CHAPTER 108: SARAH BEAT HIS LIPS

After accompanying Drake parents around the banquet hall—where every guest was a longtime friend of the Drake family—Samantha couldn’t help but notice how her unprompted compliments brought a pleased glow to Mrs. Drake’s face.

Several rounds of toast later, Samantha’s cheeks flushed as red as a ripe pomegranate.

Yet when she scanned the room, Drake was nowhere to be seen.

Once again, he had left her stranded in the spotlight—and once again, it was all because of Sarah.

"Sarah, it’s been a while.

Mind if we talk alone?"

Samantha approached Sarah, who was seated in a quiet corner with Ryan, offering her a faint, practiced smile.

Ryan, well aware of the complicated history between the two women, felt awkward lingering.

With a doting chuckle, he squeezed Sarah’s arm lightly.

"You two catch up.

I’ll step outside for some air."

Sarah nodded obediently, playing the part of a smitten lover to perfection.

The sight drew a wry smirk from Samantha.

She and Sarah had grown up together—sharing beds, toys, and every childhood memory.

Their families were old friends, and Samantha knew Sarah’s true nature all too well.

These little performances might fool Drake when he was blinded by anger, but they couldn’t deceive her.

The eyes never lie when it comes to love.

And in Sarah’s gaze toward Ryan, there wasn’t a trace of genuine affection—only a betrayal laid bare.

"What did you want to talk about?"

Sarah tilted her head.

"Oh, and... congratulations on today, by the way."

Sarah sipped her champagne with practiced composure, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Her eyes held an inscrutable depth, like still waters concealing turbulent currents.

Samantha swirled the vibrant liquid in her glass, arching an eyebrow with a coy smile.

"What exactly are you congratulating me for?"

A deliberate pause.

Two seconds stretched like eternity.

Sarah tucked a strand of lustrous black hair behind her ear, her voice honeyed yet edged.

"Why, Drake’s proposal, of course.

Presenting you with a ring in front of everyone—wasn’t that his way of popping the question?"

"Indeed," Samantha admitted, her manicured fingers drumming an idle rhythm on the table—each tap mirroring the erratic pulse in Sarah’s chest.

"His parents are eager for us to formalize things.

Mine would prefer I stay home a couple more years, but... an engagement won’t be far off."

Her gaze sharpened as it locked onto Sarah.

"But what about you?

Are you really with Ryan?

He just returned from abroad, didn’t he?

When did this happen?

And... how have you been all these years?"

The questions came as no surprise.

Sarah had braced for them.

She turned toward the kaleidoscopic city lights beyond the window, her laughter light as drifting dandelion fluff.

"I was on a business trip overseas last winter—that’s when Ryan and I reconnected.

A long-distance affair, you could say."

Her shoulders lifted in a delicate shrug.

"We kept it quiet.

Young love screams for attention, but real happiness... it’s just two people in their own universe.

No room for spectators."

The words landed like a stinging slap.

Samantha’s cheeks burned crimson.

Everyone knew.

Samantha had been the wedge between Drake and Sarah back in their university days—the unspoken third wheel in their relationship, the gossip that fueled cafeteria whispers and dormitory snickers.

Some truths needed no announcement.

Once hailed as the golden couple of the campus, Sarah and Drake had suddenly become the laughingstock of the entire school.

Especially for Sarah—those dark days nearly drove her to depression.

If it hadn’t been for Lucas’s unwavering support, she might still be in a hospital bed today.

That humiliating Chapter of her life felt like pure hell.

To be betrayed so completely by love and two people she once trusted, and now to be asked if it still hurts—wasn’t that just laughable?

"Sarah... I want to apologize for what happened back then.

Drake and I never meant to hurt you..."

Never *meant* to? As if intent even mattered. Hurt was hurt.

What else was home wrecking if not deliberate cruelty?

Sarah almost laughed out loud but bit it back.

She refused to let them see her break.

If nothing else, she’d cling to the last shreds of her dignity and composure.

"That was years ago.

I’ve moved on—look at me now.

Running a company with Lucas, dating an incredible man... I couldn’t ask for more."

Her eyes glistened faintly before she steeled herself, forcing the moisture away.

"I need the restroom."

One more second here, and she might’ve grabbed the champagne flute and hurled it at Samantha, wrecking Drake’s birthday party.

Then she’d really give the paparazzi outside fresh headlines.

Without waiting for Samantha’s reply, she turned on her heel and hurried toward the restrooms, her steps quick and unsteady.

When Sarah stepped out of the restroom to wash her hands, a familiar figure reflected in the mirror made her spine stiffen instantly.

She pretended not to see him and bolted for the exit, only to be yanked back by a pair of strong hands.

The next moment, she collided hard against Drake’s solid chest, the impact leaving a red mark on her forehead.

"I’m sorry—"

Her first instinct was to apologize before struggling to break free from his grasp.

But then a cold finger tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet Drake’s icy gaze.

A shiver ran down her spine.

She wanted to flee, yet her feet felt welded to the floor, refusing to budge.

"Sorry for what?"

His voice was sharp, each word deliberate, like jagged blades stabbing into her chest. Her blood roared in her ears.

"Maybe I should congratulate you instead!

Congratulations on your successful proposal today!

May you and Samantha grow old together, may you—"

His lips sealed hers in a brutal kiss, cutting off her words.

It was rough, almost punishing—his mouth grinding against hers, teeth nipping at her tender flesh until she gasped in pain.

Furious, Sarah bit down hard on his lower lip.

The metallic tang of blood flooded her mouth, searing her throat like fire.

She wanted to cough, but the suffocating pressure left her choking.

The two figures remained locked in a heated embrace for a moment before she finally shoved Drake away with all her strength.

Glancing around, she breathed a sigh of relief—no one had witnessed the scene.

Otherwise, Online news would have a field day tomorrow.

*"Drake proposes to current girlfriend Samantha at his birthday party—while locking lips with ex-girlfriend Sarah in the bathroom."

* She could already picture the scandalous headline.

"What the hell was that?"

Sarah hissed, her voice trembling with fury.

Veins stood out along her neck, her eyes bloodshot and glazed with unshed tears.

"Have you forgotten your fiancée is still out there?

What do you think will happen if Samantha finds out?

Have you even considered that?

Hurting one person wasn’t enough—now you want to destroy someone else too?

God, Drake, you’re unbelievably selfish and wicked!"

Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and stormed off, ignoring the stormy look on Drake’s face—or the deep, bleeding mark her teeth had left on his lip.