Chapter 3: Maybe This Was a Mistake.

(Vivian's POV)

My chest tightened. I was making an issue out of everything? Just for expressing my concern? How could he say that to me in front of everyone?

"How many times do I have to tell you that there's nothing between Laura and me? She's just a representative from your dad's company, and we're working together on a project."

His voice held so much anger as he spoke, as though my accusation had personally offended him.

"Do you think everyone is like you?" he fumed.

My eyes narrowed slightly as I stared at him. I knew exactly what he was referring to, but I still hoped I was wrong.

"Some people still know how to respect the boundaries of a relationship," he continued. "They don't need to be reminded of what loyalty means."

The people around us furrowed their brows, their eyes moving between Ronald and me as they wondered what he meant by that.

My entire body went completely cold. My heart thundered violently against my chest.

Ronald's words were not direct, but I understood what he meant.

He was talking about that night.

Three years ago, while I was still in school.

That night, I had been drunk and had spent the night in another man's room.

I had lied to Ronald about where I had slept because I was afraid he would misunderstand.

But two months ago, at the school reunion, that stupid guy mentioned that night.

The way he spoke made it sound like something had happened that night, but nothing actually happened.

I was sure because I had gone to the hospital the next morning and had my doctor examine me, and she confirmed that I hadn't been violated.

Ronald was at the reunion too, and he heard the truth about where I had slept that night.

And no matter how many times I had explained that nothing happened, Ronald had never believed me.

To him, my explanation had come too late, and it had never been enough to erase what he had heard.

"Ronald..." I stuttered, my voice trembling.

I didn't even know what else to say. His constant reminders about that incident hurt more than I could admit.

How many times was he going to punish me for it? How long was I going to have to keep paying for that mistake?

He hadn't called off our engagement. Perhaps he didn't want to humiliate me by ending things after everything that had happened.

But his behaviour toward me had changed ever since that night.

He was no longer the same man who had once treated me with so much warmth and affection.

He had become distant, impatient, and cold, as though some part of him had never truly forgiven me.

And maybe this was the price I had to pay for lying to him in the first place.

"I already told you nothing happened," I forced myself to say.

Ronald scoffed bitterly. The look on his face clearly showed that he didn't believe me.

My heart shattered.

"Why can't you believe me? Why can't you trust me?" I asked through my tears.

"He lied, Ronald," I continued. "He lied about everything..."

"At least he didn't lie about the fact that you spent the night together. And if I remember correctly, you were the one who lied about it."

I fell silent.

Not because I didn't want to explain myself, but because deep down, I already felt it was pointless.

No matter what I said, he wouldn't believe me. He would keep throwing those words back at me.

He would keep calling me a liar. A cheat.

And I wondered why he was still willing to marry me if he felt this way about me.

"If you don't even trust me anymore, then why go ahead with the wedding? Why didn't you call it off immediately?" I asked, my voice shaking with pain.

If only he could tell me that he still loved me and that was why he hadn't called off the engagement. I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life making up for that mistake, making him trust me again.

All he needed to do was tell me he was still here because he loved me. Not because he didn't want to humiliate me.

"You're right," Ronald said quietly.

I lifted my head to look at him, my heart thundering in my chest. But his next words shattered my already fragile heart into pieces.

"Maybe this whole thing is a mistake," he continued.

"What..." I breathed, unable to believe what he had just admitted. "What did you say?"

"I said it's a mistake," he repeated, his voice firm. "We shouldn't have started this journey at all."

The world around me crumbled, and my hope shattered like broken glass.

There it was. The real truth.

He finally said it... what I had been too afraid to admit to myself: Ronald regretted proposing to me. He was no longer interested in this marriage.

"Are you saying you regret this?" I asked, my voice coming out so small.

"That you're making a mistake getting married to me in a week's time?"

Ronald stared at me for a moment. His throat moved as he swallowed repeatedly. For a moment, I almost thought I saw guilt flash across his face.

But he quickly fixed his expression and straightened his posture.

"I think we should focus on why we're here," he finally said. "Get whatever accessories you want... after all, that's the only thing you know how to do."

My lips parted, but no words came out because my heart had been crushed too many times by the things he said to me.

I couldn't even tell which one hurt more.

Was it that he regretted this and was only going ahead with the wedding because he didn't want to humiliate me?

Or that he was beginning to see me as a liability too? As someone who only knew how to shop and spend money I didn't work for? Someone who could even cheat and lie at will?

Ronald walked past me toward the chair, and Laura followed him with a smug smile on her face.

But I stood frozen, unable to process his words as they continued ringing in my head.

"Are you coming or not?" Ronald asked, irritation clear in his voice.

I didn't answer. My heart felt too heavy, and I was afraid I might collapse if I stayed there any longer.

I simply turned toward the door, my legs shaking weakly as I walked out of the jewellery shop.