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 your own

silence spoke volumes, leaving me with a searing sense of

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

away, weighed down by disappointment and

this,” I murmured, my voice barely audible over the

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 solace in the sanctuary

it with a shaky hand.

370 BROKEN BONDS

testament to the pain and betrayal i felt

my hands, the sobs wracking my body uncontrollably. It felt as though my heart had been torn from my

agony.

parents‘ betrayal cut 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

status?

within me like a tempest, each emotion crashing against the fragile walls of my composure. I

and support me.

expectations, their ambitions, and their decelt pressed down

me beneath its oppressive weight. I struggled to catch

threatened

surrender to the torrent of tears, each

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

once envisioned, now

I lay there, cocooned

ache in my chest remained, a constant

my world asunder.

uneasy sleep, my dreams haunted by visions of betrayal and broken promises. But even in slumber, there was no

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

lock and pulled open the

us in,” she implored,

the

to the safety of my bed, my arms crossed tightly over my chest

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