Chapter 2

Jonathan was always aloof around me—never let his guard down, and hardly ever showed a hint of softness.

The only exception was way back in college.

I was almost abducted that time, and he swooped in to save me at the last second.

After that, I fell for him completely and started my long, hopeless chase after him.

I had really thought that if I poured my whole heart into loving him, that was enough. One day, Jonathan would finally love me back.

Just a little while ago, when York & Associates started getting some real recognition, Jonathan suddenly got down on one knee. He promised—cross his heart—that he wouldn't let the five years I'd fought alongside with him go to waste. That he'd finally make all my sacrifices mean something.

Right then, happiness swelled inside me. I truly believed I'd finally thawed that iceberg and won his heart for good.

Reality hit me like a punch to the gut.

Turns out, he was never an iceberg—just someone else's warm sunshine.

I forced a bitter, mocking smile.

What exactly had I been stubbornly hanging onto these five years?

Emily finally spoke up, her tone gentle, but every word felt like it was laced with barbs.

She said, "Young lady, Jon and I already have a baby. Love isn't about who came first. It's about who truly fits. So please, it's time to step aside and let him come back to me. My child can't grow up without their father."

Jonathan slipped his arm gently around her waist and said quietly, "You don't need to apologize. This is all on me."

He looked at me, with a hint of guilt in his eyes, but mostly, there was that cold, unyielding finality.

He said, "Charlotte, proposing to you was a rash mistake. I knew I owed you so much. I thought maybe marriage could make up for it, that I could just settle. But the second Em walked back into my life, it hit me—it's her, and only her. No one else."

Emily's eyes shimmered with tears as she nestled against Jonathan, gazing into his eyes like he was her whole universe.

When I saw them like that, it felt like someone was tearing my heart right out of my chest—pain ripping straight through me.

I swallowed the pain and forced a mocking smile. "What, you're telling me this now? After eight years of knowing each other and five years together, you finally admit you were just settling for me?"

May, who'd been quietly watching the whole thing, finally couldn't hold back anymore.

She said, "You two are just too much! Mr. York, Ms. Sinclair stuck with you through thick and thin for five whole years—her best years. She ate cheap takeout with you every day, ran around with you chasing contracts, and pulled all-nighters just to help you polish your proposals.

"Cheating is bad enough, but now you want to act like none of that ever happened? Where was all this talk about 'settling' when you needed her the most? Now that you've got money, you think you can just trade up? You're shameless. Treating a girl who loved you like this—aren't you afraid karma will come for you?"

As soon as May blurted that out, Jonathan's and Emily's faces soured instantly.

Jonathan snapped, his voice cold and furious, "Is it your place to speak? This is between me and Charlotte. Stay out of it."

May huffed and shot back, "Mr. York, I really misjudged you. Good luck running your firm without Ms. Sinclair."

Jonathan's face turned stormy. He booted May out the door, then fixed me with a glare that could cut glass.

He said, "Is that what you think too, Charlotte? You really believe the firm can't survive without you? Sure, you've done a lot, but trust me, even if you walk out, the firm will keep thriving just fine."

Oh, really? The only reason his firm was even standing was because I used my family's money to secretly back him every step of the way.

I'd like to see how long his precious firm lasted without me propping it up.

I unclenched my fists, each word sharp and deliberate. "Fine. If that's what you want, let's call off the engagement."

Jonathan gave a cold, ruthless laugh, without a hint of remorse on his handsome face. "You called off the engagement, so don't even think about hanging around any longer. Get out of my place. Now."

Emily put on her best fake-concerned look, her voice syrupy sweet. "Jon, it's already so late. If you kick her out now, where is she even supposed to go?"

Jonathan pulled her into his arms, comforting her. "Don't bother about her. She's just an orphan, and she actually has the nerve to talk back to me. If nobody had ever taken pity and thrown her a handout, she'd probably still be begging on the street."

He was right. Before the Sinclair family found me, I was just an orphan shuffled between foster homes, never had a real family, never belonged anywhere.

Jonathan and I went to the same high school—not that we talked much back then. It wasn't till college, when he stepped in and helped me out, that we actually started to get close.

All these years, I guess I kept hoping that even if we couldn't be a couple, at least we could be like family. Or at the very least, real friends.

Turns out, in his world, I didn't even count as that. I'm just... nobody.

Emily shot me an apologetic look, but her words left no room for argument. "Why don't you go find a decent hotel tonight and try to get some rest? Maybe Jon can't stand you anymore, but I guess I still owe you, in some weird way.

"Oh, and in a month, Jon and I are tying the knot. Think you can come and wish us well? I sincerely hope you'll be there to give us your blessing."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

My fiancé bailed on me at our wedding to rush another woman to give birth—trashed my whole big day—and now he was actually marrying her. And to top it off, she had the shameless audacity to invite me to their wedding?

This was utterly insane.

This wasn't just a slap in the face. It was total humiliation.

"Oh, is that so? Well, congratulations. I guess you finally got your upgrade from the other woman to the official wife." I scoffed, every word laced with bitter sarcasm.

"She can come or not, Em. There's no need to lower yourself for her," Jonathan said dismissively.

Jonathan's eyes softened with worry for Emily, like she was the only one who'd truly been hurt—like she was the real victim in all this.

He gave me a frosty, contemptuous glance. "Charlotte, you're broke, forgettable, and you don't even have family. There's no way I'd ever actually marry an orphan who's a total nobody in my social circle. We're from different worlds, not even remotely the same league. Quit wasting your time hanging onto me."