Chapter 2

Once the party started, Jonathan went off to greet the guests, while Thea walked over to me slowly, holding a cocktail.

She stopped, giving me a timid look, her voice soft and hesitant. "Ms. Lloyd, congratulations."

As she spoke, she took a sip of her cocktail, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

No wonder Jonathan had been in love with her for eight years. It was hard not to fall for a girl like her.

"Congratulations for what?" I raised my glass and took a big gulp of red wine, swallowing down the bitterness inside me. "Jonathan and I are just family now. If anyone deserves congratulations, it's you. You know you're the only one he cares about, right?"

The alcohol rushed to my head. I exhaled, the heavy scent of wine washing over Thea.

She swayed, almost losing her balance.

Suddenly, Jonathan appeared out of nowhere and knocked my hand away. The red wine in my glass drenched me, smearing my carefully done makeup into a mess.

He caught Thea to steady her, then turned to me with furious, accusing eyes. "Jaliyah, you promised me. Why are you causing her trouble again?"

I stood there, watching him protect Thea, and a sharp, stabbing pain pierced my chest.

I hadn't even done anything. But in his eyes, I would always be the troublemaker.

In my previous life, I really did go way too far.

I had forced Thea out of her position as Jonathan's secretary and demoted her to doing menial grunt work.

I slapped her. I made her run all over the city in the blazing heat just to fetch me a hard-to-find ice cream.

The more I picked on Thea, the more Jonathan stood up for her, and the closer they became.

Now, Thea leaned against Jonathan, barely keeping herself together as she tried to explain, "No, Mr. Hayden, it's my fault. I lost my balance."

Jonathan cut her off with a wave of his hand. His face was icy as he turned his glare on me. "You don't need to cover for her," he told Thea, before his voice hardened. "Jaliyah, if you did something wrong, just admit it."

I looked at him, suddenly feeling exhausted. I leaned in toward Thea and spoke softly, "I'm sorry for everything I did before. It was my fault. I won't bother you again."

After apologizing, I looked up and met Jonathan's stormy eyes.

I managed a faint smile, keeping my tone steady. "Is that good enough for you, Jon? If there's nothing else, I'll leave now."

Without waiting for his reply, I turned and walked away.

Wine and tears streamed down my face, all mixed. It was like I couldn't breathe, crushed by the weight in my chest.

The next day, I personally brought Thea back to Jonathan's office and gave her back her job as his secretary.

Then, I packed my things, let Kyler and Leanna know, and got ready to move out of the Hayden residence.

In my previous life, I stayed in the Hayden residence for eight whole years, refusing to leave Jonathan's side. Even after we got married, I never once moved out.

But now, it was finally time to walk away.

Kyler and Leanna did everything they could to make me stay, but I was determined to leave. "Kyler, Leanna, I'm grown up now. It's time I start living on my own. Jon and Ms. Wise really suit each other. They'll be happy together."

Setting him free was the last thing I could do for him.

As I wheeled my suitcase to the door, I happened to run into Jonathan, who had just come back from work.

He noticed the suitcase I was wheeling, his brows immediately furrowing as his voice turned serious. "Where are you going at this hour?"

I stood in front of him. Every trace of the feelings I had for him in my previous life was gone. Now, I felt nothing but calm.

"Jon, I think it's time I moved out," I said.

"No," Jonathan shot back without a second thought, his voice sharp and absolute.

I froze for a second. In my previous life, he did everything he could to make me leave, but I stubbornly refused to go.

Now that I actually wanted to leave, he was the one standing in my way.

"No way, you're not leaving," he said.

Jonathan realized his tone was a bit too intense. He cleared his throat and quickly found a reason. "I gave your parents my word I'd take care of you. You can't leave."

I looked at him, feeling a storm of emotions swirling inside me.

He never really hated me. What he couldn't stand was how stubbornly I clung to the idea of marrying him.

"Thanks, but I'll be fine on my own," I replied.

Jonathan was stunned, clearly not expecting me to say no.

Back then, I was willing to do anything to stay close to him. Leaving never even crossed my mind.

I wheeled my suitcase past him.

He suddenly grabbed my wrist, his grip so fierce that it felt like he could crush my bones.

"Jaliyah, is this really how you want to force my hand?" Jonathan snapped.

I turned back, baffled, staring at him.

His eyes were burning red, fists clenched, his whole body shaking with rage and humiliation. "I'm not going to be with Thea. Is that what you want?"

I was totally lost, not getting why he would say that.

Jonathan caught the shock in my eyes and gave a sarcastic laugh, but his gaze remained dark and cold. "You kept bringing Thea up in front of my parents, didn't you? You wanted to turn them against us.

"You know they're obsessed with status and would never let me marry someone from an ordinary family. You did it to sabotage things. You're such an expert at playing dirty, Jaliyah."

His words hit me so hard that it felt like my heart was shattered.

The pain was suffocating that I could barely breathe, and my whole body went cold.

I tried to explain, "No, I didn't..."

But before I could finish, Jonathan shook off my hand and stumbled up the stairs, leaving me with nothing to look but his cold, distant back.