Chapter 3

The maid's room had never been this crowded before.

Wendy, who had been so resentful moments ago, now sat by my bed, tears streaming down her face as she put ointment on me. "Does it hurt?"

As she spoke, she pressed the cotton swab down firmly against my wound.

I gritted my teeth from the pain and kept shaking my head.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Owen staring at my wound, not even blinking. With his sharp eyesight, he definitely noticed how Wendy was treating me.

But he stood there with his hands in his pockets, not saying a word.

By the time Wendy finished applying the ointment, I was drenched in cold sweat from the pain.

Owen didn't glance at me. Instead, he took out a handkerchief and wiped away the tears from Wendy's eyes. "Stop crying.

"This is what she's supposed to do. Besides, she didn't do it properly."

Wendy nestled against Owen's chest, and I turned away, refusing to look.

On the table sat the bouquet Owen had given me last time. Even though I'd taken such good care of it, it still wilted after a few days. It had lost all its former vibrancy.

After Owen walked Wendy out, he came back.

He pressed his lips together, stone-faced. "Wendy's always had a childlike temperament. Don't let what she did get to you."

As he spoke, his tone softened, a hint of fondness in his voice and a faint smile on his lips. "She's actually cute. She knows about us, so it's fair to let her vent a bit.

"Once we're engaged in a few days, I'll get you a plane ticket. Go abroad, have some fun, and clear your head."

He cleared his throat, his smile fading. "We're going to be living together soon. I hope you won't hold anything against her deep down."

I thought he was saying all this because he was worried I wouldn't be good enough at looking after Wendy in the future.

But now that he was willing to give me a plane ticket for a trip, maybe I could take the opportunity and never come back.

Owen checked on me, made sure I was alright, and gave me a few reminders before heading out.

I quickly grabbed my bag and tossed in a couple of clean outfits and key documents.

I'd been here for over twenty years, and I felt like I belonged here.

But I couldn't bring myself to stay any longer.

Inside my bag, I still had the cross necklace Owen picked up for me at the church when he was fifteen.

He said he wanted me to stay safe by his side forever and never leave him.

I quietly looked at it for a long time and then finally took it out of my bag.

If I were going to cut things off, I shouldn't leave any loose ends.

These days, Wendy was at the Grant residence.

I found out that their engagement was scheduled for the day I was leaving.

Wendy didn't give me any chance to be alone with Owen these days.

I hadn't healed yet, but Wendy dragged me along to climb trees and pick flowers, or made me go into the water to help her catch fish.

I ended up covered in bruises and scratches. And she pushed me under the water, only letting me up when I was nearly out of breath.

Her eyes were crystal clear, and her smile was bright and innocent. There wasn't a hint of anything mean or nasty about her.

Owen knew what was going on, but he turned a blind eye and told me to bear with it. "She's blowing off some steam. You can think of it as babysitting a kid."

I kept quiet. Late at night, when everyone else was asleep, I'd gingerly patch myself up alone.

The day before their engagement, I was summoned to the door of a large room.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw Owen in a sleek black suit. His hair, usually hanging over his eyes, was slicked back. His sharp, chiseled eyes and brows were clearly seen.

When he turned and glanced at me, I flushed before I could help it.

While I was still in a daze, Wendy showed up in a white wedding dress and shoved a camera at me.

"Anna, can you take some pictures for us? We really love this dress, but it's such a waste to let it sit here," she said, clinging to Owen.

Wendy still had that same bright, innocent smile. But whenever she smiled at me, I always felt something wicked.

My hands shook as I raised the camera. Through the lens, I saw Owen gazing at Wendy with nothing but tenderness in his eyes, his smile soft and warm.

This side of Owen was something I'd only seen when we were alone in bed.

And I knew I'd never get to see it again.

Once I finished snapping their last kiss shot, my hands were trembling so much I could barely hold the camera. I handed it back to Wendy.

Wendy took it with a bright smile and kept saying how great the photos looked.

Owen seemed to pick up on my mood and asked what was wrong with me.

I kept my head down, blinked quickly, looked up at him, and put on an overly bright smile. "I'm fine."

Owen didn't ask again. He motioned for me to go.

As I closed the door, their laughter was still ringing in my ears, echoing behind me.

The next day, after their engagement party was over, I received a text from Owen with my plane ticket.

Unexpectedly, there was another text from him: [Stay safe out there. I'll be waiting for you to come home.]

For that rare bit of warmth from Owen, if it were in the past, I would've replied in a heartbeat and taken a screenshot to save it.

Back then, I'd be curled up under my blanket, grinning to myself and waiting for Owen to check in on me again.

But now, I glanced at the message, deleted it, grabbed my bag, and walked out without a second thought.