Chapter 2

Three years ago, the moment I first laid eyes on Alex, I fell head over heels for him.

He was a legend in the business world, young, accomplished, devastatingly handsome, with a cold, aloof charm. He was every woman's dream guy.

I knew he loved Isabelle, but I couldn't stop myself from getting close to him.

I learned to cook his favorite foods, remembered all his preferences, stayed up all night to take care of him when he was sick, and even begged my dad to use every connection he had to help Alex's company through tough times.

I always thought that even the coldest heart could be melted. If I gave enough, maybe I could finally reach him.

But I forgot, when a man loved someone else, nothing I did would ever make a difference. To him, I was annoying and beneath him, and every bit of effort I made was seen as me having an agenda.

His refusal at the wedding shattered every last fantasy I had.

*****

I had no idea how long I'd been walking, but as the sky grew dark, I finally collapsed onto a bench by the side of the road, every muscle in my body aching.

Right then, a black sedan pulled up in front of me. The window rolled down, revealing my stepmother's sharp, judgmental face.

She snapped, "Charlotte, you actually have the nerve to sit here? Look at the mess you've made.

"Because of you, Mr. Foster cut off all ties with the Summers family. Now we're on the verge of bankruptcy. Happy now?"

I looked up at her furious face, my heart went cold. No concern, no comfort. All I got was blame and resentment.

"So what?" I asked softly, my voice so calm I barely recognized it. "You used me as a pawn to marry off to Alex, and now that I'm no longer useful, you're blaming me?"

"Nonsense!" My stepmother's face turned livid with rage. "If you hadn't been so desperate to marry Mr. Foster, the Summers family wouldn't be in this mess.

"From this moment on, you're disowned by the Summers family. We don't have a disgraceful daughter like you. I've already frozen your cards, and the house has been taken back. Fend for yourself."

With that, she ordered the driver to leave, and the car pulled away, leaving me standing alone in the cold wind, with nowhere to go.

I let out a bitter laugh, tears streaming down my face. This was my family, riding my success when I was on top, and dumping me the second I hit rock bottom.

With Alex's betrayal and my family's abandonment, in only one day, I went from the Summers family's golden girl to a nobody, thrown away with nothing to my name.

I was completely broke, my wedding dress dragging through the dirt. I had no phone, no place to stay, and not even a sip of water for myself.

Night fell, and the wind cut right through me. I curled up on that bench, freezing inside and out. My body was numb, but my heart was even colder.

I thought I had hit rock bottom, that this was the darkest moment of my life. But it turned out to be only the beginning.

Isabelle and Alex weren't finished with me. They wanted to stomp me into the ground and make sure I never rose again.

But they didn't know, the moment I walked away from that wedding, the old Charlotte was gone for good. That weak, humble girl who was hopelessly in love no longer existed.

I was a whole new Charlotte now. No one would ever push me around again. I wouldn't bow my head for love, and I would never look back at Alex.

Alex, Isabelle, I'll make you pay for every ounce of humiliation and pain you gave me, little by little.