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We Held 99 Weddings, His Ex was Still the One
NovelShort
Hoàn thành
At the height of my career, I stepped away from the research world and married my fiancé, Leland LaVeau. But right when everything was at its sweetest, I found out he had a childhood sweetheart he ab...
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第1章
At the height of my career, I stepped away from the research world and married my fiancé, Leland LaVeau.
But right when everything was at its sweetest, I found out he had a childhood sweetheart he absolutely hated—a girl he grew up with.
She used to rip up his love letters, change his college applications behind his back, and even take private photos to ruin his reputation.
Every time those things came up, Leland would grit his teeth, like he wished she would disappear forever.
But on the day of our first wedding, when she deliberately slashed her wrist at the venue, the usually calm and composed Leland went pale. His eyes reddened, and without a second of hesitation, he left me standing there and scooped her up to rush her to the hospital.
The second time, she drugged herself with an aphrodisiac, ran straight to the wildest bar in the city, and forced Leland to “detox her” with his own body.
And there I was again, alone on the lawn, standing in the pouring rain for an entire day, ending up the biggest joke in our circle.
This circus went on ninety-eight times. And every single time, Leland enabled her.
Every single time, he’d promise, “Next time, I’ll give you the perfect wedding you deserve.”
But then, the night before the ninety-ninth wedding attempt, I overheard his childhood sweetheart confronting him outside the study.
“Drop the act, Leland. You think I don’t know? You got close to Charmaine just so her mother would donate her heart to me! You even staged that accident. You ran her mother over on purpose!”
Then her voice grew more frantic.
“After all these years, are you really still not willing to admit it? That the person you’ve loved… has always been me?”
Just as she turned to leave, Leland suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into his arms.
His breath was hot, thick with years of suppressed longing.
“I admit it,” he said. “From the very start, you’re the only one I’ve ever loved.”
Tears streamed down my face. But I didn’t confront them.
Instead, I quietly left, went back to my room, and dialed my senior, Galen Morroway.
“You told me before about that research project that requires wiping my identity and living on a closed island for five years,” I said. “I’m joining. See you in a week.”
…
After I found out that Leland, my long-time fiancé, killed my mother for the sake of his childhood sweetheart, I didn’t hesitate for a second. I called Galen, who had been trying to recruit me for ages.
“Galen, that ‘Lone Star Project’ you kept inviting me to join… I’m saying yes now.”
On the other end of the line, his voice clearly perked up, but he still reminded me, “This experiment is strictly confidential to the outside world. You’ll have to erase your identity, and the base is on a completely isolated island. According to the agreement, you won’t be allowed to leave for five years. Are you sure you want to join?”
I didn’t even think. “I’m sure,” I confirmed immediately.
“Alright. Then wait seven days. I’ll send someone to pick you up.”
I nodded lightly. “Mm. See you in a week.”
The moment I hung up, my body just gave out and I collapsed onto the floor. As all the memories of the past years with Leland resurfaced, I felt like the punchline of a very cruel joke.
Back then, I was the rising star of Earth Sciences, a prodigy in the research world, yet I chose to retire at my peak.
All because Leland filled the entire Santa Barbara coastline with 9.99 million crystal roses and proposed to me.
It was also the first time I learned from Leland’s friends that he had a childhood sweetheart he grew up with but basically hated—Shanna Auclair.
She used to tear up all the love letters in his drawer, force-kiss him in front of girls who had a crush on him to scare off anyone else in school who wanted to confess.
During the SAT applications, she even secretly changed his choices to match hers, causing him to miss out on the university he’d dreamed of for years.
The most outrageous thing she ever did was when she drugged him, took intimate photos of the two of them, and spread them everywhere in their circle, completely ruining his reputation.
After the scandal broke, her parents immediately sent that troublemaker daughter of theirs abroad to hide until things cooled down.
When I found out, I couldn’t hold back my frustration. I went straight to confront Leland.
But the moment he heard Shanna’s name, he showed pure disgust and disdain.
“Just hearing her name ruins my day,” he said. “Good thing that vicious woman left the country. If she knew we were about to get married, who knows what she’d pull on me.”
