Chapter 6
All Shattered in One Breath
Admist the family's storm, she appeared. Lilith, my sister. Her presence cut through the room like a knife dressed in silk. That smile sharp, predatory curled on her lips as she clapped her hands slowly, deliberately, savoring the moment.
"Well done. What a show, sister," she said, her voice dripping with venom. "I didn't expect you'd actually give up on this marriage with Lev."
"Are you happy now?"
She leaned in, so close I could see the flecks of gold in her cold eyes, so close I could smell her expensive perfume and feel the arctic chill radiating from her skin.
"Ecstatic," she whispered, the word icy and sweet. "Thank you… sister."
"But I'm not doing this for you," I replied, letting my gaze sharpen like steel. "He's my ex now. You always want what belongs to me, right? Consider him a donation."
For a heartbeat, her triumphant shimmer wavered. Something raw and wounded flashed in her eyes before she swallowed it whole.
"Don't play the saint," she hissed, as tossing her hair. "You think you're better than me? You just threw away your only chance at the Halton fortune."
I met her gaze, steady and unflinching. "Maybe. But at least I'm not pretending to be happy with someone else's leftovers."
Her laugh was the sound of ice cracking. "Whatever helps you sleep. This is exactly what I wanted though."
Before I could retort, my mother stepped forward, her face a mask of pained disbelief. "Alayna, I have never asked much of you. But this one thing… why would you disobey me like this? You defy me publicly."
"Mother, I'm choosing Dafa. He is also Mr. Haris Halton's son, isn't he?"
"But darling, have you considered what people will say? Think what they have on us? Hundreds of eyes, hundreds of opinions," she fretted, her voice threaded with anxiety. She glanced nervously at the other guests, her shoulders slumped.
"So what should I do, Mother, live for their opinions or for my own happiness?"
She flinched, a look of pain crossing her face. It was a question she couldn't answer, a choice she had never been allowed to make.
I didn't tell my mother the reason why I annuled this engagement with Lev. I didn't want to add more embarrassment to both family.
Lilith stepped closer, smirking, her eyes glinting. "Mother… let Alayna make her choice. Besides, she and Dafa are on the same level. They're compatible. After the marriage, they won't have trouble adapting, right? Many marriages fail because the couple simply isn't compatible."
My mother nodded slowly. "You're right. As long as my daughter is happy… I will approve this marriage."
"No! I can't accept this humiliation!" Lev shouted, his face red with fury. "Alayna, you've all planned this from the start, haven't you? You were hiding something from me all along, weren't you? That's why you do this. You're cheating on me!"
I couldn't believe Lev could stoop so low, accusing me of something I never did. My hands curled into fists at my sides, my chest tight with disbelief and anger.
"I am not cheating on you, Lev," I said, my voice cold and unwavering. "I never have been. And you know that!"
"Liar! It's obvious that you've been seeing someone else! You even admitted it just now in front of everyone that you'd rather marry Dafa!" Lev's voice cracked with fury, his face red.
"Lev, don't force me to do something we'll both regret," I said firmly, my gaze meeting his without flinching.
"What do you want, huh? Typical woman. Who else would dare to show their betrayal in public like this?" His words were venomous, meant to wound.
Lev had truly crossed a line. It wasn't just my dignity at stake anymore, he was threatening my family, our honor, everything I held dear.
Finally, I could no longer stay silent. The truth had to come out. I drew in a deep breath and revealed what he had been desperate to hide: "Fine. Since you insist on dragging our family's name through the mud… I'll tell everyone the truth. You've been cheating. With my own sister."
The room froze. Whispers turned to gasps, and eyes widened in shock. Lev's jaw dropped, and his fists shook at his sides.
Lilith's smirk turned wicked, enjoying the chaos she had a hand in creating, while my mother's face turned pale. I felt the heavy weight of the moment, but I also felt a strange liberation. The lie, the pretense, the fear, they all shattered in one breath.
Lev's face twisted in rage, betrayal, and disbelief. "You… you're lying!" he stammered. "Nobody will believe a woman like you!"
I shook my head, my voice steady. "No, Lev. I'm not. And now, you can explain yourself to everyone."
I walked across the hall toward the projector, the room falling eerily silent as all eyes followed me. My hands didn't tremble as I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone, connecting it to the system with a calm precision that belied the storm raging inside me.
The screen flickered to life above the stage, and the crowd gasped as the evidence appeared; the screenshots of Lev and Lilith's conversations. The messages ranged from flirty exchanges to words far too intimate to be acceptable in public, all saved and documented. Every inappropriate remark, photos, every secret meeting, every betrayal laid bare for everyone to see.
Whispers turned to murmurs, murmurs to shocked exclamations. The carefully constructed façade of the Halton engagement shattered completely.
"Woah… Lev is such a womanizer! I can't believe he was cheating with his fiancée's sister!"
"Absolutely disgraceful! How could he ruin the Halton family name like this?"
"Unbelievable… I've never seen anything so scandalous."
Lev's hands trembled as he took a step back, his mouth opening and closing as if searching for words that could excuse the inexcusable. Lilith froze, her smirk faltering as her role in the betrayal became undeniable.
"Lev! What have you done?!" Mrs. Minerva Halton, Lev's mother, finally spoke, her voice sharp with shock and disbelief.
"Mom… this isn't true! It's fake! She set me up!" Lev blurted, panic edging his voice.
"Check it yourself, Mrs Halton. Every message. Every inappropriate word. You don't need me to explain. Just check out his phone." I challenged her.
Mrs Halton looked at me, her expression sharp and unreadable. Then her gaze snapped to Lev, piercing and commanding.
"Give me your phone, Lev. Now!" she demanded, her voice low but filled with authority.
"Mom, you can't do this! My phone is private!" Lev protested, panic edging his words.
"I'm your mother." Mrs Minerva Halton's tone was icy, each syllable cutting through the murmurs in the hall.
"Do you think your privacy matters more than the truth? Hand it over. Now."
Lev hesitated, his fingers trembling as he fumbled with the device. The room was silent except for the faint buzz of shocked whispers, all eyes fixed on the confrontation.