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.

it was acceptable to manipulate me into marriage for your

leaving me with a searing sense of

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

spill as I turned away,

this,” I murmured, my voice barely

on me like a leaden cloak, suffocating me with its heaviness. Without another word, I fled from the living room, seeking solace

behind me and locked it with a

370 BROKEN BONDS

a testament to

bed, I burled 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 that

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 their quest for social

status?

each emotion crashing against the fragile walls of my composure. I felt utterly alone, abandoned by the very

support me.

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

to crush me beneath its oppressive weight. I

wave of emotions that threatened to consume me whole.

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

anguish that gnawed at my insides. It was as

once envisioned, now shattered into a million irreparable fragments.

to lose all meaning as I lay there, cocooned in the darkness of my despair. Minutes

but still, the ache in my chest remained, a constant

world asunder.

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

of thoughts I had wrapped around myself. I froze, my heart pounding with apprehension, as I heard my mother’s voice urging me to

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

sweetheart, please let us in,” she implored,

for a moment; the urge to slam the door shut and shut out the world was almost

over my chest in a defensive gesture. I refused to meet their

with tears. “Ariel, darling, I’m