At the engagement banquet, Monique Walton is in the middle of telling all the guests and the viewers of the livestream that's taking place about our tale of romance.

What she doesn't know is that I have already swapped out the romantic video of our sweet memories for the racy clip of her and Terry Caldwell going at it like rabbits.

When the clip is presented on the monitor, everyone falls silent immediately. That's when the live comments on the livestream instantly overwhelm the comment section.

Monique turns around in a fluster, the well-maintained smile on her face starting to crack bit by bit. She stumbles toward the control panel, accidentally knocking over the champagne tower in her haste.

Amid the chaos, I draw to my feet and walk onto the stage. Then, I pick up the microphone Monique has just dropped.

"Everyone, this engagement banquet is officially canceled. From now on, Monique Walton and I are no longer affiliated with each other."

My gaze swept over the red marks on Monique Walton's neck, my heart feeling as though it was being repeatedly stabbed by a blunt knife.

We'd known each other for 25 years since we were kids, and I knew that I wanted to marry her from the moment I took my first steps.

I distanced myself from all other women just to make her feel more secure. She would also lean on my shoulder while discussing how many children we would have together and what our future home would look like.

However, things changed when Terry Caldwell appeared.

He managed to get into the prestigious high school through a special admissions program in which he'd scored the highest marks. He also wore a faded uniform to school, but there wasn't a single trace of pity or inferiority in his eyes. Rather, he carried himself with grace and dignity, and his back was always straight.

I noticed that Monique kept looking at him with curiosity and admiration.

Eventually, she also began financially supporting him, helping him pay off his family's debts, and even letting him move into her apartment off campus.

We'd fought and quarreled about this before. However, each time, she would look at me coldly while stating, "I never thought that you were such a cold and heartless person like this, Brayden Park. I'm only classmates with him. Stop thinking lewd things about us just because you have a perverted brain."

Ever since that argument, I would just watch quietly from the shadows as she got closer and closer to Terry.

However, after graduating from high school, World War Three broke out in the Walton household.

Monique insisted on following Terry to further her studies in Novaria up north, and her family did everything in their power to make her stay back.

When Terry left for Novaria on his own, she collapsed into a puddle of tears at the airport and nearly passed out. And for the next six months, she was nothing more than just a walking corpse.

I was the one who kept her company the entire time, talking to her, taking her out to dinners, and just keeping her company. I also stayed up the whole night outside her door when she was sick.

One rainy, stormy night, she suddenly hugged me tightly and said, "Let's date."

I was overjoyed.

However, I knew from the bitter smile on her lips that she still hadn't gotten over Terry completely.

I lied to myself, saying that time would eventually heal all wounds, and she would soon forget about him and see me for who I was.

Yet, I was wrong.

Terry returned home about half a year later, and she immediately hired him as her personal assistant.

When I went to the company to look for her, I realized that the door to her office was slightly ajar, and Terry had her bent over her desk as he rammed into her.

I froze at once and felt my blood run cold. I didn't even know how I managed to make it home by myself.

That night, Monique came home with an impatient look on her face.

"What the hell is the matter with you? What's with that long face all the time? Who do you think you're trying to garner pity from with that dark face of yours all the time?"

I stared at her.

"I heard that Terry's back."

She immediately responded like a cat that had just had its tail stepped on. Her voice was sharp and shrill as she screamed at me, "Can't you be more open-minded about things? He's a very talented worker. So what if I hired him?"

She then softened after that and said, "But don't worry. I'll still marry you."

At that moment, something snapped in me. That was the only thing that had been holding me together for years, and now, it was gone.

I stared at her again for a long time until she finally got uncomfortable and a hint of unease showed in her eyes.

I reached out, grabbing her by her wrist, and lowered my head, trying to kiss her. She immediately looked away, and my lips lightly brushed against the side of her cheek.

A split second later, a tight slap landed on my face.

She glared daggers at me, her chest heaving as her eyes quickly filled with tears and a hint of disgust.

"What the hell do you take me for? I already told you that I was saving my first time with you for our wedding night! What's the difference between you and those disgusting perverts out there now?"

Then, she slammed the door behind her as she stormed out.

I was dazed only for a moment before following her out.

She didn't go back to her home. Instead, she went to a hotel.

Half an hour later, Terry arrived there too. The moment she saw him, she fell into his arms, sobbing and choking.

"H-He wanted to touch me today… I feel so disgusted… I don't want anything, Terry. I only want you…"

Terry just let her hug him however she wanted, but his arms were hanging limply by his sides. He didn't hug her back.

"Monique, we're people from two completely different worlds. I think we should put a stop to this."

She anxiously exclaimed, "No! It's not like that. This afternoon, we even…"

Yet, Terry calmly replied, "I'm just here to tell you that whatever happened between us this afternoon was a mistake. We should only continue as colleagues—you the superior, and me the subordinate. I hope we can keep our distance."