Seeing my uneasiness, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me gently to reassure me.
“Babe, don’t listen to people’s nonsense. All that crap is in the past. I only have you in my heart now,” he reassured me. “We’re getting married soon. From now on, there’s no place for her in my life.”
Hearing his explanations again and again, I finally settled down.
But I never imagined that just two days later, after he publicly announced nationwide that we were getting married… Shanna actually rushed back from abroad in a frenzy.
That day, she barged straight into his shareholders’ meeting, ignoring that he was still presenting.
Right in front of me and everyone else, she threw herself onto him, kissing and biting him like a madwoman. She not only ripped his shirt apart but also sank her teeth hard into his chest, leaving a circle of bite marks.
Leland was furious and humiliated. He shoved her away, but she only laughed even more wildly.
“You dare get married before me, Leland? Dream on!” she exclaimed. “I’ve marked you mine now. Let’s see if your little fiancée still wants you!”
Then she shot me a blatantly provocative look. And right there in public, she declared that as long as Leland tried to marry before she did, she would never let things go his way.
第2章
At my first wedding, right as I was about to exchange vows with Leland, Shanna shoved the priest aside, and right in front of my husband-to-be, she slit her own wrist with a piece of broken glass.
Leland, who’d been standing protectively by my side a second earlier, completely panicked. He dropped everything—including me—and rushed her to the hospital. Our engagement rings were still lying on the floor where he’d left them.
The second time, the night before the ceremony, Shanna drugged herself and ran off to the wildest, most chaotic bar in the city, demanding that Leland come “save” her as the antidote.
The two of them caused a scene the entire night. The next day, Leland slept straight until two in the afternoon, completely forgetting about me, leaving me standing alone on an empty lawn under the rain for an entire day. From then on, I became a laughingstock in the circle.
Every time something like that happened, I told myself I should break up with him.
But then, I’d see this man—who was always so cold, so untouchable in front of others—cry and beg me for forgiveness again and again… and I’d cave.
After all, back in college, someone fed my face into an AI and created disgusting fake porn of me.
Nobody was willing to hear my side.
Everyone hated me, shunned me, and bullied me. And when the school expelled me for “causing a huge negative impact,” Leland was the one who pulled me out of hell.
When I tried to jump off the building, he grabbed me so hard that the railing tore open his arm, but he still held on.
He believed me without question. He stopped the school from expelling me by pledging to donate five buildings a year.
Then he put out a massive bounty to hunt down the people who spread the rumors. One by one, the students who bullied me were forced to apologize and beg for my forgiveness.
He announced to the whole world that I was someone under his protection, and after that, not a single person on campus dared look down on me again.
Not to mention the expensive gifts and the way he took care of me so attentively.
All of that made me believe Leland truly loved me.
That’s why, every time he cried and begged, I forgave him. And every time, I quietly looked forward to our final wedding.
But on the night before we tried to get wed for the 99th time, I overheard Shanna talking to him.
“Seriously, Leland, after all these years, you still won’t admit you like me?
“Don’t think I don’t know—you only got close to Charmaine because you wanted her mom to donate a heart to me! You even staged that accident and killed her mom for it!
“I know I’m the one you love the most. Now that I’m back, don’t marry her, alright?”
Her voice was dripping with temptation as she leaned in to kiss him.
Leland turned his head away, his expression cold, but he still couldn’t bring himself to push her away.
“That was all in the past. The person I love now is Charmaine…”
“You liar!” Shanna cried out.
“I saw it! The photo album of me in your study! It’s practically falling apart! You obviously flipped through it so many times that there are marks all over it!
“All these years while I was abroad, you were basically using my photos to relieve yourself, weren’t you? You’ve never even touched Charmaine. Otherwise, that night when you were my ‘antidote,’ you wouldn’t have been so… insatiable.”
Leland fell silent… because everything she said was true.
Seeing that he still refused to give me up, Shanna’s face twisted in despair.
“My parents already arranged a marriage for me. I only came back because I thought you still liked me. Looks like I was just delusional…”
She stood to leave, but Leland grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, his voice thick with possessiveness.
“You’re not marrying anyone else. The only man you can have… is me.”
