The Love From Vengeance

370: BROKEN BONDS

ARIEL’S POV

I stormed into my parents‘ elegant living room, a cloud of anger and betrayal churning within me. My hands trembled with disbelief as I brandished my phone, the glaring headlines announcing my supposed engagement to Luke burning into my consciousness.

“Mom, Dad, we need to talk,” I demanded.

They looked up, surprised, etching their features at the urgency in my tone.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” my mother asked, concern furrowing her brow.

I thrust my phone forward, the damning evidence of my supposed betrothal displayed on the screen.

“Explain this,” I demanded, my voice rising with each word,

Their guilty exchange confirmed my worst fears.

“We’re sorry, Ariel. We never meant for things to spiral out of control like this,” my father began, his voice

tinged with remorse,

But apologies were not what I sought. I needed answers.

“Sorry isn’t enough, Dad. Why have you destroyed my future?” I queried, my anger boiling over.

My mother reached out, but I recoiled, the sting of their betrayal too raw.

“I trusted you both. I thought you had my best interests at heart,” I accused the both of them. I was feeling

broken.

They hung their heads, unable to meet my accusing gaze.

“We only wanted what was best for you, Ariel. We thought…” my mother faltered, unable to finish her

justification.

“So you thought it was acceptable to manipulate me into marriage for your own ambitions?”

spoke volumes, leaving me with a searing

pawn in your social climbing

to spill as I turned away, weighed down

my

of their betrayal bore down on me like a leaden cloak, suffocating me with its heaviness. Without another word, I fled from the

door behind me and locked it with a shaky hand. The dam of emotions I had been

370 BROKEN BONDS

unchecked, each droplet a testament to the pain and betrayal i felt deep in my

my body uncontrollably. It felt as though my heart had been torn from my chest, leaving behind a raw, gaping wound

agony.

cruel and manipulative? Did they truly see me as nothing

status?

the fragile walls of my composure. I felt utterly alone, abandoned by the very people who were supposed

and support me.

their expectations, their ambitions, and their decelt pressed down on me like a

beneath its oppressive weight. I struggled to

that threatened

solitude of my room, I allowed myself to surrender to the torrent of tears,

of the pain and anguish that gnawed at my insides. It was

had once envisioned, now shattered into a

all meaning as I lay there,

ache in my chest remained, a constant reminder of the betrayal

my world

me, and I drifted into an uneasy sleep, my dreams haunted by visions of betrayal and broken promises. But even in slumber,

my door shattered the fragile cocoon of thoughts I had wrapped around myself. I froze, my heart pounding with apprehension, as I heard my mother’s voice urging me to open the door. With a reluctant sigh, I rose from my bed, every fiber of my being resisting the inevitable confrontation awaiting me on the other

turned the lock and pulled open the door, my mother’s worried expression greeting me.

sweetheart, please let us in,” she implored, her

the urge to slam the door shut and shut out the world was almost overwhelming. But eventually, I stepped aside, allowing my parents

crossed the threshold, and I retreated to the safety of my bed, my arms crossed tightly over my chest in a defensive gesture. I refused to

her eyes brimming with tears. “Ariel, darling, I’m so sorry,”