Walking Away from My Toxic Fiancée

On Halloween night, my fiancée Serena organized the five of us to go to Disney for a carnival night. But I only found out when I arrived at the venue. The other four had all put on elaborate Halloween costumes. I was the only one wearing casual clothes, looking completely out of place. Kyle, dressed in a prince costume, whispered: "Did no one tell him?" "It's really awkward to look at." Serena and my two childhood friends, Chloe and Vivian, were all wearing gorgeous princess dresses. They looked at each other, but no one said a word. Obviously, they had all forgotten about me. Just like half a year ago, when I suffered a severe car crash on the highway. I was in a coma in the hospital for three days and three nights. Yet they were busy keeping Kyle company to celebrate his cat getting neutered, and no one came to see me. I opened my mouth, just about to call out to them. But a conflict suddenly broke out on the other side of the dance floor. I was knocked to the ground by the out-of-control crowd. A sharp iron barricade sliced a bloody gash across my leg. When I raised my head, Serena and the other two were already shielding Kyle and leaving, not even looking back. Only then did it suddenly dawn on me. A relationship that has always been neglected—it was time to back out of it. I took out my phone and left the five-person core iMessage group. Then, I sent an email to the senior shareholder, Mr. Reed: [Mr. Reed, I accept the partner invitation from the overseas branch in London, UK. The handover period will be seven days.] After clicking send, I pinned a reminder in my memo app: [Countdown to departure: 7 days] Chapter 1: The Prince Has Been Replaced Park security rushed over upon hearing the commotion and quickly evacuated the crowd. Only after the crowd dispersed did Serena and the others finally see me. I was sitting on the ground in a sorry state. The gash on my leg was still seeping blood. Soon, a small patch of my pant leg was dyed red. "Adrian!" Serena's expression drastically changed, and she immediately ran toward me. She crouched in front of me, reaching out to support my shoulders, and asked anxiously: "Are you hurt?" She pulled out her phone: "I'll call the paramedics right now." I looked at her extended hand and gave no response. Vivian turned and headed to the intersection to clear the way for the arriving medical staff. When Kyle saw the blood on my leg, his face suddenly turned pale. He clutched his chest, his breathing becoming increasingly rapid: "I can't catch my breath." Chloe hastily caught him, letting him lean against her embrace. But when she looked at me, there was still worry in her eyes. Vivian hurried back with the medical staff. The paramedics lifted me onto a stretcher. Looking at the worry in the eyes of the three of them, in a daze, I remembered the days before Kyle appeared. Chloe, Vivian, and I grew up in the same orphanage. I was the oldest of the three. Since childhood, I was used to taking care of them. Later, the three of us consecutively joined Serena's company. It was there that Serena and I officially started our relationship. At that time, the four of us had a great relationship. We supported each other at work and talked about everything in life. I worked desperately hard and soon got promoted to the position of Risk Management Director. Serena trusted my abilities. Whenever Chloe and Vivian ran into trouble, they would always come to me first. I thought this kind of relationship would last forever. Until a fire broke out in the company. At that time, Kyle, who had recently joined, shielded everyone as they evacuated. Everyone got out safely. But Kyle's arm was severely burned. That accident left him with severe psychological trauma. From then on, whenever he was triggered, he would experience shortness of breath. In severe cases, he would even faint on the spot. Serena and the others felt they owed Kyle their lives and began to take extra care of him. At Kyle's slightest discomfort, Chloe would rush over immediately. The moment his eyes turned red, Vivian would drop whatever she was doing to comfort him. As long as he asked for help, Serena would always be the first to appear. At first, I didn't mind. I felt that Kyle had saved them. It was only natural for them to take care of him more. Therefore, whenever they changed our plans at the last minute, I would take the initiative to step back. Last month, after working overtime for several days straight, I fainted in my office from low blood sugar. I called them for help. Serena, however, said she was accompanying Kyle to pick out a suit for a charity gala. She told me to buy a cup of sugar water myself and hail a car home. "You can manage on your own." I had heard this sentence countless times. Half a year ago, I was in a severe car crash on the highway. My leg was heavily injured, and I was in a coma in the hospital for three days and three nights. During those three days, Serena, Chloe, and Vivian never came to see me. They didn't even notice I had lost contact. During that time, they were busy accompanying Kyle to celebrate his cat getting neutered. After I woke up, they explained that Kyle's psychological state was unstable. They didn't dare let him get triggered. I accepted their explanation. I thought that as long as I was a little more understanding, they would eventually remember