I Broke Off Our Engagement After My Fiancée Got Assaulted

The night my girlfriend and I got engaged, everything went wrong. She was taken into the restroom and raped.

I could hear everything clearly from the men’s room next door. Chelsea’s cries were filled with utter despair, and her screams were sharp enough to pierce the eardrums.

When I stepped out, I saw the man who had assaulted her. He appeared pleased as he pulled up his pants and walked off.

After the incident, Chelsea lost her sanity. She started muttering nonsense and couldn’t tell day from night. Half a month later, the doctors said there was nothing that could help her.

And so, I made the painful decision to break off the engagement with her family.

In the hospital room, Chelsea’s older brother, Zeke, clenched his fists and slammed them into my face. His eyes were bloodshot with rage as he grabbed me by the collar.

“You bastard, are you even human? My sister was raped, and now she’s like this! You didn’t go after the bastard who did this to her. Instead, you’re backing out, wanting to break off the engagement and abandon her. Are you even a man, huh?”

——

His words were thunderous, his spit hitting my face.

I didn’t fight back.

I said nothing, as if I agreed with everything he said.

“My daughter has always been well-behaved and sensible,” Miriam, my future mother-in-law, said, her voice shaking with emotion. “She chose you after much thought. How could you let her suffer like this?”

Tears streamed down her face as her anger became so fierce that she could barely speak. When she turned and saw her daughter lying on the bed, lost in thought, her fury only intensified.

She stepped forward and slapped me twice across the face.

“Anthony, if you’re a man,” Miriam screamed, “then find the bastard who raped my daughter!”

Seeing her tear-streaked face, I gently shook my head.

“I want to break off the engagement.”

Suddenly, Zeke grabbed me by the throat, his grip tightening.

“You piece of trash!” he roared. “You’re going to abandon my sister?”

Miriam pointed a trembling finger at me.

“Chelsea always said she was lucky,” she said, sobbing. “She found the man who loved her most, outside of her family. Is this how you love her?”

I glanced at Chelsea, lying on the bed, my expression indifferent. “Aunt Miriam, I’m also heartbroken over what happened to Chelsea. But since it’s already happened, we have to accept the reality.”

“Face reality? What reality are you talking about?” Zeke roared, his voice like thunder. “Do you think my sister is tainted? So, do you want to break off the engagement because of that? Is that it?”

His eyes burned with such fierce hatred that I thought he might swallow me whole.

Miriam looked at me with anger in her eyes. When she saw me nod, she couldn’t hold back any longer. She lunged at me, her hands reaching for my face.

I instinctively tried to dodge, but with Zeke choking me, I couldn’t move.

Then, Miriam went wild, scratching at my face.

My cheeks burned, but the agony I felt inside was far more intense.

When she saw my face covered in blood, she finally stopped.

A nurse came in, horrified.

Upon seeing me, she nervously asked, “Do you want me to call the police?”

Zeke scoffed coldly. “Bastard, you want to call the police?”

I looked at the nurse and gently shook my head.

“But you’re bleeding so much…” the nurse murmured.

“Mind your own damn business!” Zeke barked, scaring her off.

Terrified by his presence, the nurse quickly ran off.

Just then, the door to the hospital room opened again.

My future father-in-law, Douglas Gardner, walked in, his face dark with anger.

Zeke immediately ran to his father, complaining, “Dad, this bastard wants to break off the engagement with my sister! He thinks she’s tainted and wants to abandon her!”

Without a word, Douglas picked up a chair and smashed it down hard on my back.

The chair hit me hard, sending me crashing to the ground. My whole body shook uncontrollably.

“Ah!”

Suddenly, Chelsea, who had been lying on the bed, let out a terrified scream.

“Darling, don’t be afraid,” Miriam said as she rushed over and wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter.

“Mom, how… how is he here?” Chelsea asked, pointing at me, her hands shaking, eyes wide with fear.

Miriam, assuming her daughter hated me for wanting to break off the engagement, said, “Darling, your father is teaching this scumbag a lesson!”

Douglas picked up the chair again, raising it high, ready to strike me.

The pain was unbearable, and I was too weak to do anything but give in.

“Stop…” Chelsea shouted, her voice trembling with desperation.

But the chair came down anyway, splintering with a deafening crack. The blow landed hard, and blood poured from my mouth.

“Dad, stop hitting my husband!” Chelsea cried, her eyes swollen and raw from hours of weeping.

“This bastard is not your husband!” Douglas’s voice was chilling, devoid of any warmth.

He approached me quickly, bent down, and grabbed my collar, his cold stare locking with mine. It was a look that made my skin crawl, as if I were gazing into the darkness of an abyss.

“Do you know why I’m hitting you?”

I stayed silent, trembling from the excruciating pain.

“It’s not because you want to end the engagement with my daughter. It’s not because you want to leave her. It’s because… you’re not even human!”

He paused, letting his words sink in, before continuing. “On the night of the engagement, when Chelsea was assaulted, I was told you were in the men’s restroom. The hotel janitor saw you there.”

In other words, I was most likely a witness. I had probably seen the man who assaulted her.

“What… what did you say? Anthony saw it happen?”

Miriam could no longer hold herself back. She rushed toward her husband.

