He Married Me For Duty, I Said No This Time

Chapter 8

The moment Violet looked up, she saw Sherry sitting in the passenger seat of Adrian's car. The two of them had returned together.

The sight was so painful it left her struggling to breathe.

Her heart clenched. The pearl necklace she'd been holding, already cracked from before, seemed to shatter completely along with her heart.

Adrian parked the car and hurried toward her. "Violet. Are you okay?"

She didn't answer. She only tightened her grip around the broken necklace, its sharp edges digging painfully into her palm.

Only then did Adrian notice the shattered necklace in her hand. Realization flashed across his face.

"Violet, let me explain. Sherry is the daughter of my late professor. I promised I'd look after her. In a situation like that, I couldn't just stand there and let something happen to her. And given where everyone was standing, bringing her onto my horse was the safest option."

His explanation was flawless. Yet Violet only felt cold.

"I'm fine."

She quietly gathered the broken necklace into her palm, closed her fingers around it, and turned to leave.

Watching her lonely figure walk away, a strange panic suddenly rose inside Adrian. He quickly caught her wrist. His tone grew unexpectedly serious.

"Violet. Tomorrow let's go see Grandma. We'll finalize the engagement and officially make our marriage happen."

Violet's eyes trembled.

Looking into his deep, dark eyes, she swallowed every ounce of hurt and bitterness.

Finally, she nodded. "Okay."

*****

The next morning, Adrian kept his promise. He brought Violet to see Jane.

Jane was still far from satisfied with Violet. But Adrian refused to back down. In the end, Jane reluctantly agreed to the marriage.

The entire Winston mansion was soon filled with festive decorations. Every corner celebrated the upcoming engagement.

Since Violet had practically grown up in the Winston family and had lived there since childhood, both families decided to hold the engagement ceremony at the Winston mansion.

Everything went smoothly. Every preparation fell perfectly into place. Only the official ceremony remained.

On the morning of the engagement, Violet woke with an inexplicable sense of dread. Something felt wrong.

Yet the mansion was overflowing with celebration. Guests arrived one after another. Everything proceeded exactly as planned. Nothing seemed out of place.

Just as the ceremony was about to begin, a family assistant rushed into the ballroom, his face deathly pale.

"Mr. Winston! Something's wrong! Miss Hall is gone! She left behind a letter!"

Adrian immediately took the letter and unfolded it. Only one sentence was written inside.

Sherry: Don't look for me. Once I leave, our paths will never cross again.

The timing couldn't have been more obvious.

She had chosen the exact moment of Adrian and Violet's engagement.

Her intentions couldn't have been clearer.

Violet stood quietly where she was, watching Adrian and waiting for his decision.

What chilled her to the bone was that he walked straight into the trap Sherry had carefully laid.

He looked at Violet, hesitation filling his eyes. Then he spoke with solemn determination.

"Violet. We need to postpone the engagement for a few days. I have to find Sherry first. She's never been outside on her own. It's too dangerous. I can't betray the trust my professor placed in me."

At that moment, Violet could barely breathe. Her fingers gripped the engagement agreement until her knuckles turned white.

In front of every guest, before the eyes of the entire ballroom, Adrian was choosing another woman over her without hesitation. He was abandoning their engagement ceremony.

Her throat tightened. Every word scraped painfully from her lips.

"Adrian. If you walk out that door today, there won't be an engagement."

She could forgive him once. Maybe even twice. But never again. This was the last chance she would ever give him.

Yet Adrian only thought she was throwing a childish tantrum. His face darkened.

"Violet. Don't be unreasonable. This is someone's life we're talking about. How can you be so heartless?"

A moment later, he deliberately softened his voice, trying to comfort her. Yet still refusing to change his mind.

"Don't say things you'll regret. When I bring her back, we'll talk."

With that, he casually set the engagement agreement back onto the table. Then he turned around and walked away without looking back even once.

The agreement, the symbol of their future together, fluttered gently onto the floor. Along with it, Violet's final hope shattered completely.

Her chest ached with a dull, crushing pain. It hurt so much she could barely stay standing.

As Adrian's figure disappeared completely through the ballroom doors, the noise around her crashed in all at once.

The chatter of the guests. The whispers. The awkward words of comfort. The sympathetic sighs.

They blurred together into a distant roar, as if separated from her by a thick pane of glass.

She couldn't even remember how she'd managed to make it back to her room upstairs.

Nina followed closely behind, her eyes red with anger. "Miss, how could Mr. Winston do this to you? Today's your engagement. He actually left you to chase after another woman. When word gets out, everyone's going to laugh at you."

Violet stared blankly at the shattered pearl necklace she'd painstakingly pieced back together on her vanity. Only bitterness remained.

"Don't blame him. The only person to blame...is me."

Her previous life hadn't taught her enough. Even after all that pain, she'd still run headfirst into the exact same wall.

Everything she was suffering now... she had brought upon herself.

*****

Adrian didn't return until the following morning.

He had found Sherry. She was wrapped loosely in Adrian's suit jacket. The two of them looked far too intimate.

A man and a woman spending the entire night alone together, then returning like this...

Rumors spread through the Winston family almost instantly.

Violet stood silently by the second-floor window. She watched Adrian carefully fuss over Sherry, making sure she was comfortable and personally arranging for someone to escort her back to her room.

Only after Sherry had been settled did Adrian finally seem to remember that he had a fiancée waiting for him.

He walked quickly toward Violet, ready to explain.

But Violet had no interest in hearing another lie. Or another excuse.

She spoke before he had the chance. Her voice was perfectly calm, yet every word carried absolute finality.

"Adrian. Three strikes. I've reached my limit. From this day forward, we owe each other nothing. I wish you well. And from now on, we're strangers."