Chapter 2

It was a delivery.

When I opened it, I was stunned to see a box of condoms.

Right after that, Sophie called.

"Sorry, I accidentally sent the things Matthew and I were going to use to your place," she said.

Then Matthew's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Sophie, come here. Let me check how much milk you're discharging," Matthew said.

And then, the call ended abruptly.

My nails cut deep into my skin. Blood trickled down.

From a tiny town to Parvoria, Matthew and I journeyed together. I really thought we were meant to last.

But now, he was being intimate with someone else.

Numbly, I started packing up my things, one by one.

Just then, my phone suddenly vibrated.

I answered. It was William Parker, our biggest client. His voice was seething with anger.

"Natalie, did you leak my design files for free? Now there are knock-offs all over the place!" he yelled.

"Just you wait! This isn't over!" he snapped.

My mind was buzzing. Instinctively, I pulled out my phone and checked what was trending.

There it was at the top: a post claiming that a well-known designer leaked her client's design drafts.

I clicked it with trembling hands and scanned through the whole thing.

Then I forced myself to breathe and stay calm.

This company was everything I'd worked for. I couldn't let it be ruined just like that.

The company sent the surveillance footage over right away. Sophie had snapped photos of the blueprints and leaked them behind my back.

The legal department called to ask how I wanted to proceed. I took a deep breath and said, "Report her to the police. File a lawsuit."

At the police station, Sophie stared at me with tears.

"Natalie, can you let me go? Please stop making my life hard at work!" she whimpered.

I stepped away from her and handed the neatly organized documents to the officer.

"That's everything," I said. "We demand a full investigation into this case of leaked trade secrets."

Suddenly, Sophie wept aloud.

I frowned and was about to say, "Matthew isn't here. No one cares if you're crying or not."

But before I could say it, Matthew strode in.

He firmly pressed his hand down on the documents I'd just handed to the officer.

"We're dropping the charges," he declared.

I met Matthew's gaze dead-on. "Do you have any idea how much this will damage the company?"

Matthew looked at me and whispered, "Sophie's still young. Don't ruin her."

He turned to the officer, holding up the company registration. "I'm the owner of the company. She's only the general manager I hired."

"We've decided to call off the case," he announced.

Sophie collapsed into Matthew's arms, crying her heart out.

I felt like I'd been dropped straight into an icy abyss.

I'd forgotten that the company was never mine to begin with.

Just like Matthew. He never belonged to me either.

After walking out of the police station, I booked a train ticket to Yundara.

There was this old promise between me and Matthew back when we were young. If one of us ever betrayed the other, the heartbroken one would go to Yundara, alone.

And the betrayer would be banned from ever setting foot in that city.

But I never imagined that, right before my departure, I'd cross paths with Matthew and Sophie again.

George's new company was going public, and he'd personally invited me to attend the launch ceremony.

At the scene, I saw Sophie in Matthew's embrace.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from her dress, my fingers trembling. That was the gown Matthew had designed especially for me. I wore it at the very first welcoming party that the Coleman family held just for me.

He'd said, "Natalie, I usually design jewelry, but for you, I can craft outfits as well, things that only you can wear."

Sophie finally noticed me and spun around proudly. "Natalie, isn't it gorgeous? Matthew picked out this dress just for me.

"He told me this was the first piece he ever designed, and it's super special. He wanted me to stand out in front of everyone."

She showed off the alteration to her chest. "It was so tiny here. I almost couldn't fit. Luckily, Matthew tailored it just for me."

Matthew awkwardly avoided my eyes. "It's just a dress. I'll make you another one."

Before I could say anything, Sophie yelped suddenly. "Oh no!"

Milk stains quickly spread across her chest, wrecking the dress in seconds. But before I could even react, Matthew grabbed my wrist and forced me to pour wine all over her.

Then he slapped me hard across the face.

"Natalie, I don't care how upset you are. You can't throw wine on Sophie like that!" he snapped.

I stared at Matthew, totally dazed and lost.

He leaned closer and murmured, "Just play along with me. Sophie's supposed to marry someone successful. If people know about this, she'll lose that chance. So just take the fall for her, please."

Tears slid down my cheeks as I forced out a sarcastic smile. "Can you really accept that she marries someone else? Why not just marry her yourself?"

I turned and walked away, not caring about Matthew calling after me.

He rushed up and grabbed my hand. "I'll explain everything once the wedding's over tomorrow."

I shook my head, forcing out a bitter smile. There wasn't going to be a wedding.

Matthew figured I was being dramatic. He said, "Just do as I say." And then he went off to comfort Sophie.

The next morning, I headed straight to the airport.

Matthew's car passed by my taxi.

I glanced out the window and saw him and Sophie sitting side by side in the back seat, looking every bit like a couple.

It didn't matter anymore.

I was leaving.

From this moment on, whatever happened to them had nothing to do with me.

But I didn't see one thing: Matthew saw me as he turned.

Then, he went crazy and grabbed the driver's steering wheel.

"Turn around! Now!" he yelled.