Chapter 1
When they pulled me from the water, my whole body trembled uncontrollably. Terror made it impossible to form a coherent sentence.
Meanwhile, my fiancé was cradling his classmate in his arms with an expression of absolute concern. “Faye, are you okay?” Dominic’s voice was tender, a tone I hadn’t. heard directed at me in months.
Faye leaned against his chest, her voice trembling with practiced vulnerability yet somehow laced with satisfaction. “You saved me first,” she whispered, looking up at him with doe eyes. “Won’t Sienna be angry?”
Dominic’s response cut through me like ice. “Why would she be? Someone else rescued her, didn’t they?” His voice turned dismissive. “Besides, if she hadn’t been so jealous, you wouldn’t have fallen in. I’ll definitely teach her a lesson when we get back–she needs to grow up.”
“And you, silly girl,” he continued, stroking Faye’s hair, “you’re so helpless without me. What would you do if I wasn’t around?”
I listened to his accusations toward me and his concern for Faye, and something inside me shattered completely. The pain in my chest was so intense I could barely breathe, my body shaking not just from the cold water but from the devastation of realizing who the man I loved truly was.
He’d prioritized another woman over me, leaving me to nearly drown. Worse, he was blaming me for it.
Dominic and I had been engaged since birth–our families had arranged it. We grew up together, and I had made him the center of my universe. Before Faye appeared, we’d shared genuinely beautiful moments. He used to hold my hand and promise he’d love me forever.
I once believed I was the luckiest woman alive—I had a wealthy family and a man
who loved me. But everything changed when Faye entered our lives.
The man who once had eyes only for me began constantly focusing on her. He claimed Faye was “vulnerable” and stepped in whenever someone mistreated her. When I expressed my discomfort, Dominic hugged me and said, “Faye’s just an
1/2
01
20%
orphan who’s had a tough life. You’ll always be the one I love most.”
He promised, “If my princess doesn’t like it, I’ll keep my distance from her.”
But his promises crumbled against Faye’s tears. He quickly forgot his words to me, even publicly announcing that anyone who bullied Faye would answer to him
personally.
That led to our first real fight since childhood. I demanded he stop seeing Faye, but Dominic looked at me with disappointment in his eyes. “Sienna, I’ve told you I just feel sorry for Faye. Can’t you show some compassion?”
Faye emerged from behind him, tearfully apologizing. “Miss Blake, it’s all my fault. I’ll leave right now and never appear before you again. Please don’t fight with
Dominic because of me.”
She ran off, and Dominic immediately chased after her without hesitation, leaving
me with only his parting words: “Sienna Blake, when did you become so
unreasonable?”