Monique couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed him by his collar and stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the lips. Her voice was shaky as she exclaimed, "No! Please, Terry, just for tonight. I need you."

"Fine, then only for tonight. After tonight, everything will go back to how it was."

Then, Terry picked her up in his arms, bridal style, and walked into the hotel.

I felt as though there was a massive hole in my heart. It hurt too much to even breathe at this point.

I stood from across the street, watching the light in the window of Monique's and Terry's hotel room, and the corners of my lips curled up self-deprecatingly.

So, she never intended to save her most precious "first time" for our wedding night. She just never wanted to spend it with me.

I felt like a joke.

I sat in the car and pressed my hands to my eyes, trying to stop the red in my eyes from showing, and I remained downstairs in the car for the entire night.

Early the next morning, around dawn, I saw Monique walking out with jelly-like legs, hand in hand with Terry.

I watched the back of their figures and took off my ring, tossing it carelessly onto the ground. I didn't need it anymore. We weren't going to have a future together anymore anyway.

I met Monique for lunch that afternoon close to her company.

The moment she saw me, she frowned and said, "Didn't I tell you that work days are—"

I interrupted her drily and said, "Let's break up."

She went stunned for a second before flying into a rage.

"Brayden Park! Are you done with your stupid shenanigans? What else do you know other than stalking and watching me all the damn time? Don't you have anything better to do than that?

"Terry is nothing like you! He has his own dreams and he knows exactly what he wants to do in life!"

I felt my heart sink into my stomach.

I had always liked fashion design. But back then, she was the one who tugged at my hand, red-eyed, and told me that women dominated the fashion scene, and she didn't like that I would have to work so closely with them.

Even though I was very reluctant to let go of my dream, I still did, for her sake, which was how I ended up achieving nothing with my life now.

Monique probably saw how dark my face went when she saw that, because she softened her tone and reached out to hold my hand.

"I just wanted to save the most precious moment for our wedding night. That's all. Why don't you come with me to the company's annual dinner this weekend?"

In the past, I would always get overjoyed whenever she invited me to her company events like this. I would put a lot of effort into getting ready so I wouldn't let her down or embarrass her.

But now, I only felt exhausted.

A sad thought arose in my head.

If Monique promised to distance herself from Terry, would I still lie to myself one more time?

I decided that I would give her a final chance, just for the sake of the many years we'd known each other. After all, everyone had their unforgettable first love, and I couldn't really blame her for that.

I would just pretend that last night was her way of saying goodbye to her younger days. I could pretend that I knew nothing about it.

So, I nodded.

She seemed to sigh in relief. Then, she turned around, beckoned at the waiter, and said, "Please pack up an order of the lunch special today, and make sure there's no seafood in it. And make it low-sodium."

When she saw me looking at her, she hurriedly explained herself.

"It's for my PA. She hasn't eaten yet."

I remained silent.

Monique had always kept a strict and professional manner with all of her staff and never intervened in their personal lives. Also, to the best of my knowledge, there was only one person by her side who was allergic to seafood.

Terry Caldwell.

Yet, I didn't expose her and just said, "Alright. I'll be there for the event."

…

Monique came to pick me up on the night of the company dinner. I pulled open the front passenger seat and saw that Terry was already sitting there.

He looked up at me and nodded politely. Monique then began explaining again.

"Terry's going too, and he was on the way. That's why I picked him up."

I didn't say a word and went to the back seat.

It was a silent drive all the way there.

When we arrived at the venue, Monique naturally went in together with Terry. The people around us began whispering among themselves.

"Ms. Walton looks so good together with Mr. Caldwell!"

"Yeah. They're both really good-looking. A match made in heaven!"

"But really, I totally ship them both together. I hope they date soon."

Monique heard them, but she didn't correct any of them. I noticed the tips of her ears turning red instead.

"Don't talk nonsense."

Yet, I was the one who was really her boyfriend, and I was treated like a mere wallflower.

At that moment, Terry suddenly turned slightly sideways and tugged me to the front.

"Alright, stop joking around, everyone. Mr. Park here is Ms. Walton's boyfriend. Not me."

Everyone's eyes were on me in an instant, and the atmosphere got a little awkward. I felt like I was the black sheep responsible for ruining everyone's mood at that point.

The event soon started. There was a game of truth or dare, and Monique got dared to kiss a person of the opposite sex to her right. The person who didn't get chosen would then have to down three shots of vodka as "punishment".

Only Terry and I were seated to her right.

Everyone around us immediately began cheering loudly.

Terry nudged his glasses up and looked at me calmly and silently. Then, he said, "Ms. Walton should kiss Mr. Park. I'll down the shots."

