Lucien

Elena.

" Chloe, will you marry me?" When he had opened his mouth, I had instinctively raised my hand, too eager to wait for the question to land.

And when the question tore through the air, air left my lungs. I stiffened in space, my outstretched hand remained hanging, in the air, awkwardly,

"Yes! Yes!" Syrupy, Chloe's voice seeped through the air, and when I turned, I saw her standing, right next to me.

When Marco had beckoned me to the stage, I had been too excited, too drawn into his glamour to read my surroundings.

It was not after she said yes that I saw her, really saw her.

Chloe, my best friend, the girl whom I had considered my sister had her hand outstretched, happily accepting the ring.

Marco was on his one knee, as he delicately held her fair hands, gently slipping the ring on. The sight burned my eyes, and I wanted to look away, but I couldn't.

I didn't believe that it was happening. For a split second, I hoped that it was a nightmare, a bad dream, but no.

The gentle smile on Marco's face, the practised innocence on Chloe's face as she admired the ring, proved me wrong.

My best friend had just been proposed to, something that I had not once, not twice, fantasised about.

Yes. You heard me right. Since I was already in a relationship with Marco, I had hoped that my best friend, soon to be ex, could also get her other half.

I had even fantasised about us going on double dates, and I had even promised to buy her a gift at her engagement party. Why a gift? Simple, Chloe had always been closed off to men, and I had just wanted to motivate her by promising gifts.

To me, her engagement was supposed to be a merry day, I had even imagined myself, crying in joy as I offered my congratulations and now, looking at her, with the beautiful ring glistering boldly on her finger, my eyes stung, with tears, but not tears of joy as I had hoped.

The fiancée she had snuggled was mine, after all.

And the ring that she couldn't stop staring at? It was mine.

I had seen it, held it, kissed it, and imagined how beautiful it could look on my skin. At some point, I had even tried it, secretly. It had fitted so well. It was my size, my preference and my dream ring.

And now, my dream husband, the man who stole my heart at a tender age, stood there, right next to me, his eyes locked onto hers, his gaze soft and delicate, and looking at the heartwarming scene, my heart twisted painfully.

I had never seen him with such a relaxed expression, and certainly, I had never received such tenderness from him.

It turned out, Chloe had not just taken the ring I had assumed was mine, she had started by capturing his heart first. ..

And Marco? He had not just broken my heart, he had not just broken his promises, he had completely shattered my dignity, and as I stood there, countless eyes on me, sharpened by curiosity and pity, I didn't know how to lift my head up.

The world had seen, cheered. The crowd that I had praised, glad that so many eyes were going to witness our engagement, became the wedge that witnessed as I was stripped of, layer by layer, inch by inch.

Cruelty? Marco's betrayal wasn't just cruelty, it was a charged blow, meant to cripple.

With the ring finally on her finger, the audience seemed to have snapped out of their daze.

The applause was deafening, they laughed, they cheered, and they smiled, as if everything was okay, perfect.

Outside, the world around me was jolly, merry, but from within, I couldn't even feel my heart, and my legs too.

It was a miracle that I was still standing.

' Congratulations, young master Marco.' Someone squeezed me as they wished, and Marca accepted their blessings with a very grateful smile.

More people came to toast the new couple. Glasses were raised, blessings were whispered, and I, the backdrop, hardly noticeable, was shoved, around, over and over.

And it wasn't until the last person left after offering their blessings that I snapped out of my daze.

" Marco?" I called, weakly, surprised that I could still find my voice even after everything.

" Why?"I forced the word out, my throat cracking, just from the little action.

That question successfully forced him to turn my way.

And when our gazes locked, I saw it, the annoyance.

He didn't look guilty, he didn't look like he cared either... Looking at me, his brows furrowed together in annoyance, anger, and indifference.

" Elena?" He squeezed past his tightly clenched jaws, as he whispered to my ears. People were watching, listening. And the threat in his voice? That was hard to miss.

He didn't care that they watched when he publicly humiliated me, but for the sake of protecting her reputation, he was concerned.

" You said you loved me, right?" He asked, and if it was in the past, I would have nodded in a reflex, but to his question, silence reigned.

" Then you should be happy for me! Love means selflessness, love means sacrifice "

" I found someone that I truly love. This is my special day, mine and your friend's special day. Can you not act as if you are in a funeral?" He asked, his voice low, and as his words sank in, I nearly scoffed. But I thought against it. I couldn't trust any sound that came out of my mouth at the moment.

" Put your act together and wear a damn smile as you congratulate us."

"I don't want this to affect Chloe's reputation. " He added, and for a moment, I just stared at him, really stared and I couldn't believe that he was the same man that I had loved for ten years.

" Elena?" Just then, another voice rang next to me, and I knew who it was even before I turned to face her. It was my Mom. And I didn't trust myself to look at her without breaking down, without burying my face on her chest and wailing my heart out.

And again, I felt another presence, deep, commanding, and reassuring

It was Lucien Reids, Marco's elder brother.

His warm hand rested on my shoulders, firm, grounding, and for the first time since the proposal, my heart twitched, revived...

" You are wearing so little, cover up." Saying that, he draped his warm jacket over my shoulders, and my body shuddered when the warmth touched my icily cold skin.

"Let me walk you downstairs,"

" My driver will take you home."