Chapter 4 The Graduation Party

With a sharp pull, Shawn loosened his tie, and a dangerous glint surfaced in his eyes. "I will force her to understand her position in front of everyone, just like she once shamed me in front of everyone. And love?"

A scornful laugh escaped Shawn, as though the idea itself offended him. "Do I look like someone she can toy with whenever she feels like it? The moment she embarrassed me in front of all those people, whatever love I had disappeared. What remains now is nothing but hatred."

Left slightly open, the door allowed sound to slip through.

Outside, Vanessa stood frozen, and a cold shiver crept through her body. Even though she had always known the truth, the pain still pierced straight through her chest.

At last, she understood that everything Shawn had done was meant as revenge.

And she finally accepted that his love for her had vanished long ago.

That fragile, foolish hope buried deep inside her flickered out completely.

The phone slipped from her grasp and struck the floor, and she hurriedly bent down to retrieve it.

Staying here became unbearable, so Vanessa placed the phone on the front desk and turned away, stumbling forward with no clear direction.

Brilliant sunlight flooded her vision outside, yet despite the warmth, she felt cold to her very core.

Over the years, Vanessa had known that aside from herself, Shawn was the only one who had never shown up at any class reunion.

Because of that, she assumed he would skip this one as well, yet his name appeared clearly on the attendee list for that event.

For a brief moment, Vanessa fixed her gaze on his name before swiping the screen away, forcing herself not to dwell on the thought that he might be attending because of her.

In a blink, three days slipped past.

To Vanessa, however, each of those days had felt slow and agonizing.

When the day of the reunion finally arrived, she found herself awake far earlier than usual.

Stepping into the walk-in closet, she selected a burgundy silk slip dress from the array of extravagant clothing Shawn had arranged for her.

With every step she took, the high slit of the skirt revealed a glimpse of her long, slender legs.

Carefully applied makeup framed her face, and bold red lipstick stood out against her skin while soft curls flowed down her shoulders.

Staring into the mirror, Vanessa took in her reflection, striking and captivating, looking no different from the woman she had been years before.

With her decision already made, Vanessa chose to meet the coming humiliation with as much pride as she could muster.

Descending the stairs, Shawn caught sight of her and stopped.

For the briefest instant, something close to surprise and admiration crossed his sharp gaze, but it vanished just as quickly and left behind a cold edge.

Slow and deliberate, he moved closer, his eyes traveling over her as he assessed her from above.

That stare felt invasive, as though he intended to strip away every layer and expose what lay beneath.

When he finally spoke, his voice carried an unmistakable chill. "Who exactly are you trying to seduce by dressing like that?"

Those words shattered what little resolve Vanessa still held.

Her hands curled into fists, and her nails pressed painfully into her skin.

"I..." She struggled to form a response.

"Change it," Shawn said harshly, his tone making refusal impossible.

Turning away, he reached into the walk-in closet, grabbed a long-sleeved black dress at random, and threw it toward her. "Do not embarrass me."

Even though the fabric concealed most of her skin, the dress could still highlight Vanessa's refined grace in a quiet, deliberate way.

Vanessa did not argue or hesitate.

Without a word, she slipped into the black dress and adjusted it carefully. What stared back at her in the mirror felt composed and restrained, far removed from the striking beauty she had seen only minutes earlier.

"Go there ahead of me. I have a meeting to attend, and I will meet you there later." Shawn studied Vanessa briefly, satisfied this time.

As night settled over the city, the car rolled to a halt beneath the glowing entrance of the Scepter Club.

Keeping her expression blank, Vanessa made her way toward a private room on the third floor.

Because the door was not fully closed, voices and laughter spilled into the hallway before she reached it.

"Have you heard? Vanessa and Shawn are both showing up tonight!" someone shouted.

Another voice answered with disbelief, "Seriously? They have not appeared in five years!"

A man spoke louder than the rest, unable to hide his excitement. "Do you remember the graduation party? Shawn humbled himself completely, and Vanessa would not even spare him a glance!"

"That is true. Back then, Vanessa was glorious in those days. Shawn could barely stand beside her without feeling overshadowed. But now everything has changed. The Owen family collapsed, and Shawn rose to become the city's most renowned lawyer at such a young age."

"Looks like fate has flipped everything around, so tonight should be entertaining for us!"

The laughter bursting from the room struck Vanessa like something sharp and unpleasant.

At once, her body went rigid.

Without warning, the past forced its way back into her thoughts.

The setting had been the same place.

That night marked their graduation party, and everyone had been drunk while loudly pushing Shawn to propose to her.

At that time, even in his youth, Shawn had already stood out for his talent and promise.

After hesitating, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, and his hands trembled because he was painfully nervous.

Rather than a diamond ring, the box held a brooch shaped with seashells and silver wire, which he had crafted himself after countless sleepless nights.

One glance was all Vanessa needed before she struck the box from his hands.

A dull thud echoed as it hit the floor, and the brooch slipped free before rolling across the floor.

"Shawn, do you seriously think something like this is acceptable for me?" she said coldly, and her sarcasm cut through the room until every other sound faded away.

A heavy hush spread through the room as everyone stared, stunned by what they were witnessing.

All the color drained from Shawn's face within seconds.

With a cruel curl of her lips, Vanessa spoke, and her words cut deep. "I was only playing along with you. I would never marry someone poor like you. Do you honestly believe you are some rare prize? You are just a failure trying to rise by clinging to the Owen family. I am sick of this. Do you hear me?"

His body rocked slightly as Shawn looked at her, confusion and pain filling his eyes. "Vanessa, please..."

"Do not say my name anymore! I am finished with you. I have been exhausted by this for a long time. I was already planning to end everything in a few days, so this changes nothing. Whether it happened sooner or later never mattered to me."

In that instant, everything seemed to stop moving.

Most people expected Shawn to lose control and walk away.

However, he remained where he was.

Before anyone could recover from their shock, the young man who was known for his distance and pride reached out and held Vanessa's hand, and he begged her in a voice stripped of dignity not to leave him.

Without hesitation, Vanessa pulled away and turned her back on him. "Go away. Are you incapable of understanding? I do not love you. I am exhausted by you. Do you get it now?"

By the end of that night, he had become the most humiliating spectacle the entire school would remember.