first.

I totally understood and supported him completely.

I even spent all my free time working with him and helping him study new techniques.

Every time our parents urged us to set a date, I was the one who talked them down.

People at the factory and in our families liked to joke that we were the perfect team, bound to grow old together in harmony.

But everything changed the moment Emily appeared.

She was a distant relative from my mother's side.

My mom saw how hard things were for her family, so she brought her in from the countryside to help take care of my nephew.

At first, she was hardworking and polite.

My mom noticed she had very little schooling but was eager to learn, so she gave her nights off and even paid for her to attend evening classes.

The teachers for those classes were pulled from the factory. And recently, it happened to be Charles' turn to teach.

It meant Emily became his student.

At first, the two of them acted normal.

But soon, every time Charles came to visit me, Emily magically appeared. And Charles started paying more attention to her.

Their relationship kept getting closer. By the time Emily finished her night-school program, Charles immediately arranged a job for her at the factory.

When I finally realized something was off, she was already working in our workshop.

Charles took care of her constantly. As time passed, they grew more in sync, more comfortable, more intimate.

So many times, even I—the fiancée he'd been with for years—was simply forgotten.

A few days earlier, the factory organized a movie night. Emily stuck to Charles the entire time. The two of them chatted nonstop, acting so close that anyone who didn't know better would've assumed they were a couple.

I reminded Charles more than once to keep things professional.

But every time, Emily would give me this wounded look and say, "Grace, please don't misunderstand. Charlie was just talking to me about the new textile techniques. That's all."

And just like that, she skipped right past "Mr. Greenwood", didn't even bother with "Charles", and jumped straight to "Charlie."

I glanced at the two of them and almost laughed.

They were so dedicated, apparently. Working overtime wasn't enough. They needed to stay glued together after hours to discuss "new technology".

Charles' face darkened the second Emily said that.

He glared at me and snapped, "Grace, what on earth is going through your mind? We're just friends. Nothing more."

Just friends?

Anyone with eyes could see Emily was after far more than a worker's position.

My warnings did nothing. If anything, they pushed Charles in the opposite direction.

He even pulled out a chair and had Emily sit beside him.

And I, his actual fiancée, suddenly became the villain of the story, shoved into the corner like an inconvenience.

He looked at me with pure irritation. "Grace, you're supposed to be educated. Why are you acting like some gossiping village woman?

"Emily is your relative. I'm only looking out for her because of you. So now you're telling me that treating her well was somehow wrong?"

So apparently, I was supposed to thank him.

I swallowed the anger rising in my chest.

Before I could say anything, Charles added with even more disdain, "Grace, you're going to marry me. If your mindset stays like this, it won't work. You need to think about what you've done."

Then he turned back to comforting Emily, who was still dabbing at imaginary tears.

Watching the two of them, I made up my mind.

Charles wasn't mine anymore. I was done.

I quietly moved to a seat in the back, hoping for some peace.

But of course, people waiting for a movie loved to gossip.

"Isn't that the director's son? Who's that girl sitting next to him?"

"You don't know? She's the new girl in our workshop. Mr. Greenwood brought her in himself. People say she used to be a maid at Grace's place."

A wave of shocked gasps spread around us.

"What? But isn't he about to marry Grace?"

"Well, you should've seen the way he treated that girl earlier. His eyes were practically glued to her."

"And that girl... calling him 'Charlie' like that? I got chills just listening."

"So are they still getting married? Grace cares so much about her reputation. This is going to blow up."