Chapter 1
I’ve been with my boyfriend for five years. Just when we were about to get married, the company hit a rough patch. To secure a deal, I pushed myself too hard, drinking excessively until my stomach gave way. In the midst of my pain, my boyfriend turned his back on me, rushing to comfort Evelyn. Harper instead.
I called him over and over, but he coldly hung up every time. Then, Evelyn posted a picture of the two of them kissing on her Instagram account, writing, “He is my knight, my prince.” My boyfriend’s comment followed: “I will always protect
you.”
I stared at their posts, feeling nothing but coldness. At that moment, I made a decision. I would agree with the marriage my family had arranged for me.
“Dad, I agree with the marriage,” I said, my voice soft but filled with an unwavering
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resolve.
My dad smiled warmly. “I knew you’d come to the right decision, my dear daughter. Don’t worry, we’ll take care of
everything for the wedding. You just need to come back and be a beautiful bride.”
He didn’t ask me anything more, but I could see he understood. A lump formed in my throat as I whispered, “Dad, I’ve been so stubborn.”
He sighed, his voice full of love. “As long as you‘ re happy, nothing else matters.”
“Thank you, Dad.”
After hanging up, the door to my room. swung open forcefully. I turned to see Liam
storming in, furious. Without a word, he
pulled me off the bed.
“Let’s go,” he demanded. “Apologize to Evelyn right now.”
With a loud crash, the tubes that had been inserted into my body clattered to the floor.
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He stared at me in shock, his eyes wide. “Ava, why are you pretending? It’s just a stomachache from drinking a little too much. Do you really need to make such a big scene with the doctor?”
In his eyes, was I nothing more than someone faking a stomachache?
When I was brought to the hospital, the doctor had already informed him that I had suffered a serious gastric perforation, and surgery to remove part
part of my stomach might be necessary. But when Evelyn called, he didn’t hesitate to leave, running to her without a second thought.
Now, after my surgery was over, he still claimed I was acting.
At that moment, the last shred of my illusions about him shattered.
I gritted my teeth, ignoring the sharp pain in my abdomen, and pushed him away. “What are you talking about?”
He stopped, his brow furrowing in
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confusion. “Why are you provoking Evelyn? I’m already going to marry you. What more do you want?”
His voice dripped with sarcasm. “If you’re so jealous, why don’t you just drink a few more glasses, close the deal, and tie me down the way you want? Satisfy your need
to control.”
So, in Liam’s eyes, my love for him was nothing more than a need to control, a burden?
I swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat, and all I felt was coldness in my chest.
Meeting his angry gaze, I said with an icy calm, “Fine. I’ll apologize to her once I’m discharged from the hospital.”
And I will return you to her, I added silently in my mind.
Liam snorted derisively. “No. You‘ re leaving with me now. You‘ re just pretending, anyway.”
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Without giving me a chance to protest, he roughly ripped the tubes from my body and dragged me out of the hospital.
My face was ashen, and I couldn’t muster. the strength to resist his forceful actions. He threw me into the car with a violent shove, and I felt the pain from my wound tear open once more. Warm blood seeped out, soaking into my clothes.
Weakly, I pleaded with him, my voice barely a whisper. “Liam, I really had surgery. Please… Let me go back and rest. Once I recover, I’ll apologize to Evelyn. I promise.”
“Impossible.” His response was cold, dismissive.
Without sparing me another glance, he sped off, the car hurtling forward as if I didn’t matter at all.
Before long, the car screeched to a sudden
halt.
I barely had time to process the abrupt stop
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before Liam yanked me out of the car,
dragging me once again with no consideration for my pain.
