Chapter 1

Everyone said I was done for when Brandon Price called off our engagement.

My reputation was in tatters after five years of dating him. No man would want a woman like me.

When Brandon had a new girlfriend, everyone around us expected me to beg him to get back together.

Little did they know that I had volunteered for an arranged marriage with a family in Porthaven City, in place of my little sister.

Before I got married, I returned the jewelry chest that Brandon had gifted me and an empty coupon card that he had offered me when we were younger.

I left without taking anything with me.

It wasn't until the day before Brandon's engagement that he finally thought of me. He asked, "I haven't heard about Reegan Rowland in a while. Is she dead or something?"

I was dead inside. At that moment, I was being kissed awake by my new husband.

Felix Fullman rasped, "Good girl, Reegan. We've agreed on four times a day. Not one fewer…"

…

Brandon and I hadn't seen each other for three months. When we met again, Brandon suddenly brought up marriage.

The final time we met, I accidentally overheard him telling his friends that he was sick of me. Laughter erupted in the room.

People laughed at me for subjecting myself to his whims in our five-year relationship to keep him happy. Despite my efforts, I was dumped at the end.

The three months back home at the Rowland residence were tough for me. My dad, James Rowland, had beaten me up quite badly a few days ago. The wound in my back still hurt until today.

When Brandon called me, he gave me a sliver of hope. After putting on the bracelet that I wore at our engagement, I hurried over to meet with him.

Brandon was a little tipsy when I arrived at his villa. I found him lying on the thigh of a young woman. His eyes were closed.

The woman looked innocent, like a student. She was massaging his head, but upon seeing me enter, she scrambled to get up.

Brandon stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

"Just sit."

He didn't even open his eyes. Tightening his grip, he forced her to fall on him. She obediently lowered her head and allowed him to kiss her.

Brandon released that woman and held her chin as he deepened his noisy kiss.

I stood at the entrance helplessly while clutching onto my bag. It took me a while to gather myself. While pretending to be calm, I looked out of the window. "I'll take a walk in the garden and come over later."

Immediately, Brandon chortled. The woman thoughtfully stood up and offered, "Why don't I leave instead? She can stay."

Brandon did not stop that woman. He toyed with her hand for a bit before reluctantly letting go.

"It's cold out there. Don't fall sick."

Covering her mouth and giggling, she nodded at him. Her dark, lustrous hair covered nearly half of her blushing face.

She politely greeted me when she walked past me. I nodded at her and returned the smile.

The woman was very young. Her eyes were bright, and her demeanor was bashful. She reminded me of my little sister at home.

"Reegan, come here." Brandon patted the spot beside him on the couch.

Colorful light streamed down from the lavish and gigantic chandelier, illuminating Brandon's chiseled features. He looked surreal under the lights.

The scene put me in a daze. I felt indescribably upset.

His flirty eyes reddened under the influence of alcohol. I saw the hickeys all over his collarbone and neck areas under his unbuttoned collar.

"The woman just now is Jenna McKay."

I nodded. "Yeah. I know."

"What do you think of her?"

I pondered carefully and replied in seriousness, "She's innocent, pure, and obedient."

Nodding, he asked, "She's just like you from five years back, don't you think?"

His callous remark took me by surprise.

Chapter 2

In Brandon's words, I was so "heartbreakingly innocent" when I was a freshman in college five years ago.

He was deeply in love with me at that time, and he spoiled me rotten. He treated me like a treasure.

Among all his girlfriends, I was the one who dated him for the longest, and I even got engaged to him before graduation.

Alas, I was no longer the same woman, and my reputation had been ruined. Everyone in Camden City knew about the shameless actions I partook in, just to get hitched to the rich Brandon Price.

Brandon said he was sick of my innocence. To pander to him, I forced myself to join his hedonist social circle and meet his kinks.

He wanted a girl who was sensual, seductive, and bold. Casting aside my shame, I tried to fulfill all his desires.

Yet, my cooperation only earned a few mocking remarks from him.

"Reegan Rowland, you're a slut."

