I Ditched My Cheating Fiancé for Love

Chapter 1

The poor girl my fiancé supported had a severe father fixation.

Every time I tried to be close to him, she always found a way to squeeze herself between us, usually claiming she just had a terrible nightmare.

When we announced our upcoming wedding, she drank several bottles of vodka until she was completely intoxicated and collapsed right into my fiancé's arms.

"Grant," she slurred, "once you are married… will you still be there for me?"

Grant Lowell went rigid all over, but he did not pull away.

Lila Corwin lifted her hazy eyes, pressed a quick kiss to his lips, then turned to look straight at me.

"There is nothing between us but pure, innocent affection between a guardian and the girl he helps," she said. "You really must not misunderstand anything, Sella."

Seeing how naturally their hands rested together, I suddenly felt completely drained and lost all interest.

I slipped the engagement ring off my finger and smiled calmly at Grant.

"Either we call off this wedding right now, or you send her far away and keep her out of our lives for good."

……

Grant instinctively squeezed Lila's hand, then frowned and spoke in a low, sharp tone, "What are you making a fuss about now, Sella? Lila is still young and needs looking after. Must you be so hard on a little girl?"

In the next instant, Lila's eyes turned red, and tears rolled down like beads from a broken string.

"I'm so sorry. I never had a father growing up, and Grant has always been there for me. It's only natural that I've grown attached to him. Please don't be angry, alright? If I truly bother you this much, I'll keep my distance from him from now on and never disturb you two again."

Several of Grant's friends immediately spoke up in her defense.

"Be the bigger person, won't you? We all know Lila never had parents. Grant has been both a father and guardian to her all these years. It's only right that she relies on him."

"That's true. Everything she owns was provided by him. She still has such a childlike way of thinking. It's only normal for her to feel upset now that he's getting married."

Grant's frown deepened with impatience. "Why are you causing such trouble again? You know exactly how difficult and lonely her life has been. She was only acting a little spoiled with me. Is there really any need to make such a big deal out of it?"

Lila seized the chance to snuggle closer into his embrace, her fingers hooking lightly around his sleeve as she spoke in a sweet, coaxing tone, "Grant, Sella is only jealous because she loves you so much. Getting angry with a lady doesn't suit you at all."

Grant completely ignored the anger written plainly across my face. Instead, he gently ruffled her hair with his palm, his tone carrying an indulgence I had never once heard directed at me.

"What can I say? I suppose I've always had a soft spot for those who need protection. I won't be angry anymore, alright?"

I stepped forward, grabbed Lila roughly by the arm, and struck her hard across the cheek. Without a word, I picked up an unopened bottle of champagne from the table and poured its contents straight over her head.

The noise in the room died instantly, leaving only the sound of liquid dripping onto the floor.

Lila trembled from head to toe, biting hard on her lower lip to hold back sobs.

Looking at her like that, I actually found myself smiling coldly.

"Yes, it really is such a pity," I exclaimed.

Only then did Grant react. His face darkened with rage as he shoved me aside, rushed over, and draped his coat around Lila's shaking shoulders.

"Have you lost your mind?! How dare you humiliate her like this in front of everyone! Go over and apologize right now!"

I stumbled backward from the force of his push, striking my lower back against the bar counter behind me and knocking it over.

Grant immediately wrapped his arms around Lila to shield her from the flying shards of glass. Yet when his eyes fell on the numerous cuts and bleeding scratches covering my calves and arms, only the briefest flicker of something unreadable crossed his face.

In the end, he merely slammed his palm down on the service call button and roared furiously, "Bring a hair dryer and clean clothes here immediately! If there is even the slightest delay, this place can consider itself closed for good!"

I stared at his enraged face, unable to utter a single word.

The pain from my wounds throbbed through my veins, yet even that was nothing compared to the ache tearing through my chest.

My gaze drifted into his hands. He was carefully dabbing Lila's hair dry with a napkin. The faint, faded scars across his knuckles stood out painfully sharp to my eyes.

Suddenly, a memory struck me. Grant was a man who valued every second. He never wasted even an extra minute on anything unrelated to his work.

But when it came to Lila, every rule of his seemed to vanish.

Once, she mentioned missing home-cooked meals. He cleared his schedule during the busiest week right before his company went public, signed up for cooking classes, and came home with blisters and burns covering his hands.

Yet he only smiled and told me, "She hasn't had a proper home-cooked meal in so long. It really does break one's heart."

A man who had never once planned a surprise for anyone would spend hours practicing speeches and arranging details for every single one of her birthdays, until his throat grew hoarse and raw.

He could never remember that I detested cilantro in my food, yet he could list every single thing Lila was allergic to or disliked without missing a single detail.

All these memories flooded through my mind at once, and the final thread holding me steady finally snapped.

I turned and hurried toward the door, only to have my wrist seized in a crushing grip. With a sharp yank, I was thrown hard onto the floor.

Grant's voice was cold and devoid of any warmth whatsoever. "Go inside, help her dry her hair, and get her changed before you leave."

I lay there among the scattered glass, catching sight of my own disheveled reflection in the broken pieces.

And then I laughed.

I swung my arm and struck Grant hard across the face.

"She is not worth it," I pushed myself upright, my eyes freezing over like ice. "And you certainly have no right to give me orders. Consider the wedding completely called off."