Chapter 3

I strained to peer through the crack in the door, trying to get a clearer view.

Inside the private room, Jaxon was seated in the center of a leather sofa, his legs crossed. He idly played with an exquisite lighter in his hand. His nonchalant demeanor was just like that of a king looking down upon the world.

This was nothing like the Jaxon I knew.

"Jaxon, haven't you been acting for too long? Aren't you tired?" a man in a silver-gray suit, Mike, said with a flippant laugh as he poured Jaxon a glass of wine.

"Yeah, Jaxon, you've set a wedding date with Hedy. How long do you plan to keep this up with your girlfriend?" another man in a black shirt, Lucian, asked with a mocking tone.

My head buzzed and went blank.

Jaxon was getting married?

I felt like I'd been struck by lightning, my body rigid and unable to move.

It was as if an invisible hand had tightly clenched my heart, the pain almost suffocating me.

"Still pretending to be poor? Do you really plan to keep it up forever?" Mike spoke again, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Jaxon finally looked up, a playful smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"Sure. How about that? I've been acting for three years now. But the game has to end," said Jaxon.

Jaxon took a gentle sip of wine. His eyes were deep, like a bottomless pool. "After I get married, I can't play around like this anymore. I promised Hedy I'd settle down."

Lucian burst into laughter. "That's true. After the wedding, you can explain things to her slowly."

"What's there to explain? It's easier to just disappear. No trouble at all," Jaxon said.

My body wavered, nearly collapsing to the ground.

"Mr. Gable, aren't you too heartless? You've been with her for so long, and you don't have any feelings for her at all?" Mike seemed unable to bear it any longer.

Jaxon took a large gulp of wine. "Feelings? What are they worth in money? Besides, I've been with her for years, serving her hand and foot, handing over all my monthly salary. She should be content."

"Salary? You mean the few thousand dollars you took from your dividends to give her? Over three years, how much did you give her? 300 thousand dollars?" Lucian teased.

"I'm a poor guy with a few thousand dollars a month salary. How much do you expect me to give her?" Jaxon glared at him, determined to maintain his persona as a poor man.

"Elowen is great, but she just doesn't fit into our circle. What a pity," Mike said.

Jaxon remained silent, just drinking his wine.

I stumbled backward, turned around, and fled from this suffocating place.

I didn't know how Cathy found me.

I only remembered myself like a puppet from which the soul had been drawn, staggering along the road, letting the cold wind tear at my hair and clothes.

"Elowen? Elowen, are you crazy? It's late at night. Why are you running here?" Cathy's voice came from behind, filled with anxiety and reproach.

She grabbed my arm and pulled me back forcefully. "Do you know how terrifying you looked just now? You seemed like you lost your soul."

I looked at her numbly, my eyes hollow and unfocused.

"Cathy?" I opened my mouth, but my throat felt blocked by something, and no sound came out.

Seeing my dazed and dispirited state, Cathy was frightened. "What's wrong with you? Don't scare me like this."

She took me back to Gentlwin House and to the private room we had been in before.

As soon as we entered, the other roommates immediately gathered around.

"Elowen, are you okay?"

"What happened?"

"Why do you look so pale?"

The voices of concern came at me like waves, but they couldn't warm my cold heart.

I shook my head mechanically. "I'm fine."

I didn't want to say anything. I just wanted to be alone for a while.

I took out my phone, found a photo of Jaxon, and handed it to Cathy. "Cathy, help me find out about this person."

Cathy took the phone, glanced at the photo, and then looked at me.

She seemed to understand something.

"Okay, don't worry. Leave it to me," Cathy patted my shoulder. "I promise I'll get you the information soon."

"Thank you," I said.

I really didn't feel like staying any longer. They understood and let me go back to rest first.

I hailed a taxi and went home.

Home, actually, was just the house that Jaxon and I had rented together three years ago.

It was an old, small apartment with two bedrooms and a living room.

The landlord was a very kind person. Despite the crazy rise in housing prices over the years, she never increased our rent.

She understood that it was not easy for young people to make their way in the world.

She even promised Jaxon and me that if our relationship remained as good as it was, we could live in this house for the rest of our lives.

I once thought that this place was my home with Jaxon.

Because it held so many beautiful memories of Jaxon and me.

We cooked together, watched movies together, and planned for the future.

Every little thing was still vivid in my mind.

Not long ago, I even thought of buying this house.

I wanted to do a simple renovation to make it our wedding house.

The salary Jaxon gave me, plus my salary and extra income over the years, added up to several hundred thousand dollars.

It was enough to buy a small second-hand apartment.

I had almost reached an agreement with the landlord, and all that was left was to sign the contract and make the payment.

I had even prepared to propose.

I walked to the bedside table and opened the drawer.

Inside lay a red velvet box quietly.

I opened the box to reveal a pair of rings.

The design was simple but not lacking in delicacy.

These were the engagement rings I had secretly ordered.

I had originally planned to propose to Jaxon after we bought the house, to give him a surprise.

Now, it seemed, the surprise was how ridiculous it was.