He Called Off Our Forever

Tonight, my boyfriend of seven years, Benjamin Kane, was supposed to propose. Our future was a perfect picture, planned down to the last detail.

But a single phone call shattered it all. A mysterious voice convinced him I was a gold digger who would ruin him, and that another woman, Jenna Christian, was his true soulmate.

He called off our engagement on the spot.

That was only the beginning of my nightmare. I was stalked by a man obsessed with Jenna, a confrontation that ended with me falling from a rooftop and shattering my arm. Then, I was kidnapped by a shady agency, trapped by a contract Jenna had signed in my name. I was living the horrific fate that was meant for her.

Benjamin, the man who promised me forever, abandoned me to suffer while defending the very woman who orchestrated my torment.

Lying in a hospital bed, I received an acceptance letter for a design scholarship in Paris. It was my only escape. I took it, leaving behind the man who broke me and the life he destroyed.

Chapter 1

The air in the grand university ballroom was thick with anticipation. Not just for the inevitable speeches, the clinking of champagne flutes, or the final goodbyes. For me, Amanda Stevens, it was for one moment: Benjamin Kane, my boyfriend of seven years, getting down on one knee. Everyone knew it was coming. Whispers followed us like a second shadow. Benjamin, the golden boy, real estate heir, and me, his talented fashion design student girlfriend. Tonight was our night. Our future.

I watched him from across the room, his dark hair catching the light, his profile sharp and confident as he spoke with a dean. My heart hammered, a frantic drum against my ribs. Seven years. A lifetime for us. We had planned everything, every detail of our lives, right down to the type of dog we' d get. I smoothed the fabric of the dress I designed, a soft blush silk that shimmered with every breath. It was my ode to our love, to the future I believed in.

Then, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it, a flicker of annoyance on his face, then excused himself, stepping into the quieter alcove near the main entrance. I tried not to stare, but my eyes were glued to him. He answered, his voice low, almost a whisper. I could barely make out the words, but the tension in his shoulders was a language I understood. Something was wrong.

"No, that' s impossible," Benjamin muttered, his back to me. His hand clenched around the phone, knuckles white. "How… how did you know that?" There was a pause, a long, agonizing silence. My breath hitched. He was listening, really listening, to whatever was being said on the other end.

"Amanda? A gold digger?" His voice was louder now, edged with something I couldn' t quite place-disbelief, maybe, but also a chilling hint of consideration. "She' d bankrupt me?" The words sliced through the hum of the party, finding their way to me. My blood ran cold. Gold digger? Me? I felt a wave of nausea.

He listened again, his head bowed. "Jenna Christian? My true soulmate?" My vision blurred. Jenna Christian. A scholarship student. Her name was like a shard of glass in my ear. Benjamin' s family sponsored her. She was a fellow design student, always hovering, always a little too close.

"The accident… you predicted it?" Benjamin' s voice was barely audible, but I heard it. The minor car accident he' d had last week, a fender bender that had rattled him more than he let on. He' d dismissed it as bad luck. But now… the caller had predicted it? A shiver ran down my spine. The conversation continued, hushed and urgent. I couldn' t hear the exact sentences, but Benjamin' s posture stiffened further. He kept glancing my way, a strange mix of suspicion and confusion in his eyes.

My heart felt like it was breaking apart, piece by agonizing piece. Gold digger? Bankrupt him? Jenna Christian? My mind reeled. What was this? A cruel joke? A misunderstanding? I wanted to rush over, demand answers, but my feet were rooted to the spot, heavy as lead.

He ended the call, slowly, as if in a trance. He turned, his eyes sweeping the room, then landed on me. The warmth was gone. Replaced by a cold, calculating gaze I' d never seen directed at me. A stranger' s gaze. He started walking towards me, and I braced myself, my stomach churning.

"Amanda," he said, his voice flat, devoid of emotion. "I… I can' t do this."

My world tilted. "Do what, Ben?" I whispered, my throat tight. I knew. I already knew.

"The proposal. Tonight. It' s off." His words were concrete, heavy, like stones dropped into still water.

My knees buckled. I gripped the back of a nearby chair to steady myself. The blush silk dress suddenly felt like a shroud. I stared at him, searching his eyes for any trace of the man I loved, the man who had promised me forever. There was nothing. Just a wall.

