My heart ached, a sour feeling spreading like an overflowing pond, bit by bit.

Apologize? Why on earth should I apologize?

Since childhood, I've watched Kolton rush to Zendaya time and time again. Now, he's risking everything to protect her, even at the cost of his own well-being.

Even though Zendaya is about to marry someone else.

Even though I am his rightful fiancée.

I took a deep breath, forcing back the tears that threatened to escape, stubbornly locking eyes with Kolton.

"Kolton, don't forget that I'm your fiancée!"

I turned my head, casting a icy smile at Zendaya—

"For years, you've been causing trouble repeatedly; we don’t even need to talk about that."

"You're about to get married, yet you’re still involved with someone else's fiancé. What do you call that?"

"Playing the part of the other woman, shameless!"

Zendaya's eyes welled up, a mist of hurt in her gaze.

"Sister Angela, how could you think of me like that? I've always seen Kolton as a brother."

Although her words were directed at me, her eyes were fixed on Kolton.

Tears trailed down her face as she tried to hold back her sobs, saying:

"I understand now, I'm sorry for disrupting you both, I'll leave right away..."

With her hand covering her mouth to wipe away the tears, Zendaya darted out of the hospital room.

Noticing Kolton starting to follow her, I instinctively grabbed his arm.

The next second, a slap landed hard on my face.

Caught off guard, I was knocked to the ground, a ringing in my head as I looked up—only to meet Kolton's cold and frosty stare.

"Angela Martinez, who do you think you are to belittle Zendaya like this!"

Kolton, usually so composed, rarely got angry. Yet now, because of Zendaya's tears, he lashed out at me.

In an instant, my heart felt as if it had been torn open, the cold air rushing in.

Kolton spat out, "Do what you want," then hurriedly left the room.

I crumpled onto the floor.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed with a message—"So pathetic."

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Such an obvious charade, yet Kolton always played blind to it.

How ludicrous.

I braced against the wall, struggling to stand.

Just as I got halfway up, a sharp pain shot through my lower back, sending me crashing back down.

I had just remembered, during that slap, I had hit the corner of the nightstand.

... It really hurts.

I bit down hard on my lip.

As I steadied my emotions, a nurse informed me that my mother had woken up. By the time I entered her hospital room, I was composed.

"You're a wonderful daughter," my mother said, her face tired but attempting a smile as she saw me. I leaned in to adjust her blanket, keeping my demeanor light.

"Really, it's nothing. The most important thing is your health and safety."

A faint worry appeared in her eyes. "Where's that Kolton boy?"

My hand hesitated, but I quickly continued with a casual smile. "Oh, he was here earlier. He got called away for an urgent work project. He said he'll be back later to see you."

She studied me closely. "Be honest, how are things between you two…"

I cut in with a smile, "That's the truth, Mom. Kolton's tied up with work, but he feels guilty about not being here."

Feigning busyness, I tidied the room, turning so she wouldn't notice the sadness in my eyes. In reality, Kolton hadn't visited my mother, and certainly not me.

After my mother dozed off, I went back to my office. As CEO, there were always pressing issues needing my attention. While reviewing the financial reports, I discovered Kolton had unilaterally terminated a major project contract.

"Why wasn't I informed about something this significant?"

"Well, isn't your engagement to Mr. Mendez coming up? And didn't you authorize him to make decisions directly?"

My anger momentarily froze. It was true, I had passively allowed him that power. After my father unexpectedly passed, I hadn't yet completed my studies. Kolton had offered to help, citing my inexperience as a reason to get involved in company matters. I thought, since our families were to unite, it would be fine. But I hadn't realized his overreach.

I called him immediately. "What happened with that contract? We've been working on it for ages, nearly finished, and you just decide to call it off?"

Kolton's voice was dismissive on the other end. "Zendaya's getting married soon. We're friends, so consider it a wedding gift."

Barely containing my anger, I replied, "That project is enormous. We’ve invested so much and are nearly finished. You can’t just dismiss the losses with a simple explanation."

"What kind of gift is so special, Kolton, that you—"

"Enough!" Kolton cut me off impatiently. "Angela, when did you become so petty? You even made Zendaya cry today—shouldn’t you apologize and make things right? This conversation is over."

Before I could respond, he hung up.

Silently, I clenched my phone, recalling the text message. Fueled with anger, I drove straight to Kolton's company.

As I reached the office door, I overheard voices coming from inside. The door was slightly ajar, and I saw Kolton standing with his back to me, clearly upset.

“…What makes me not good enough for you? Angela is crazy about me, so why can’t you see me?”

“For you, I even got involved with someone I don't love. I thought you'd care, but all you could say was congratulations?”

I stumbled, collapsing against the wall, feeling utterly defeated. My mind went blank, and then a wave of despair washed over me. It was all a lie.

Kolton’s feelings for Zendaya had never wavered. Even back then, his pursuit of me was nothing more than an act of revenge. So what does that make me?

Inside, Kolton suddenly embraced Zendaya, kissing her passionately. The sound of their kiss, punctuated by the occasional moan, echoed in my ears. Through the crack in the door, I caught Zendaya’s eye. Her surprise quickly turned into a scornful smile.

Zendaya locked her gaze on me, gently stroking Kolton’s back as if encouraging him. Brazen and provocative.

I clung desperately to the wall, unable to push open the door that stood slightly open.

Kolton, Zendaya, and I grew up in the same neighborhood. In those early days of innocent affection, I was captivated by Kolton’s composed demeanor. But he only had eyes for Zendaya. It was only after she left for university abroad that he turned his attention to me.

I took a deep breath, yet the suffocating feeling wouldn’t relent, forcing me to clutch my heart and bend over in pain.

I’ve never been the naive and sweet type. Though I was taken aback by Kolton’s sudden interest, my doubts grew as I calmed down. I wouldn't allow myself to be anyone’s substitute.

But it was him—he who knelt and promised there was no one else. He who swore with such passion that I was the only one for him.

I glanced up, seeing my tear-streaked reflection in the expansive, modern glass window. At some point, I had started crying uncontrollably. I felt something inside me begin to unravel, slowly letting go.

“Angela?”