After Burning My Wedding Dress, My Billionaire Ex-Fiancé Went Insane

After chasing Ethan Crawford for eight miserable years, I finally gave up and accepted Julian Montgomery, the man who had been pursuing me with relentless devotion. When Julian proposed, he lit up the New York skyline with nine hundred and ninety-nine drones. It was a viral sensation. But on the eve of our wedding, he vanished without a trace. When I finally tracked him down, he was on a luxury yacht in Savannah, his arm wrapped tightly around his gorgeous, newly returned ex’s waist. He raised a glass to his friends, laughing coldly. "I only pursued Chloe to get revenge for my Melody." "I disappeared on purpose. Once my family seizes the Sterling family’s estate, I’ll call off the wedding publicly. I want to utterly humiliate her and her family." "I’m going to make Chloe suffer. A cheap, illegitimate daughter like her doesn't deserve happiness." So, I decided to grant his wish. I cut up my wedding dress and stood him up at the altar. But later, the great Julian Montgomery went completely insane. He destroyed my family’s rivals and tore the city apart, desperately begging for the return of the bride he could no longer find. Julian stood me up on the day we were supposed to try on our wedding outfits. I searched every single corner of the city he might go to, but there was no sign of him. On the sixth day of his disappearance, I received an anonymous text saying he had gone to Savannah. I booked the earliest flight and traveled through the night. When I finally saw him, he was drinking on a luxury yacht. Seeing him safe and sound, the knots in my chest finally loosened. But just as I was about to call out his name, my feet froze. Dazzling fireworks lit up the night sky. In the middle of the crowd on deck, Julian dropped to one knee, looking up at the woman in front of him with pure devotion. "Melody, will you marry me?" The crowd erupted in cheers. The woman blushed, biting her lip shyly. My eyes welled with tears instantly. I watched as Julian pulled her by her slender waist, planting a soft, tender kiss on her cheek. "You know my proposal to Chloe was just a trap," he murmured. "From beginning to end, you’re the only one I’ve ever loved." The woman in his arms tilted her face up. Under the moonlight, I recognized her. It was Melody Sinclair, the girl who had gone to study in the UK five years ago. His friend, Austin Crawford, teased him. "You already have your true love, yet you still chased Chloe for so long? Don't tell me you felt sorry for her after she failed to win my brother's heart for eight years?" When I finally gave up on Ethan Crawford after eight painful years of unrequited love, Julian had been the one to save me from the dark. He told me it was love at first sight. I didn't believe him at first, but his passionate devotion lasted for five long years. Now, I wanted to ask him. If you didn't love me, Julian, why spend five years acting out such a perfect romance? Was it just because you pitied me? Hearing Austin's question, Julian scoffed with utter indifference. "I did it to get revenge for Melody. Why would I actually fall for a hand-me-down that Ethan Crawford didn't even want?" With Melody standing right there, Austin didn't ask further. He only asked how the marriage alliance between the Montgomerys and the Sterlings would end. Julian lowered his gaze, his voice turning cold. "I disappeared to make Chloe anxious. Once we secure the Sterling family assets, I will publicly tear up the wedding contract. I want to leave the Sterlings utterly ruined and humiliated." Another friend raised his glass. "But Julian, Chloe has been frantically searching all over New York for the past six days. She’s probably going out of her mind. Aren't you worried at all?" Julian didn't answer. He just looked into Melody’s gentle, innocent eyes. "Melody, just wait for me a little longer. It will be over soon." A sudden chill flashed across his eyes. "I will make Chloe fall from the height of her happiest moment straight into hell. I want her to suffer so much that she wishes she were dead. She needs to understand that a filthy, illegitimate child does not deserve happiness." Looking at his face, I couldn't find a single shred of the love or tenderness he had shown me over the years. There was only venom and deep-seated hatred. It was as if he had endured years of torture just to witness this moment of triumph. It felt like a dagger had pierced my heart. The pain was so intense I could barely breathe. I once believed that meeting Julian when I was at my lowest was a gift from heaven. From my initial skepticism to slowly letting my guard down, I truly believed that "forever" existed. In the third year of his pursuit, I finally accepted his confession. That day, he spun me around like a happy child, his eyes filled with nothing but my reflection. In our second year together, his grand proposal went viral on TikTok. He rented nine hundred and ninety-nine drones to perform a spectacular light