Harriet's POV

As my university graduation approached, my boyfriend, Damian Harris, suddenly broke up with me.

He gave me a villa, a Bentley, and two and a half million dollars, thanking me for the four years I’d spent with him. Stunned, I asked him why we were ending things. His response was cold and detached: “Harriet, people from families like mine separate love and marriage. I’m going back to fulfill my duty and marry someone suitable. Do you understand?”

——

My boyfriend was getting engaged, but his fiancée wasn’t me.

When I rushed to the engagement ceremony, I saw Damian standing on the stage.

He was breathtaking in a tailored suit, obsidian cufflinks gleaming against his pristine shirt, his appearance as flawless as ever.

But the woman standing across from him... she was barely four feet and seven inches, overweight, and her face was covered with shiny pimples that looked ready to burst.

My boyfriend was marrying her?

The events of the previous night flashed through my mind, feeling like a lifetime ago.

I had just come home from my internship, only to be pinned to the bed by Damian.

He leaned in, his voice hoarse as he kissed me and said, “Baby, don’t think of me as human tonight.”

That night, he consumed me entirely.

But when I woke up the next morning, he was gone. His phone number was disconnected, and all his social media accounts—WhatsApp, Instagram—were deactivated. It was as if he’d vanished from my world without warning.

Then, his lawyer arrived.

It was midday when the lawyer knocked on my door. He said Damian had specifically instructed him to come at this hour so as not to disturb my rest.

He handed me a document, and I skimmed it in confusion.

It was a transfer of assets—a villa, a Bentley, and two and a half million dollars in cash—clearly stating that Damian had willingly gifted them to me as a thank-you for our four years together.

So, he inexplicably dumped me and treated me like a kept woman, throwing money at me?

But I didn’t need his money!

I’d told him that when we first started dating. His response back then had been confident and dismissive: “No matter how rich you are, you’ll never have more than me.”

I let it go because I loved him.

But why did we have to break up like this?

Last night, he’d been so cold and distant, yet so passionate and desperate at the same time. He couldn’t stop telling me he loved me.

How could he just walk away?

I forced myself to stay calm and used my family’s connections to investigate. It didn’t take long to figure out the truth, and that’s how I ended up at the engagement ceremony.

From his expression, it was obvious Damian wasn’t happy. Was he being forced into this marriage?

“Kiss! Kiss!”

A shout erupted from the crowd, and the fiancée reached for Damian’s hand. He instinctively stepped back, avoiding her.

The woman scowled, her thick lips quivering as she spat angrily, “Did you already forget what you promised me?”

Damian’s face turned pale, but he reluctantly stepped forward.

He was being threatened—I was sure of it!

I couldn’t hold back any longer. Pushing through the crowd, I shouted, “Dam! If something’s wrong, tell me! Don’t force yourself like this!”

All eyes turned toward me.

When Damian saw me, a glimmer of warmth flickered in his cold gaze, but it quickly froze over.

“Who is this bitch?” the fiancée snarled, glaring at me. “You even have a nickname for my fiancé. Who do you think you are?”

I opened my mouth to explain, but Damian cut me off.

Frowning, his sharp brows knitted in frustration as he said, “She’s just a pathetic leech. Get her out of here; she’s not worth your attention.”

A leech?

I could feel the disdain in every gaze that turned my way, judgment dripping from their stares.

Harriet's POV

Right, who would ever take a “clingy leech” seriously?

But I wasn’t one.

Damian and I met during a club activity in college.

I’d just finished practicing my Mixed Martial Arts and was starving, so I sneaked some snacks from my roommate’s stash. When she found out, she teased me and said I had to call her “Master” to make up for it.

It was all harmless fun between roommates, so I didn’t think much of it and actually went along with it, calling her “Master.”

That’s when Damian stepped in, defending me. He said it wasn’t right to pick on someone just because they seemed poor. Then he turned to me and scolded me for taking someone else’s food.

He was the type who loved being the righteous guy, always standing up for what was fair.

After that, I played the part of a struggling, pitiful girl and clung to him every day. It didn’t take long before we started dating, and soon the whole campus knew about it. People said I was a gold digger and that Damian was “taking care” of me.

I didn’t want to embarrass him, so I told him my family was actually quite wealthy. But he didn’t seem to care either way.

The four years we spent together weren’t filled with dramatic love stories, but our relationship was sweet and steady.

We rarely even fought.

That’s why I couldn’t accept it when he suddenly broke up with me. I needed to know why.

I looked at Damian on the stage and started walking toward him.

But before I could say anything, the woman stepped in front of me.

She was so short that she had to tilt her head back to look at me, and I had to look down to meet her eyes.

“You’ve got some nerve coming up here!” she spat.

She jumped up, swinging her hand to slap me, but I stepped back, avoiding her.

Frowning, I turned to Damian. “You broke up with me to marry this?”

“What nonsense are you spouting?” Damian strode over and slapped me across the face.

When the woman tried to hit me, I dodged her. But when Damian raised his hand, I didn’t move.

