Bloodlines and Broken Hearts (Cheated Male Reader)

Chapter 74: The World Sees

The news broke before the sun had even fully risen over the small American town Y/N once called home. Students dragged themselves through the school doors half-asleep, clutching their phones, only to stop dead in the middle of the hallway when they saw the photos.

There it was, blasted across every social feed, every news site, every trending hashtag.

Y/N, the boy who had once walked these very halls with quiet confidence and a broken heart, was now on bended knee atop the Eiffel Tower. The diamond ring sparkled in the Parisian lights. Isabella, tears streaming down her cheeks, leaned forward to kiss him. Their silhouettes against the glowing tower looked like something out of a movie.

The first whispers came from a cluster of girls huddled near the lockers, eyes glued to their screens.

"Oh my God... is that-?"
"It is! That's Y/N!"
"Wait, he's in Paris?!"

The photo was unmistakable. Even through the grain of a quick snapshot, the Eiffel Tower loomed in the background, the Paris night sky glittering. In the foreground, Y/N knelt on one knee, holding out a diamond ring. Isabella Romano stood before him, teary-eyed, her hands over her mouth in shock and joy.

The next photo was even more damning, Y/N slipping the ring on her finger, their faces luminous with happiness. And then the kiss, sealed beneath Paris's iconic lights.

By the time the first period bell rang, the photos had gone viral. Students scrolled endlessly, reposting, commenting, speculating.

The classrooms buzzed, no teacher able to truly hold their students' attention. Phones stayed hidden under desks, feeds refreshing every few seconds.

"He actually did it. He proposed to her... in Paris."
"It's insane. We were just sitting next to him in math class, like, what? A month ago? Now he's- Now he's like... this."

Some students wore small smiles, touched by the romance. Others shook their heads, muttering about Mafia rumors, their voices tinged with fear. But no one could deny it: Y/N had become larger than life.

Teachers noticed too. In the faculty lounge, mugs of lukewarm coffee sat forgotten as they gathered around a laptop, watching a news clip of the engagement.

"He was always different. Smart, sharp. But I never thought..."
"That boy's been through hell. If this is his happiness, I hope he holds onto it."

Even the principal, sitting in his office, felt a pang of something that surprised him—pride. He had once scolded Y/N for fighting, lectured him about responsibility. Now he was watching him flash across international headlines.

Jake sat at the far end of the cafeteria, staring at the photo on his phone. His tray of food sat untouched, steam curling upward before fading into nothing.

He had braced himself for this, in some way. He knew Y/N had left. He knew Isabella was with him. But seeing it, the proposal, the ring, the kiss, made his chest ache.

Y/N looked... happy. Truly happy. Happier than Jake had ever seen him, even back when things were normal. It left him dumbfounded, speechless. He closed his phone, but the image stayed burned in his mind as guilt clawed at him. He had been there when the rumors started, when Emily whispered poison into people's ears. He hadn't stopped it. And now, the chain reaction had led here.

Y/N in Paris. Y/N engaged. Y/N never coming back.

Jake scrolled through the comments flooding in. Sympathy. Admiration. And beneath it all, a growing narrative.

'Emily started this.'
'Emily pushed him away.'
'Emily broke him until he had nothing left but the Mafia.'

Jake sighed, running a hand through his hair. He knew where Emily was. And he dreaded what she must be feeling.