The Bride He Betrayed: He Gave Her the Ring, I Gave Him Goodbye

After ninety-nine punishments under the family rule, Clara Whitmore had finally earned her freedom to choose her own marriage.

Dragging her weakened body, she hurried forward, desperate to share the news with her childhood sweetheart, Adrian Hayes.

But what she saw instead froze her in place. Adrian was down on one knee, proposing—to Sienna Mercer, the girl who had once stolen her identity.

"Sienna, marrying Clara was my responsibility… but loving you is instinct," he said.

So love had been nothing more than a cruel joke. The man who once swore he would marry no one but her had already changed his heart.

With her world collapsing around her, Clara dialed home.

"I'll agree to the marriage alliance in Kingshaven," she said.

......

For the ninety-ninth time she had refused the arranged marriage, Clara was dragged into the family hall and whipped three hundred times. Even as her skin split open and blood soaked through, she never gave in.

Tessa Monroe, Clara's best friend, snapped in frustration, "What's so great about Adrian? He's just some broke guy from the slums, obsessed with his research. He can't even afford one of your necklaces with a year's salary, and all he ever gives you is cheap, defective junk."

Clara only gave a faint smile, offering no explanation.

Adrian had been her childhood companion—the only person who had ever been kind to her back then.

She had been born into wealth, yet switched at birth by a nanny. Growing up, she had known nothing but beatings and scolding. Adrian was the only light in that darkness.

When she had nothing to eat, he spent all his money just to buy her a sandwich. He fought other boys in the slums for her, coming back bruised and bleeding. And in those early, naive days of love, he had sworn he would marry no one but her.

At sixteen, when she was finally found by her biological parents, Sienna set a fire in retaliation. To save Clara, Adrian ran straight into the flames alone, nearly losing the use of one hand.

When he came out, he pinned Sienna to the ground and beat her without mercy. "Touch Clara again, and I'll make you pay with your life. Don't ever let me see you again."

But Sienna clung to Adrian like she would never let go—sending flowers, bringing him breakfast, confessing over and over again.

Adrian would simply take Clara's hand and look at Sienna with cold disgust. "I'll only ever marry Clara. Anyone who hurts her won't get away with it."

From that moment on, Clara swore she would marry him, no matter what. Even when she failed her college entrance exams and was sent overseas, even through all their long-distance fights, that resolve never wavered.

Thinking of Adrian, who had been working overtime at the institute for two months straight, Clara felt a pang of concern. Despite her injuries, she came to find him.

But the moment she reached the institute entrance, she walked straight into a grand proposal.

Petals filled the air, balloons drifted into the sky, and Adrian's close friends gathered around, cheering loudly.

"Congrats, Adrian, six years and you finally made it! Wishing you and Sienna a lifetime of happiness."

Clara stood frozen, convinced she must be hallucinating.

Adrian proposing to Sienna? That was impossible.

Everyone knew the person Adrian hated most was Sienna—the one who had hurt Clara in the past.

"Come on, everyone knows how deeply Adrian loves Sienna. He even spiked Clara's milk with laxatives so she'd fail her exams, couldn't study design at the art academy, and had to be sent overseas, just to make sure nothing would get in the way of him going to college with Sienna."

The air went still. Something felt off.

Someone quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Hey, drop it, that's old news. But seriously, Adrian… proposing to Sienna like this, aren't you worried Clara will find out?"

Adrian held Sienna's hand, his eyes soft with affection.

"I promised I'd marry Clara, and I won't break that promise. But I won't let Sienna suffer either. So she'll have everything—except a legal marriage. As for Clara, she just went through punishment. She probably can't even get out of bed right now. She won't know about today… and I won't let her."

One of his friends laughed, "Man, Adrian, you've got real charm. Miss Whitmore gave up all those rich guys for you—she'd rather get beaten than leave you. But honestly? Sienna's the one who really matches you."

Cheers and congratulations echoed all around. But Clara felt like an invisible hand had wrapped around her throat, squeezing the air out of her lungs.

Her mind went blank, thunder crashing through her thoughts. With the last bit of strength she had, she turned and fled.

She didn't know how long she ran before her legs gave out and she collapsed.

Her palms and knees were scraped raw, blood seeping out. But she didn't feel a thing. She broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

After what felt like forever, she slowly pulled out her phone and called home.

The moment the call connected, her mother's cold voice cut through. "You refused the marriage, and you still have the nerve to call me?"

Clara bit down hard on her lip, her voice shaking. "I'll do the marriage."

There was a brief silence on the other end. Her mother's voice remained just as cold. "At least you've come to your senses. One week. I'll personally send you to Kingshaven."

One week…

Clara slowly closed her eyes.

Seven years of her life—and all it would take was seven days to let it go.