第3章
Shanna’s eyes reddened. “Why? You don’t even love me.”
Leland grabbed the back of her head and kissed her hard. He didn’t let go until both of them were gasping for air.
He finally admitted, “I love you. From the very start, you’re the only one I’ve ever loved.”
The next second, he swept everything off the desk, and the room filled again with breathy, intimate noises.
I stood outside the door, tears pouring down my face, unable to believe he had lied to me for so long.
My mother’s death… I’d comforted myself countless nights, telling myself it was an accident, just so I could feel a little better.
But now, I finally knew—Leland had planned everything from the start!
All our sweet moments were just sugar-coated poison, and now it was exploding inside me, tearing me apart from the inside out.
I don’t remember how I numbly made it back to my room that night.
All I remember was that when I touched my face, it was already covered in dried tears.
All those little moments that once moved me… all of them vanished into nothing.
I turned on the lights. The master bedroom was filled with ninety-nine wedding dresses—symbols of my ninety-nine failed weddings.
Each dress was more expensive and designed more elaborately than the last.
Leland said it was because he felt guilty and wanted to make it up to me.
I picked up the newest one. The jewels covering it were worth enough to buy a small estate.
I remembered how overwhelmed I was the first time I saw it, thinking it was way too extravagant. Leland had held my hand and told me, “My fiancée is the best girl in the world. She deserves everything beautiful.”
But now, all I saw was how painfully bright those shining jewels were.
After calling my senior, I lay alone on the cold bed. No matter how many times I tossed and turned, I couldn’t fall asleep.
I don’t know how long it was before Leland finally pushed the door open and joined me in bed.
He wrapped his arms around me from behind like he always did, but the faint scent on him after making out with his other woman made my stomach turn.
I instinctively pulled away. My voice was flat and distant. “Go to sleep. You woke me up.”
He froze for a second, then brushed it off. “You’re mad just because I stayed in the study a little longer to deal with work?”
“When did you get so petty?” he commented.
A sour ache rushed up my chest. I had to dig my nails into my palm just to stop myself from confronting his lies.
When I didn’t respond, he helplessly shrugged.
“Alright, cheer up. Tomorrow you’ll officially be my wife,” he said.
Then, he asked, “Have you tried on the new custom wedding dress? Do you like it? Does it fit?”
I frowned, my irritation slipping out. “I don’t like it. And it doesn’t fit at all.”
I thought he’d at least pretend to coax me a little.
But instead, he actually looked relieved—almost happy. He blurted out, “If that’s the case, why don’t we just cancel the wedding tomorrow?”
The moment the words left his mouth, he realized he messed up and hurried to explain.
“You know this, babe. I’ve always wanted to give you a perfect wedding. I don’t tolerate even the smallest mistake.
“So just wait for me a little longer, okay? I promise I’ll make you the happiest bride.”
I tugged the corner of my lips in a silent, bitter smile. Listening to his self-righteous excuses almost made me laugh.
We’d been together for so long, and only now did I realize Leland was this manipulative and heartless.
I turned my back to him and numbly nodded.
It didn’t matter anyway. After the last seven days, none of this man’s life would have anything to do with me.
Just then, the bedroom door opened.
Shanna stood there, tears shimmering in her eyes.
“Leland… your house is so big and dark. I’m scared of being alone. Can you come keep me company?”
第4章
Almost on instinct, Leland immediately got up and moved away from me.
He pretended to be annoyed. “Seriously? Such a hassle.”
He turned to me, saying, “Babe, wait here. I’ll deal with it and come back to keep you company.”
I didn’t say anything, but I clearly heard it—the moment he stepped out of the room, he was already impatiently tangled up with Shanna.
My mind went blank. I grabbed a pillow and pressed it hard over my ears, refusing to listen anymore.
In the end, Leland still broke his promise. He didn’t come back, not even when the sun came up.
I wiped away those pathetic tears at the corners of my eyes and swore to myself that this would be the last time I ever cried because of him.
Pressing the emerald bracelet my mom left me before she died against my chest, I finally drifted off to sleep.
I had no idea what time it was the next day when a sudden bark jolted me awake.