show over New York. Every single display ended with a deeply romantic confession of love. I thought that romance was his unique, exclusive love for me. I never imagined it was just a cruel play staged for Melody's amusement. Today, his five years of fake devotion and his financial support to my family were finally coming to an end. He had fooled everyone who genuinely looked forward to our wedding, only to turn around and welcome his true love.Suddenly, some old memories flashed in my mind. When I was nine years old, I was kidnapped and brutally beaten. Someone had saved me. Before passing out, I remember falling into a warm embrace, my hand clutching a lily-of-the-valley bracelet. When I woke up, Ethan was the only one beside my hospital bed. I assumed he was my savior. Out of gratitude, I chased him for ten years, never regretting a single moment. Eventually, my crush became public knowledge, but he never gave me an answer. Finally, I woke up, gave up on that dead-end love, and chose to find myself. That was when Julian, who had just returned from England, began showing up everywhere in my life, pursuing me fiercely. I had been in danger a few times over those years, and he had always thrown himself in harm's way to protect me, saving me far more times than Ethan ever did. I was afraid I was just acting out of gratitude, so I hesitated to accept him. Until one night, Julian played "A Maiden’s Prayer" on the piano for me—a song he had spent months learning. It was my favorite piece, but I could never play it again because my right wrist had been shattered years ago. Julian’s eyes shone with a brilliant light as he looked at me. "Chloe, I want to protect your dreams. Give me a chance to love you, okay?" At that moment, my heart raced. I knew I had genuinely fallen for him. So, I said yes. I fell deep into the warm trap he had woven with lies, clearing out my entire heart just to make room for him. While I was dreaming of our sweet, eternal future, he was standing behind me, stabbing me repeatedly until my heart was a bloody mess, leaving my entire body cold and paralyzed. My nose stung, and my eyes burned with unshed tears. I watched as Melody stood on her tiptoes to kiss Julian passionately. "I promise you, Julian. Because I love you, I believe your promise. And I am willing to say yes to you here in my hometown." Julian smiled and deepened the kiss. The crowd clapped and cheered. I remembered then—Savannah was the city where Melody had grown up. A sudden surge of anger made my chest tighten. Tears slipped down my face, but I wiped them away instantly. Julian, you wanted to see me broken and devastated because of my unrequited love, right? Fine. I'll give you exactly what you want.I wiped away all traces of my visit. No one knew I had ever been to Savannah. I took the first flight back and immediately went to pick up my MIT admission letter. Back at our penthouse, I gathered every single gift Julian had ever given me, along with our framed photos, and began shredding them. Halfway through, I had to stop to wipe the tears from my face. I kept telling myself I wasn't sad, but the tears just wouldn't stop flowing. The pain wrapped around my heart, numbing my nerves. When I looked at the wedding dress I hadn't even had the chance to try on, my tears spilled over again. It felt as if a giant piece of my heart had been carved out, never to heal again. Once I calmed down, I gripped the scissors tightly and drove them straight through the fabric of the wedding dress's chest. I whispered to myself. There is no turning back. Julian wouldn't be coming back to our place anytime soon. I shoved all the shredded pieces into the guest room. My phone buzzed. It was an unknown number. Normally, I ignored texts from strangers, but this time, some strange instinct made me open it. "I'm back." "Chloe, everything you have will be mine this time. Whether it's your status as the Sterling family's heiress, or your place as Julian’s bride." As expected, the text was followed by a photo of the two of them hugging on the yacht. I didn't reply. On Snapchat, Julian’s profile was completely silent. But his Instagram feed, which had always been private, was suddenly set to public. His new story showed a faint silhouette of two people from behind. To anyone who didn't know the truth, it looked like Julian and me. I curled my lips into a bitter smile. Julian was so terrified of letting Melody feel slighted that the moment she returned, he didn't even want to finish the rest of his little play with me.My phone rang. It was Ethan's number. "Guess who I ran into in Savannah?" "I don't care, and I don't need you to tell me." Just as I was about to hang up, Ethan’s low, mocking laugh came through the speaker. "Chloe, did you really believe Julian’s bullshit about love at first sight?" "He deliberately approached you the moment you gave up on me. It wasn't love. It was revenge for his precious Melody." "What exactly are you trying to say?" I was losing my patience. "Chloe, during