The Vanished Fiancé Has Returned - Chapter 1

“Gabrielle, what are you doing? Smile.”

Her stepbrother, Chris, wrapped his arm around Gabrielle’s shoulder. Gabrielle curled her lips inward. Goosebumps rose where his skin touched hers.

It was the day the nearly bankrupt company was going public. The banquet hall was crowded with people she didn’t even know, and Chris, the CEO, was the busiest among them, greeting guests.

Gabrielle regretted being deceived by her mother into coming here. She had made the mistake of returning home with the promise that the money taken from her under the pretense of living expenses would be returned. Chris had dragged her to the dressing room and beauty salon, dressing her in a glamorous, revealing dress.

Originally, his biological sister Angela was supposed to be his partner for the event, but after she knocked herself out drinking strong liquor the night before, Gabrielle had been dragged out instead.

“All of your sisters are so beautiful.”

“Thank you. This is your first time meeting Gabrielle, isn’t it?”

The approaching men blatantly scanned Gabrielle, who was standing awkwardly.

Red hair and hazel eyes. She wasn’t a striking beauty, but she was undoubtedly attractive. Her large eyes looked slightly frightened, like an innocent rabbit, and her small nose and full lips inspired a lustful urge, like stepping into fresh snow.

“Yes. I was really surprised. How have you managed to keep such a beautiful sister hidden all this time?”

It was an unpleasant interest, like the flick of a snake’s tongue. Gabrielle wanted to escape the banquet hall immediately.

Standing beside her, Chris was talking to the man as if haggling over merchandise.

Gabrielle wasn’t stupid. She had a rough idea of what those looks and words meant.

The glances darting her way were likely assessing her value. From Chris’s perspective, the most effective way to expand and solidify his business ties was through a strategic marriage.

Gabrielle sneered internally. But things wouldn’t go as Chris intended. A woman who had already broken off one engagement was considered flawed.

Just then—

As she was wallowing in self-mockery, someone entered the crowded room. At first, she rubbed her eyes, thinking she must’ve been mistaken. But by the time she blinked, the figure had vanished.

“I want to go to the powder room.”

With a pale face, Gabrielle spoke to Chris.

“It’ll only take a moment.”

“No…”

Chris frowned, about to refuse flatly.

“Your eye makeup’s smudged. When did you rub your eyes?”

“……”

“Go quickly. The person I want to introduce you to hasn’t arrived yet.”

He clicked his tongue and replied irritably. Gabrielle nodded and quickly left the banquet hall. She gripped her clutch tightly, as if holding onto a lifeline, and hurried away like she was fleeing, but her body wobbled.

Her ankle twisted on the unfamiliar high heels, and she fell to the floor.

“Ah!”

Gabrielle groaned and clutched her ankle. The pain brought tears to her eyes. Just then, someone silently approached and stopped in front of her.

“Gabrielle.”

Impeccably polished shoes. Gabrielle held her breath and slowly looked up.

Hair like birch trees in the snow and bright yellow eyes like a wild beast’s.

A man with neat, unchanged features stood before her. He extended a hand and gently asked, “Are you okay?”

She had thought nothing about him had changed, but now she noticed one difference—he wasn’t someone who used casual speech like this. Even when they had been closest, he had always spoken with formality and respect.

When they parted, he was even colder. It was like being thrown from the height of summer into the depths of winter. That cold had left Gabrielle trembling for a long time.

And even now—

“Gabrielle.”

When he called her name again, Gabrielle didn’t respond. She limped to her feet and brushed past him as if nothing had happened. A low sigh followed behind her. She walked as best she could, but with just a few steps, he caught up.

Before she could even feel powerless, the man bent down. Then, wrapping his arm under her knees and around her shoulders, he easily lifted her. She writhed in surprise at the upside-down view.

“Put me down.”

“Just for a moment.”

“Let me go!”

The more she struggled to escape, the more tightly his large hands held her. Just as Gabrielle was about to scream for help, the man stopped walking and gently set her down on a plush couch behind a curtain.

After drawing the curtain behind her, he knelt, placed her foot on his knee, and removed her shoe. His hands were as careful as if he were handling fragile glasswork.

Gabrielle, her face pale, glared at him furiously. “What are you doing? Why are you here?”

“Because I invested in your stepbrother.”

