Chapter 2

At three in the morning, I dragged my exhausted body home.

Sure enough, Marcus was waiting at my door.

He crushed out his cigarette and quickly walked toward me.

"Sophie, where were you? Why didn't you answer any of my calls?"

Smelling the alcohol on me, his tone turned concerned:

"You're drunk. Let me carry you inside."

I shoved away his embrace.

"Don't touch me. You're filthy." Marcus's hands froze in midair.

"Sophie, let me explain. It's not what you think."

"That video must be AI-generated. I absolutely didn't do anything to betray you!"

I looked at him coldly, my face full of mockery:

"Marcus, can you stop treating everyone like idiots?"

"I downloaded that video from the surveillance system myself. I'm not blind. I saw everything crystal clear."

Marcus's expression froze instantly on his face.

His body went rigid, and his eyes dodged mine in panic.

The alcohol hit me, and my stomach churned violently. I shoved past the man in front of me and rushed into the bathroom to throw up endlessly.

Marcus followed me in. He gently patted my back, handed me tissues and water.

I even accidentally threw up on him.

Marcus had a cleanliness obsession. If he'd done this for me before, I would have been touched.

But now, images of him and Olivia tumbling together in bed played on repeat in my mind like a movie.

I just found this man utterly hypocritical.

"Marcus, leave my house. I don't want to see you anymore."

Marcus didn't answer me.

He just silently cleaned up the bathroom, then went to the kitchen to make hangover soup and placed it by my bedside.

"Sophie, remember to drink the hangover soup."

"Let's not talk about this right now. Get some rest, and we'll talk after you've sobered up."

I closed my eyes to avoid looking at him and coldly spat out one word.

"Get out."

I couldn't sleep all night. And my mom showed up right on time at eight in the morning.

She literally dragged me out of bed.

"Sophie! You still have the nerve to sleep!"

"Who gave you that video? That absolutely cannot be Marcus! Don't let people manipulate you—they just can't stand to see you happy!"

"You called off the engagement without consulting your family. Do you know how many people are laughing at us? You've completely humiliated me!"

I rubbed my throbbing temples and sighed:

"Mom, I downloaded the video from the surveillance system in our new house myself. It can't be faked."

"Marcus cheated. He..."

My mom didn't let me finish. She cut me off directly:

"Don't give me your lectures! Who is Marcus? When he stomps his foot, all of Los Angeles shakes!

It's completely normal for a man like that to have women throwing themselves at him!

You eat his food and wear his clothes—can't you show him some understanding? You think calling off an engagement is like playing house when you were three?

Where are you going to find another man with such good conditions after leaving Marcus!"

I wasn't at all surprised to hear these words from my mom's mouth.

Her low standards for men were legendary. But I was different from her.

"Mom, if you like Marcus so much, why don't you marry him yourself? The engagement can go on as planned."

My mom's face turned red with anger. She raised her hand to hit me.

My stomach churned violently. I pushed her aside and rushed into the bathroom to hug the toilet.

Behind me, my mom cursed that I was outrageous—nearly thirty years old and still getting drunk, not knowing how to take care of my body at all.

Finally, the topic circled back to Marcus.

"The Williams family is prestigious. Marcus is handsome and rich. If you miss him, think it through yourself!"

My mom's words, spoken word by word, made me think again of Olivia lovingly entwined with Marcus.

"Look at you—this room is a complete mess. Can't you clean up a bit? Why is there blood on the sheets?"

"Look how sloppy you are. Who would want you besides Marcus! And you're still not satisfied!"

I silently closed the bathroom door, blocking out her voice.

Curled into a ball, I buried my face in my arms and let my tears flow freely.