He’d been sick recently, and I was afraid he’d hurt himself if he overexerted.

Even though he was marrying someone else, I was still worried about him. How pathetic was that?

I touched my stinging cheek, tears welling up in my eyes.

“So, you’re the girlfriend from college?” the woman sneered as she walked closer. Her lips curled into a smug smile. “A gold-digging tramp like you thinks you can put on airs in front of me? Do you even know who I am? I’m Astrid Holden—the wealthiest here in Denver.”

But despite her bragging, I ignored her and kept my gaze on Damian. “You left without a word. That’s just so unfair.”

“Unfair? I gave you a villa, car, and money. What more do you want? Don’t make a scene, Harriet. We’re done.” Damian’s brows furrowed in frustration. “You know how it works for people like me. Love and marriage are two different stories. I’m grateful for the four years we had, but my wife has to be Astrid. Do you understand?”

I met his eyes and asked quietly, “Do you love me?”

I understood how marriages worked among powerful families. My parents had an arranged marriage too. They were lucky—they grew up as childhood sweethearts and fell in love naturally.

As for me...

I was also supposed to marry for family alliances. But it wasn’t necessary anymore—our family’s status in Washington was secure without it.

“Love? Stop joking, Harriet,” Damian said, his voice laced with mockery. “I’ve known since I was a kid that I’d marry for my family’s sake. Love has never been real to me. The only reason I dated you was because you were pretty and seemed poor enough to be easy to control.”

His lips curled into a derisive smile. “There you have it—the truth you wanted. Now, leave.”

So, what I thought was a sweet, deep love between us... was all just in my head.

Harriet's POV

So, in Damian’s eyes, I was nothing more than an obedient, presentable trophy girlfriend? How ridiculous.

I nodded to myself. If that’s how it is, so be it.

It hurt, sure. But I’d always been someone who could pick up the pieces and move on.

I came here hoping to salvage things. If that wasn’t possible, I’d walk away.

Looking at Damian, I forced a bitter smile. “Alright then. I wish you happiness.”

With that, I turned to step off the stage.

I even caught a glimpse of Damian clenching his fists and avoiding meeting my gaze. But Astrid wasn’t about to let me leave.

She blocked my way, sneering. “Since you’re already here, you might as well stay and watch the ceremony. Otherwise, you’re disrespecting me. And disrespecting me means disrespecting my family. And disrespecting my family means disrespecting all of Denver!”

“So dramatic,” I replied with a smirk.

I’d heard similar nonsense before.

Back in the Washinton, there were plenty of people who didn’t know who I was and tried to pull stunts like this. But after I dealt with a few clueless fools, no one dared speak to me this way anymore.

Astrid didn’t catch the disdain in my tone. Instead, she clapped her hands, summoning a group of men in black suits. They surrounded the stage, closing in.

“You filthy little tramp,” she said coldly. “If I’m not happy, you’re not leaving this room.”

Suddenly, Damian rushed over, glaring at me. “Get out! I don’t want to see you again!”

But Astrid snapped at him. “Did I tell you to speak?” Her face turned icy as she continued, “Do you think I’m stupid? I can tell you’re trying to protect her.”

Protect me?

I glanced at Damian, catching the worry in his eyes.

Was he lying to me earlier?

But before I could make sense of it, Damian shook his head and said, “I just don’t want anything from my past showing up here. Today is about us. Having my ex here—what kind of impression does that leave? What will people think of you, Astrid?”

His tone softened as he added, “I’m only thinking of you, Astrid.”

Astrid’s expression eased slightly, but she still declared, “I’m not worried about appearances. Here in Denver, I’m the one who makes the rules.”

Afterward, she pointed at me and instructed, “Go sit down and watch the ceremony.”

I shrugged and shot Damian a faint, mocking smile before stepping off the stage.

But as soon as I reached the floor, four men in black suits surrounded me and escorted me to a corner seat.

Clearly, they were worried I might make a run for it.

From the stage, Astrid called out, “You’ll sit there and watch quietly. You’re not leaving unless I say so.”

I chuckled softly. “You may not let me leave now, but when you want me gone, I might decide to stay.”

“Shut up!” Damian barked.

I smiled but didn’t say another word. If they wanted to play, I’d play along.

Astrid added with a sly grin, “I heard you’re from Washington. Perfect timing. Some big shots from your neck of the woods will be here later—the true heirs of the capital’s elite. I’ll introduce you to them and let you see what real power looks like.”

“Thanks in advance,” I said with a laugh I couldn’t quite suppress.

Just then, a group of young people swaggered into the room. Their arrogance was palpable—it was obvious they were Astrid’s crowd.

One of them, a young man with a sneer, leaned toward me. “You should’ve stayed out of this, you know?”

“You really think Damian can protect you?” another chimed in.

“Here’s the truth,” a third said with a smirk. “Even if you hadn’t shown up today, Astrid wouldn’t have let you off. Do you really think she’d let someone who spent four years with her fiancé walk away unscathed?”

The fourth one even waved a phone at me. “Want me to call the cops for you?”