Chapter 2

I had barely begun to process the endless wave of online hatred when Jonathan's official statement pushed me into total despair.

He released a brief, emotionless public post under his personal social media account with no warmth or detail. [Due to unforeseen circumstances, my engagement to Ms. Emily Hart is formally terminated effective immediately. All parties are hereby notified.]

There was no explanation, no word of comfort, no extra gesture of any kind.

He treated the high society engagement that everyone had watched closely like a trivial business deal that he could cancel without a second thought.

The hashtag tracking his engagement cancellation instantly claimed the number one spot on all trending lists.

The public had barely absorbed the shocking news when another explosive update broke online.

The official count of Jonathan's company reposted a video. The footage showed a young girl in a white dress standing in bright sunlight. She held a bouquet of flowers with a soft, innocent smile on her face.

Its caption read: [Please join us in welcoming Sophie Lane. She is the student Jonathan has supported privately for years, and she will be his official girlfriend moving forward.]

The girl in the video was Sophie Lane.

She was the scholarship student from a remote town whom Jonathan had spoken of before. He always described her as hardworking and sensible.

I finally understood the true intentions behind his years of financial support for her.

The internet erupted in chaos.

[Holy crap, what kind of trashy drama is this? The fiancée gets some disease, and the side chick swoops in to take her place?]

[A scumbag and a bitch. Perfect match. Jonathan, are you even human? Emily literally took a stab for you.]

[Sophie doesn't have an innocent bone in her body. Her pure and gentle act is totally fake.]

[Poor Emily. She totally got played by these two snakes.]

Overnight, I fell from a beloved, envied bride-to-be into a laughingstock. The whole world saw me as nothing more than a tragic girl facing a fatal illness.

Meanwhile, Jonathan and Sophie faced massive public backlash as netizens branded them cruel and unfaithful.

I turned off my phone, and the hospital room fell into a dead silence.

The pain in my chest hurt far worse than the knife wound on my body.

I had saved Jonathan's life, but he treated me in the cruelest way imaginable. He ruined me completely, and then showed off the woman he had been supporting for seven years and announced their so-called true love to the public.

This was the man I had given up everything for, and I only felt stupid and regretful for everything I'd done for him.

Right now, everyone online was tearing into Jonathan for being heartless, but the older members of the Reed family called me with a completely different attitude.

They never asked how I was doing or how bad my injuries were. All they did was blame me. They told me how I'd disappointed them, how I had acted recklessly and embarrassed their whole family.

They even suggested I make a public statement and lie that I got hurt by accident, with no connection to Jonathan, just to save both families' reputations.

I let out a bitter laugh and hung up the phone.

My parents were furious about everything that had happened.

My dad pulled every single contact he had to look into the attack, but he found nothing at all. My mom stayed by my bed around the clock, crying nonstop and scolding me for being too kind and foolish.

"If anything happens to my daughter, I'll make the Reeds pay for this," she said, her eyes red from crying and anger.

I squeezed her hand and calmed her down softly. "Mom, I'm okay. I took the preventive medicine within two hours after the attack, and the doctor said I'm very likely fine."

The attack had been scary, but I later found out the man was a drug-addicted lunatic.

Even though his blood tested positive for HIV, there was almost no virus left on the knife. I got medical help right away, and the preventive medication worked perfectly to protect me.

*****

One week later, my follow-up test results came back clearly negative for HIV antibodies.

As soon as I left the hospital, I reached out to an older schoolmate of mine who has solid connections in the fashion industry.

I agreed to do an exclusive, in-depth interview with a top-tier media outlet. It was my first public interview after the whole incident, where I would talk openly about what I'd been through and how I felt.

The interview was set in a private suite at a high-end club.

I wore a sleek, well-fitted black suit with clean, polished makeup, looking calm and confident.

My wound at the waist had already healed completely, leaving only a faint thin scar, a constant reminder of the humiliation I'd endured.

While my senior schoolmate checked all the interview equipment, I looked through the one-way glass. Several sharp, professional people in casual clothes were outside adjusting and setting up devices.

They were part of the specialized team my senior had arranged for me to make sure the entire interview went perfectly without any mistakes.

I took a deep breath and faced the camera with a calm smile. I looked completely composed on the surface, but a quiet sharpness lingered in my expression.

Shortly after, the interview officially started.

The journalist was a kind and mild-mannered middle-aged woman. She asked questions in a gradual, orderly flow, starting from my physical recovery and my feelings about the online harassment to my views on Jonathan and Sophie.

I answered every question steadily. My tone was so calm that it surprised even myself.

I thanked the public for their concern and shared that I was actively recovering and keeping a positive mindset.

I simply smiled when the conversation turned to online hate. "I have nothing to prove because I know the truth. Time will clear everything up," I said.

When the topic involved Jonathan and Sophie, I stated politely that I respected Jonathan's choice and wished Sophie peace and happiness in the future.

I kept every emotion fully contained under my poised demeanor and never let any personal feelings show.

The interview lasted nearly an hour. I successfully set a gentle and resilient tone throughout the conversation. I guided public opinion away from simple sympathy and made people see me as strong and graceful instead.

All that was left was to wait for my target to fall right into place.