Chapter 2

I swore I would never love Adrian again after that day.

When Mom and Dad were brought back to safety, they were completely covered in blood. The tendons in Dad's legs had somehow been bitten through by the snakes, and our private doctor said that he might never be able to stand again.

Upon hearing the news, Adrian suddenly flew into a rage and smashed everything in the house.

In my daze, I seemed to hear him making a couple of angry calls outside, shouting at someone over the phone.

I didn't catch the details, nor did I have the energy to care. I simply rushed Mom and Dad straight to the hospital.

But after receiving the same grim prognosis from the doctors at the hospital, I couldn't hold back anymore and fell into Mom's arms after she regained consciousness, sobbing uncontrollably.

"It's all my fault, Mom! If only I hadn't reported that incident back then… I'm the reason why you and Dad ended up in this state!"

Mom shook her head at me, her eyes red as she stroked my swollen cheek, unable to say another word.

Dad clasped my hand and Mom's as tears welled in his eyes.

"We watched Adrian grow up and trusted him too much. I know that he's had a hand in the decline of our family over these past few years too.

"He's always been very calculating, and he holds such a big grudge against you. It would be even more tragic for you if you actually married him in the end!"

Dad's words suddenly brought memories of the past flooding back to me.

The Hanson and Dickson families used to go way back, and Adrian and I had grown up together, sharing a deep bond with each other.

Before Cassandra appeared, Adrian used to follow me around wherever I went. He'd smile the moment he saw me, and he loved holding my hand, interlacing his fingers with mine.

He once said, "Mom and Dad want me to take over Dickson Group and keep forcing me to do things I don't like. I only feel like I'm able to catch a break when I'm with you. I like you so much, Jill."

His straightforward, passionate declarations used to make me blush, and getting engaged to him seemed like the natural course of things.

But after Cassandra appeared, everything changed. The eyes that used to only look at me had shifted to her at some point. And eventually, he saw my tears and grievances as nothing more than attempts to get his attention, and he soon grew annoyed with me.

I simply couldn't wrap my head around it.

He was the one who had begged Mom and Dad for my hand in marriage, and yet, in the end, he painted me as the villain who tore him and Cassandra apart.

I felt hurt and even jealous. And then, in a moment of impulse, I told his parents about his relationship with Cassandra.

The Dicksons had always placed great importance on social standing, and if the elders in the family didn't approve of his partner, there would be absolutely no way for him to be with her.

However, I hadn't anticipated the disastrous consequences that would follow.

I should have known that from that moment on, there was simply no way we could ever go back to the way things used to be.

I took a deep breath, my gaze slowly hardening with resolve as I said, "Mom, Dad, I'm not marrying Adrian anymore."

…

On the day Mom and Dad were finally discharged from the hospital, I returned to the Dickson villa to retrieve my documents.

But as soon as I opened the door, I was met with a scene of utter disarray.

Clothes were scattered all over the floor, and the wet, explicit sounds of lovemaking came faintly from the kitchen. Moments later, I caught sight of the two people completely entangled with each other in the kitchen.

Cassandra was supposed to be abroad, but she was here now, completely naked, her face flushed with passion as she clung to Adrian.

Meanwhile, Adrian's hand was wandering between her legs with a tender, lustful, yet restrained look in his eyes that he'd never once shown me.

Even though I had already decided to let him go, witnessing this scene still made my heart ache uncontrollably.

My stomach churned, and I couldn't help but retch.

Adrian finally noticed my presence. His expression stiffened for a moment before it quickly reverted to cold indifference.

He then casually explained, "Cassie was drugged at a party. I was just helping her deal with it. She'll be staying in the master bedroom for the next few days.

"Once you've cleaned up the kitchen and living room, take your things and move to the guest room. And don't let her see you. You're only going to upset her."

Then, he picked her up bridal-style and went into the bathroom without even waiting for me to answer. He seemed certain that I would obediently do everything as told.

I simply smiled wryly, wondering if I'd loved and spoiled him too much over the years, so much so that he thought he could trample all over me without facing any consequences.

I turned and went upstairs. In a fit of anger, I shredded every single photo of Adrian and me before tossing the pieces in the trash.

After gathering all of my important documents, I opened the safe and removed the emerald bracelet from my wrist.

Adrian's mother, Hannah Gardner, had placed it on my wrist herself on the day we got engaged, telling me that it was an heirloom passed down through generations of the Dickson family to their daughters-in-law.

But since I no longer intended to marry Adrian, the emerald bracelet ought to be returned to its rightful owner.