I never expected to see Jacob, my ex-fiancé, again, especially not as a beggar in Central Park. Confronting him revealed a shocking betrayal that left me questioning everything about my past and the people I trusted most.

“Jacob?” I approached cautiously.

He looked up, eyes widening in recognition. “Nina? Oh wow, it’s really you.”

“Yeah, it’s me,” I said. “What happened to you?”

He lowered his gaze, shame evident. “It’s a long story. Can we talk?”

I hesitated but then nodded. We walked to a nearby café, ordering two coffees and burgers. Jacob began, “Two hours before our wedding, men came to my room. They said your father sent them. They beat me until I couldn’t remember anything. I woke up with amnesia.”

“My father?” I echoed, shocked.

“Yes,” he continued. “They took everything. I ended up wandering, lost.”

As he spoke, my heart ached. The man I once loved was now a shadow of his former self. “I… I don’t know what to say, Jacob.”

“I needed you to know,” he replied quietly.

I left, overwhelmed, only to realize later I had forgotten my bag. Panicking, I rushed back and found it where I had left it. I decided to confront my father.

“Did you interfere with Jacob?” I demanded.

“Yes, but for your own good. He wasn’t right for you,” my father insisted.

Anger rose within me. “You ruined everything.”

With my trust shattered, I knew it was time to move forward, one step at a time.