I shot up in bed, and my vision filled with the sight of a Caucasian Shepherd. My eyes widened in horror, and I screamed at the top of my lungs.
I’d always been terrified of dogs, and once Leland found out, he’d told the servants to be extra careful.
Over the years in this villa, not only were there no dogs. I had not seen even a strand of dog fur.
Now, the dog in front of me was nearly half my height, glaring at me with vicious eyes, letting out a low growl.
My hands and feet turned cold. I didn’t even dare breathe.
In my panic, I suddenly noticed—the bracelet was gone from my wrist.
I scanned the room. That’s when I saw it—the dog had it clamped tightly between its teeth!
Just then, someone blew a whistle outside the door. The dog dashed out immediately, still carrying the bracelet.
My fingers went white from clenching so hard. My legs trembled uncontrollably.
But the bracelet was the only keepsake Mom left me. Gritting my teeth, I ran after it.
The moment I reached the stairway, I saw the dog already rubbing affectionately against Shanna, tail wagging wildly.
Shanna bent down slowly and pulled the bracelet out from the dog’s mouth using just two fingers, like she was picking up something dirty off the ground.
“Silly Hawkeye, why do you keep picking up trash?”
She lifted her gaze toward the stairway, landing precisely on me. A mocking smile tugged at her lips.
“Cheap junk like this actually made it into the LaVeaus? Don’t you think it lowers the standard here?”
Before her words even finished, she flicked her wrist sharply.
With a crisp crack, the emerald bracelet shattered instantly into countless tiny pieces—not even a single intact gemstone left.
My heart skipped a beat. My eyes locked on Shanna, the fear from moments ago evaporating under a rush of fury and heartbreak.
I yelled at her, “That was my mom’s! How dare you break it?!”
Contempt filled her eyes. “Well, this is the LaVeaus’s place. I can break whatever I want. If you’re so upset, go call Leland. Let’s see whose side he takes.”
I completely lost it. I lunged at her like a madwoman, pinned her to the floor, and slapped her across the face several times.
“Give me back my mom’s bracelet!”
I kept shouting the same thing over and over. I was so far gone that I didn’t even notice the big dog rushing in and tearing into my calf.
It wasn’t until a brute force suddenly yanked me by the hair and violently threw me backward that I snapped out of it.
第5章
My head slammed hard against the wall before I finally snapped back to my senses.
Leland rushed over and scooped Shanna off the floor, holding her tight as he stared at the red marks on her face with heart-wrenching concern.
Then he turned to look at me—his eyes cold, as if he were staring at a stranger who’d lost her mind.
“Charmaine! Are you crazy?”
It was the first time he had ever snapped at me because of another woman.
I was still dizzy from hitting the wall when Shanna’s sobs rang out first.
Curled up in his arms, she clutched his shirt with teary eyes. “Leland, this is the fiancée you chose?
“I just saw Hawkeye dragging something in his mouth. I was afraid it was something dirty, so I tossed it aside. I swear I didn’t mean it!
“But Charmaine attacked me without even asking what happened. No matter how I tried to apologize, she just kept hitting me…”
Leland held her even tighter. When he looked back at me, his eyes were even colder.
The back of my head throbbed, and the cut on my calf burned like fire.
I forced myself to ignore the pain and tried to defend myself, but the moment I opened my mouth, he cut me off impatiently.
“Did I tolerate you too much? Is that why you’ve become so entitled and out of control?
“Charmaine. I’m really disappointed in you. Today, you will give Shanna an explanation.”
Before I could react, he was already shouting for the bodyguards outside.
Two of them rushed in immediately, grabbing my arms with hands as hard as metal clamps.
It was so tight it felt like they were going to crush my bones.
“Hit her. However many times she slapped Shanna, hit her ten times more. When you’re done, lock her in her room, and make her reflect on what she did. No one is allowed to interfere!”
After giving the order, Leland carried Shanna in his arms—like something precious—and headed straight for the hospital.
Meanwhile, the dull thuds of the blows raining down on me echoed through the empty hall. Yet, he never once turned around or even glanced my way, as if none of what was happening behind him had anything to do with him.
