Setting Myself Free

A piercing ringing filled my ears as I watched the scene unfold. They made me feel like the villain for wanting Sheena to leave, even though I was Caleb's wife.I could not understand how Caleb had changed so dramatically from the man I had married. He had once been so kind, loving me more than anyone ever had.My story was not an easy one—my father passed away when I was young, leaving my mother to raise me alone.She worked multiple jobs to make ends meet, often looking guilty when she could not provide the same luxuries other children had. Nonetheless, she made sure I got into a good college.I met Caleb there. He was brilliant and kind, and he never judged my humble background.When other students whispered behind my back, calling me bad luck because of my father's death, Caleb always defended me. I truly believed I had found my soulmate.After graduation, we married and were blessed by everyone's well wishes, including my mother's. Yet, she had fallen ill before I could repa

It was hard to believe that was the same man who had once promised to love me forever. As I struggled to my feet, my right ankle throbbed with real pain. However, Caleb's deepening frown told me he thought I was faking it.I let out a bitter laugh. I said, "You know why I'm here. Should I read your chat history with her out loud for everyone to hear?"And Sheena, are you so desperate for a man that you must go after my husband? You're even calling him Daddy—how disgusting can you get?""That's not true! There's nothing between Caleb and me!" Sheena sobbed while Caleb's face turned purple with rage at being exposed publicly."Enough! How dare you slander Sheena? She never seduced me. We were having normal conversations," Caleb snapped. "Apologize to her. Now!"Apologize? His commanding tone crushed what little hope I had left for our marriage. My heart went completely cold as I watched him unconditionally defend Sheena without offering me any explanation.At that moment, I knew—ou

"It's okay," I assured Yuna. Then, I took her hand and moved through the crowd to avoid awkward encounters.When the party officially began, the birthday boy appeared and gave a short speech. Once he was done, the servers wheeled out a massive ten-tier cake.Yuna mentioned that her friend's name was Troy Ashford. He was handsome and seemed approachable.Our eyes met across the room, and he raised his glass with a friendly smile.Yuna noticed my distraction and nudged me playfully. "Why are you zoning out?"Snapping back to reality, I quickly lifted my glass to join the toast. Just then, Sheena approached and accidentally—supposedly—spilled her drink on me."Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Harper! I didn't mean to; it was an accident! What should we do?" Sheena exclaimed with fake innocence, playing the helpless damsel.I knew it was deliberate, but I refused to make a scene at someone else's birthday party. Besides, that would only give Sheena what she wanted.Yuna asked worriedly, "

My conversations with Troy had become more frequent. One day, he asked if I wanted to go camping, emphasizing that many people would be there.When I asked Yuna's opinion, she volunteered to come along. With our plans set, we headed to the mall to pick up camping supplies.As we grabbed the last few items, Yuna nudged me and whispered, "Harper, isn't that Sheena?"Looking up, I spotted Sheena wrapped around a man who was definitely not Caleb. They were acting like love-struck teenagers.Just yesterday, I saw Caleb posting photos of himself with Sheena on social media, which meant they were still together.It did not add up, and I wondered if Sheena was secretly dating multiple guys behind Caleb's back. The opportunity was too good to pass up, and I immediately unblocked Caleb's number and called him.It did not take long for him to pick up. Before Caleb greeted me, I said, "Sheena's cheating on you. She's at East Mall right now."There was a moment of silence before Caleb respon

Troy insisted on continuing the camping trip despite his injured hands. After a quick first-aid session, we headed off to meet Yuna and the others.During the drive, Troy kept glancing at me, asking if I was okay. Caleb's attack had shaken me more than I wanted to admit, my heart still racing from the encounter.I tried to lighten the mood and teased him. "Why are you so worried about me? Do you have a thing for me or something?"I noticed Troy's special attention toward me through our conversations and time together. However, he said nothing; he just blushed and avoided eye contact.The camping trip turned out to be wonderful.As everyone gathered to stargaze that evening, fireworks suddenly lit up the darkness, bursting into dazzling colors. As the final burst exploded, I saw my face outlined in sparkling colors.Before I could process it, Troy dropped to one knee and asked, "Harper, will you be my girlfriend?"I gasped in surprise, finally understanding that Troy had planned