For eight years, Cassandra Sinclair and I endured a long-distance relationship. Then, one day, she told me she was ready to make our marriage official.

Overjoyed, I immediately called my mother and invited her to my engagement party.

Not wanting my future in-laws to look down on us, my mother spent all her savings on an elegant dress. She dressed carefully, making sure to present herself at her very best before setting off.

To my surprise, when the big announcement came, Cassandra stood on stage. Not with me but hand-in-hand with her male assistant, their fingers intertwined in an unmistakable display of intimacy.

"Tonight, we’re not just celebrating a major company achievement. I also have a very special announcement to make."

"I’ve decided to marry… Damien Knox!"

A stunned silence filled the hall as soon as she finished speaking. Then, as if on cue, every head turned toward me. The expressions in their eyes varied… mockery, pity, scorn.

Confused by this situation, my mother immediately rose to her feet. "Nate, didn’t you say tonight was your engagement party with Cassie?"

I looked at Cassandra, hoping that she would explain everything.

Instead, she turned to me with a cold gaze and said, "A country bumpkin like you dreaming of marrying me? How ridiculous."

——

With that, she took Damien’s hand and walked away, not sparing me a single glance.

Laughter rippled through the crowd, mocking words thrown at me and my mother, ridiculing us for our so-called lack of class.

I stood there in stunned silence. Meanwhile, my mother lowered her head in guilt as if it were somehow her fault.

"Nate, is it because our family has burdened you so much? Is it because of your poor background that people look down on you?"

I wanted to comfort my mother right away. No, even if we came from the countryside, we built our wealth with our own hands. We were no worse than those born into privilege.

However, before I could speak, my mother suddenly squatted down, clutching her chest. Her face turned deathly pale, her body trembling slightly.

In her unsteady state, she accidentally bumped into a woman in a tight black dress. It was Damien’s sister, Bianca Knox.

"Ugh, you filthy old woman! How dare you bump into me and spill my drink all over me?"

Bianca glared down at my mother, her tone dripping with malice.

"Oh, it’s you… the pathetic nobody!"

"What’s wrong? Your son couldn’t marry my future sister-in-law, so now he’s resorting to cheap tricks behind her back?"

"Do you have any idea how expensive this is? My future sister-in-law had it custom-made for me. It is high-end, one of a kind! And now, thanks to you, it’s ruined. Pay up!"

Before I could stop her, Bianca suddenly raised her hand and slapped my mother across the face.

"Bianca, enough!"

"I’ll compensate you, but my mother didn’t do it on purpose. Apologize to her."

Our commotion quickly drew attention.

In the distance, Cassandra spotted us. She walked over, her expression cold, bringing security with her. Without bothering to ask what had happened, she immediately lashed out at me.

"Nathaniel Arden, do you just have to ruin my night?"

"This was supposed to be a pleasant dinner and you completely ruined it."

Furious, Cassandra flung the wine in her hand straight into my face. My mother’s guilt deepened at the sight, her face filled with self-reproach.

She tried to stand up and apologize on my behalf, but the sharp pain in her stomach was so intense that she could not even get the words out.

"Cassie, it was his mother who deliberately spilled wine on me! And she even cursed my brother for taking you away."

Hearing Bianca twist the truth so blatantly made my blood boil.

"You’re lying…"

"Apologize!" Cassandra cut me off, her voice sharp as a blade.

My mother and I had done nothing wrong. There was no way we should be the ones apologizing.

Right now, I only cared about my mother’s condition. I knew she had stomach problems and I needed to get her to the hospital as soon as possible.

Seeing that my mother had no intention of apologizing, Cassandra’s anger flared even more.

She turned to the security guards behind her and told them to hold me down and make my mother apologize to Bianca.

"Nathaniel, tell your mother to apologize already! Everyone’s watching!"

"Are you trying to embarrass me in front of everyone?"

"Cassie, my mother is sick. Please, just let us go. I need to take her to the hospital."

Damien walked over, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, so she suddenly has stomach problems now? Funny how she was fine this morning, but the moment she has to apologize, she suddenly falls ill. Do you take us for fools?"

"So this was all just a joke to you."

I was about to explain, but Bianca cut me off.

"Since she refuses to apologize, then let’s give her the treatment she deserves."

She suddenly grabbed a pair of scissors and marched toward my mother. My heart pounded in terror as I struggled against the security guards holding me back, but I could not break free.

Snip!

With a sharp snip, Bianca cut through my mother’s dress, then yanked at the fabric with all her strength, tearing it apart.

"Cassandra Sinclair, tell her to stop!"

This kind of humiliation was worse than death for my mother.

She wept as she struggled to cover herself, her frail body trembling. She was in so much pain, yet she no longer had the strength to resist.

At this moment, despair consumed me.

I had wanted her to come to this engagement party happily, never imagining she would be humiliated like this.

Cassandra Sinclair, I really misjudged you.

More and more people gathered to watch, but Cassandra remained indifferent, leaning into Damien’s embrace, completely ignoring my pleas.

My mother’s face was filled with shame. She looked at me one last time before collapsing from the pain.

Perhaps sensing the coldness in my eyes, Cassandra suddenly left Damien’s arms.

She glanced down at my unconscious mother and finally told Bianca to stop!

I kicked the security guard away and rushed over, my hands trembling as I stroked my mother’s face.

