Chapter One.

"You have got to be kidding me," I muttered, my voice a whisper, as my eyes darted between Jared and my sister. Were they serious about this, or was I dreaming? I blinked rapidly, my heart beating too fast in my chest, hoping this was just some cruel joke. But the harsh reality was staring me right in the face.

Sophia quickly shoved Jared off her, her face flushing with panic as she fumbled to gather her clothes. Her hands shook as she clutched her dress to her chest, avoiding my stare. Jared, meanwhile, looked more annoyed than guilty, his expression cold as he slowly pulled on his shirt, as if this were nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Seriously? At my engagement party?

"I promise, it's not what you think, Kristine," Sophia stammered, her voice trembling. How could she say that? My eyes burned with tears as I tried to process the scene before me. I had just caught her naked, bent over with my fiancé at my own engagement party, and she had the audacity to tell me it wasn't what I thought. How could it not be?

"Jared, how could you?" I asked, my voice trembling with disbelief. He didn't even bother to look at me. My eyes shifted to Sophia, who was avoiding eye contact, and I demanded, "You're supposed to be my sister. How could you betray me like this? Why would you do this to me?" My mind was reeling, desperately trying to understand the reality of the situation, wishing it was just a nightmare.

"Look, Kristine, there is no need to make a fuss about all of this," Jared finally said, his tone calm and dismissive. He met my eyes with a cold, indifferent gaze, not remorse in anyway. "We have guests downstairs. If you could just go and talk to them, Sophia and I will join you in a bit," he added, waving his hand as if to shoo me away.

I scoffed, my hands shaking with anger. "Are you kidding me right now? Is that all you have to say? I just caught you in bed with my sister at our engagement party, and that’s all you have to say? Have you lost your mind?" Tears welled up and spilled over, streaming down my cheeks as I clenched my fists in frustration. "You expect me to go downstairs and entertain our guests after catching you with my sister? What is wrong with you?”

"Look, I didn't mean for you to find out this way, but now that you have, there isn't much we can do about it, is there?" Jared said, his casual tone infuriating me further. He stood there, almost shrugging, as if what I had just witnessed was a minor inconvenience. "Let's be honest, Kristine, you weren't exactly a good person yourself, and I am not exactly thrilled about marrying you."

"Jared, stop. We don't want to make her more upset," Sophia interrupted, pretending like she was concerned. Her voice was soft, but it rang evil in my ears. No sister who cared would do what she just did. I was struggling to comprehend everything, my mind racing from the betrayal.

"No, Sophia. Someone has to give this entitled princess a reality check," Jared spat out, his voice filled with anger. I arched an eyebrow, stunned by his harsh words. Jared had never spoken to me like this before; his tone was unrecognizable, as if he were a different person entirely. "Yes, I wanted to marry you, but then I realized there's no future for me with someone like you. You are so damn boring, Kristine. There is nothing interesting about you at all. You are just a plain, dull woman living in a fantasy world, thinking you are better than everyone else. But you are not. You are just as ordinary as everyone else, if not worse.”

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I listened to Jared's cruel words. Was this really how he felt about me? I glanced at my sister Sophia, who stood there with a small smile on her face, clearly enjoying the drama happening before her and finally showing her true colors.

Sophia and I had never been particularly close, but this betrayal was beyond anything I could have imagined. We weren't the type of sisters who shared everything, but we had our moments. She was supposed to be the one to catch my bouquet at the wedding, yet here she was, enjoying all the pleasures my fiancé had to offer.

"Like I said, Kristine, go downstairs, and we will join you unless you want to hear more," Jared continued, his voice cold and dismissive. I took a deep breath, my hands trembling as tears continued to fall. The rage inside me was too much to handle, burning like an inferno. I felt a desperate urge to lash out, to hurt someone, anyone. Not just hurt—I wanted to destroy something, to make them feel the pain I was feeling.

Just then, my father walked into the room, his eyes widening as he took in the scene before him. He scanned each of us, his gaze on us as he could feel the tension that was in the air at that moment . “What is going on here?” he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“Father,” I said, my voice shaking as I struggled to choke back my tears. I was still trying to process the horror in front of me. “Father, Jared and Sophia… together…” I couldn't finish my sentence, everything was becoming almost too much to bear . I felt my father’s eyes dart between Jared and Sophia, but he remained silent.

What shocked me even more was the lack of surprise on his face. It was as if he had known all along. When he finally spoke, his calm, almost indifferent tone confirmed my worst fears. “Oh…” Was all he said. His reaction made it clear—he knew. He knew about the affair, or perhaps he didn’t view it as something worth taking seriously. The realization left me paralyzed, stunned by the fact that my own father had been part of this betrayal.

