Chapter 1 Broken Engagement

• "I'm sorry, I can't marry you."
• "What?"
• In the cold weather, Nikita Hughes stood there, wearing a beautiful but thin dress. She couldn't believe that her boyfriend Derek West had just tricked her.
• Just half an hour ago, she was grateful that their upcoming marriage would rescue her from all the trouble she was in.
• Now, thirty minutes later, Nikita found herself rejected by the boyfriend she had been dating for three years and was about to marry.
• Today was supposed to be the day Nikita and Derek went to the courthouse to get their marriage certificate.
• That morning, Nikita had splurged a little by hailing a ride to the courthouse.
• They had arranged to meet in the square on the north side of the building.
• As soon as she stepped out of the car, she saw Derek from afar. The cold wind made her pale face blush a little, but with the hope of happiness in her heart, she ran toward him.
• "Why did you take forever to arrive?" Derek snapped impatiently.
• Nikita didn't think much of it, smiling as she pulled a hand warmer from her pocket and offered it to him. "Derek, why aren't you waiting inside? It's freezing out here!"
• Derek glanced at Nikita; his gaze was uneasy, and he didn't take the warmer.
• "Nikita, my mom said we can't exchange the wedding gift for 100,000 dollars."
• Nikita's heart sink. All the anticipation she'd felt moments ago seemed like a cruel joke.
• "My mom said the most we can offer is 30,000 dollars. If you're okay with that, we can get the marriage certificate. If not ... I'm sorry, I can't marry you."
• Nikita let out a bitter smile and asked, "Why? We had agreed on this."
• Derek felt a little guilty as tears welled up in her eyes, but he believed his family was right.
• A woman willing to change a wedding gift into a huge sum of money was probably going to be even more demanding after marriage.
• He couldn't let Nikita control him.
• With that thought, his impatience grew. Derek said, "Can you stop acting like some money-grubbing gold digger that sells your body like a wh*re? I thought you were marrying me out of love, but clearly, it's all about money."
• His words cut into Nikita's heart like a jagged knife.
• They had been together for three years. She had dated him for three years; Derek knew her well. She had never been after his money. Whenever they went out, she always insisted on splitting the bill.
• She thought Derek understood her. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that he would see her in this light.
• Ignoring Nikita's hurt expression, Derek continued, "If you really loved me, you wouldn't even take the 30,000 dollars! You want money to bail out your brother, but why should my family foot that bill? This needs to be settled before we get married. You're joining my family, not using our money to help your poor relatives!"
• Every word hit her like a stone. With her situation, she shouldn't put her hopes up in the first place.
• The freezing wind howled around her. Nikita's mind echoed with the cruel words of her stepfather, Carlos Foster.
• "She's already 22! How much longer do you expect me to support her? She's not my blood! I've only been taking care of her because of you! Now that I've done it for 22 years, so whoever marries her better pay me for the trouble!
• "My son got caught up in drug trafficking, and now he's in trouble. I finally found someone who can help, but it's going to cost 100,000 dollars to bail him out since he's still a minor. Given the wealth of Nikita's boyfriend, is it inappropriate to request the conversion of her wedding gift into cash? I raised Nikita for 22 years without her being related to me; she owes me that much!"
• Her mother Darcy Watson's sobs seemed to ring in her ears, and they tightened around her heart like a vice.
• Nikita hadn't planned on getting married so soon. She had just received a full scholarship offer from PDD University. With that and her savings, she was finally able to pursue her dreams. Then her half-brother, Simon Foster, got into trouble. Even after emptying her savings, she still couldn't come up with enough money for his bail.
• Thankfully, Derek's family was well off. They had agreed to convert the expensive engagement ring, wedding expenses, and other gifts into 100,000 dollars in cash. When Derek agreed, Nikita had been overjoyed. It strengthened her resolve to marry this kind man. She even promised herself that after marriage, she would work hard to repay the money in full.
• Now, all she got was Derek's broken promise and humiliation.
• Derek wasn't the kind-hearted man she had imagined. He was just a mama's boy, blindly following whatever his family told him, breaking his promises as if they meant nothing.
• Nikita pulled a piece of paper from her bag. It was a promissory note she had written by hand the night before. She unfolded it and held it up in front of Derek. "The moment you agreed to marry me, I wrote this IOU. I'll pay back every cent of the money at bank loan interest rates, down to the last cent. This demonstrates my sincerity and respect for our relationship. Too bad ... you don't deserve it."
• With that, Nikita tore the note into pieces and tossed them into the air. The tiny white fragments floated in the wind, as though they were performing the final rites for their relationship.