PART 1
“Let’s see if your fiancé still loves you after this,” my mother said, stepping back to watch me bleed without making a single move to help.
I was lying on the cold grass in my parents’ manicured back garden in Paradise Valley, the left side of my face burning with a searing pain while dozens of frozen guests stared at me in horror. My father had just hurled a heavy stone paver straight at my face after my fiancé publicly rejected my younger sister right in front of everyone.
My name is Clarissa, I am thirty-three years old, and I work as the head of risk assessment at a major private equity firm located in downtown Phoenix. That weekend gathering was meant to celebrate my engagement to Christopher, a corporate legal analyst who specializing in probate and estate disputes.
My father, Benedict, had thrown a lavish party despite the fact that his regional trucking fleet had been losing major shipping contracts for months. My sister, Brianna, who worked as a lifestyle content creator, hated whenever she was not the absolute center of attention.
When Christopher walked toward the outdoor bar to grab a bottle of sparkling water, Brianna stepped directly into his path, smoothed his jacket lapel, and leaned in close to whisper something into his ear.
Christopher immediately took two steps back and shook his head with utter disgust.