I was terrified something had happened to her. Without a second thought, I picked her up and ran, but Cassandra followed and blocked my path.

"Nate, I have my reasons for what happened tonight."

"Take your mother home first. I’ll explain everything later."

Just as she turned to leave, I called out to her. "Cassandra, I don’t care what your reasons are. My mother has fainted for real. We don’t have a car. Please, drive us to the hospital."

At this moment, nothing else mattered, only my mother’s safety.

Just as Cassandra was about to agree, Damien walked over and pulled her into his arms.

"Cassie, don’t go. Don’t leave me to face all these distinguished guests alone."

At his words, Cassandra hesitated. Then, in the end, she chose to stay.

No matter how much I begged her, it was useless. She did not even look back before turning around and walking away.

If she could be this cold-blooded and indifferent, then I had no reason to beg her anymore.

I carried my mother in my arms and left. The party was held halfway up the mountain, making it difficult to get a taxi.

By the time I finally managed to get one and rushed to the hospital, my mother had already stopped breathing.

The doctor said we were too late. If she had arrived earlier, she could have been saved.

That night, I held my mother’s lifeless body and cried until dawn.

Looking at her face, frozen in regret, the guilt in my heart grew even heavier.

I had always thought that nothing in life was irreversible, but at that moment, I wished more than anything that time could turn back.

Just then, Damien updated his social media. He and Cassandra were wearing engagement rings, kissing intimately.

[I can finally marry the most beautiful and perfect woman in the world!]

I saw that Cassandra had liked the post, allowing him to flaunt their happiness.

Frustrated, I took out the couple’s ring she had once given me and threw it out the window. Then, I left a comment under Damien’s post. [Wishing you a happy marriage. May you grow old together.]

After that, I turned off my phone.

I quietly handled my mother’s funeral on my own, then brought her ashes back to our hometown for burial.

Once everything was settled, I returned to the city.

There were still things I needed to take care of.

When I turned my phone back on, I saw hundreds of missed calls from Cassandra.

There were countless messages waiting for me on WhatsApp. Without even reading them, I deleted them all.

Just as I finished, my phone rang. It was Cassandra.

"You finally turned your phone on. I thought you were dead!"

I could hear a hint of excitement in her voice, but more than that, she sounded surprised.

When I did not respond, she lowered her tone and continued. "I got engaged to Damien Knox because he helped me secure a major project. His only request was that I agree to the engagement."

"But don’t worry! It’s just an engagement, not a real marriage."

"So don’t be mad. You’re always so jealous."

I gripped my phone tightly, anger surging through me. Veins popped on the back of my hand.

About that project… I was the one who had negotiated it. The client had insisted on a drinking contest to test the quality of our liquor. I drank until my stomach nearly bled just to win that contract.

But while I was hospitalized, Damien swooped in and took credit for closing the deal.

I had not even had the chance to explain before Cassandra announced our engagement. In the excitement, I had let it go.

Now, the thing that enraged me the most was not just the betrayal, but the fact that if she had told me the truth earlier, I never would have brought my mother to that party.

After my mother’s death, I had spent days in silence, forcing myself to reflect. In the end, I saw things clearly.

"Cassandra, it’s fine. I have no problem with you marrying him."

Her tone immediately turned sharp. "Nathaniel, don’t try to act tough and gain sympathy. I won’t allow it."

"Don’t go around blaming me, or I swear I’ll make sure you regret it for the rest of your life."

Regret?

I laughed bitterly.

The only thing I regret is ever being with you and because of that, I lost my mother.

"Fine. Then I’ll make sure to fulfill that promise and never bother you again."

"From this moment on, I’m breaking up with you."

For a second, Cassandra was stunned as she had not expected me to push back.

Since the day we met, this was the first time she had ever seen me so indifferent and the first time I had been the one to bring up breaking up.

Then, suddenly, I heard Damien’s playful voice in the background. "Cassie, bring me the underwear from the bed. I’m naked right now."

"Or do you want me to walk out like this?"

Hearing that, I immediately understood. They were living together. That was why he spoke so ambiguously, teasing her about bringing him underwear.

I could already picture the scene where Cassandra picked up his clothes and played along with his little act. "How about you help me put it on?"

She giggled and agreed without hesitation. Then, as if nothing had happened, she spoke coldly into the phone. "Nathaniel, you want to break up? Fine, I’ll help you with that, too."

"But remember, if you ever regret this, you won’t be able to win me back and..."

I did not bother listening to the rest and immediately hung up.

There was no need to guess what would happen next. But strangely, I did not feel anything anymore. No pain, no heartbreak.

From that day on, Cassandra never returned to the home she once called warm.

She used to be so clingy. When I cooked, she would hug me from behind, resting her head on my back while waiting for dinner.

Now, when I looked at the kitchen, it was nothing but a cold, empty space. The laughter, the warmth… it was all gone.

Cassandra Sinclair, I’m so done with you.

Rolling up my sleeves, I started clearing away everything that reminded me of her.

Once I was done, I took a long shower and lay down on my bed. For the first time in a long time, I slept peacefully.

The next day, when I walked into the office, my colleagues gave me strange looks. "Mr. Arden, why are you back?"

One of them nudged the other and whispered, "You still call him with such respect? Careful! If Mr. Knox hears you, he’ll have you kicked out. Didn’t he already warn us?"