She Betrayed Me for the Man Who Killed Mom

A month before the wedding, Mom was bitten by a dog and rushed to the hospital. The dog’s owner turned out to be one of Ellie Griggs’s juniors from university.

Ellie brought him to the hospital and said casually, “Mom was just too careless. She’s too old to be teasing dogs.”

Her junior shot me a provocative look.

I couldn’t believe it. Mom was clearly the victim, yet in Ellie’s mouth, she became the one to blame.

“It’s just an animal. Why take it so seriously? I have to fly abroad for a project. Keep an eye on Mom, and once she’s discharged, don’t let her tease dogs again.”

I looked at Ellie, my gaze eerily calm.

“When will you be back?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t miss our wedding. Anything else?”

“No.”

It wasn’t a big deal, just not getting married anymore.

——

An hour after Ellie left with her junior, Mom’s condition suddenly worsened. She couldn’t be saved.

I messaged Ellie right away, but there was no reply.

After that, I moved like a puppet on strings, numbly going through the motions of planning Mom’s funeral, one step at a time.

Just a few days ago, she had been eagerly looking forward to my wedding, but now she would never get to see it.

I forced myself not to cry during the funeral, listening to the murmurs of relatives and friends voicing their displeasure toward Ellie.

She was my fiancée, Mom’s future daughter-in-law; both emotionally and logically, she should’ve been there.

I had sent her messages and called her.

No replies. The calls didn’t go through.

I lied to myself, telling myself she must’ve been caught up with work, that she simply hadn’t seen them yet. I could believe that once, maybe twice, but not a third time.

As the sky darkened and friends and family slowly departed, I remained kneeling in front of Mom’s grave. In that moment, I didn’t want to think about anything; I just wanted to stay quietly by her side.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed.

I unlocked it and saw a new post from Ellie’s junior.

In the video, Ellie was in a swimsuit, laughing and playing on the beach with him.

In an instant, my breath caught, and an unbearable tightness gripped my chest.

So this was her so-called business trip abroad.

I was a fool.

Still making excuses for her.

I pressed both palms to the ground and pushed myself up, legs shaking from kneeling too long.

“Mom, it’s over between me and Ellie. Forgive me… I couldn’t keep the promise I made to you.”

Before she passed, Mom had asked me to cherish Ellie.

But Ellie, she wasn’t worth it.

I met her on campus. She was the heiress of a billion-dollar empire. I was just a nobody from the countryside.

Around her, I always felt small.

Yet she had loved me without hesitation, once saying she’d give up everything, her status, her fortune, just to stay by my side.

We dated in secret.

To ease the pressure of meeting her parents, I joined her family’s company right after graduation, starting from the bottom and grinding my way up.

Overtime became a routine, and sleepless nights were nothing new. To secure a project, I even drank until I coughed up blood.

But I believed it was all worth it.

Because I wanted to prove that I could stand tall beside her, strong enough to shield her from society’s scorn.

And I did it.

In just three years, I rose from an entry-level employee to vice president of the company.

Ellie was proud of me.

At the company’s succession celebration, she held my hand and led me onto the stage, publicly announcing our relationship.

In that moment, her eyes sparkled like stars.

But that light gradually dimmed after Brandon Zeiler joined the company.

He was her youngest junior back in university, and the youngest always seemed to get the most affection.

She treated Brandon far too well, so much that jealousy quietly crept into my chest.

Whenever I showed a hint of displeasure, she would lean close and tease me with a laugh, “Hehe, jealous? So cute!”