My Fiancé Sold Me Out for His Niece and I Got Dragged Online

One month before the wedding, Silas Crowe's so-called niece, Grace Dorne, accused me of abusing dogs and slandered me online, pushing me to the top of the trending list.

Silas locked me in the house and taught me to ignore and not engage with it.

He promised me the wedding would go ahead as planned.

But then, he turned around and apologized to the public on my behalf, effectively taking the blame for me.

I was crushed, but he grew impatient.

"I know Grace was wrong, but if you clarify things, won’t you ruin her future?"

"You're about to be her aunt, can’t you just let it go?"

"If you keep causing trouble, forget about the wedding!"

I forced a bitter smile.

Fine. Then we won’t get married.

I pretended to compromise and booked a flight back to Jendris City for the wedding day.

But when he faced the empty wedding venue, he completely broke down.

He desperately called me over and over, but I simply replied,

"As you wished, I’ve let Grace have the wedding."

...

"Bella Barrow is nothing but a sadistic freak using her position as a pet doctor to abuse dogs. How dare she marry into the Crowe family? She should just die!"

"As long as Bella is alive, we will never let this wedding happen!"

"Dog-abusing vet, get out of Larnath City!"

I stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the group of angry netizens outside the villa, unable to be stopped by the dozen or so security guards. I smiled, the bitterness in my expression a thin veil over the verge of breaking.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I couldn't help but ask Silas,

"Is this what you wanted to see?"

"Grace's future can’t have a single blemish, but my entire life can be ruined by you?"

Grace, seemingly frightened by me, clung to Silas, crying in a way that made my heart ache.

"But Bob died because of you," she sobbed.

"If you hate me, I can move out, but why did you hurt Bob? That dog was raised by Silas and me since we were kids!"

Bob was old, and after Grace fed him all sorts of unhealthy food, he had grown alarmingly fat, making him already frail.

The medication I prescribed was for treatment and recovery, in small doses, it could never have killed him.

Besides, after Bob passed, there were marks on his body showing signs of abuse.

I had explained this to them countless times, urging them to look into the people who had been close to Bob recently.

But Grace wouldn't listen, insisting with all her might that it was my fault.

Grace hadn’t even graduated from college yet, but she had gained a small online following with her flaunting of wealth.

Eventually, she pivoted to being a pet influencer, posting daily content of her playing with Bob.

After Bob’s death, she didn’t care about the facts and immediately exposed me online.

Grace’s fans gathered outside the pet clinic, shouting at me.

But no matter how many times I explained, no one would listen.

I took a deep breath and, word by word, repeated everything I knew to the two of them.

But Silas didn’t seem to hear me. He softly comforted Grace.

When he finally turned to me, the frustration on his face was evident.

"Why are you making noise? What have I ruined for you?"

"You’re about to be Mrs. Crowe—what could possibly be the impact on your career?"

"I know Bob's death isn’t entirely your fault, but if Grace takes back what she said now, she’ll be the one getting attacked online!"

"I can take care of you for the rest of your life, but Grace is my most important family, and I won’t allow anyone to hurt her! Do you understand?"

I scoffed.

Just family?

If she’s just family, would she really leave me, her real girlfriend, on Valentine’s Day under the guise of 'working late,' to go give Grace flowers and share a candlelit dinner?

Would she kiss me so recklessly in the corner of the garden on a drunken night?

All the pent-up grievances in my heart exploded in that moment.

Looking down, a few tears fell from my eyes.

Seeing me like this, Silas’s expression softened. He gently pushed Grace away.

He reached up to wipe away my tears, his voice softening.

"Bella, don’t listen to what they’re saying outside."

"Don’t worry, no matter what happens, our wedding will go ahead as planned."

"Just bear with it for my sake. It will all blow over soon."

Suddenly, the sky was split by a flash of lightning, followed by a deafening thunderclap.

Outside the window, the wind howled and the rain came pouring down.

Before I could say anything, the sound of thunder startled me, and I instinctively ducked into Silas's arms.

But then, Grace let out a piercing, blood-curdling scream.