He Gave Her Red Heels, I Quit Our Engagement

Two days before the engagement, my fiancé knelt down to smooth the hem of my gown, and his fingers brushed lightly over my ankle. "Zoe, why have I never seen you wear high heels? You have such lovely feet." I was adjusting the waistline of my dress in the mirror and replied absently, "I'm not used to them. They hurt to walk in." "Try them. High heels would look stunning with your mermaid gown." His palm slid slowly up my leg and came to rest behind my knee. "Get the thin ones with red soles, they peek out as you walk, so elegant and striking. You'd look absolutely breathtaking in them." I looked up and met his focused, eager gaze in the mirror. "Since when do you know so much about this?" Caleb West's smile froze, and his eyes darted quickly away from me. "I flipped through some fashion magazines and saw it mentioned." I said nothing. He leaned closer and brushed his fingers lightly under my chin. "What? You don't believe me?" His fingertips were warm, but his eyes flickered away for just a moment. "I believe you," I said with a bright smile, tapping his chest with my finger. "I just never expected the brilliant attorney West to study things like this." He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "For you, I'd learn anything... Let me get you a glass of water." He turned and left the room, leaving his phone behind. I hesitated for a moment, then typed in the passcode and unlocked it. For the first time in all these years, I was checking his phone. The code was still my birthday, unchanged. Chat logs, photo albums, call history, all spotless. I let out a breath and laughed at my own suspicion. But my finger hovered over the search bar, and on impulse, I typed red-soled high heels. A strange account popped up. The blank profile picture display name is simply Star. It was blocked, so I couldn't add it back. I memorized the number and searched for it with my alternate account. A blurry side-profile photo appeared, and I sent a friend request. She accepted immediately and messaged. Star: A fan? My heart clenched tight, and it felt like all the blood in my body turned cold. Zoe: Yes, I saw you in a magazine. Got your contact through a friend. She didn't question it, replying quickly. Star: Haha, thanks for the love, sweetie! Who put you in touch? No worries though, welcome! Zoe: You know, Mr. Carter. I replied vaguely, breaking into a cold sweat. She sent a cute sticker. Star: Oh, that makes sense! Thanks so much for following! After a short exchange, I opened her timeline. Her most recent posts were polished selfies and photos from events. The girl in the pictures had striking, bold features and a perfect figure, set against backdrops of fine dining restaurants, fashion show backstages, and gyms. A model, clearly. I scrolled further down and stopped at a post from one week earlier. It was a photo of her from behind, posture relaxed yet alluring. She stood on tiptoe, and the bright red sole of her shoe was visible. The caption read only: Thank you for the gift, Mr. C. ❤️❤️ 'Mr. C?' It felt like an invisible hand had wrapped around my heart, making it hard to breathe. I covered my mouth to muffle a sob, but broken sounds still escaped my throat. Everything fell into place. The luxury receipt that had turned up at home out of nowhere last week, how often he'd been working late lately, even the other night, when he'd stood on the balcony talking quietly on his phone, only to hang up the second I woke up and claim it was an urgent case at the firm. So that was it. Ten years together, and we were finally about to make it official. I couldn't believe the man who'd loved and protected me would ever betray me! But a clear, unshakable voice in my head told the truth... My fiancé had fallen for someone else.