On what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, betrayal arrived hand-in-hand.
"Isn't that the groom of the day? What's he doing with the bride's cousin?"
The murmur sliced through the crowd like a blade.
Victoria's head whipped toward the entrance. Her heart stopped.
There he was, Daniel, her fiancé. And beside him, arm-in-arm, was Mabel. Her cousin.
Her world tilted.
"Dan, what's happening?" she demanded, voice trembling as she stormed toward them.
"Vic, don't be angry," he said gently, too gently.
She let out a laugh, sharp and bitter. "Why would I be angry?"
Before he could speak, Mabel beat him to it.
"Daniel's calling off the engagement," she said with a smirk. "He doesn't love you."
Victoria blinked. "You must be joking."
"Don't play dumb. You heard me," Mabel said, folding her arms smugly.
Slap!
Gasps erupted across the hall as Victoria's hand met Mabel's cheek with a loud crack.
"How dare you..." Mabel started.
"Not a word," Victoria cut her off coldly, her gaze now fixed on Daniel.
"For how long?" she asked, calm on the outside but trembling inside.
Silence.
Daniel stepped forward, placing himself protectively in front of Mabel. She lowered her head like a wounded deer, but Victoria caught the smug smile she tried to hide.
"You don't deserve an answer, Vic," Daniel said, dropping his gentleman act. "I never loved you. I only loved what came with being with you."
Victoria froze.
"All this," he gestured to the elegant venue, "was your parents' and mine idea. A business merger. That's all. I loved Mabel from the beginning."
She stared at him, betrayed, broken. "Why didn't you tell me?"
He shrugged. "You were in too deep. And the benefits? Irresistible."
Tears welled in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
"Four years, Daniel. Four years of love, loyalty, and sacrifice. And this is how it ends?"
"I had fun," he said smugly. "But now we've got a better deal. We don't need your company anymore."
She drew a long breath, the pain slowly turning into steel. "I should've known, I spent my whole life loving you and trying to make myself better for you. But what did you give me in return? Deceit and lies. I was a game to you. A vessel you could benefit from. I was blind and foolish. You've been having an affair with my cousin behind my back and still dared to pull through with the engagement? Why?"
"Oh, come on, you heard what I said the other time." he sneered, eyeing her.
"So I was a game to you all this while?"
"Vicky, it's not what you're thinking. We planned on telling you, but his parents and yours insisted on you both getting engaged," Mabel defended from behind Daniel.
"Not what I think? You were going to tell me? When exactly?"
"I... We..." Mabel tried to explain.
"Enough," she half-yelled, cutting her off. "This engagement won't happen. I'm calling it off, so is the deal between both families. I, Victoria Montess, hereby call off this engagement with Daniel Haverd. I'll let my parents know once they're back from the States."
The whole time, Daniel said nothing, not even trying to pacify her.
Whispers flew in every direction inside the hall. The majority of them felt pity for her.
"I wish you both a happy life," she turned and left the hall, not looking back.
Mabel smiled from behind Daniel. Finally, they could both be together publicly. With Victoria calling off the engagement, they could both be accepted by his family. She smiled triumphantly.
Daniel couldn't care less. He was never interested in her. He did all this just so his parents could secure the project with her family. But he got a good catch now, so she's of no use anymore. She could leave if she wanted to.
Her heels echoed against the marble floor as she stepped out of the engagement hall alone, the diamond ring that once symbolized forever now sitting coldly in her clutch. Angrily, she threw it away. Rain drizzled softly outside, drenching her. It was as if the sky mourned with her.
Four years. Four years of dreams and sacrifice—gone. Just like that. It hurt. The betrayal stung bad. She had thought he was her forever; little did she know she wasn't even in the picture.
"Vic, please wait!" a voice called behind her, but she didn't stop. She couldn't. Her chest burned, and her throat tightened.
Daniel's betrayal had come like a thunderbolt, unexpected and unpredicted. The pictures, the lies all of it shattered the image she had so carefully protected. He didn't even fight for her. Just silence. Not even guilt in his eyes.
