Chapter 2

Once the food was served, Brett raised his glass and delivered a touching, heartfelt toast.

Jackson and Avery joined in enthusiastically, hailing him as their future son-in-law at every turn.

A few rounds later, everyone was feeling buzzed.

Brett suddenly produced a gift box from his bag and presented it to Jenny. "Jenny, I brought this back from Auristelle for you. It's nothing extravagant, but I thought it would suit you perfectly."

Surprised, Jenny accepted the box and opened it to reveal a diamond-accented necklace.

"Wow, that's gorgeous! That must have cost thousands of dollars, right?" one of the female relatives squealed in envy.

Jenny ran her fingers over the necklace, her eyes welling with emotion. "Brett, this is far too expensive. I can't possibly accept this…"

"Take it. In my eyes, no one deserves it more than you," Brett said, taking her hand affectionately.

Jenny made a half-hearted attempt to pull back before letting him hold her hand.

I watched the scene unfold with a cold detachment.

Was this the same woman who swore she loved me for who I was just last night?

A single necklace worth a few thousand was all it took to win her over.

I stood up, pushing my chair back with a harsh, grating screech.

The room instantly fell silent. Every eye turned to me.

Startled, Jenny snatched her hand back and glared at me with a frown. "Hayden, what is wrong with you? Stop making a scene!"

I smoothed down my clothes and said flatly, "Nothing. Just finding the air a bit sickening, so I'm leaving."

"What did you say?" Brett's face darkened instantly. "Who are you calling sickening?"

Ignoring him, I looked straight at Jenny. "Jenny, I won't be proposing. We're done."

Jenny froze for a moment before marching over to me, furious. "Hayden, have you completely lost your mind? You think you can just break up with me whenever you want? Who are you trying to scare?

"I know you're insecure and feel inferior to Brett. But throwing a tantrum just to get attention? It's beyond childish!"

To her, my breakup was nothing more than a pathetic display of jealousy to grab her attention.

Brett scoffed. "Mr. Poole, a man ought to know his place. A lady like Jenny was always out of reach for a cowhand like you anyway. Since you know better and are bowing out voluntarily, I'll leave it at that."

He turned to Jenny with a soothing tone. "Don't be upset, Jenny. A narrow-minded man like him isn't worth it. You're better off without him."

Bolstered by Brett's encouragement, Jenny pointed a finger at my face. "Let me make one thing clear, Hayden. If you walk out that door today, don't ever dream of marrying me again. And don't expect me to come running to that trashy farm of yours either.

"Besides, that gold bangle you gave me is painfully tacky. I've been wanting to get rid of it anyway. Perfect timing to end things cleanly."

She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a solid gold bangle. That was a family heirloom Mom had passed down for our engagement.

The design was traditional, but it carried deep sentimental value.

With a sharp clang, Jenny flung the bracelet to the floor. It rolled to a stop at my feet.

"Take your garbage and get the hell back to your farm!"

I bent down, picked it up, and carefully wiped away the dust before slipping it into my pocket.

Then I looked up and met her gaze with icy indifference. "Remember what you said today, Jenny. Just make sure you never come begging me to take you back."