"Even a prostitute isn't as wild as you in bed."

"Look at you now. Do you even look like a woman from a proper family?"

Then, he suggested we break up.

When Dad heard about it, he threatened me with the well-being of my young brother and sister, forcing me to lock in my marriage to Brandon.

To make Brandon stay, I resorted to extreme measures, such as cutting my wrist and taking poison to end my life.

Now, he stared at me, a shell of my former self, and revealed that he was in love with Jenna. He liked that Jenna resembled my innocent self from five years ago.

I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it, but I couldn't bring myself to do that.

Brandon admitted, "I love her so much that I wish to make her my wife. Unlike you, she's very timid and naive. I need to take responsibility for her."

I wanted to speak, but the words were stuck in my throat. I found myself voiceless.

A while later, I finally forced a smile. "Fine. I understand."

He said, "I'll talk to your family to get them off your back."

"That's fine. I'll settle that on my own."

"Fine. Whatever."

Brandon got up and staggered around. Then, he took out an item from his shirt pocket and tossed it at the coffee table.

Upon laying my eyes on the item, my eyelids started to twitch. It was a gift we exchanged during our engagement—a gold charm belonging to my late mother.

Brandon had given me his mother's belongings—a double-layer emerald bracelet that I was currently wearing.

"Take off that bracelet. I'm calling off our engagement."

I looked at him. His charming eyes were frosty.

It struck me at that moment that the "marriage" he had brought up was the one between him and Jenna, not with me.

It turned out that our five years of relationship was no match for the ecstasy and excitement of cheating on me with Jenna.

At first, I thought I would suffer a breakdown. Yet, I did not even shed a tear.

He arched a brow in surprise at my calm reaction.

Still, he took the bracelet from me and left without any lingering emotions.

Chapter 3

Soon, news of Brandon calling off our engagement spread like wildfire.

The beating I had expected from Dad never arrived. Instead, he cut off my contact with my younger siblings, who were residing abroad.

It was one of Dad's usual tactics to get back at me when he was angry. He and my stepmother, Vivian Coney, started to scout around Camden City for my future husband.

They hoped to marry me into wealth and continue the legacy of the Rowland family.

Unfortunately, terrible rumors about me started to spread. People were saying that I had done everything under the sun just to make Brandon happy in our relationship. They went as far as to hint that I was infertile from years of debauchery.

No man in Camden City would accept a woman like me as his wife.

As Dad's temper worsened, my life became more difficult.

Two months after Brandon called off our engagement, I heard explosive news about him—he was engaged to Jenna now.

To marry Jenna, Brandon went against his parents' wishes.

Our acquaintances who thrived on gossip deliberately fed me the updates. I knew what they were expecting from me. Life was too boring for them, and they started to miss having a clown around.

"Reegan, I think Brandon still has feelings for you."

"You're struggling, aren't you? Why don't you beg him to get back with you?"

"He's a softie. Cry in front of him, or tell him you'll kill yourself. He might change his mind."

"Jenna is no match for you, Reegan. You're prettier than her."

I scrolled through the texts and replied to none. Instead, I put my focus on my future marriage.

A week ago, I had gotten on my knees for an entire day in front of Dad. He finally caved in and agreed to send me on an arranged marriage in Porthaven City in place of my little sister, who recently turned legal.

Felix Fullman, whom I was to marry, was rumored to be a cruel and heartless man. Yet, he wielded endless power in Camden City—a de-facto king.

His crippled legs turned him into a bad-tempered man, but I feared nothing. In fact, I welcomed it.

After all, I could no longer stay in Camden City. Perhaps, I could start a new life in Porthaven City.

Chapter 4

Before my marriage, I met up with my bestie over lunch. On my way to the bathroom in the restaurant, I ran into Jenna.

Jenna looked nothing like before. She had on a face of exquisite makeup. The classic Dior mini dress accentuated her curves and added to her allure.

A cigarette dangled between her flaming red lips.

"Ms. Rowland, I'm sure you must have heard about my engagement to Brandon." She flashed me a smug smile.

