Chapter 2 "What to do? What should I do? My phone's broken... It's all gone..." Clarissa sobbed pitifully. Her delicate appearance broke Lawrence's heart, and he couldn't help but hold her in his arms, murmuring comforting words. I stood frozen, fists clenched at my sides-that image of them pressed cheek-to-check burned behind my eyes. Lawrence had a phobia of cameras. We'd never taken a single photo together. He'd refused to even show up for our wedding shoot. Yet there he was, face to face with her, smiling for what was likely not their first picture. I drew a sharp breath, forcing down the fury. I wouldn't break down here. I turned to leave, but Lawrence wasn't letting me go that easily. He snapped at me, "You broke Clarissa's phone, and now you're just going to walk away? "Didn't you hear her? It had all her voice messages with her mother! "Harriet, the least you could do is apologize-even if it's not sincere." The distress in his eyes was long gone, replaced by pure disgust. "You want me to apologize to her? "Do you really think she deserves it?" I met his gaze stubbornly, though inside, my heart had already shattered. Lawrence's expression darkened further, his voice dropping to an icy pitch. "If you refuse to apologize to her, the wedding is off." A wave of gasps swept through the onlookers, all craning their necks to witness the spectacle. Lawrence threatened this countless times before. It was always for Clarissa, and every time, I had given in. Lawrence and I had been together for ten years. He was the one I'd chosen since childhood. Marrying him was everything I ever dreamed of. But now, that dream lay shattered at my feet. It was time to wake up. 0.0 % 08:16 "The wedding is off." My voice was eerily calm. Lawrence lowered his hand, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. I turned to leave before he could respond. "Mr. Chavez," came Clarissa's voice, soft and pleading, "you should go after Ms. Wheatly. Comfort her. I'm fine..." "No need. She'll regret it and come back to me-three days, tops." Hearing Lawrence's dismissive tone behind me, I drew a sharp breath, forcing back the tears. He was wrong. This time, I wouldn't regret it. I was still getting married... just to someone else. Did he think he was irreplaceable? He was not! That same night, Clarissa updated her Instagram, and her friends instantly flooded the comments. The caption read, "Am I the luckiest master's grad or what? Best boss ever!" Three pictures were attached. The first showed an elegant table at a five-star Michelin restaurant, and the second showed the latest smartphone, its screen brightly displaying a transfer receipt for 200,000 dollars, with "I love you" stark and unmistakable in the memo line. And the last was a shot of Lawrence cutting steak, then offering the plate to Clarissa. I swiped through those three photos over and over. The longer I looked, the more my ten years with Lawrence felt like one pathetic joke. For ten years, he never bought me a single gift-let alone transferred money. "We're getting married soon," he had said. "Everything I have will be yours. Why bother with all these gestures now?" But now, he sent another woman 200,000 dollars without a second thought. Whenever we ate out, he'd just sit there, waiting for me to arrange everything before he picked up his fork. Every time I wanted to take a photo together, his answer was always a firm "No". And now, Clarissa got everything I had ever wanted-without even asking. My vision blurred, and the tears I'd been holding back finally fell. Just then, the doorbell rang. 37.8% 08:16 Сперия 200 170chers A delivery courier stood at the door. "Hello, I'm here to deliver your wedding photos." I was taken aback. "I never took any wedding photos." "That can't be right. This is Mr. Chavez's residence, right?" I nodded, and he insisted this was the right address. He then carried in several packages of various sizes. After he left, I opened one of the cardboard boxes with trembling hands. It was the wedding photos of Clarissa and Lawrence. There were eight in total, each showing them in a different outfit and location. Though the settings changed, their ra- diant smiles remained the same. The blade of those photos plunged deep into my heart. Just then, I looked up and saw Lawrence standing in the doorway, his arm wrapped firmly around Clarissa's waist. "Give me a hand. She's drunk." Bossing me around had become Lawrence's habit. He had probably forgotten our confrontation in the office. 08:16 80.0 %