"Get lost, Maddison! We're done!" Hugo roared at Maddison as he pushed her away.
Maddison crumbled onto the ground, speechless. Her world had come crashing down before her very eyes. The love of her life, or so she thought, billionaire Hugo Anderson dumped her to marry someone else!
She wasn't about to give up so easily! Maddison rose to her feet and grabbed Hugo's wrist. She didn't care if anyone else was watching them.
"Five years, Hugo! Are you seriously going to throw what we had down the drain just to marry someone you barely know? And for what? For money?" Her voice was cracking.
Tears threatened to stream down her cheeks but Maddison held on to the last bit of strength she had left. She was going to fight for herself.
"Who do you think you are?! Get your filthy gold digger hands off my fiance!"
Pak!
The stinging pain on her cheek caught Maddison off guard. She was pushed away once more. The person who slapped her was none other than Lizzie Taylor. The heiress that her boyfriend abandoned her to marry.
Hitting the ground once more, this time with greater impact, Maddison winced. She used her hands to break her fall, scrapping the palm of her hands. Looking back up at Hugo and Lizzie, a million different thoughts ran through her mind.
Betrayal.
Despair.
Anger.
Maddison curled her hands into fists as their faces burned into her mind. She would never forget the grin on Lizzie's face. Or the look of indifference on Hugo's.
"Hugo, baby, let's go. She's already ruined our day enough," Lizzie whined to Hugo as she locked arms with him, pulling him away from the scene.
A small crowd had gathered around to watch the commotion. As Lizzie and Hugo left, the crowd remained. After hearing what Lizzie said about Maddison, the crowd had much to say.
"Did you hear? She's a gold digger!"
"Yeah! Hugo and Lizzie are definitely a better match. Just look at her!"
"Why is she breaking up other people's happiness? Homewrecker!"
Maddison looked down on the ground. Tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably, blurring her vision. Waves of emotion washed over her. She was all alone now. She had no one. But she wasn't about to give up hope. Curling her hands into fists, ignoring the pain, she struggled back up on her feet.
She ignored the crowd around her, pushed through them, and ran down the sidewalk. She didn't stop until she got home, gasping for air as she slammed the door shut behind her. Collapsing onto the sofa, she picked up the remote to turn on the TV for some distraction.
Anything that could take her mind off what had happened.
"Top story! Hugo Anderson and his fiance heiress Lizzie Taylor have officially announced their wedding date! The two fell in love at first sight…"
Maddison gritted her teeth in anger as she pushed herself off the couch. She reached for the bottle of wine she'd originally wanted to give Hugo for his upcoming birthday. She wanted to smash it onto the ground.
But that would be a waste of good wine.
So, she uncorked the bottle and drank it straight. The alcohol burned her throat but she didn't care.
"Can you believe it? They are getting married in three days! Looks like these love birds just can't seem to get their hands off each other!"
Maddison dropped the empty bottle of wine as she glared at the screen.
"Three days?" She muttered to herself as she squinted her eyes to make sense of the TV screen.
"They're getting married in three days?!" She yelled at the screen.
It took everything in her power to not throw the wine bottle onto the TV screen. But where would she find the money to get a new one? Unlike her rich ex, Maddison was not a part of the wealthy circle.
She was an orphan who supported herself through school and life. She thought she'd found the one to spend the rest of her life with when she met Hugo. He was the one who chased her. Not the other way around.
He promised her a future together, despite the difference in their background. Now, he abandoned her for someone else. Someone richer.
He betrayed her.
She wanted revenge.
The alcohol she drank fueled her thoughts of revenge. She felt like her entire body was on fire. He turned her life upside down. Now, it was time for her to return the favor.
Three days later, Maddison turned up at the wedding venue. The Garden. It was one of the most exclusive hotels in the city. Dressed in the best she could afford, Maddison entered the venue with her head held high.
She looked for the venue of the wedding, quickly finding the poster. She curled her hands into fists as she looked at their grinning faces. Maddison wanted nothing more than to tear them apart.
"Hi there, miss. Are you here to attend the wedding of Hugo and Lizzie?" Someone came up to her to ask.
"You must be a friend of the wedding couple. Do you know the bride or groom?"
Maddison froze where she stood. For three days, this was all she could think about. She pictured herself ruining their special day. Each time she re-enacted the scene in her mind, it always ended the same way.
She was still unhappy by the end of it. Most of the time, she would be taken away in handcuffs. Her life would be ruined while Hugo and Lizzie carried on. Everyone would pity them, victims of a crazy ex.
No one would pity Maddison.
No one would know the truth.
"Oh no, I'm not here for the wedding. I'm looking for the bar, do you know where it is?"
That was how Maddison ended up in Sanctuary Bar. She sat down and ordered her first drink. Then another. And another. She didn't know how long had passed by the time she got up from her seat.
She was unsteady on her feet. Her vision was spinning. Her head hurt and as she stumbled about. Just then, she hit on something. Little did she know it wasn't something that she hit. It was someone.