me. But what I waited for was disappointment after disappointment. Arriving at the emergency room, the doctor checked my wound and told me I needed stitches. Serena held my hand, her eyes full of heartache. But the moment the doctor brought out the suture needle, Kyle saw the wound. His face instantly changed. Staring at the needle tip, he suddenly clutched his chest: "I can't breathe..." "Kyle!" Chloe immediately rushed over to support him. Vivian and Serena also crowded around him. Serena didn't even look back: "Kyle needs us more right now, you stay here and get stitched up on your own." They hurriedly supported Kyle to the resting area next door. The door to the treatment room subsequently closed. Only the doctor and I were left in the room. The doctor cleaned and sutured my wound. As the needle and thread pierced my skin, the wound hurt terribly. I gritted my teeth and didn't utter a single sound. After the suturing was done, the doctor bandaged my wound. He instructed me to walk less over the next few days to prevent the wound from splitting open again. I thanked him and walked out of the treatment room alone. Over by the benches, Serena, Chloe, and Vivian were surrounding Kyle. Chloe was holding water for him. Vivian was comforting him by his side. Only after confirming his breathing was steady did Serena finally notice me. She walked up to me and glanced at my bandaged leg: "All stitched up?" "Does it hurt?" I shook my head: "It's nothing major." Kyle also stood up, looking at me with red eyes: "Adrian, I'm sorry." "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have gotten hurt." Chloe immediately held him: "It's not your fault, don't blame yourself." Vivian also frowned: "Adrian, Kyle didn't do it on purpose." "There's no need for you to keep giving him the cold shoulder." I looked at them. It was clearly me who was injured. Yet the first thing they considered was whether Kyle would feel bad. Vivian glanced down at her phone, and her expression changed: "Adrian, why did you leave the group chat?" Chloe also opened the chat. The group name was still—"Three Princesses and a Prince". Initially, the prince beside the three princesses was me. Serena had personally changed the group avatar. She said the three princesses naturally needed a prince of their own. After Kyle appeared, the group avatar was changed to a group photo of the three of them with Kyle. The group name didn't change, but the prince had been replaced. I used to think that as long as I remained in the group, it meant I was still an important person to them. It wasn't until tonight that I realized that wasn't the case. They remembered to prepare a prince costume for Kyle. But forgot to remind me to prepare a Halloween outfit. They could shield Kyle through the chaotic crowd. But not a single one of them looked back to see if I was hurt. Serena grabbed my wrist, softening her voice to persuade me: "Adrian, add yourself back to the group." "We're going to City Hall next week to process our marriage registration." "Don't ruin the harmony over such a trivial matter." Next week. Exactly the day the countdown on my memo app hits zero. I gently pulled my hand back: "I won't join back." The gentleness on Serena's face gradually vanished: "What exactly do you want?" I looked at her and answered calmly: "From now on, we are just colleagues." "Outside of work, don't contact me anymore." Kyle, with reddened eyes, made a move to walk out: "I'm sorry, it's all my fault." "If you guys are going to fight because of me, I'll leave right now." Chloe immediately pulled him back. Vivian also stood up. They looked at me simultaneously, their eyes full of blame. Vivian suppressed her anger and said: "We grew up together." "You can't just throw everything away over a trivial matter." Serena took out her phone again and held the group chat QR code in front of me: "Scan it and join back." Her voice turned cold: "Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit." I shook my head: "I won't." I pushed her hand away, turned around, and left on my crutch. From behind came the sound of Kyle crying. Chloe and Vivian immediately crowded around to comfort him. Serena didn't chase after me. Not a single person chased after me. After returning to my apartment, I put my phone on "Do Not Disturb." Serena sent a long string of voice messages. She first blamed me for not considering the big picture, and later said that the arrangements for the marriage registration wouldn't change. Vivian said twenty years of affection couldn't just be cut off like that. Chloe also urged me to give everyone a chance to explain. I didn't reply. I muted all their notifications. Then, I checked off the first item in my memo: [Cancel City Hall marriage registration appointment: Completed] The countdown refreshed: [D-6] Chapter 2: Forced to Clean Up His Mess Early the next morning, messages in the company executives' group chat popped up endlessly. In order to pass his probation early, Kyle had bypassed the compliance review. He privately signed a nutritional supplement supply contract. The latest round of product spot-checks revealed that the heavy metal content in the products severely exceeded the standard. More than a dozen consumers had already shown symptoms of poisoning. Several of them had been sent to the hospital. Being in charge of the company's risk management, I immediately