Chapter 3

When I was five, my mother died.

My father was a gambling addict. He either ignored me completely or took out his anger on me with his fists or his words.

On the night of the Lantern Festival, my dad did something he'd never done before. He actually took me out to see the lanterns.

The lanterns were dazzling, painting the night with swirls of colors. I was overjoyed and could not take my eyes off them.

Halfway through, my dad bent down and pressed a handful of candy into my palm.

"Be good, Rose. I'm going to the bathroom. Don't wander off, okay? Wait right here for me," he said.

That night, I waited until the lanterns went out and the festival grounds emptied. My father never came back.

The police found me and gently asked how I ended up alone, and where my home was.

I shook my head, fighting back tears. "I don't know. I don't have any parents. I ran away from some bad people."

So I became an abandoned child and was taken in by an orphanage.

Painting became my only escape from that gray, lonely childhood.

The feeling of having a home kept getting blurrier in my heart.

They said everyone spent their whole life chasing after what they couldn't have as a kid.

The night Edward proposed to me on Northern Lights Island, my former mentor from college suddenly reached out.

He told me that a luxury jewelry brand in Kingsbury was looking for a designer, and he'd put my name forward.

I stared at the ring on my finger, still warm from Edward's touch.

I politely declined the offer with a soft smile. My heart had already made its choice.

My mentor let out a long sigh, "Rose, make sure you won't regret giving up your dreams for a man."

I smiled at him and said, "Never."

What a pity. Life was full of unexpected twists.

It turned out that I had been struck right in the heart by the bullet I fired myself, far sooner than I ever imagined.

I waited for what felt like forever until everything around me went dead silent.

Only then did I finally get up and step out of the bushes.

The night breeze brushed past, cool and gentle.

But the chill I felt cut right through me.

I shuffled my feet, barely able to move, and as I reached the street corner, a teasing voice called out from behind. "Ms. Evans, you looked so funny hiding in the bushes."

A jolt went through me.

I turned around.

Julia was standing right behind me, her lips curled in disdain.

"Since you're already here, why not sit down and talk?" she said.

What was there to even talk about? You wanted an excuse to interrogate me.

"No," I said, taking a step back.

Julia crossed her arms, her tone casual, almost mocking. "Are you scared of me? Or are you afraid to face the fact that he doesn't love you?"

A burst of anger burned in my chest. I straightened my back.

"Alright then, let's talk at your place, Ms. Grant," I said.

She clearly hadn't expected me to have the guts to march right into her place.

She shot me a deep, scrutinizing look, her lips curling into a sly smile as she nodded.

As soon as we stepped into the villa, the air was thick with luxury.

Every inch of the common areas was blanketed in plush cashmere carpets.

Walking on them felt like stepping on clouds.

We walked over to the sofa and took a seat.

Julia spoke up first. "Actually, Edward told me about you the very first day you two started dating."

My heart clenched. "Really? I never even knew you existed."

Julia scoffed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, so you think you're the innocent one here?"

I froze for a second, then shot back, "Am I not?"

"Ms. Evans, anyone who dates a wealthy man should have realistic expectations. Did you truly think a pretty face would make him settle down?" Julia said.

Julia crossed her legs with effortless grace, picked up her tea from the table, and took a slow, deliberate sip.

"With your background, he was only ever going to treat you as a fling. There's always been a wall between the privileged and the ordinary. Too bad you weren't sharp enough to realize it," she said.

Her words pierced right through me, sharp as needles.

My fingers quivered ever so slightly.

I struggled to keep my cool, forcing myself to act like nothing was wrong.

"If being smart means knowing your husband's got another woman and still acting gracious to keep the title of his main wife, then I'd rather be naive," I shot back.

Julia let out a laugh, stood up, and sauntered over to me. "Do I look like I need to fake anything? What I'm protecting is the billions our families have invested together, not Edward's heart. His heart? That's not even worth a dime."

She leaned in closer, a mischievous glint in her eye as she spoke. "Care to guess why I wanted to see you today?"