Chapter 2

I drained my glass of wine in one swift motion.

After a deep sigh, I finally started talking.

Oliver and I grew up together. Our families set up our engagement when we were kids.

At the freshman welcome party, he played a one-of-a-kind song for me.

For a while, we were Sewain University's legendary couple.

I thought he was my whole world.

But, sophomore year, Amelia entered the picture.

She was a scholarship student I sponsored.

When she came to me with her acceptance letter to Sewain University, I was honestly so proud of her.

I took her to the best restaurants, bought her the latest clothes, and even, without a hint of suspicion, brought her right into Oliver's world.

At first, Oliver couldn't stand her. "Charlotte, the way she looks at me weirds me out. Keep your distance," he said.

But soon enough, he started mentioning her all the time.

He'd say, "Amelia's got it tough, so I hooked her up with a tutoring job.

"She's a girl, working late on experiments isn't safe. I dropped her off, no big deal.

"She's actually pretty talented at this. You shouldn't have her doing grunt work."

I teased him, "Oliver, are you catching feelings for her or something? You can't stop talking about Amelia lately."

He wrapped his arms around me, sounding absolutely certain. "Don't be silly. You're the only one for me, Charlotte.

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't give her the time of day."

Evelyn grabbed my arm. "Charlotte, you seriously didn't have any doubts back then?"

I flashed a bitter smile and shook my head.

"And then? And then? Did Amelia start causing drama from that point on?" Evelyn pressed.

I nodded. He really had a way with words, and every line sounded like a joke at my expense.

Later, I pretty much hand-held Amelia into Wright Group, letting her work on all the core projects.

That was the start of all my nightmares.

During one business negotiation, the other party's boss, named Zack, was infamous for being both tough and sleazy.

He had a reputation for being a real pain and a total creep.

I kept stepping in to protect her, over and over.

To shield her and save the project, I drank so much my vision went fuzzy, and I ended up vomiting everywhere.

I don't know how much time passed before someone dumped a bucket of ice water over me.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Amelia, her clothes disheveled, curled up in Oliver's arms, looking utterly pitiful.

Amelia looked up at Oliver, her eyes brimming with tears as she choked out, "Oliver, please, don't blame Ms. Robinson. It's really not her fault.

"I did it willingly. Zack said that if I accompanied him, the project would be approved.

"Ms. Robinson had no choice. She was doing it for the company. If it weren't for her, I never would've made it out of the sticks. I owe her big time."

My head was splitting. I honestly had no idea what she was talking about.

"Charlotte, how could you use such dirty tricks to take revenge on Amelia? How could you do such a thing?" Oliver snapped.

"I didn't." I was so busy trying to explain myself. I wasn't even paying attention to what he meant by revenge.

"Zack confessed. He said you were the one who sent Amelia to his room." Oliver stared at me, holding Amelia tighter in his arms.

"I was drunk, and I forced myself on Amelia. She's a victim. If you want to blame someone, blame me. And besides, she's already pregnant with my child," Oliver said.

My mind went blank, and I was trembling all over.

I barely recognized the look in Oliver's eyes.

But deep down, I couldn't believe it. How could Oliver, the man who loved me, ever betray me?

"Oliver," I croaked, my voice hoarse, "you're lying to me, aren't you?"

Right in front of me, he gently clasped Amelia's hand. "I love her. But that doesn't change our engagement. The wedding in three months will go ahead as planned.

"Charlotte, you'll still be Mrs. Williams rightfully and officially.

"But for what happened today, you need to face consequences. I want you to remember where the line is and never cross it again."

"What the hell," Evelyn couldn't help herself, muttering angrily, her fists balled up. "What a jerk. Who says crap like that?"

People at the nearby tables glanced over, curious about the outburst.

Just then, laughter echoed from the stage.

Amelia was clinking glasses with a few friends, her eyes sweeping over us with a smug smirk tugging at her lips.

Evelyn glared back at her, eyes full of fire.

I gave her hand a reassuring pat and kept telling my story.

Then Oliver ordered the bodyguard at the door. "Teach her a lesson, and make sure she won't forget it. But don't let anyone actually touch her."

Once he finished speaking, he didn't look back at me. He carried Amelia out in his arms, leaving the room without a second glance.

As the door closed behind them, everything started to blur, and my mind went fuzzy.