Chapter 1

In the seventh year of our relationship, Brandon proposed to me with a diamond ring worth tens of millions.

I dressed up for the occasion, only to find that the video of our love story had been replaced by a compromising video of me by his secretary.

When I confronted him in tears, he blamed me for embarrassing him.

In front of everyone, Brandon slapped me hard. "This is all because you don't know how to behave. How dare you blame others when you're the one being indecent?! Filthy women like you have no right to complain!"

I fell into a champagne tower, the sharp glass fragments nearly blinding and disfiguring me.

Without sparing me a glance, Brandon left with his secretary in his arms.

At that moment, the love I had cherished for seven years died completely. Deeply hurt, I agreed to a marriage alliance with the Moore family.

However, as the wedding car drove past Brandon, he suddenly went crazy and started chasing after me.

What I once dreamed of—a proposal—turned into a nightmare. I dressed elegantly for the wedding, only to end up covered in blood and rushed to the hospital.

The wound near my eye couldn't be treated with anesthesia. As the doctor stitched me up with a furrowed brow, I felt no physical pain.

All I could hear was the conversation between Brandon and Karina as they left.

Karina, annoyed, said, "So what if I did it on purpose? Why did you buy her such an expensive ring?"

Brandon, showing a patience he never had for me, gently consoled her. "The ring I gave her was fake. The real one has been sent for re-setting; only you deserve such a beautiful diamond."

"At first, I was drawn to her looks and wanted to have some fun, but I've long grown tired of her. Don't worry, I would never marry such a filthy woman," he added.

Every word pierced my heart like countless needles. I was overwhelmed by despair.

As I wrestled with my emotions, Brandon suddenly called. "Serena, you were reckless yourself. How dare you wrong Karina for no reason? Get back here and apologize to her immediately! Otherwise, forget about us getting married."

That casual remark shattered me, and tears streamed down my face.

Seven years of love, and Brandon knew how much I yearned for marriage. Every argument ended with him using marriage as leverage to threaten me. But this time, I no longer wanted to marry him.

The doctor, seeing my despair, offered a few comforting words out of kindness.

Hearing the doctor's voice, Brandon's tone turned stern over the phone. "Where are you? Why is there a man's voice?"

"Serena, how disgusting can you be? You can’t go anywhere without flirting with men. Can't live without them, can you? No wonder you almost got raped as a child!"

Karina's voice chimed in. "Brandon, don’t be so harsh. Maybe Serena is doing this on purpose to make you jealous."

"Women who’ve been through a lot know all kinds of tricks. Unlike me—so simple and pure. Don't mind her. My feet are sore, can you massage them for me?"

As her coquettish voice rang out, Brandon hung up abruptly after saying, "Suit yourself."

I stood there in shock, the phone slipping from my hand without me realizing it. His words echoed in my mind. "No wonder you almost got raped as a child!"

I was brought back to that dreadful memory from years ago—my mother's new boyfriend had assaulted and filmed me. In my despair, I had even considered ending my life.

At the time, Brandon, my deskmate, found out about it. He stormed into my house, beat up the man, and retrieved the video.

He held me tightly and repeatedly said, "Serena, don’t be afraid. This wasn’t your fault."

"I promise you, as long as I’m here, I won’t let anyone hurt you."

Looking back now, I realize the person who hurt me the most during our seven-year relationship had always been him.

Every time we had a conflict, he would bring up that incident in front of others, using it to humiliate me repeatedly.

He tore open my bleeding wounds, exposing them to everyone, until I broke down in tears, begging and apologizing at his feet.

Only then would he, standing high above me, condescend to "forgive" me.

To the people around us, Brandon appeared deeply devoted and loving. But they didn’t see how many nights I spent crying myself to sleep in silence.

And that humiliating video—he never deleted it.

Who knows how many people he showed it to before it ended up in Karina’s hands, becoming the dagger that severed our seven-year relationship.

After my wound was stitched up, I called my mother. "Mom, I’ve decided. I want to get married—to Wesley Moore."

My mother was silent for a moment before her voice turned excited. Because of what happened years ago, she had always felt guilty and tried every way to make it up to me.

But under Brandon’s manipulations, I began to distrust everyone who cared about me, even my own family.

Thinking about it now, I was so foolish. For someone like Brandon, I had estranged myself from my mother and lost sight of who I was.

"Mom knows those things from the past left you with bad memories," she said gently. "I would never force you. As long as you’re truly willing, I’ll arrange everything for you."

"Wesley has loved you for so many years. If the two of you can be together, I’ll finally have peace of mind for the rest of my life."

I replied softly, "Give me five more days. I promise I’ll marry Wesley happily."

"Sweetheart..." my mother hesitated. "There’s a lot I know about what you’ve been through. It breaks my heart to see you suffer with Brandon. If you’ve made up your mind, I’ll come and bring you home right now."

I declined her offer.

In five days, there was a significant occasion.

I wanted Brandon to witness my happiness firsthand on that special day.

When I took a cab home, I heard Karina’s laughter before I even entered the house.

Her pale legs were draped over Brandon.

When I walked in, he instinctively pushed her away. But after realizing it was me, his expression hardened with anger as he snarled, "You’ve got the nerve to come back? Do you have any idea how much embarrassment you caused me today?"

His little mistress nearly ruined my life, yet all he cared about was his pride.

It was always the same. He would show his perfect façade of affection in public, and his unrelenting coldness behind closed doors.

Karina shot me a smug look and brushed her hair back with the hand wearing that diamond ring.

The dazzling multi-million-dollar gem made my disheveled state even more humiliating.

I removed the fake diamond ring from my finger and tossed it in front of Brandon.

"That won’t happen anymore," I intoned coldly. "The heir of the Smith family shouldn’t have a disgraceful fiancée like me."

For a moment, Brandon froze, staring at the ring on the floor.

His tone softened involuntarily. "That’s not what I meant. Sure, what happened back then was disgusting, but we’ve been together for so many years."

"Our families are well-matched, and as long as you listen to me and learn how to be a proper wife, I’m still willing to marry you."

In the past, hearing him say he was willing to marry me would have made me happy. But now, all I felt was an icy void inside.

Over the years, Brandon had claimed time and again to love me. But deep down, he had always despised my past.