He Betrayed Me, But I Found My True Love

He dragged me inside without a chance to say a word. I could feel the blood dripping from my wound, staining the carpet, only to disappear into the fibers.

He stopped abruptly in front of a door, pushing me into the room. The moment I stepped inside, the atmosphere grew tense, the room falling into a heavy silence.

I stumbled, my legs giving out beneath me, and I fell to the floor. Liam’s friends exchanged uneasy glances. Some of them reached out, seemingly wanting to help, but Liam shot them a glare that froze them in place, his eyes warning them to stay away.

I slowly lifted my head and saw Liam grab the wine glass from Evelyn's hand, pulling her into his arms with exaggerated tenderness.

"Enough, don't drink anymore. You'll get drunk if you keep at it."

Evelyn, her eyes red with tears, slapped at his chest in frustration. "Don’t bother me! Aren’t you getting married? Aren’t you supposed to be comforting your girlfriend? What are you doing here?"

Liam took her hand gently, his voice soft and apologetic. "I know, I know. It’s my fault. I brought her here to apologize. But please, don’t drink anymore."

He glanced at me then, his expression darkening as his gaze met mine.

The sight of their intimate exchange left me feeling numb. I didn't feel anger, sadness, or even disappointment anymore—just a cold emptiness.

Gripping the edge of the table to steady myself, I pressed my hand against my wound, forcing myself to stand. I scanned the room, noting the crowd of people present, all silent witnesses to this scene.

They witnessed Liam and I fall in love, and now they were about to watch us break up.

I took a slow breath and began, my voice barely a whisper, "Evelyn, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have provoked you. I shouldn’t have tried to come between you and Liam. Now…"

I’ll give him back to you.

Before I could finish, Evelyn interrupted me, stepping forward with a glass of wine in hand. Her expression was unreadable, a mixture of emotions I couldn’t quite place.

"Ava," she said, her voice steady yet tinged with something deeper. "I didn't handle my feelings well, I was foolish. If you can forgive me, drink this wine, and you’ll be my good sister-in-law from now on."

I shook my head gently, refusing. "No, I just had surgery. I can’t drink this, I really can’t."

The truth was, I didn’t want to be with Liam anymore, and I had no desire to become her sister-in-law.

But in Liam's eyes, my refusal only made it look like I was deliberately embarrassing Evelyn.

His voice came sharp and demanding, "Ava, you must drink it. Don’t forget why you’re here today."

"Liam," I snapped, meeting his eyes with a piercing stare. "Are you sure you want me to drink it?"

His eyes wavered for a moment, but after a brief exchange with Evelyn, whose eyes were red and pleading, he gave in, his decision final.

"Yes. You must drink."

I locked eyes with him, the tension between us palpable. "Fine."

Without another word, I took the glass from her hand, stared at Liam one last time, and downed the entire glass of white wine in one swift motion.

The next moment, my hand went limp, and the cup crashed to the floor, shattering into pieces. I couldn’t hold on any longer. Darkness enveloped me, and I fainted.

"Ava!"

Before everything went black, I caught a glimpse of Liam’s panicked face as he rushed toward me.

"Ah, my foot, it hurts," he muttered, but his attention was quickly drawn to Evelyn, who gasped in alarm. Without hesitation, he turned to her, concern replacing his urgency for me. "Let me see where it hurts."

A bitter smile curved on my lips before I lost consciousness completely.

When I awoke again, the familiar gastric tube was back in place, and the steady beeping of the monitor was the only sound in the room.

"Bed 22, you're awake. How could you drink after just having surgery? Do you have any idea how much effort we put into saving you?" The nurse’s voice was filled with exhaustion and frustration. "Next time, don’t put yourself at such risk. It’s too dangerous."

I could only offer a soft apology. "I’m sorry, thank you. I won’t do it again."

The nurse paused, as if remembering something, before speaking again, her tone taking on a different edge. "Was it your boyfriend who brought you here that day? What was his deal? We told him your condition was critical, but he refused to believe us. He wouldn’t sign the consent forms, just sat there in the ER, waiting for the girl to get treated instead of you."