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 into marriage for your own ambitions?”

spoke volumes, leaving me with a searing sense of

in your social climbing game,” I declared my voice resonating through

spill as I turned away, weighed

this,” I murmured, my voice barely audible

betrayal bore down on me like a leaden cloak, suffocating me with its heaviness. Without another word,

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

370 BROKEN BONDS

burst. Tears streamed down my cheeks unchecked, each droplet a testament to the pain and betrayal i felt deep in

felt as though my heart had been torn from my

agony.

could they have orchestrated something so cruel and manipulative? Did they truly see me as nothing more than a

status?

walls of my composure. I felt utterly

and support

their ambitions, and their decelt pressed down on me like

to crush me beneath its oppressive weight. I struggled to catch my breath amidst the

threatened to

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

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

future I had once envisioned, now shattered

there, cocooned in the

into hours, but still, the ache in my chest remained,

world asunder.

even in slumber, there was no escape from the harsh reality of my shattered dreams and the bitter taste of betrayal that lingered on my

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

and pulled open the door, my mother’s worried expression

us in,” she implored, her voice filled,

hesitated for a moment; the urge to slam the door shut and shut out the world was almost overwhelming. But eventually, I stepped aside,

arms crossed tightly over my chest in a defensive gesture. I refused to meet their gaze, my anger simmering

“Ariel, darling,