Twisted Fates: A Game of Love and Retribution

"Rachel, I've been thinking about the perfect place to propose to you or to say these important words, but then I realized those details aren't what truly matters. What matters is giving you happiness beyond your expectations. If you allow me, I'll strive to make you happy for the rest of my life." Jasper Reed knelt on one knee, holding up a ring, his intense black eyes filled with longing and hope as he looked at her. "Rachel Foster, will you marry me?"

At that moment, the lights brightened, and the room was filled with people applauding, their faces beaming with smiles of blessing.

No one noticed Rachel's slightly stiff expression as she stood in a daze, her mind blank.

"Marry him, marry him..."

The chorus from the crowd echoed around her, but her ears buzzed.

Jasper gazed at her with an intensity that couldn't be ignored.

She had never hesitated about marrying Jasper, yet at this moment, she couldn't find her voice.

The voices of blessing grew louder, and she felt panicked and lost. Her pale face lifted to look around. Why couldn't she immediately nod her head?

She looked at the people on the first floor, then at the second floor...

As if by fate, a couple was sitting by the glass railing on the second floor. In the dim light, the man, handsome in appearance, wore a finely tailored black suit. The woman, in a white dress, sat across from him, speaking softly. He smiled while talking to the woman, casting a lazy glance.

Her eyes inadvertently met his, and she visibly flinched.

She wasn't sure if she had seen it wrong, but she thought she saw a slight smile on his lips.

As the world awaited her nod, she looked at Kingsly Scott upstairs.

Time seemed to stop at that moment, and the surroundings dimmed, leaving the spotlight on her and Kingsly.

Jasper's proposal echoed in her ears, and the countless moments shared with him played in her mind. Yet... the setting sun, Kingsly carrying her on the road home, saying he would have her for a lifetime, and she shyly kissed his handsome cheek.

That scene felt as if it had happened just last night.

She was on the first floor, he on the second, just a few meters apart, yet it felt like a world apart.

His lazy and casual gaze shifted away from her as he spoke elegantly with his wife. The look he gave his wife was full of devotion and tenderness, indicating that his earlier glance downstairs was only because the commotion had disturbed their dining.

Her nose tingled with a familiar ache, reminiscent of the feeling she had three years ago when she learned he had married abroad.

Three years ago, she knew that her world was drifting further away from him. The story of Rachel Foster and Kingsly Scott had ended long ago, and Rachel could never marry Kingsly Scott.

The two of them, like their current positions—one above, one below—are parallel, never intersecting.

Tears that hadn't fallen for seven years streamed down at that moment...

"I do."

Her voice was choked and hoarse, and everyone thought she was moved by Jasper.

Jasper stood up, holding her tightly.

She leaned into Jasper's warm embrace, letting the tears flow uncontrollably, unable to stop.