Chapter 2: Shattered Bonds
Xia Zhelan's world splintered the moment she opened her eyes. The luxurious hotel room spun around her, the dim morning light filtering through gold-draped curtains. Her body ached in unfamiliar ways, her mind foggy, her limbs tangled in silk sheets that smelled of an unfamiliar scent—musky, rich, intoxicating.
She sat up, head pounding, and realized with a jolt—she wasn't alone last night. Her breath hitched. Who? How?
The answer was nowhere in sight. The space beside her was empty, the only evidence of the mysterious man's presence being the lingering warmth on the sheets and the faint trace of cologne in the air.
Panic surged through her veins.
She scrambled for her phone, hands shaking as she unlocked the screen. Missed calls. Messages. Dozens of them.
Then she saw it.
A message from Liang Jinhai—her fiancé, her childhood sweetheart, the man she thought she would marry.
Zhelan, don't bother explaining. I saw everything. You disgust me. Our engagement is over.
The words blurred before her eyes as cold horror spread through her chest.
No. No, no, no.
Her trembling fingers scrolled down, and then she saw it—the video.
A grainy, damning recording of her tangled in bed with a faceless stranger. Her body went rigid. She barely noticed when the door burst open, revealing a familiar smirk.
Xia Meiyu.
Her stepsister sauntered in, holding up her phone like a prize. "Poor sister," she drawled, voice thick with mockery. "Didn't expect your perfect life to shatter overnight, did you?"
Zhelan's nails dug into her palms. "You planned this. You drugged me."
Meiyu tilted her head, faux innocence painting her delicate features. "Did I? Or did you finally show your true colors? Jinhai saw the video, you know. He came running straight to me for comfort. He finally realized who the better woman is."
Zhelan's stomach churned. "You're lying."
A sharp laugh escaped Meiyu's lips. "Am I? See for yourself."
With a single tap, another video played.
Jinhai, holding Meiyu in his arms, whispering soft reassurances as she "cried" in his embrace.
"Don't cry, Meiyu. Next year's award is yours. You're the only woman I'll ever love."
Zhelan's chest constricted as if she had been stabbed.
Before she could react, the door slammed open again.
"Zhelan! Have you no shame?!" Xia Hongwei's thunderous voice filled the room. Their father, a man whose pride mattered more than blood, stormed in, his face a storm of rage.
Zhelan flinched. "Father, please—"
"Enough!" His voice cracked like a whip. "You've disgraced our family!"
Meiyu stood beside him, crocodile tears shimmering in her eyes. "Father, please don't be too harsh. She made a mistake."
A mistake? Zhelan wanted to scream. But what use was it? The truth didn't matter. Meiyu had already woven the perfect lie.
Days passed, and the Xia mansion became a prison. Whispers filled the hallways. Servants avoided her gaze. Then, the final nail in her coffin—her pregnancy test came back positive.
The grand hall was deathly silent. Xia Hongwei's face darkened as he read the report, his grip tightening. "Pregnant? With a bastard child?"
Madam Xia, Meiyu's mother, placed a delicate hand on her husband's arm, her eyes gleaming with malice. "Hongwei, this is unacceptable. If word gets out, our family's reputation will be ruined. We must act swiftly."
Zhelan's stomach lurched. "No! You can't—"
"Silence!" Her father's roar cut her off. "You will stay confined until we decide what to do with you. Do not step outside!"
For weeks, Zhelan lived in a gilded cage. Servants watched her every move. Meiyu taunted her at every turn. Her stepmother plotted ways to erase her existence.
Then came the final betrayal—her exile.
Madam Xia sat beside her husband, a satisfied smirk hidden behind her teacup. "Hongwei, I've made arrangements. Zhelan will go abroad for some time. A fresh start, away from the scandal."
Xia Hongwei exhaled, rubbing his temple. "Fine. She leaves in a week."
Zhelan clenched her fists. They wanted to erase her.
But they would regret it.
One day, she would return, and when she did, she wouldn't be the weak girl they had discarded.
She would make them all pay.