“Look, Kristine, we don’t have time for this,” my father said, his tone precise and impatient. He turned to Sophia and Jared, speaking directly to them. “You two need to put on proper clothes and meet us downstairs. We have to go through with this party, and you kids can sort out whatever issues you have later.” His nonchalant attitude toward the situation was infuriating—he treated it like a minor quarrel rather than a devastating betrayal.

I was at a loss for how to handle this. Nodding numbly, tears streamed down my face as I glared at Jared, who looked anything but sorry, and then at Sophia, who gave a small smirk before quickly changing her expression to one of regret. I knew she didn’t feel a shred of remorse.

“This is over,” I said, trying to calm my growing anxiety as I held up my hand and yanked the engagement ring off my finger. “This is definitely over.” I threw the ring at Jared, who clenched his fists in anger, his face darkening as he prepared to speak.

“You think this is going to affect me? You are actually doing me a favor. Let’s see who is desperate enough to marry you with that pathetic attitude of yours.” I fought back tears as I turned to leave, but my father grabbed my arms, his face filled with rage. “I have important guests here today, and you will not embarrass me. What do you think I’m going to tell them? Just cut out the drama and go through with your engagement. All men cheat anyway.”

I scoffed, disgusted by the vile words spewing from my father’s mouth. “You don’t need to tell them anything, Father. I wil handle it.” With that, I wrenched my arm free and stormed out of the room.

Waking down the stairs into the main living room where the engagement was happening, I felt nothing but pain in my chest. Grabbing a glass of wine from a passing waiter, I downed it in one gulp before throwing the glass to the floor, the shattering sound drawing everyone’s attention. “I have a special announcement to make,” I declared.

I glanced at Sophia, my dad, and Jarred as they walked down the stairs. Smiling to myself, I said, “So everyone, it looks like the engagement for today is over.”

Jarred quickly walked towards me, his voice low and urgent. “We can discuss this later, but whatever scene you are  about to cause, don’t do it.” I smirked and rolled my eyes, ignoring him completely.

“My dear fiancé here decided to cheat on me with my sister,” I announced. “With that, I am calling off this engagement.” Turning to Jarred, I added, “Good riddance to you.” Murmurs filled the room as I walked toward the exit, everyone’s eyes following me.

I hurried outside, grabbed the key to my car from the driver, and climbed inside. As soon as I was alone, I broke down, tears pouring down my face. My chest hurt, and I felt utterly lost. It was as if I was on the brink of losing my mind, a pain that was more intense than anything I had ever felt before. I tried to calm my racing heart, taking deep breaths to steady myself, but the hurt was too much, and I couldn’t deny it.

I wiped my tears and started the car, driving with no clear destination in mind. Soon, I spotted a bar by the side of the road and decided it would be the place to drown my sorrows for the night. Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the car door and entered the bar. The loud music only increased my headache, but I didn’t care; I was determined to drink away my pain.

“Give me a shot of your strongest,” I told the bartender. He nodded and began mixing the drink. Flashes of what Jarred and Sophia had done replayed in my mind as I struggled to make sense of it all. They hadn’t even given me a real reason for their betrayal—just acted on what they thought was best. My father had known about it too and seemed indifferent. Was this really how much my family despised me?

“Here is your drink,” the bartender said, and I downed it in one gulp. I signaled for another. He looked at me hesitantly but poured me another shot. I wiped my tears with the back of my hand and sniffed back my sobs as I drank again, the stinging feeling of the drink  in my throat matching the pain in my heart.

I broke into a full-blown sob, my chest aching as I struggled to control my tears. “Are you okay?” the bartender’s voice cut through my distress. I shook my head and managed to say, “No.” Sniffling, I added, “Please give me another drink.” He looked at me hesitantly but eventually went to prepare another shot.

As I drank, I started to feel the effects of the liquor. My head spun, and within moments, I felt as if I was floating, my consciousness slipping away. The world around me blurred, and then everything went dark.

When I woke up, my head pounded with a serious ache, and I couldn’t make sense of my surroundings. I was lost in a fog of discomfort, each throb of pain reminding me of just how much I have had to drink the night before. My mouth was dry, and I felt disoriented, as if I had been pulled from a deep, disturbing dream. “Water” I muttered as I opened my eyes and I was shocked to see where I was.

“Where am I?” I asked, looking around the room in shock, I frantically tried to piece together what had happened. My fingers ran through my hair as I scanned the unfamiliar room, my mind racing with questions: How did I end up here? What am I doing in this strange room? I noticed my bra discarded on the floor and gasped, quickly covering my mouth in shock. Checking myself, I realized I was completely naked. Did I really sleep with someone here? The alcohol had clouded my memory so thoroughly that I couldn’t remember anything.

Then my eyes fell on a note on a nearby table. Hesitantly I picked it up as I read it content. It read: “Had a great night but had to run. Feel free to call me. My card is on the table.”