Chapter 2

Back then, in this very place, a group of women surrounded me, drenching me with red wine in a humiliating display.

The mocking laughter of the women and the leering gazes of the men trapped me in a suffocating circle.

"Oh, Cary finally decided to let the person he's been hiding for a year out?"

"It's been a year, and Elliana has become even more beautiful."

People gradually gathered around, their mouths full of compliments, but their eyes betrayed an unsettling gaze.

Cary pulled me closer to him, responding with a few polite words before leading me to a corner.

"Stay here and be good. I'll be back soon." He patted my head and went off to talk with some business partners.

As soon as he left, a few women stood in front of me.

I recognized them immediately-they were the same ones from before.

I slowly lit a cigarette, waiting for them to speak.

"Elliana, I didn't expect you to be so capable, still managing to have Cary protect you after a year.

I advise you to know your place. A woman like you dares to get close to Cary? Who knows how many men you've been with... Ah! What are you doing!"

The girl named Lacey Burton speaking looked at me in horror.

I extinguished the cigarette that I had utilized to brand her, tossed it into the wastebasket, and slowly lifted my eyes to look at her, hissing, "If you can't talk in a civilized way, leave before I get really angry."

"How dare you talk to me like that?" Lacey's face turned green with anger, pointing at me and cursing.

I couldn't be bothered to listen, so I picked up a wine glass and stood up.

Lacey shrank back in fear, stammering, "What are you doing, I'm telling you-"

Before she could finish, a glass of red wine was poured over her head.

I grabbed two more glasses and treated the other two women, who had bullied me before, in a similar way.

"Ahhh!"

The loud screams drew everyone's attention.

When Cary arrived, he saw Lacey trying to retaliate against me.

He raised his hand, grabbed her wrist, and flung it away forcefully.

Then he pulled me into his arms, checking me over to ensure I wasn't hurt before asking, "What happened?"

I recounted the incident honestly.

Cary's face turned icy as he looked at the three women, "Elliana is under the protection of the Walsh family. She is my fiancée. If anyone opposes her, they oppose our family."

After leaving the banquet, everyone knew that Cary and I would be engaged in half a month.

The next day, Kay came to make a scene.

It was the usual "Why can this woman be engaged to you?" or "She's just a troublemaker" and so on.

I was tired of hearing it.

Cary didn't even change his expression, eventually escorting her out.

Before leaving, Kay left a harsh remark, "I will reveal your true colors. Don't dream of marrying Cary."

I lost my appetite for breakfast, put down my utensils, and prepared to return to my room.

Suddenly, I heard Cary's voice, "The dress has been ready for a while. I'll have someone bring it to your room later for you to see if you like it."

I didn't respond because I knew I wouldn't like it, no matter what it looked like.

Yet, when the pristine wedding dress was placed before me, I was momentarily stunned.

During the three years with Cary, he loved me dearly, fooling everyone.

He would worry for hours if I so much as frowned, personally handling everything about me, never leaving it to others.

For three whole years, he woke up an hour early every day to make breakfast for me, picked me up from work no matter how late, and constantly surprised me with gifts on holidays. He pretended for so long that even he believed it.

I once said I wanted a wedding dress designed by him. He spent two months learning from a famous fashion designer, completing everything from sketching to cutting and sewing himself. It took him half a year to finish the dress.

He said he wanted to surprise me, to have me wear the dress he designed on our wedding day.

But a series of events later meant I never got the chance to wear it.

A year later, seeing the dress again, the happiness it once brought was gone, replaced by overwhelming hatred.

I thought of the bait I had set for Kay earlier; she would likely investigate what happened to me over the past year.

At the engagement party, I planned to give Cary a surprise of my own.

The day came quickly, with all the notable aristocratic families of Boston invited.

Wearing an intricately designed wedding dress, I walked to the center of the hall with Cary.

Just as everyone applauded and offered their blessings, an unsettling video began playing on the large screen.

The picture showed that a girl was being raped by several men.

Although the crucial parts were censored, the protagonist's face was clearly visible.

The moment the video played, I could feel Cary's body tense and his fists clench.

His eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead as he looked at me with a trembling voice, "Elliana, tell me this isn't you, right?"

Despite the nausea churning in my stomach, I bit my tongue hard, tasting blood in my mouth.

I smiled nonchalantly, "It's me."

"Cary, don't these people look familiar to you? They were sent by you."

Cary's grip tightened, and he seemed unsteady on his feet. For the first time, I saw panic on his face, "No, Elliana, I just wanted them to give you some trouble. I didn't expect... "

"You didn't expect them to take advantage of the situation and rape me, did you?"

This was the memory I least wanted to recall from the past year.

After being kicked out by Cary, I wandered the streets and could only live in the most chaotic area where he once lived.

In that alley, I encountered those three men.

They grabbed my hair, tore my clothes, and when I fought back, they impatiently punched me.

All night, they preyed on me like vultures, hurling insults and obscenities.

Then, like a discarded rag doll, I was discarded.

If I hadn't been rescued, I might have rotted away in that filth.

I considered ending it all.

But dying was too easy, while revenge was much harder.