Where had the gentle, charming boy from my memories gone? How had he turned into this strange, vicious monster before me?

"I would never marry a scumbag like you," I said, wiping away my tears and struggling to keep my voice steady. "And I'm not here for you."

"I'm here for my own engagement ceremony! It just happens to be at the same manor as your party!"

"Oh, please! That's hilarious!" one of the rich kids howled with laughter, doubling over. "Only the most elite families on the East Coast are qualified to host events at the Blackwood Manor! Who do you think you are, trying to social climb your way into this family?"

Another one eyed me up and down with a critical gaze.

"I get it. A woman pushing thirty, desperate to find a man to marry her. Too bad our little Nolan is already spoken for. But hey, my father might be a good option! You could be his new wife, pop out a few little brothers for me."

"As long as you can give him three sons, the Davis family will be grateful to you, hahaha!"

The insults kept coming, and my limbs turned to ice.

Nolan had been my classmate in medical school. His family had fallen on hard times, and it was my parents who sponsored his education. After my parents died in a car accident, we relied on each other to survive. Back then, a group of snobbish classmates isolated me because of my family's tragedy, and it was Nolan who stood up for me without hesitation, even getting disciplined by a professor and losing his scholarship for it.

I had once asked him through tears if it was worth it.

He looked me straight in the eyes and said firmly, "It's worth it, Juliet. I won't let anyone bully you."

"I love you, Juliet. Wait for me, and I'll give you everything you've ever wanted."

But now, seven years later, just a few months of living a life of luxury in Europe had turned him into a completely different person?

"The moment you abandoned me, we were done," I told Nolan.

Then I turned to the others. "I'll remember what all of you did today. After my engagement ceremony is over, my fiancé will personally come settle the score. None of you will get away with this."

"Ooh, making threats now! Who are you going to get? That imaginary fiancé in your head?"

One of Nolan's friends stepped forward with a lewd grin, his hand reaching for the high slit on the side of my dress.

"Why don't you consider me? I'm Nolan's best friend, you know."

"I promise I'll treat you better than he did," he winked suggestively. "Plus, I'm Nolan's best man. We're so close, maybe the three of us could share a night together."

"Stay away from me!"

"Get the hell away from her!" My best friend, Maya, charged in, shielding me. "My friend's fiancé is a Blackwood. You've messed with the wrong people!"

Nolan froze for a second, then burst into an even more piercing peal of laughter.

"You're not even good enough for me, let alone Rhys Blackwood."

"You're just a woman I'm tired of playing with. Stop dreaming!" he looked at me with disdain. "The patriarch of the Blackwood family? A man of his stature? What makes you think you could ever deserve him?"

His pack of friends joined in, roaring with laughter.

Just then, a crisp female voice called out, "The gala is about to start! What are you all doing out here?"

Nolan's new fiancée, Brielle Thorne, glided over gracefully.

When she saw that my one-of-a-kind Vera Wang couture gown was even more stunning than hers, a flicker of jealousy crossed her eyes.

"Darling, we were just enjoying a little clown show," Nolan said, wiping a tear of laughter from his eye as he wrapped his arm affectionately around Brielle. "She thought she could steal your thunder, even fantasized that Rhys would marry her." He chuckled.

Brielle put on a sympathetic expression as she looked at me. "Juliet, I can't believe Nolan would make such a cruel joke. He went too far, I'm so sorry."

Nolan rolled his eyes. "I was just joking! She's the one who crashed the party, she must have ulterior motives. She deserves it."

His friends immediately chimed in. "Exactly, Brielle! She's just a social climber, that's why she won't leave Nolan alone!"

I looked at Brielle—beautiful, elegant, and the sole heiress to a shipping tycoon. She was a better match for the new Nolan. After all, he desperately needed to solidify his position in the collateral branch of the Blackwood family.

My gaze fell to her neck.

That antique sapphire pendant was my mother's, a Sterling family heirloom. I had planned to wear it at my own wedding and then pass it down to my daughter. I had given it to Nolan as a symbol of our love.

Who would have thought he would turn around and give it to Brielle?

I fought back tears and said, "Brielle, that pendant you're wearing is my family heirloom. Since Nolan and I are over, please return it to me."

Brielle's expression stiffened. Then she smiled, took the pendant off her neck, and held it out to me.

"Juliet, I know you and Nolan had a deep connection. But you can't force love, and he has chosen me now. Please know your place, leave, and never come back."

I wordlessly reached for it. Just as my fingertips were about to touch the pendant, she suddenly let go.

The pendant fell straight onto the hard marble floor. After a sharp crack, the sapphire shattered into pieces.

I stared at the fragments, my tears finally spilling down my cheeks.

"She wanted to ruin your gala, and you're just letting her off that easily? You're too kind."

"If she dared to cause a scene, she should be taught a lesson she'll never forget! Otherwise, she'll just keep pestering Nolan!" his friends fanned the flames.

Nolan twirled a lock of Brielle's hair with his finger and looked at me, a cold glint in his eyes. "You're right. We should teach her a lesson."

Brielle gazed lovingly at Nolan and smiled in silent agreement.

"Tearing a woman's clothes off in public might be a bit crass," one of them sneered. "Why not just throw her out?"

"No, I want her to give up completely, to never dare bother me again!" Nolan ordered with a cold smile.

I stared at him in disbelief. I never thought he could be so cruel. I had assumed he abandoned me simply because my family background no longer matched his soaring ambitions. I had given up Johns Hopkins for him. Seven years together, and this is what it came to? He didn't just want to leave me; he wanted to utterly destroy me.

"Haha, little beauty, here we come!"

The rich kids reached for me with predatory smiles, their hands beginning to tear at my gown.

"Stay away from me!" I screamed.

Maya tried to rush in and help, but what could one woman do against a pack of men who had lost all reason?

Within seconds, my couture gown was ripped to shreds, leaving me in nothing but my underwear. One of Nolan's friends even took out his phone and started a live stream.

"Everyone, come and see! This is what happens to a despicable stalker!"