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.

to indignation. “So you thought it was acceptable to manipulate me

volumes, leaving me with a searing

be a pawn in your social climbing game,” I declared my

away, weighed down by disappointment and

this,” I murmured, my voice barely

away from my parents, feeling like my world was crumbling around me. The weight of their betrayal bore down on me like a leaden cloak, suffocating me with its heaviness. Without another word, I fled from the living room, seeking

it with a shaky hand. The dam of emotions I had been holding

370 BROKEN BONDS

each droplet a testament to the pain and

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

agony.

the core. How could they have orchestrated something so cruel and manipulative? Did they

status?

the fragile walls of my composure. I

and support

weight of their expectations, their ambitions, and their decelt pressed down on

its oppressive weight.

threatened to consume me whole.

room, I allowed myself to surrender

at my insides. It was as though I were

now shattered into a million

to lose all meaning as I lay there, cocooned in the darkness of

chest remained, a constant

world

and broken promises. But even in slumber, there was no escape from the harsh reality of my

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

lock and pulled open the door, my

let us in,” she implored,

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

to the safety of my bed, my arms crossed tightly over my chest in a defensive gesture. I refused to meet their

tentatively, her eyes brimming with tears. “Ariel, darling, I’m