I recalled the first time we met. She looked so innocent and timid back then. Those memories made me feel a little wistful.

I replied, "Yeah. I've heard."

The smile on her face widened. "You must be jealous. I heard you had three abortions when you were with him. To marry him, you shamelessly did everything for him."

While leaning against the window sill, she shot me a disdainful smile.

I stared at her coldly. "Well, Ms. McKay, like you said, it was only hearsay. We're both women. What's the point of creating sexual rumors?"

Jenna snorted. "Rumors? The entire city has heard about it by now!"

Refusing to waste my time, I prepared to leave. Suddenly, she made a remark in a funny tone, "Ms. Rowland, we might be women, but you and I are different. Didn't your late mother teach you any manners and decorum?"

I stopped in my tracks.

Blood rushed to my head at the mention of my mother.

Without thinking, I turned around. Charged with emotions, I slapped Jenna.

She seemed stunned. "Ms. Rowland…"

Then, she pressed a hand on her cheek and cried pitifully. "I know you're upset to hear about the engagement, but that doesn't give you the right to hit me!

"I empathize with you, but you can't force a relationship to work out. It's not my fault that Brandon doesn't like whores—"

She sniffled and sobbed pitifully, but each word was a stab to my heart.

She added, "I know you lost your mother at a young age. That explains why you weren't raised well. Ms. Rowland, I shall let this slide…"

I gritted my teeth until it hurt and raised my hand again to slap her.

At that moment, Brandon showed up and intervened by grabbing my wrist.

"Reegan, apologize to Jenna."

"I will not." I stood straight. My cheeks and lips were pale, but rage colored my eyes.

Chapter 5

Brandon seemed quite surprised at my response. He'd seen multiple sides of me before—deferent and innocent, obedient and meek, hysterical and crazy.

He had seen both my innocent and sensual sides. I had cried, laughed, and had fun around him.

However, I had never faced him with calm and indifference.

Pushing Jenna aside, he marched up to me without any expression. "Reegan Rowland, I'll repeat one more time—apologize to Jenna."

I stared at him squarely until I suddenly burst into laughter. My laughter sounded despairing and bold. "Brandon, I told you I'm not apologizing. Over my dead body!"

The loud echo of a slap traveled down the corridor. Even Brandon seemed shocked at himself after he had slapped me.

Jenna held her face. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

Meanwhile, I slowly brought my hand to my cheek. It was burning in pain. My eyes burned in fury.

"Reegan…" Brandon took a step closer, only for me to take a step away from him.

He raised his hand but later dropped it. Looking sullen, he mumbled, "Reegan, it's all your fault. If you had apologized, I wouldn't have hit you."

His voice sounded deep and hoarse. "You know I never lay a finger on women. In the five years we dated, I have never hurt you.

"You shouldn't have hit Jenna today. It's not her fault that I'm in love with her. Reegan, stop acting up. Preserve what's left of your dignity."

Brandon had always been quiet. He had never made such a long speech like today's.

Alas, I did not hear a single word. Rage filled me, and my eyes filled with tears. I tried to hold back my tears but failed.

Tears streamed down my face. I cried nonstop like a broken dam.

Brandon clenched his fists with a frown. Jenna walked up to him and purred, "Brandon, forget about it. Let's leave."

He held her hand, but his gaze remained on my face.

He warned me, "Reegan, you'd better not give Jenna any trouble from now on. Do not show up before us again. This is your final warning."

After that, instead of leaving with Jenna, he stared at me as though awaiting an answer.

But I kept my head low and said nothing. Tears continued rolling down my face.

Half a minute later, he finally left with Jenna. Just as he had turned away, I suddenly rasped, "Fine. I promise I will never show up before you and Jenna McKay."

His tall figure froze.

Before long, he left with Jenna without looking back. Jenna, though, turned around to glance at me with tears in her eyes and a gleeful smirk.

I slowly put down my hand.

"Great," I thought. I could finally put an end to all the love and hatred stemming from my five years of relationship with Brandon.

Now, I could leave without any longing for the past.