Chapter 1 Humiliation

We played Truth or Dare. My fiancé's first love stared at him and asked, "If you and Estelle weren't engaged right now, could we get back together?" He answered with just one word, "Yes." Everyone present was shocked and instinctively turned to look at me. They all thought I would be furious enough to flip the table. But to their surprise, I remained indifferent. I even played along and said, "How about this? Since we haven't really gotten married yet, I'll be generous and let you two be together." … A week ago, Winona Ernshaw returned to the country. My fiancé, Camden Strong, personally welcomed her back. But on that same day, my father was diagnosed with coronary heart disease and needed bypass surgery. I lost my composure and yelled at Camden over the phone, accusing him of having misplaced priorities. Instead, he blamed me for making a big deal out of nothing. His voice was filled with righteous anger and impatience, and he didn't make the slightest attempt to hide it. After hanging up, he blocked my number. At that moment, I felt like I didn't know him anymore. And that was the first time Camden and I ignored each other in our relationship. Previously, I would always be the first to apologize whenever we fought because I was afraid of making him angry. But this time, when I saw that he had blocked me, I was surprisingly calm. Three days later, my mom called and told me that Camden had complained about me. I knew he was giving me a way out by doing this. It was always like this—Camden would never apologize first. Yet, he always found ways to make me break the silence. He would order barbecued meat for me or take me out for a seafood boil. If that didn't work, he would run to my parents to play the victim first. Once I lowered my stance, he would smirk and say, "See? I knew I could handle you." And at night, he would bite and tease me in bed relentlessly. In the end, I would always surrender. From the moment I pursued him, this had been the way our relationship played out. I gave him everything, but I could never expect the same in return. When I was with him, I had learned to suppress myself and cater to his moods. I even learned to tread carefully and prioritize him as if I couldn't live without him. But yesterday, he had the gall to say, "Even Mrs. Hill said you were in the wrong. Stop being so dramatic." That sentence threw my emotions off balance. Camden didn't understand how terrified and helpless I had felt the other day outside the operating room. I might be a lovestruck fool, but I was still my father's daughter. I had hoped that at that moment, he would be by my side to comfort me. But what I got instead were his accusations and indifference. Shortly after, he sent me a message. "Hey, Wifey. Do you remember what day tomorrow is?" It was our third anniversary ever since we got engaged. Of course, I remembered. In the past two years, I put in so much effort to prepare something special for the occasion. Yet, Camden always felt I wasn't thoughtful enough. He complained that all I ever did was book the best restaurants, buy expensive sneakers, custom suits, and gaming equipment. In his eyes, my uninspired gifts could never compare to a single-timed message from Winona on social media. When I didn't reply, he assumed I had forgotten. After a while, he shot me another text. "Alright, just wait at home for me. I'll make it up to you." I responded with a single word: "Okay." After putting down my phone, I continued reading the legal documents. If this had been before, I would have been overjoyed. But this time, I felt nothing. After work, Camden reminded me to buy a bottle of red wine and candles for that night. At around 6:00 pm, he texted again: "Be good and wait for me." Yet, I foolishly waited until midnight, and he never came home. I was worried that something bad might have happened to him, so I called several times. However, no one answered. Finally, unable to keep waiting any longer, I opened WhatsApp and found the number of his closest friend. But then, I saw Winona's WhatsApp Story that had the caption: "BFFs forever." It was set to be visible only to me, and the attached picture was one of a watch. It was the one that I had wanted for a long time. The moment I saw it, I felt something inside me shatter. Then, it slowly pieced itself back together and healed. Gradually, I felt nothing at all. In that instant, I had suddenly let go. To Camden, Winona would always be more important than me. Strangely enough, I didn't care anymore. That night, I heard the door open and someone walking slowly toward the bed when I was half asleep. A familiar scent filled my nose as Camden pulled me into his arms. But just as his lips were about to touch mine, I instinctively turned my head away. My subconscious reaction stunned the both of us, and it woke me up completely. Perhaps to avoid the awkwardness, Camden escaped into the bathroom. However, he left his phone behind. His phone screen flashed, followed by the chime indicating that a message had come in. Winona: "Are you home?" Camden: "Almost." Winona: "I can't stop thinking about you." Camden didn't reply. I scrolled up and saw that they had been chatting every single day. I had no interest in reading further. It was just that the constant buzzing was annoying me. So, I picked up his phone and tossed it onto the couch with perfect aim. There was a time when their endless messages made me insanely jealous. But the moment I complained, Camden would start giving me the cold treatment. He thought I was childish, unreasonable, and an untrusting fiancée. But as my fiancé, did he not understand boundaries? As time went by, I lost the urge to say anything. A few minutes later, Camden came out, having freshly showered. Upon seeing his phone on the couch, he paused for a moment before asking, "Did you look through my phone?" I yawned. "What time is it?" Camden lit a cigarette from the bedside table. "There's nothing going on between me and her." I nodded and closed my eyes. After that, I no longer heard his rambling explanations. Finally, there was a sigh before the world became quiet. I would never be hysterical again. I wouldn't argue about love, principles, or boundaries anymore because it was pointless. Camden had always swept aside the things that mattered to me and even crossed the line without hesitation. To him, my breakdowns were nothing more than a joke. I was exhausted from waiting. I had given too much, only to get nothing in return. So, I chose to walk away. The next morning, I woke up to find that Camden had moved to the guest room at some point. When he saw me come out, he pointed to a black dress beside him. "Estelle, this is for you." I picked it up and glanced at it. Then, I chuckled. "I won't even comment on the color or the style. You couldn't even be bothered to get the size right. Why bother giving me something that was meant for Winona?" I put on my shoes and reached for the doorknob. Camden stopped me. "It's not what you think. She broke up with her boyfriend and got drunk at a bar. I took her to a hotel, but she threw up all over herself…" I interrupted, "Oh? So, because her clothes were dirty, you bought her a dress. And to comfort her, you gave her the watch. "And once she sobered up enough to post something on social media just to disgust me, that's when you finally decided to come home?" "Do you have to make it sound so awful, Estelle?" Hurt filled his eyes. I smirked at him. "Then how should I put it?" He was at a loss for words. As always, he put on his signature expression of innocence, suggesting that I was the one in the wrong again.