This time, she was determined to break the habit. She wouldn't go there again.
Nikki tried on the ring and went home alone. As she passed by the bar, a group of drunken men blocked her path.
"Well, if it isn’t the fake Bray daughter."
"The Hewitt brothers are throwing a bachelorette party for the real one tonight. Didn’t you know?" One of them sneered. "Since you couldn’t climb your way up to the Hewitt family, why not settle for us instead…?"
They were infamous playboys in the circle. In the past, they wouldn’t have dared to look Nikki in the eye when the Hewitt brothers were around. But now, emboldened by alcohol, their lecherous gazes raked over her as they surrounded her, hands reaching out to grope her.
Nikki frowned, inhaling sharply. She turned to leave, but they forcibly stopped her. Panic surged through her as she struggled, desperately hoping for someone—anyone—to help.
Then, a voice rang out behind her.
"Let her go!"
It was Howard.
Relief flooded Nikki’s face as she looked at him, gratitude in her eyes. But the moment she met his gaze—along with Brad and Lora’s—her heart sank.
There was no concern.
Only disgust.
"Sister," Lora sighed, her delicate features tinged with disappointment. "Even if you can't marry Howard or Brad, you shouldn’t throw yourself at random men..." Her voice was soft, almost pitying. "I may have grown up poor, but even I know that a woman should keep her dignity. Are you really willing to degrade yourself like this—just to retaliate against me? Or is marrying into a wealthy family worth losing all self-respect?"
The tears that had welled in Nikki’s eyes from the earlier assault froze in disbelief. "It wasn’t—"
Brad cut her off with a sneer. "I think she’s just desperate enough to take whatever she can get."
His voice was cold, dripping with disdain. "Nikki, I really misjudged you. For years, you clung to me and my brother, and I could at least respect your persistence. But this?" He let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "You realize you can’t get into the Hewitt family, so you throw yourself at the first pack of dogs you find? When I think of all those years I spent with you as a kid, I feel sick."
Howard stepped forward, his expression unreadable but his tone cutting. "So this is the person who said she wanted to change her marriage partner?" He scoffed. "Lora was right. You really are cheap."
On the crowded street, passersby had already gathered, whispering among themselves, their gazes filled with judgment. The socialites who followed the Hewitt brothers smirked, adding fuel to the fire.
"She really is a disgrace. A fake through and through."
"Acts all innocent on the surface, but flirts with men behind closed doors. Who knows how many people she’s slept with already? She’s nothing compared to Lora!"
For three years, Nikki had fallen from her pedestal, from the life of a wealthy heiress to rock bottom. She had endured countless rumors, endured being looked down upon.
But this—
This was the first time Howard and Brad had humiliated her so openly, without a second thought.
Her lips quivered, but before she could say anything, she met their eyes.
There was no hesitation. No regret. Just sheer contempt, as if she were nothing more than filth beneath their shoes.
It was suffocating.
Her mind reeled back to the past—the laughter, the warmth, the way Howard and Brad had once looked at her with genuine care. But those memories shattered against the harsh reality of the present.
The crowd’s taunts grew louder, their laughter cutting through her like a blade.
And the two men who once meant everything to her stood silently, making no effort to stop it.
Then—something cold from her hand.
The diamond ring.
It landed with a sharp clink, jarring her back to reality.
Right.
The man she was going to marry wasn’t them.
That thought alone was enough to steady her.
Nikki swallowed back her emotions, lowered her gaze, and without a word, turned on her heel. Tears clung to her lashes, but she only let out a cold, bitter smile as she walked away.
Howard’s expression darkened. His brows furrowed as he called after her.
"Don’t you have anything to say?"