demanded the suspension of all related product sales. The contracts and approval records were handed over to the legal department for preservation, and the consumer compensation process was launched simultaneously. Finally, I clearly wrote in the executives' group chat: "Before the investigation is completed, Kyle must be suspended from work." "If it is confirmed that he exceeded his authority to sign the contract, the company must hold him legally accountable." Not long after, Serena's assistant called: "Adrian, Serena asks that you come to her office immediately." Enduring the pain in my leg, I rushed to the company. The assistant pushed open the door to the CEO's office for me. Serena sat behind the desk. Kyle stood beside her, his eyes red from crying. Chloe and Vivian were also there. As soon as I walked in, Kyle raised his hand and slapped himself across the face: "Adrian, I'm sorry." "I know I did wrong this time." "Please don't fire me, okay?" He was about to hit himself again. Serena immediately grabbed his wrist: "Enough." "You already know you were wrong, don't hurt yourself anymore." She pacified Kyle before turning to look at me: "Look, he already knows he was wrong." "The most important thing right now is to control the fallout, not to push him in front of everyone." I placed the incident report on the desk: "Consumers are already hospitalized." "This isn't a problem that can be solved with a simple apology." Serena glanced at the document: "There might be an issue with the signature." "But there's no proof yet that it's Kyle's responsibility." Chloe frowned: "Adrian, you've always been very professional." "Let the legal department investigate this matter first, don't rush to conclusions." Vivian also chimed in to persuade me: "Kyle is already very remorseful." "If you keep hounding him now, it will only make things harder to resolve." I looked at them, finally losing the energy to argue: "Fine." "Since you don't need me to handle the risks, then I resign." The office fell silent. Serena pulled out an equity agreement from her drawer and pushed it in front of me: "The restricted shares under your name are tied to a performance commitment agreement." "Resigning now will trigger an eight-million-dollar breach of contract penalty." Her tone was calm, as if she were just discussing an ordinary business deal: "You stay, handle this crisis well, and make up for Kyle's losses." "Then the board of directors won't initiate recovery claims." Looking at that agreement, I finally saw her choice clearly. It wasn't that she didn't understand right from wrong. She just firmly believed that I would clean up her mess like I always had. Serena took out another document: "There's a business banquet tonight." "Mr. Bennett's project can cover the losses this time." "You go and negotiate the contract." She looked at me, her tone leaving no room for discussion: "The credit for the project will be recorded under Kyle's name." "This will help his future development." I could have refused. But the liability for breach of contract on the agreement wasn't fake. The compensation for the consumers couldn't be delayed any longer, either. Moreover, only by balancing this account would the senior shareholder, Mr. Reed, not be implicated when taking over my shares. I picked up the document: "I will negotiate the compensation." "But I will not forge the attribution of responsibility for anyone." Walking out of the office, I checked off the second item in my memo: [Transfer of risk control authority and sealing of audit logs: Ready] The countdown ticked down: [D-2] Chapter 3: The Fatal Dead End in the Rainstorm The banquet was held at a mid-mountain hotel in Beverly Hills. My wound began to inflame, and my body gradually grew cold and feverish. I simply treated the wound, changed into a suit, and headed to the hotel alone. As soon as I entered the banquet hall, I saw Serena and the other two surrounding Kyle. A guest walked over with a wine glass: "Kyle, I heard that when the company caught fire, you were the one who led everyone to evacuate?" Kyle lowered his head, his expression humble: "I just did what I was supposed to do." The guest then looked at Serena: "Your company is truly lucky to have an employee like this." Serena smiled and nodded: "Kyle has always worked very hard." Someone raised a glass to toast Kyle. Serena took the glass for him: "He hasn't been feeling well lately; I'll drink this one for him." People around them joked: "Serena sure takes great care of Kyle." "Standing together, you two really look like a couple." Serena didn't refute it, just smiled and finished the wine in the glass. I stood not far away, watching this scene. Suddenly, I remembered the first time I accompanied Serena to a corporate cocktail party. At that time, a client intentionally pressured me to drink. I was already feeling unwell, but due to our partnership, I couldn't directly refuse. Serena walked over and took the glass from me. She stood in front of me and said to the client: "If he doesn't want to drink, he doesn't have to." "With me here, no one can force him." Back then, I thought I had met a person I could rely on for the rest of my life. Now, the person she was protecting had been replaced by Kyle. I withdrew my gaze and walked toward the negotiation table. For the next three hours, I forced myself through a high fever to