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The scent of lilies hung heavy, a grim reminder of my father's sudden death. My world was already shattered by his passing, leaving me deep in grief and the chaotic planning of his funeral, with my fiancé Ethan Vance supposedly offering comfort. But then, during that very funeral, I discovered Ethan's cruel betrayal: he'd been extensively unfaithful with his assistant Tiffany, who had just given birth to his child three days prior, and he had the audacity to call me proposing a "modern arrangement" for our future. He scoffed at my pain, publicly flaunted his "perfect family" online, and later, when I went to collect my belongings, he and Tiffany attacked me, smashing my father's cherished watch and violently shoving me against a wall, leaving me bruised and terrified. How could the man I was meant to marry be so monstrous, so utterly dismissive of my pain, confident I'd return because our families' business interests were intertwined? Bruised and broken, alone on a park bench, I made the only desperate call I could imagine: "Marry me, David," I whispered to an old acquaintance, "Help me protect my father's legacy, and I'll be the partner your family always hoped for."