When Love Was A Lie

“I had waited three long years for Dr. Ethan Walker, my brilliant cardiac surgeon fiancé, to return from his selfless medical program in Appalachia. Our lavish engagement party was tomorrow; I dreamed of our beautiful future. Then, his voice cut through the quiet. Low and cold, he confessed his "Appalachian mission" was a lie-he was with Vanessa, and their nearly three-year-old daughter, Lily. He was marrying me solely for my family's connections and a guaranteed directorship. The man I loved and trusted had played me for a fool. When Vanessa later brazenly brought Lily to our home, the child wore my antique locket-my sacred vow to Ethan-around her neck. I watched them intimately, confirming my worst fears. The next morning, Vanessa brutally framed me for poisoning Lily. Ethan, without hesitation, abandoned me amidst screams as I fell and injured my back. The pain of his betrayal, the public humiliation, and his utter contempt for me were suffocating. How could the man I loved so deeply manipulate me, then cruelly cast me aside for a lie? Was our entire relationship a calculated pretense? Crumpled on the floor, my only thought was escape. I called my sister. "Is the offer from the Vance family still open?" I choked out, desperation hardening my voice. "The one for Julian Vance? The recluse? I will marry him."”