all those years you chased me, at least I never had anyone else in my heart." "I didn't accept you because I wanted to test your sincerity. I wanted you to hold on a little longer. When Melody tried to seduce me back then, I didn't even give her a second glance. Unlike Julian..." The old injury in my right hand began to throb. A sudden wave of fury washed over me. "Ethan, you were the one who sent me that anonymous text, weren't you?" "Even now, you still love playing with people's minds. Even if you did save me back then, my ten years of devotion have more than paid that debt." "You should know by now—I never regret my choices, and I never look back." The line went dead. A second later, he sent a video. "Watch this. I'm sure you'll find it interesting." The video was taken at a dark harbor late at night. "What's wrong? Didn't have a good night?" someone teased in the video as Julian threw on his coat irritably. "We need to leave now. I can't keep Melody waiting." Austin hesitated before asking, "Julian, did you... leave a seed in her?" Julian exhaled a cloud of smoke and said flatly, "Yeah. When I went to the UK last month, Melody was throwing a tantrum. I lost control for a moment." My phone slipped from my hand, hitting the floor with a loud crash. But the audio kept playing. My ears buzzed, and my stomach churned with intense nausea. I rushed to the bathroom and threw up violently. On the shelf, a brand-new box of tampons sat unopened. My period had always been like clockwork. But this month, it was a week late. I had been so worried about Julian's safety that I hadn't even noticed. Last month, Julian claimed he had to go to the UK for a business trip. He barely replied to my texts, and I thought it was just because of the jetlag. Two days later, he had sent me a long, emotional paragraph expressing his love. "Chloe, I miss you so much. I wish I could be by your side every single second." It turned out that right after sleeping with Melody, he still had the stomach to play the devoted fiancé just to string me along. That late-night message wasn't love. It was guilt after cheating. And to think I had actually cried, touched by his fake words. To think I had believed every single lie. And when he slept in my bed after returning, did he whisper apologies to Melody in his heart? I suddenly wanted to ask him: how does it feel to step straight out of one woman's warmth and wrap another in your arms without blinking an eye?The next morning, I went to the hospital. The test confirmed my fears: I was pregnant. Holding the report, I stood frozen in the sterile hallway, completely lost. Suddenly, two familiar figures walked out from around the corner. Their fingers were tightly intertwined. On Melody’s wrist was a familiar lily-of-the-valley bracelet. "Chloe? What are you doing at the hospital?" Meeting my gaze, Julian quickly yanked his hand away from Melody’s and walked over to me with a warm smile. He was always so good at acting in front of me. I gripped the paper tightly and looked into his gentle eyes, forcing a small smile. "You're back. I'm fine, just had an upset stomach." Julian asked anxiously, "Chloe, you need to eat on time when I'm not around. Your stomach is already weak. I'll worry myself to death if anything happens to you." He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, acting as if nothing had happened on that yacht. Seeing his instant face-flip right in front of Melody, I almost laughed out loud. During the six days he was missing, I couldn't eat or sleep. When I heard he was in Savannah, I was terrified he had been kidnapped or hurt because of some business rivalry. While I was losing sleep over his safety, he was passionately proposing to another woman. The strong scent of jasmine perfume from Melody drifted over. My empty stomach spasmed, and the urge to vomit hit me again. Seeing my scowl, Melody smiled sweetly. "Chloe, tell Dad I'm home." She put extra emphasis on the word "home." Her eyes flicked toward Julian as she added, "Julian has been with me the entire time he was 'missing.'" "Melody, shut up," Julian snapped, a rare flash of panic appearing in his eyes. Unable to take the nausea any longer, I violently pushed Julian away and bolted for the restroom. "Chlo—" Julian went to chase after me, but Melody grabbed his sleeve and whispered, "Julian, it's my turn for the ultrasound." Julian froze. Ultimately, he stayed by her side to accompany her for her prenatal checkup. After throwing up stomach acid, I washed my face, staring at my pale reflection in the mirror with a bitter laugh. How pathetic. I looked less like the legitimate fiancée catching her man cheating, and more like a dirty mistress who couldn't be shown in public. Actually, I wasn't even qualified to be a mistress. To Julian, I was nothing more than a tool for his sick revenge. When I stepped out of the restroom, I saw Ethan standing at the end of the hallway. He had clearly been waiting for me. His dark eyes stared at the OB-GYN clinic door before turning