"No, you won't. You have a weak stomach. You can't handle such strong alcohol," Monique said anxiously at once, grabbing him by his arm.

Terry then shot me a look. "But Ms. Caldwell, you're allergic to alcohol. You can't drink either. As for Mr. Park…"

Before he could say another word, Monique turned to me and said matter-of-factly, "You drink, Brayden. It's only three shots, and you handle your alcohol well. Terry can't because he has a weak stomach. You'll understand, won't you?"

The last glimmer of hope was completely extinguished in my heart.

I swiftly picked up the glasses of vodka on the table and downed every shot. Everyone stared at me in complete shock.

I chuckled as I then glanced at Monique. "Hurry up and kiss. I really ship the both of you as well."

The entire VIP room went deathly quiet.

Monique's face first turned red with embarrassment before turning as dark as thunder.

"Brayden Park! You know that this was just a damn game! Stop making such a mountain out of a molehill!"

Terry also spoke up just then, his voice as cold and high-and-mighty as ever.

"You're mistaken, Mr. Park. Ms. Walton and I are nothing more than colleagues. We're all just having fun here. I just thought it wasn't nice to ruin the mood for everyone."

I didn't say another word. I just found everything meaningless and got up to leave. However, Terry stopped me and blocked my way.

"It's just a game, Mr. Park. There's no need to get mad at all. I can apologize to you, but Ms. Walton is your girlfriend. Don't you think you should be apologizing to her for making her so uncomfortable in public?"

I laughed coldly. "And who are you to lecture me?"

He replied in his cold voice, "Ms. Walton and I are classmates. I do not wish to see her future husband humiliating her in public like this."

I stared at his holier-than-thou attitude and finally snapped, punching him right in the face.

Terry staggered back onto the seat, his glasses flying off.

"And who gave you the right to condemn me like this?" I growled through my teeth.

Monique's eyes widened at once and she slapped me hard in the face. Her hand was shaking, and the veins were popping on the back of her hands.

"Are you out of your mind? What the hell do you think you're doing?"

She slapped me so hard that my face was forced to the side. I then saw out of the corner of my eye how she immediately went over to Terry with a concerned, heartbroken look.

"Terry! Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

She kneeled down before him as she reached out to caress his face. The scene was so jarring that it nearly blinded me.

She then turned around abruptly and pointed her finger in my nose, her voice as cold as ice.

"Apologize to Terry at once!"

I licked the trickle of blood in the corner of my mouth and cackled.

"What the hell should I even apologize to him for?"

Monique glared at me. "You're not leaving this place until you apologize to him."

Just then, two of her bodyguards came in and went up to me, grabbing me from both sides.

"Apologize now!"

When she saw that I wouldn't, she stormed forward and kicked me in the back of my knees with her killer stilettos.

The immense pain shot through my leg at once, and I fell down on my knees in an instant.

The bodyguards then pinned me to the ground as I fell.

Terry's voice was still calm and undisturbed as he said, sounding like he was withholding pain, "It's fine, Ms. Walton. Don't jeopardize your relationship just because of me."

Monique immediately turned around and held his hand.

"Don't worry, Terry. I won't let anyone bully you or humiliate you."

Then, she turned back to me, glaring at me from above, as he ordered her bodyguards, "Make him apologize, even if that means you have to beat the shit out of him."

Immediately, they grabbed me by the back of my hair and began kicking and punching me like I was nothing more than a punching bag.

Blood trickled down from my head and blurred my vision. I didn't know how long they beat me up until Monique finally told them to stop.

Then, I was thrown onto the floor like a pile of garbage, watching as she stood on tiptoe to put her arms around Terry.

Terry hesitated at first before kissing her back, long and deep.

Ten minutes never felt so long.

My heart had grown numb by then.

They finally parted. Monique's face was flushed red as she panted and leaned against Terry's chest. She glanced at me and said, "This is your lesson. You'd better make sure you never forget it.

"If you ever dare to lay a finger on Terry again, I will never let you off this easily."

Then, she left with Terry without another backward glance.

Everyone around us was quiet, and nobody dared to step forward to help me up.

I slowly got to my feet, letting my blood drip onto the floor.

I limped out of the room slowly. As I walked past the bar, I picked up someone's leftover vodka and finished it all in one go.

The spicy liquid burned all the way down my throat, temporarily numbing all the pain and humiliation I felt at that moment.

I then staggered out of the venue, leaned against the wall, and lit up a cigarette. The cigarette burned my fingertips after a while, and I tossed it away and retrieved my phone instead.

The first thing I did was to delete every single photo of Monique from it. Then, I blocked all of her contacts and social media.

Finally, I called Dad.

"Dad, you can stop all businesses with the Waltons for now. Also, I'll agree to the marriage alliance with the Manning family. My only request is that they also immediately halt all business with the Waltons as well."