I stared at his disappearing figure, and the cold despair inside me kept spreading.
One blow. Two blows… It was fifty full-force slaps. Even the bodyguard’s hand had started to ache, but I just gritted my teeth and endured it, not even letting out a cry for mercy.
By the final slap, my face was swollen beyond recognition. My vision blurred, a buzzing filled my ears, and my legs could barely hold me up.
The next second, the bodyguards tossed me into the room like they were dumping trash.
I hit the freezing floor hard, my back slamming against the corner of the wall. A sharp, biting pain shot through me, forcing a muffled groan from my throat.
Curled up on the cold floor, I muttered, “Six more days… I never want to see you again, Leland.”
My eyelids grew so heavy that I couldn’t lift them anymore, and soon, everything went black.
That night, I had the longest dream.
In it, my dad hadn’t betrayed our family yet.
My mom was still in the kitchen, smiling as she called me to dinner.
And I was still the little girl everyone held in their palms like something precious.
But that happiness was too light, too fragile. Before I could hold onto it, a bucket of ice-cold water crashed down over my head and yanked me violently back into reality.
I shot upright, choking and coughing. When I opened my eyes, I realized—I wasn’t in the locked bedroom at all.
第6章
I was in a veterinary hospital, the sharp smell of disinfectant burning my nose.
Not far away, on the operating table, the Caucasian Shepherd that had once bitten me was lying completely still for some reason—no sign of life left.
Shanna collapsed over her dog’s body, screaming so hoarsely that it sounded like her voice might snap in half.
But the moment she saw me awake, she jerked her head up, her eyes red, and pointed right at my face, shrieking.
“You wicked woman! You hated that I broke your bracelet so you took it out on me? Why did you have to poison and kill my Hawkeye?!”
I stared at the scene, completely lost. Before I could even figure out what was happening, she was already rushing at me, her nails sharp as blades, clawing straight across my face.
A few stinging scratches instantly split open on my cheek, the pain shooting straight into my bones.
Instinctively, I looked toward Leland. But he only frowned and turned his head away, not even bothering to say a single word to stop her.
It was as if I really was nothing but a stranger to him.
It wasn’t until I finally snapped and raised my hand, ready to fight back, that he rushed forward and pulled Shanna away not because he was afraid I’d get hurt.
It was because he was terrified she would.
My throat tightened. My heart felt even colder than my face.
“She used chocolate to poison Hawkeye!” Shanna trembled violently as she cried into Leland’s arms. “This dog was the one we adopted together from the rescue center when we were kids! How can you just watch him die for nothing like this?!”
The stinging in my cheek kept burning. I bit down hard on my lip, swallowing back the tears in my eyes. My voice shook, but I forced it to stay firm.
“I didn’t even touch your dog!” I protested. “Since yesterday until now, I’ve been unconscious and locked in the room. When would I have had the chance to go near that dog?!”
“You’re still pretending!” Shanna snapped her head up, her eyes full of pure malice.
“We asked all the servants. Someone saw you leave your room! And the thing that killed Hawkeye was that limited-edition chocolate Leland brought you from Belgium on his last business trip!
“Besides you, who else could’ve gotten their hands on it?”
As soon as she finished accusing me, she buried herself into Leland’s chest again, her voice breaking with despair.
“Leland… if you don’t handle this… I… I don’t want to live anymore…”
Leland’s whole body tensed at once, worry written all over his face.
He patted her back gently, murmuring to calm her down. Only once she’d settled did he finally look over at me.
His eyes were cold, filled with disappointment.
“Charmaine… I never thought you’d become this cruel.”
I looked right back at him, my voice silent but my heart full of mockery.
‘Who’s really being cruel here—me, or the man who only ever listens to that woman?’
He then had someone bring over a bowl of cheddar cheese soup and set it in front of me. The surface was still bubbling from the heat.
“You did something wrong. You need to pay for it. Today, you’re going to taste what it’s like to eat something that could kill you.”
My chest tightened so hard my breath caught.
He knew. Leland knew I was severely allergic to cheese; even a bite could make me stop breathing.
Yet he still wanted me to drink the entire hot bowl.
All for Shanna, he was willing to gamble even my life.