The twisted ankle had swollen in the meantime. A gentle hand caressed it.

Seeing him look at her with such pained affection as if he were the one injured left Gabrielle dumbfounded.

“This isn’t a coincidence, is it?”

“Well. What do you think?”

“You bastard.”

The curse flew out in an instant. No matter how rough things got, no matter how awful or painful the betrayal, she had never uttered such words before. But once she did, the floodgates burst open.

“You piece of shit. Goddamn son of a bitch.”

“……”

Hot tears rolled down her cheeks. Without even thinking to wipe them away, Gabrielle glared at the man with eyes reddened from broken capillaries.

“You should’ve just died. Why did you come back?”

He should have died. The image of her miserable, repeatedly attempting the unthinkable after being cruelly abandoned by her fiancé overlapped with his current appearance—calmly standing in front of her like nothing had happened.

“Even if you didn’t die, you should’ve lived as if you were dead. You should’ve never shown yourself in front of me again.”

He silently looked up at her. Though she hurled curses and harsh accusations, he merely gazed at her quietly, like a priest looking up at an altar.

Exhausted from the outburst, Gabrielle panted, and in that moment, he reached out and wiped the tear hanging from her chin with his hand.

“I did die once.”

“What…?”

His voice was not just calm—it was utterly composed. Gabrielle slapped his hand away.

“But I came back from hell.”

He lowered his head and rested his forehead against her knee.

“To see you, Gabrielle.”

His breath, damp like warm water, soaked through her knee. Gabrielle barely managed to hold back the sudden rush of emotion.

***

When poverty walks through the door, love flies out the window.

Gabrielle’s parents were the embodiment of that saying. They met in an orphanage, leaned on each other, and married—but happiness didn’t last long.

When Gabrielle was born and added another mouth to feed, her father quit his office job and started physically demanding labor that paid more.

At first, it was fine. His wife tenderly supported him when he came home each day from exhausting work. But happiness built on cracked glass never lasts.

Waking at dawn and returning only after sunset wore down Gabrielle’s father, and his irritability increased daily.

“What’s with the mess in this house, Sabrina?”

“I’ll clean it up soon. Just leave it.”

“Can’t you at least make a proper dinner?”

“I’ve been exhausted taking care of the baby all day too!”

His wife, who spent her days caring for the child and managing the house, was just as drained. The two of them fought loudly and frequently enough to make the neighbors interfere.

In that house, filled with yelling and abusive language, Gabrielle would shut her eyes tight, block her ears, and crawl under the bed, waiting for the fight to end.

“If you hadn’t gotten pregnant so early, I wouldn’t have had to quit my job!”

“That’s funny! Did I have the baby alone? Alone? Why are you blaming me for your incompetence?”

“Screw it. Let’s just end this! I’m done!”

The sound of dishes shattering, doors slamming, and sobbing.

Only when it was all over would Gabrielle slowly crawl out from under the bed and look for her mom.

“Mom.”

“H-hk. Gabi.”

Sabrina, red-eyed and sobbing, grabbed Gabrielle’s shoulders. Gabrielle winced at the tight grip, but her mother ignored it and demanded reassurance.

“You’re all I have. You’re everything to me, understand?”

“Yeah.”

“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t live like this. You must never leave me.”

Her mother’s bloodshot eyes gleamed wildly. Gabrielle, chilled to the bone, nodded her head.

“Y-yeah, okay.”

“Good girl.”

Sabrina squeezed her small body even tighter, as if to trap her.

Eventually, when Gabrielle turned ten, the couple divorced.

Gabrielle went with her mother, Sabrina. Not long after, Sabrina remarried and formed a new family, giving Gabrielle a new stepsister and stepbrother.

“Let’s get along well, Gabrielle.”

“I’m so happy to have a little sister.”

“These are Chris and Angela. Be good to them, Gabi. We’re a family now.”

The hopeful start was short-lived. Gabrielle gradually became excluded in the new household. She wasn’t there during the springtime boat rides, nor on summer beach trips. Even at cheerful family dinners, she sat at the far end of the table, unable to join in the conversation.

Now that Sabrina had a proper family, she focused only on her new husband and stepchildren. When his business began to struggle and finances got tight, she turned first to her daughter.

“Your tuition is too expensive, so you’ll have to quit school. We’re already stretched thin paying for your brother and sister’s overseas education.”