She called her driver with trembling hands.
She was done. No more. This was her first heartbreak—and it would be the last. No more relationships. No more love. She was done.
---
Getting home, she was drained. She had little to no energy to even do a thing.
Maria, thier head maid, walked to her the moment she stepped into the mansion.
"Victoria, what the hell happened to you? Why are you drenched? And where is Daniel? Aren't you two supposed to be engaged and living together? Why are you here?" Maria asked all at once.
"Maria, I'm not in the mood to explain. Please inform Mum and Dad to come back as soon as the surgery is done." With that, she left for her bedroom.
---
Two weeks later...
She sat across her best friend in a coffee shop.
"You haven't touched your food," Ann, her best friend, said, eyeing her from across the café table.
Victoria stirred her coffee absentmindedly. "I'm fine."
"No, you're not. You haven't updated your socials since the breakup. That's practically mourning."
Victoria gave a half-hearted smile. "I guess I am."
"Ugh, he's not worth it," Ann said, rolling her eyes. "You need a distraction. Something thrilling... or someone rather."
"No," Victoria said firmly. "No more men. No more feelings. I'm done. I just want to be alone."
"But you're still inside your shell. I'm worried, Vic."
"I'm glad you care, but I'm fine. Honestly."
"Come on, girl, it's been two weeks now. I mean, it's just a breakup. Let's go partying tonight, get wasted, and forget about our sorrows."
"You don't get it, Ann. It's not just a breakup. I loved him, and it's funny, I still do. I thought he was going to be my first and my last, but..."
"Hey, I'm sorry for saying that. But that's not the end of the world, okay? Come on, there are men out there men far better than Daniel."
"I'm done. No more relationships. I just need peace."
Just then, a deep, familiar voice interrupted them.
"Peace? That doesn't sound like the Victoria I know."
She turned her head and froze in place.
Tall, broad-shouldered, with a confident smirk and eyes that didn't just look at you, they saw you.
They hadn't spoken in almost a year. Not since she rejected him.
"Denis," she said, managing to keep her voice neutral.
Ann raised a brow, sensing the tension. "Friend of yours?"
"He's not exactly a friend. More of a rejection."
"Ouch," Denis chuckled, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Still blunt, I see."
Victoria straightened. "Still smooth, I see."
Denis leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "I heard about the broken engagement."
Her eyes darkened. "News travels fast."
"I'm sorry," he said, sincerity softening his tone.
She shrugged. "Don't be. I'm fine."
"Good. Because I was thinking… maybe fate finally cleared the path for us."
She blinked. "You're kidding me. I just got dumped."
He shrugged. "I've waited long enough, Vic. Let me make you mine."
Victoria laughed, dry and surprised. "You're unbelievable."
"Maybe. But I'm also still interested."
She shook her head, heart pounding. "Denis, I can't. Not now."
"Then I'll wait."
Stunned.
"You..."
"I'm not giving up on you for the second time, Vic. I'm willing to wait. I'm serious about my feelings for you. Waiting a lil' longer won't be bad, right?"
"..."
"Just give me a chance, and I promise, this will be your last heartbreak." And with that, he walked away, leaving her stunned.
Ann stared at her friend, confused and stunned.
"What just...?"
"I'm not in the mood to talk about him," Victoria muttered, still thinking of what he said just now.
---
That night, Victoria stood by her room window, watching the city lights flicker below. Her mind replayed their conversation over and over again.
Denis.
She remembered how he'd asked her out months before she and Daniel concluded on their engagement plans. He had been really kind, honest, caring, and charming which, of course, he still was. But she had turned him down without hesitation. Because she was head over heels in love with Daniel.
And yet… he was here. Still waiting. Still interested. Still chasing.
She sighed. She felt a headache coming up. She wasn't ready for another rollercoaster of emotion—she just got out of one. And love wasn't something she wanted to think about. But yet, she found herself thinking and asking:
Could she trust him? What if he's another Daniel? Was it too soon?
Or…
Was it exactly the distraction she needed right now?