CHAPTER ONE: THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY.
Katherine's POV.
I chugged the rosè down my throat, the sweet burn sliding past the lump in it. My eyes swept over the crowd, the body of rich stuck up individuals all pretending to be happy for the shinning couple. Pretending, just like me.
It's not that I don't want to be happy for them. I just can't. Not when the smiling groom-to-be is my ex-boyfriend, my first love, who cheated on me with my hot older sister. And now, after an on-and-off six-month affair, they’re engaged.
"You all right, tiger?" A warm, familiar voice pulled me out of my daze.
I turned to find my dad beside me, my favorite person in the world. His eyes held the quiet mix of understanding and concern.
"I'm all right Dad." I assured him, forcing my brightest smile, though it barely reached my eyes.
He glanced toward the couple,Alan and Vivian, who were glued to each other, beaming at their guests like the perfect pair.
“I never liked him,” Dad murmured, his tone calm but sharp. “And I don’t want him marrying my daughter. But honestly, I think they both deserve each other.”
That earned a small smile from me. He was right, they did deserve each other, in every complicated, karmic way.
“I can’t believe my baby girl is already engaged!” a shrill, dramatic voice echoed through the ballroom.
I didn’t need to look to know it was my mother. Her voice carried through every chandelier-lit corner, commanding attention as always. Dad chuckled softly beside me, shaking his head at her theatrics.
“I can’t help but pity him,” Dad said, this time with a sigh. “Melinda will suck him dry.” His tone was light, but the concern in his eyes was real.
He was right again. I couldn’t help pitying Alan, as pathetic as that sounded. He’d cheated on me with my sister five months into our relationship, but somehow, I still pitied him.
Alan and I met when I was finishing my master’s program. I hadn’t planned on falling for anyone. I was focused, guarded, and certain love could wait. But then Alan happened. He had that kind of charm that made you believe that what we had was the real deal. We started off as friends, and I, ever the hopeless romantic, convinced myself he was the one. And I thought he felt the same too.
Until he met my sister Vivian and decided I wasn’t enough. And I realized I had been way too naive.
Of course, Mom approved of their relationship. Alan was, after all, the sole heir to his late aunt’s vast fortune. 'Vast' in this context feels like an understatement considering the kind of wealth Alan was to inherit and the social standing his family had.
It wasn’t exactly shocking to me, was it?
Mom and Vivian weren’t gold diggers, not technically, since they were well off themselves. “Fortune seekers” was a polite way to put it.
Mom came from wealth but also from debt and near-ruin. Then she married Dad—who was well-off, but never quite wealthy enough for her taste. She instilled that same value in Vivian to aim high, to chase after the best life had to offer. The problem wasn’t the ambition, it was the obsession with status, influence, and money.
Vivian took that lesson to heart. She’d dated her fair share of rich men, from the barely-legal to the almost-ancient. But unlike Mom, Vivian didn’t hide her hunger behind charm or grace. She was worse; calculated, daring, and unapologetic about it.
“Well, he made his bed, Dad,” I said finally, pushing down the swirl of emotions that threatened to surface. Pity, anger, something in between.
Dad nodded slowly. “You’re right.”
“It’s getting late anyway,” I added, glancing at my watch. “I should probably head out.”
“Don’t you want to say goodbye to your mom first?” he asked.
I followed his gaze to where Mom stood in a circle of admirers, laughing, her diamond earrings catching the light like little trophies.
“I don’t think she’ll notice I’m gone,” I said softly. “I’ll just text her.”
Dad smiled faintly. “Good night, love.”
“Good night, Dad.”
He leaned down and kissed my forehead, his touch warm and grounding. “Text me when you get home,” he said, that protective edge in his voice making my chest tighten.
“Of course,” I replied, managing a small smile before turning away.
As I walked toward the exit, my eyes drifted once more to the glowing couple at the center of the room. Six months ago, the sight of them would’ve broken me. Back then, I thought my world had ended. But now… it didn’t hurt the same way. The ache was dull, distant, almost gone. Maybe I’d finally moved on. Or maybe I was just getting better at pretending.
Either way, I knew one thing for sure. Alan wasn’t the one for me. And though I should probably hate him, I found myself wishing him luck instead.
He’s engaged to Vivian, after all.
He’s going to need all the luck in the world.
