Chapter 5

Robert explained, "Clary, don't get the wrong idea. Mikayla just wanted to see what it's like to try on a wedding dress, and she doesn't really have any male friends. You know how women are. They see something online and want to try it for themselves."

There was a time when I begged him, over and over again, just to go try on a wedding dress with me. He said I was being influenced by the internet, that a wedding dress was just a piece of clothing, and I was making a big deal out of nothing.

Yet here he was, carving time out of his schedule to accompany Mikayla to try on wedding dresses.

I didn't feel like saying another word. I turned and started to leave, but Mikayla quickly stepped forward and grabbed my wrist.

"Clarissa, Mr. Fuller is telling the truth. If you're still upset, you can take it out on me!"

Before I could react, her body tilted, and she collapsed toward the floor with a soft cry.

"Ouch!"

She gently clutched her ankle, her face turning pale as if she were in real pain. "Rob, I think I twisted my ankle. It really hurts."

Upon seeing this, Robert shoved me aside and rushed to her, steadying her as he looked at me, anger blazing in his eyes.

"Clarissa Skriver, you've gone too far!"

He scooped Maya into his arms and marched out of the boutique without the slightest hesitation.

As I watched his retreating figure, all I felt was a bitter sense of irony.

This wasn't the first time Mikayla had used such a pathetic stunt to frame me. I used to think that Robert was just being misled, but now I understand.

He wasn't blind. He just didn't care.

He had never loved me, which was why he was so willing to take her side every single time without ever getting the full picture.

When I got back to my apartment, my phone kept lighting up with messages, all from Robert's business account.

"Clarissa, get to the hospital right now and apologize to Mikayla. If you don't, I'm pushing the wedding back indefinitely. I don't care if your grandmother's dying. I'm not backing down!"

The messages were radiating pure, unadulterated selfishness.

He even dragged Grandma into it.

I was so angry that my stomach churned.

I deleted and blocked his business account without another thought. After that, I logged into the company's HR portal and formally submitted my resignation.

The moment it went through, it felt as if the heaviness that had been sitting on my shoulders for so long had finally lifted.

…

Meanwhile, Robert had just finished sending his threats, his expression dark with irritation.

"Rob, do you think Clarissa's really mad at me?" Mikayla murmured. "It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, none of this would've happened."

"It's not your fault. She's the one being unreasonable," he reassured her, his tone laced with certainty. "Don't worry. I'll make this right for you."

In the past, whenever he used the wedding as leverage, I would always give in first. He believed this time would be no different.

But early the next morning, he got a call from the HR department.

"Mr. Fuller, Ms. Skriver has tendered her resignation. She's very adamant about it. We couldn't persuade her to stay."

The moment Robert heard that, his anger flared, and he drove straight to our apartment.

But when he opened the door, all of my belongings were gone.

He pulled out his phone and tried to message me from his business account, only to realize that account had been blocked, too.

A flicker of unease rose in him, and it peaked the moment he saw the wedding invitation on the table.

I was listed as the bride, but Robert wasn't the groom.

In an instant, all the color drained from his face. The invitation slipped from his hand and fluttered to the floor.