I slowly lifted my eyes, my sorrow settling deep into my bones.
“Leland… After all these years we’ve been together, you trust her that easily? You’d condemn me based on her words?”
For a moment, a flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes.
But Shanna saw it, too. She immediately tore herself out of his arms and ran to the window, half her body leaning dangerously out.
“Leland… I know she’s your fiancée. I don’t want to make things hard for you… but Hawkeye was my family! If you’re going to protect that woman, then… then I’ll just meet you in another life!”
Leland panicked instantly, any hint of pity he had for me gone in a heartbeat.
He rushed toward her but didn’t dare touch her too suddenly.
“Don’t be impulsive! I’m not protecting her!”
Then he whirled around, his face turning frighteningly cold, and barked at the stunned bodyguards.
“What are you waiting for?! Pry her mouth open and force the whole damn bowl of soup down her throat!”
第7章
My mouth was forced open, and scalding-hot cheese soup was shoved down my throat before I could even react.
The burning spread instantly, making my whole body tremble.
I didn’t even have time to swallow; its thick, steaming consistency filled my airway in seconds.
A sharp wave of suffocation quickly hit me. I struggled with everything I had, but Leland just shot the bodyguards a cold look, signaling them to pin me down and force the entire bowl into me.
Red blotches broke out across my skin almost immediately. The allergic reaction hit fast and harshly.
But Leland didn’t even spare me a glance.
Instead, he hurried to cover Shanna’s eyes, afraid she’d be frightened by how I looked.
By the time the torment finally ended, I collapsed on the floor—itching, burning, and my mind drifting in and out.
But I still stared at Leland, who was still protectively shielding Shanna in his arms, my hatred boiling up so violently it almost swallowed me whole.
At that moment, I wanted to shout and curse him.
But my throat was so swollen that it felt stuffed with cotton; I couldn’t make a single sound.
My stare made Leland uneasy, but his voice stayed just as cruel as ever.
“Don’t look at me like that. This is what you owe Shanna. Reflect on yourself at home, and maybe I’ll spare you.”
Despair washed over me. I slowly closed my eyes and let myself sink into the darkness.
When I woke up again, the bright hospital ceiling stung my eyes.
A nurse walked over with a tray. When she saw me awake, her voice still carried leftover fear.
“Thank goodness, you’re finally awake! Did you know you were unconscious for three whole days and nights?
“If you know your allergy is this bad, why’d you still eat cheese? Luckily, someone found you collapsed by the roadside and brought you here. One minute later and you might not have made it!”
She turned to leave, but her lowered voice still drifted back to me.
“So strange… She was out cold for three days, and not a single family member came to visit…”
My hands clenched tight. I hadn’t expected that after I passed out, Leland didn’t even bother taking me to the hospital.
But it didn’t matter anymore.
Just two more days.
As long as I survived two more days, I’d finally be free.
I took out my phone and texted Galen, each word sharp with resolve.
[Two days from now, Leland will take me to that party by the cliff. Destroy my identity completely then.]
From then on, Leland and I would have nothing left tying us together.
When I dragged my weak body back home, he was sitting on the couch, tenderly feeding fruit to Shanna.
He didn’t acknowledge me until I walked in. Suddenly remembering my existence, he rushed over, wrapping an arm around my shoulders like he was worried sick.
“Babe! You’re finally back! I’ve been worried to death these past few days!”
I stepped out of his reach, my eyes flicking between him and Shanna. I let out a cold laugh.
“You? Worried about me? I was lying in a hospital bed for three days, you know. Funny, I never saw you once. But you clearly had time to sit here flirting with that woman.”
Shanna rolled her eyes and tugged Leland back to her side.
“Come on, Leland. Look at her—does she look like someone who just got out of the hospital? She’s obviously just trying to make you worry for nothing.”
I raised a brow, not bothering to hide the mockery in my voice.
“Still better than someone who steals someone else’s fiancé and pretends to be innocent.”
The moment I mocked Shanna, Leland’s expression darkened.
“Charmaine! You’re out of line! Shanna’s dog died of poisoning because of you. She only scolded you a little, and you still have the nerve to mock her? Keep this up, and I’ll ground you for a week!”