negotiate with Mr. Bennett. I verified the budget, division of responsibilities, and compensation clauses item by item. Finally, I handed him the risk report and the phased compensation plan. Mr. Bennett was initially unwilling to accept it. I didn't argue, I just wrote the execution date of each compensation item into the contract. Finally, he closed the file and extended his hand approvingly: "Mr. Adrian, I accept this proposal." "I am signing this because of your professional bottom line." I shook his hand and completed the signing. Only then did I realize my shirt was already soaked in cold sweat. Right at that moment, the chandeliers above the banquet hall suddenly went out in unison, leaving only the dim emergency lights on. The guests' phones almost simultaneously emitted a sharp, piercing alarm. The California emergency agency pushed the highest level of disaster notification: [Red Alert for Atmospheric River Severe Rainstorm in Effect] [Santa Monica mid-mountain area facing gale force winds and flash floods, road closures and controls imminent] Outside the window, the rainstorm smashed horizontally against the glass like a high-pressure water gun. The howling wind tore at the giant trees, emitting terrifying cracking sounds. The winter night temperature plummeted to 4 degrees Celsius. Low blood sugar coupled with a persistent high fever made my vision go black in waves. I opened the Uber app. A glaring line of yellow text popped up on the screen: No drivers available in your area due to severe weather. I gritted my teeth, added a triple tip, and refreshed continuously for more than a dozen times. Finally, a black premium car accepted the order. It was the only car still taking rides on the mid-mountain for miles around. Dragging my completely swollen and numb right leg, I struggled to push open the heavy glass doors. The howling wind mixed with biting rain instantly smashed into my face; it was so cold I could barely breathe. Holding onto the slippery door pillar, I inched my way toward the car door. Just at the moment my fingertips were about to touch the door handle— Vivian rushed over preemptively and slammed hard into my injured leg. The excruciating pain made my vision go black, and I fell heavily onto the waterlogged steps. Chloe didn't even glance at me lying in the muddy water, supporting Kyle into the backseat. Serena walked around to the other side and got directly into the passenger seat. I lay prone in the freezing muddy water, tightly gripping the edge of the concrete steps: "Serena..." Muddy water flooded my throat, and my voice was so hoarse it trembled: "That's the Uber I called with a triple dispatch fee..." "There are no other cars around anymore..." The window of the passenger seat slowly lowered a narrow crack. The warm, dry heat from the car's AC faintly drifted out. From the backseat immediately came Kyle's weak crying: "Serena... I'm so dizzy... I can't catch my breath..." Serena looked at me lying in the water, a trace of panic flashing through her eyes. But the crying from the backseat instantly hardened her heart. "He's very unwell right now, we have to get down the mountain to the hospital immediately." She fished out two rain-soaked twenty-dollar bills from her bag and threw them out through the window crack: "Go back into the lobby and wait yourself. Wait for the morning patrol to come up and get you." The bills landed in a puddle and were instantly swept into the pitch-black storm drain by the fierce wind. Shivering all over, I looked at her behind the window: "Serena, the hotel's power is out." "My wound is festering, and I have a high fever..." Vivian impatiently slapped the partition, shouting at the driver to hurry: "Driver, step on the gas! The patient in the back is going into shock!" "Everyone is here, drive!" The car doors shut tightly. The tires spun wildly in the pooled water, kicking up freezing mud that splashed fiercely over my head, face, and injured leg. The red taillights sliced through the rainstorm, speeding away. Not a single person looked back. Right at the moment the car drove off, the gale snapped a giant tree branch overhead. The massive broken branch smashed violently onto the canopy of the portico. The glass roof shattered with a thunderous crash! Countless sharp glass shards, mixed with waterfall-like rain, plummeted from high above and slammed heavily onto my back. The freezing, filthy water instantly soaked through the thick bandages on my injured leg. Under the soaking of the dirty water, the inflamed and festering wound transmitted an excruciating pain like being roasted by open flames. The cold wind howled, and the temperature neared freezing. I began to convulse violently, my hands so numb I couldn't even prop my body up. These were the symptoms of severe hypothermia. Trembling, I fished out my phone, but the screen had become completely unresponsive due to water damage. Immediately after, in the bone-chilling cold, the screen flickered, turned black, and shut down. The entire mountain road plunged into deathly darkness. I leaned against the freezing door pillar, my teeth chattering violently, my vision slowly blurring. A second before my consciousness completely fell away, only that grating sentence remained in my ear: "Everyone is here, drive." So the so-called "everyone is here" meant leaving me alone in the dark night to freeze to death. ...