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.

thought it was acceptable to manipulate me into marriage for

volumes, leaving me with a searing sense of betrayal.

in your social climbing game,” I

threatened to spill as I turned away, weighed down by

need time to process this,” I murmured, my voice barely audible over the tumult of

like a leaden cloak, suffocating

me and locked it with a

370 BROKEN BONDS

testament to the pain and betrayal i felt deep in my soul.

my face in my hands, the sobs wracking my body uncontrollably. It felt as though my heart had been torn from my chest, leaving behind a raw, gaping wound

agony.

me to the core. How could they have orchestrated something so cruel and manipulative? Did they truly see me as nothing more than a pawn in their quest

status?

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

support me.

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

crush me beneath its oppressive weight. I struggled to catch

of emotions that threatened to consume me whole.

I allowed myself to surrender to the torrent of tears, each one a cathartic

and anguish that gnawed at my insides. It was as though I were mourning the

I had once envisioned, now shattered into

as I lay there, cocooned in

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

my world asunder.

overtook me, and I drifted into an uneasy sleep, my dreams haunted by visions of betrayal and broken promises. But even in slumber, there was no escape from 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

lock and pulled open the door, my mother’s

us in,” she

moment; the 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 gaze, my anger simmering just beneath

eyes brimming with tears. “Ariel, darling, I’m so sorry,” she whispered, reaching out a trembling