I turned around and saw Victor, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, striding confidently through the crowd with an air of authority.
The murmurs around me vanished in an instant.
Victor and I had grown up together, childhood friends bound by years of shared history.
Our engagement had been arranged early on by our families to solidify their business partnership.
As kids, he was always the first to defend me whenever someone dared to speak ill of me.
When he got in trouble at home, I was the one who pleaded for him.
Until now, no one would have doubted that I was his one true love and his destined future wife.
But today, at my 23rd birthday party, he brought another woman with him.
Yvonne stood beside him, dressed in an expensive gown and wearing delicate makeup. Yet, it looked as if she was trying to fit into a role that didn’t belong to her.
She clung tightly to Victor’s arm, seeking his protection.
Victor leaned down to whisper something in her ear, his gaze full of affection.
When Yvonne looked at me, her expression shifted to one of fear and unease.
Slowly, she stepped forward.
With a soft thud, she dropped to her knees before me.
How familiar this scene was.
Even the tear clinging to the corner of her eye, ready to fall at just the right moment, was exactly the same.
In my previous life, I had been completely fooled by this act of fragility. I had even gone so far as to genuinely help her and Victor plan their future together.
As the heiress of the Grant family, I didn’t need Victor to define my worth.
Sure, her presence had stung, but it was never enough to make me lose my composure.