to me. "Chloe, is this the kind of trash you settled for after leaving me?" "That's none of your business, Ethan." "I didn't accept you back then because I was afraid you only chased me out of gratitude, not real love. I wanted to test you. But why did you stop?" I had chased him for ten years. And now he was asking me why I stopped? How ridiculous. Maybe it started as gratitude, but over ten years, that gratitude had turned into genuine love. Yet Ethan chose to use that gratitude to dangle me along. He didn't love me. He was just bitter that he had lost his loyal shadow. He and Julian were cut from the same cloth—stomping on my love, only to blame me for not loving them enough. "Now you've seen his true colors. Do you still want to be with him?" Ethan stepped closer. "Chloe, why don't you look back at me?" I scoffed. "I stopped caring about the past a long time ago. Keep those ten years. Consider them a gift." Ethan pressed on. "Even if he used you? Even if he's having a baby with someone else?" A sharp pain flared in my chest. I pressed my hand against my heart, then slowly slid it down to my stomach. *It's okay, Chloe. Just bear it a little longer.*On my way home, Julian called me, frantically explaining that everything was a misunderstanding. He wanted to make excuses, but I didn't want to hear them. I simply smiled and said softly, "Don't worry, Julian. I believe you. After all, we're getting married soon, right?" The line went silent. Then, Julian let out a sigh of relief, his voice turning playful. "Of course, Chloe. I dream about you in that wedding dress every single night. You can't back out now." He sounded so sincere. If this were the past, I would have believed him. Suppressing my disgust, I said gently, "I'm just teasing. I know you love me most." The Sterling family certainly didn't have the courage to break off a marriage with the Montgomerys on their own. When I got home and saw my parents sitting together lovingly, my heart softened for a moment. After a long silence, my eyes grew hot as I looked at my father. "Dad, Melody is back. She's your biological daughter too, isn't she?" The living room fell into a dead silence. My mother was the first to explode, demanding an explanation. My father’s face went pale. He hung his head and confessed everything. Melody was the child of his college sweetheart, born secretly after they broke up. "That was nineteen years ago. Her mother only brought her to me right before she died of illness. I couldn't bear to leave her, so I adopted her. I swear, there was nothing else to it." But years ago, my father had claimed Melody was the orphan of an old friend from Savannah. My mother, out of the kindness of her heart, had even told me to welcome her as my new sister. And five years ago, even though Melody knew I had been chasing Ethan for years, she still tried to get close to him. When I accidentally caught them, she pushed me down the stairs in a fit of rage, shattering my right wrist and giving me a mild concussion. I could never play the piano again. Yet, she refused to apologize, screaming that I had stolen her life. Back then, my father’s only solution was to pack her off to study in the UK. And now, five years later, both of his daughters were pregnant by the same man. I turned my head, wiping the tears from my eyes, and took a deep breath. "Dad, Melody is pregnant with Julian’s baby. If the Sterlings want to keep partnering with the Montgomerys, you have to recognize Melody as your eldest daughter. Let her marry Julian in my place." "Richard Sterling! You bastard, how dare you lie to me!" "Five years ago, you tricked me into raising your mistress's child. And now, she’s pregnant with Julian’s baby, and my daughter has to pay the price!" My mother, usually a refined lady, lost all control. She grabbed my father’s collar, screaming at the top of her lungs. Our once warm home had turned into a chaotic, absurd comedy. "Enough!" I yelled. My mother stopped. She was the most innocent one in all of this, yet she held me tight, weeping and apologizing over and over. "Mom, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." I made my parents promise to keep my MIT plans a secret, and insisted that my father follow my instructions. Most of our family wealth came from my late grandfather's estate. If Julian tried to destroy the Sterlings for his revenge, I couldn't just stand by and watch. While packing my bags, I suddenly came across my old diaries. They were filled with ten years of my painful pursuit of Ethan. As I flipped through the very first page, I noticed the paper was loose, and the childhood photo that used to be taped there was gone. I also realized my lily-of-the-valley bracelet was missing. Without hesitation, I unblocked Ethan and called him. "Ethan, when you saved me all those years ago, did you lose a lily-of-the-valley bracelet? Do you remember?" "What bracelet?" My heart skipped a beat, then stopped completely. I burst into a fit of wild laughter, tears streaming down my face.