“Yes. He must have seen him,” Douglas confirmed firmly.

Then, he turned back to me, his face dark and heavy, as he asked, “Why did you tell the police you didn’t see the criminal?”

Right there, Miriam violently grabbed my hair, her face contorted with rage.

“It must’ve been someone you know,” she hissed. “Someone powerful, and someone you don’t dare cross! So you kept quiet, afraid of revenge!”

Douglas’s voice grew colder as he demanded, “Isn’t that right?”

I was in so much pain that I couldn’t even speak.

But despite the agony, I forced myself to answer, “I… I didn’t see the criminal!”

“You’re lying!” Douglas’s gaze turned frigid, his eyes burning into mine. “The janitor said she saw you come out of the restroom. And she saw another man walking in the opposite direction. You definitely saw the criminal! So why didn’t you say anything?”

As Douglas finished speaking, Zeke abruptly charged over, grabbing my collar and pulling me to my feet. Without asking a single question, he began pounding my face with his fists.

I felt myself growing lightheaded, on the verge of losing consciousness, but he didn’t stop until he yelled, “You asshole, tell me! Who was that son of a bitch?”

When I stayed silent, Zeke’s anger flared even more. “You won’t speak, huh? I’ll kill you!”

In the next moment, his face contorted with rage, and he grabbed my throat with both hands. He wasn’t kidding around this time; he actually wanted to kill me.

His grip tightened, cutting off my air. Within seconds, I was choking, and the world began to darken.

As I was on the verge of passing out, Chelsea’s unexpected words interrupted the chaos.

“I’m flying!”

Everyone turned toward her, their attention snapped in her direction.

I almost lost my soul from fear.

When I looked up, I saw that, at some point, Chelsea had gotten out of bed.

She was leaning against the window, with her upper body already hanging outside.

“Anthony!”

“Sis!” Zeke yelled out.

Their faces turned pale with fear as they quickly rushed over and pulled her back inside.

Meanwhile, I finally had a moment to catch my breath. Taking advantage of their distraction, I endured the pain and quietly slipped out of the room.

…

In the afternoon, my parents visited me at the hospital. When they found out I had likely seen the criminal, their expressions turned to disbelief.

“Why didn’t you tell the police who the criminal was? Why did you let Chelsea suffer? Are you even a man?”

Seeing the disappointment in their eyes, I turned my head away, unable to meet their gaze, and remained silent.

“To think I raised a son like you…” My father’s voice trembled with anger. “You’re nothing but a disgrace to me, Anthony!”

He then stormed out of the room. Meanwhile, my mother remained, but her attitude toward me was noticeably different from that moment on.

I didn’t try to explain myself.

…

The next morning, Zeke arrived early. This time, he didn’t beat or insult me like he had the day before.

Instead, it seemed like he had changed his approach.

“Anthony, you didn’t report to the police, right?” Zeke asked, his voice calm but with a hint of something unspoken.

I shook my head in response.

He let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair. “Yesterday, we acted out of emotion. But you have to understand, Chelsea is my sister. We love her more than anything. We can’t stand seeing her like this. You get that, right?”

I nodded slowly. “Yes, I do.”

“Good.” Zeke sat down beside my bed and lit a cigarette, his eyes not quite meeting mine. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“It’s fine,” I said quickly, not wanting to make things worse.

He took a few deep drags, the smoke swirling around us, and then spoke again. “Last night, my sister’s mind cleared up a bit. She said she called you. You picked up, but didn’t say anything. Is that true?”

I let out a faint grunt. “Yes, it’s true.”

Zeke’s brow furrowed deeper, frustration creeping into his voice. “Then why didn’t you tell the police?”

“I… I forgot.”

Zeke leaned forward slightly, his voice growing more intense. “Did you hear her calling for help on the phone?”

“I did.”

He pressed again, his tone sharp with urgency. “Then why didn’t you go to save her?”

“I was drunk at the time. I thought she was just joking with me.”

“Asshole!” Zeke’s veins bulged in his neck as he glared at me, his fury palpable. “If you had believed her then, maybe she wouldn’t have been raped! You’re the reason this happened!”

I dropped my gaze. “You’re right. It’s my fault. I failed her.”

“Since you admit you’re at fault,” Zeke snapped, “then don’t you dare bring up breaking off the engagement again. And once your injuries heal, go apologize to my parents in person.”

“I’ll think about it,” I muttered.

“Think about it? Does this even need to be thought about?” Zeke’s control snapped, and for a moment, it looked like he was ready to strike again.

But just then, my phone rang.

I answered quickly, trying to steady myself. “Is it possible to retrieve the call recording?”

The voice on the other end responded, “It’s a bit tricky, but it should be possible.”

“Alright. I’ll wait for your update.”

After hanging up, Zeke frowned.

Then, he asked, “What call recording?”

I explained, “That night, Chelsea called me for help. I vaguely remember hearing a man’s voice, which sounded somewhat familiar, but I was drunk and didn’t have the call recording on. If I can get the recording from that night, and hear that man’s voice again, I should be able to identify who raped her.”

Hearing this, Zeke’s expression immediately tightened.

“Can… can it be recovered?”

I looked at him and nodded. “My friend just told me that it should be possible.”