I recalled Jenna. She was always there, a quiet presence. I' d seen her often in the design studio, her eyes, though usually downcast, seemed to follow Benjamin. Suddenly, every lingering glance, every shared laugh Benjamin had with her, played back in my mind like a horrifying montage. He' d often mentioned her, how hardworking she was, how grateful she was for his family's scholarship. I' d dismissed it as kindness. Now, a sick feeling twisted in my gut.

He was my Benjamin. My steady, loving Benjamin. He wouldn' t believe such malicious lies. Would he? My mind screamed, but my lips remained sealed. I remembered a conversation we had just last week, sitting on a park bench. He had confessed his deepest insecurity, a fear that people were only after his family' s money. I had laughed it off, assuring him that my love was real, that his wealth meant nothing to me. He had smiled, squeezing my hand, seeming reassured. Now, that same insecurity was being weaponized against me.

Benjamin saw the shock on my face. He reached out to touch my arm, but I flinched away, as if burned. His hand dropped. "Amanda, I–"

Before he could finish, a soft voice cut in. "Benjamin? Is everything okay? I saw you step out." Jenna Christian stood beside us, her eyes wide and innocent, a small, worried frown on her face. She looked directly at Benjamin, ignoring me completely.

Benjamin' s expression softened, a subtle shift that felt like a punch to my gut. "Jenna. Everything' s fine. Just… a quick call." He offered her a small, reassuring smile. It was a smile he used to reserve for me.

My throat was closing. I couldn' t breathe. I felt trapped, suffocated by the heavy perfume of the other guests, the clinking of glasses. My eyes darted between them. The way Benjamin looked at her, the way she looked at him. The caller' s words echoed: Jenna Christian, your true soulmate.

He saw me looking at her, then back at him. A flicker of guilt, or perhaps just exasperation, crossed his face. "Amanda, I need some space. We can talk later."

"Space?" My voice was barely a rasp. "After seven years? Tonight?"

He didn' t answer. He turned slightly, his attention already drifting back to Jenna, who was now subtly tugging at his sleeve, her eyes still wide with feigned concern.

My gaze landed on Jenna' s clutch bag. A small, intricately embroidered design of a phoenix rising from flames. It was strikingly similar to a motif I' d been developing for my final collection, a symbol of my own resilience. I had shown Benjamin some sketches just last month, excited about its potential. A cold wave washed over me. No. It couldn' t be.

"Is that your design, Jenna?" I asked, my voice dangerously even.

Jenna looked down at her bag, then back up at me, a tiny, almost imperceptible smirk playing on her lips before it vanished. "Oh, this? Just something I whipped up. I' ve always loved phoenixes, you know?" She tilted her head, her gaze challenging but shrouded in feigned innocence.

Benjamin stepped in, his voice sharper than I' d ever heard it directed at me. "Amanda, what' s wrong with you? It' s just a bag." He glanced at Jenna apologetically. "Jenna' s worked so hard. She deserves to express herself."

"Worked hard? Or copied?" I hissed, the words tasting like ash in my mouth.

Benjamin' s jaw tightened. "That' s enough. Are you going to accuse every design student of copying you now? Just because Jenna is talented doesn' t mean she' s stealing from you." He put a comforting hand on Jenna' s arm. "Don' t worry about her, Jenna. Her pressure is getting to her. We' re going to be okay. Right?" He looked at Jenna, who nodded meekly, her eyes still downcast.

The public denial, the immediate defense of Jenna, the dismissal of my feelings. It was a triple blow. My heart, already bruised, felt like it was finally shattering. He didn' t just call off the proposal. He called off us. And he did it in front of her.

"There' s nothing to talk about, Benjamin," I said, my voice hollow. "I think I understand everything I need to know." I turned on my heel, ignoring his stunned expression, ignoring Jenna' s triumphant glance. I walked out of the ballroom, away from the glittering lights, away from the shattered pieces of my seven-year dream.

My phone buzzed in my hand. It was an email. The prestigious fashion design scholarship to the École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. I had applied months ago, a backup, a wild hope. I' d almost forgotten about it. Congratulations, Amanda Stevens. Your talent has earned you a place.

I paused at the exit, the cold night air hitting my face. A bitter laugh escaped my lips. Benjamin had wanted me to drop my career after graduation, to focus on his family, on our future. He said he' d always support my dreams, but tonight, he' d shown me what his support truly meant.

I took a deep breath, the chill cutting into my lungs. My fingers flew across the screen. Accept scholarship. I will be there. There was no turning back now.