My fingers twisted into the hem of my top, swallowing down the curse burning at the tip of my tongue.
I knew exactly what kind of person Leland was—if he said he would do something, he’d do it.
And I couldn’t afford to ruin what I planned to do two days from now.
Without looking at either of them again, I turned around and went straight back to my room.
第8章
I finally made it to the day of the party. After getting ready casually, I slipped into a dress. I figured leaving early might keep trouble away.
But the second I opened my door, Shanna dumped an entire pot of scalding coffee all over me!
My arm turned red instantly. She leaned in with fake concern, but her fingers dug hard into the burned skin.
The pain was unbearable; I shoved her away. She shrieked dramatically and staggered back.
She was about to fall off the second floor when Leland rushed over and caught her just in time.
Without even asking what happened, he rounded on me, shouting, “Charmaine! What the hell is wrong with you?! You can’t go one day without causing trouble? Apologize to Shanna right now!”
Shanna’s eyes reddened as she pretended to stop him.
“Forget it, Leland. I just wanted to pour your fiancée a cup of coffee. It’s fine if she didn’t appreciate it… I’m okay…”
Her act only made Leland angrier.
“Charmaine! Apologize to Shanna right now, and beg for her forgiveness. Otherwise, you’re not going to the party later!”
My whole body trembled.
At tonight’s party, everyone would be attending with their partners. I was still his official fiancée, yet he was willing to throw even that away for Shanna.
Of course, he was. If he ever cared, would he have abandoned me ninety-nine times during our supposedly wedding ceremony?
Thinking about how I only needed to endure today before I could be free pushed me forward, I swallowed my pride, looked at Shanna, and forced the words out.
“I’m sorry.”
That made her lips curl with triumph.
Leland pulled me up like he was doing charity.
“You’re about to become my wife. Can you behave for once, please?”
I forced down the wave of nausea and said nothing more.
On the way to the party, I sat in the back while Shanna claimed the passenger seat, laughing and chatting with Leland like I didn’t exist.
When we got out of the car, she deliberately stepped on my dress and ripped the hem.
“Oh no! Sorry! Didn’t mean to!”
Before I could even react, Leland was already frowning at me, asking why I didn’t pick a sturdier dress.
He said I was embarrassing the LaVeaus, so he let Shanna take his arm while I had to follow behind them.
People around us whispered and pointed, but I tuned it all out. All I cared about was how I could escape soon.
Eventually Leland went off to socialize. Just as I was about to slip away, Shanna cornered me in the back garden.
She was holding a sharp pair of scissors and spoke to me with ill intent.
“Charmaine, I was supposed to bring Hawkeye here, but you poisoned him to death. So tell me… how are you going to make it up to me?”
I stepped back, my voice cold.
“Leland’s not here. You don’t need to pretend anymore.”
Her smile twisted.
“I’m not pretending. Leland already believes you killed my dog,” she replied. “My dog is gone… so you can replace him. Now… be my dog.”
As soon as she said it, Leland’s personal bodyguards grabbed me, one on each side.
I shouted in a panic. “Think this through! Leland won’t let you get away with this!”
Without flinching, the bodyguard answered, “Sir Leland told us to follow Miss Shanna’s orders.”
I was pinned so hard that I couldn’t move. Shanna came over, dumped a bucket of filthy water over my head, then lifted the scissors and shredded my dress into pieces!
I struggled, but she grabbed a metal rod and swung it down, snapping my leg!
By the time she was done, I was beyond recognizable and barely breathing. She tossed a dirty piece of fur over me, looped a cold chain around my neck, and dragged me forward like I was livestock.
At this point, I was completely powerless, unable to resist.
As we passed the cliffside, I saw the signal from Galen down below—the one we had planned.
I used everything I had left to lunge toward the edge.
But Leland, who came looking for Shanna at that moment, misunderstood and thought I was trying to hurt her.
He ran up and kicked me square in the chest… hard.
In front of everyone, my body flew off the edge of the cliff.
But all I felt… was relief—a lightness I’d never felt before.
As I closed my eyes, one final thought settled in—at last… I was free from Leland!