Donovan and Vivian NovelShe Left Me for the Swimming Instructor

The day before Valentines, my fiancewho feared waterannounced she was taking swimming lessons.
I knew instantly: shed fallen for the instructor downstairs.
I went to one class, then gave her an ultimatum: call off the wedding or cut ties with him.
Vivian stormed out and didnt return all night.
The next day, she came back exhausted and aching, but swore I was the only one from then on.
At our wedding, as the officiant said, You may kiss the bride, she shoved me away.
I cant kiss someone I dont love, she choked out. I cant lie to my heart.
In a flash of white silk, she ran from the altar straight into the weeping instructors arms in the crowd.
The room erupted. Cameras flashed like a supernova.
I became the citys laughingstock overnight.
The top trending video was their passionate kiss at my wedding.
My heart turned to ash.
Since you chose to betray me again, dont blame me for burning your world down.

Watching her run, the last ember of hope inside me died.
I swept my arm across the champagne tower, sending a cascade of crystal and glass shattering to the floor.
My voice was a blade of ice. If you walk out that door right now, my family, the Blackwoods, and yours, the Crossesfrom this day on, it's war.
Vivian faltered, her eyes instantly welling with tears.
Im sorry, she whispered, her voice carrying across the stunned silence. But I cant betray my heart. Ill make it up to you someday.
Within thirty minutes, the headlines were everywhere: Heiress Vivian Cross Abandons Wedding for True Love.
The internet comments were brutal.
LOL, is this guy for real? Sounds like a villain from a cheap romance novel! Getting dumped is exactly what he deserves!
If hes this arrogant in public, imagine what a monster he is in private. Someone should investigate the Blackwood family!
Go Vivian! Women shouldnt be sacrificed for family alliances!
In a flash, the Blackwood name became a joke. And Vivian, the architect of my humiliation, was hailed by the media as a modern heroine, bravely chasing her heart.
I scrolled through the screen, my face a mask of stone. Then I saw her latest post, an apology statement.
While this decision has deeply hurt Donovan, I simply cannot accept a marriage without love, to spend the rest of my life in a numb stupor The fault is all mine. I beg you all not to direct your anger at him.
The accompanying photo was of her, eyes swollen from crying. What truly stung was the cheap silver ring on her finger. It wasnt the one Id given her.
Then, Dylan, the instructor, poured gasoline on the fire:
Vivian feels terrible, shes lost so much weight over this. You cant force love. I hope we can all still be friends.
A laugh, raw and furious, tore from my throat.
If she had been honest with me before the wedding, I would have let her go. I would have given her my blessing.
But she hadn't.
She chose this moment, in front of the whole city, to grind my familys dignity into the dust.
And now she thought she could use public opinion to force my forgiveness?
Never.
Get on the phone now, I snapped to my assistant. Pull all Blackwood investments from Cross Industries. Terminate every single partnership.
Then, use every resource we have to fund their direct competitors.
If the Cross family isn't bankrupt by the end of the year, Ill change my name.
Sweat beaded on my assistants forehead. Mr. Blackwood, he ventured cautiously, the public opinion is catastrophic for us right now. If we make a move like this, it could backfire
Backfire? I cut him off, my voice sharp as broken glass. A backstabbing parasite who repays kindness with betrayal doesn't deserve to be taught a lesson?
Well make an example of the Cross family. Lets see who dares to challenge the Blackwoods after this.
I rubbed my throbbing temples as memories assaulted me.
Years ago, when Vivians grandfather died suddenly, his illegitimate son had swooped in, poised to seize the family fortune. Vivian had knelt in a torrential downpour for a day and a night, begging for my help.
Mr. Blackwood, if you save my family, Ill do anything you ask for the rest of my life!
In a moment of weakness, I had proposed a marriage alliance. She had agreed without hesitation.
After our engagement, I kept my promise. I not only helped her reclaim her company and sent the illegitimate son to prison, but I personally mentored her, transforming Cross Industries from a small local business into a corporate titan.
But slowly, things began to change. She started resisting my touch, rejecting my advice, yearning for some so-called pure love.
Then Dylan, the swimming instructor, appeared. And she poured every ounce of her passion and affection onto him.
I had given her one last chance, just two weeks ago.
Vivian, Id warned her. If you still want this wedding to happen, you need to remember your boundaries.
She had just laughed it off. Were just a student and a teacher. Youre the one with the dirty mind, seeing filth everywhere.
Honestly, Donovan, are you so guilty about your own cheating that you have to project it onto me?
My voice had dropped, turning cold. If you cross the line, I will take back everything Ive given you.
She had flinched then, her tone finally softening. Youve misunderstood. Theres nothing between Dylan and me. I wont see him again.
For a moment, I actually believed her. I thought we could go back.
But in the end, she betrayed my final shred of trust.
And for that, there would be no mercy.
The next morning, Vivian burst into my office with a swarm of reporters.
The moment she was through the door, the waterworks began.
Donovan, she sobbed, Ive already apologized publicly please, Im begging you, let me go. Let my family go
She held out a document with a trembling hand. It was a termination of our engagement contract, but with one unbelievable clause: all Blackwood investments and partnerships were to remain in place.
She had trampled my familys honor, dragged me through the mud with a media circus, and now she had the audacity to demand we continue funding her?
Did I really look that weak?
Vivian, I asked, my voice dangerously calm. You humiliate my family, you play the victim online, and you still expect my money and resources after you walk away?