Chapter 3

Her eyes were bloodshot and slightly swollen.

The moment she saw me, she pulled me into an embrace, sounding utterly aggrieved. "I was so worried about you yesterday. I really didn't mean to ruin your engagement party."

I maintained a blank expression and responded casually, "I know."

My reaction was so cold that Susie actually found it strange. She pulled away from me, her brow furrowing. "Do you really believe me?"

"Yeah." In reality, I just didn't care.

"Last night, Charles stayed at my house all night to comfort me. Since you're his fiancée, I felt I should be honest and tell you, so I made a special trip over today."

I looked at her. Ever since Charles walked out yesterday, he hadn't called me once. Knowing full well that I was his fiancée, the two of them still spent the entire night together.

This visit wasn't even an explanation. It was just a notification after the fact.

Whatever. None of it mattered anymore.

"I'm fine, I'm not mad," I feigned composure, trying my best to maintaining a calm facade.

"Are you really okay?"

"Yeah."

Hearing my firm answer, Susie suddenly broke into a smile. She looked past my shoulder and said smugly, "I told you Selena wouldn't mind! You lost, so your olive grove is mine now!"

Charles stepped out from around the corner where he had been hiding, a smile on his face as he handed a contract over to Susie.

He sized me up, a crease forming between his brows. "Look at you, finally acting like a sensible adult. If this were before, you definitely would've cried your eyes out.

"Still, you shouldn't be making Susie grovel to you. She helped you apologize to the guests yesterday, yet you haven't said a single word of apology to her."

Susie immediately piped up, "What's the big deal if I do a little something for Selena? She'll make it up to me. Stop bringing up the past all the time, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. As if anyone else knows better than me how good you are," Charles teased, feigning annoyance.

The two of them began bickering back and forth.

In their conversation, I was framed as the immature, selfish one who lacked understanding.

Standing there, I felt their voices gradually grew distant and blurred. My wrists began to tremble uncontrollably as a wave of deep misery washed over me.

They didn't give a damn about how I felt at all, only to use my emotions as a chip for a bet.

I stayed silent. After a long pause, I cut right through their banter. "Charles, let's call off the engagement."

The moment the words left my mouth, the entire courtyard fell silent.

Charles and Susie exchanged a quick look, then both turned to me in absolute shock.

Having said what I needed to say, I turned to leave.

Charles blocked my path. "Don't be silly."

I didn't bother to answer and tried to walk around him. Susie immediately grabbed my hand, trying to explain, "Are you mad? Selena, he was really just at my place last night comforting me.

"I was upset because you were ignoring me, that's all. Nothing else went on."

The moment Susie said that, Charles' face darkened, his shock twisting into pure anger.

"Susie, it's not your fault. You've done so much for her, yet she doesn't appreciate it and is throwing a tantrum instead. You're not her servant! I told you from the start that you shouldn't have come over to explain anything to her!"

My chest heaved as I clenched my fists in silence.

Susie tried to say something more, but Charles pulled her away. Left standing alone in the yard, my tears finally broke free, crashing onto my clothes.

By the time I returned to my room, the housekeeper had already packed up all my belongings.

Before heading out, I sent out a formal notice that the wedding was officially canceled. It wasn't long before a friend called to ask if Charles and I were just having a lovers' spat.

"No, we're just not right for each other," I replied.

The person on the other end let out a sigh of relief and tried to console me. "Well, you two never seemed like a good match, anyway. Today at the shooting range, Susie's gun misfired and spooked a horse, nearly getting her kicked. Charles immediately rushed her to the emergency room at a private hospital.

"I was there on the scene and saw it clearly, though. The horse didn't actually hit her. She just scraped the skin on her wrist."

An uneasy feeling surged in my chest. "How is she doing?" I asked.

Even though I had decided to let him go, I still couldn't stop myself from worrying about Susie's condition.

Susie's family had always lived by the gun, and she had been a famous sharpshooter since she was young because her family had too many enemies.

Aside from her bodyguards, she never left without a gun whenever she went out. On multiple occasions, her brilliant marksmanship was what kept her alive.

If she couldn't hold a gun in the future, how was she supposed to protect herself?

In the end, I rushed over to the hospital.

Susie was lying on the hospital bed while Charles sat beside her, carefully feeding her soup. When she spotted me, her eyes reddened slightly.

"Selena..."

I glanced at Charles and asked her with genuine concern, "How are you? Is the injury serious?"

"I'm fine, just a little scrape."

I let out a sigh of relief. Just as I was about to say more, Charles cut me off. He marched up to me and forcefully grabbed my wrist.

"Are you satisfied now, Selena?"

I pulled myself free from his grip, completely bewildered.

"What on earth are you throwing a fit for? Do you have to see everyone hurt before you're happy? If Susie hadn't been distracted because you canceled the wedding, with her marksmanship, how could she have possibly gotten injured?!"