Chapter 3

I said, "Go call your director and tell him Ms. Young is here."

The manager had no idea what I meant but he felt compelled to do what I said.

Once the manager was gone, I took out my bank card, broke it into two, and tossed it in the trash.

It seemed that Jonathan really thought I was like a parasite, as if I couldn't survive without him.

But what he didn't know was that I'd already inherited my family's legacy. The affiliated businesses stretched across the globe.

I never told him any of this.

It all started when my parents passed away and left a will that if I wanted to get married, I had to hide who I was from my partner.

If my spouse ever found out the truth, the family foundation would seize everything from me, and I'd be stuck living off yearly dividends.

I knew they were trying to keep me from getting taken advantage of.

I used to think Jonathan was different.

Thanks to his impressive grades, he stayed on at the university as a lecturer.

He even got a government-sponsored opportunity to study abroad.

But when the list came out, the spot went to someone with connections.

Jonathan was crushed. He locked himself in his study, totally down in the dumps.

I couldn't stand seeing his talent wasted, so I secretly had my assistant donate a whole building to a top university overseas.

That landed him a spot in a joint program and a position as a visiting professor.

When Jonathan heard the news, he was so overwhelmed that he broke down in tears, hugging me tightly and choking out. "Victoria, I'll work hard out here. Once I make a name for myself, I'll bring you over so we can finally live together for good."

Actually, I never cared about getting permanent residency.

What mattered was that I hated that I could only be with him for three months out of the year.

Thinking about it, I let out a bitter, self-mocking smile.

It turned out that Jonathan never planned for me to stay by his side for good.

He'd already handed that Marriage-Based Green Card to Emily.

No wonder every time I came back to the house in Amelith, I'd see stuff that clearly didn't belong to me.

No wonder, before my three-month stay was over, Jonathan would start packing my bags and urging me to leave early.

So in those nine months I was away, another woman had taken my place in the home I'd so carefully arranged.

Before long, the director walked in.

As soon as he saw me, he bowed respectfully and greeted me.

Then he turned to the manager and said, "Ms. Young is our boss. Her bill doesn't need to be charged."

I raised my hand to cut him off. "Why shouldn't I pay?"

I tapped the security camera above me and said, "This is a clear case of dine and dash. You should call the police right now. By local law, you can demand ten times the bill as compensation."

Jonathan, you've got it all twisted.

You've been lying to me without a shred of guilt, because you thought I'd always be there for you.

But now that my love was gone, let's see how you'd survive without it.

When I got home and pushed open the door, I was greeted by a picture-perfect family moment.

Henry was curled up in Jonathan's lap, pestering him to tell a story.

Emily was holding a fruit platter, popping grapes into Jonathan's mouth every now and then.

Her fingers brushed against Jonathan's lips, and Emily's cheeks flushed.

But I couldn't take my eyes off Emily because she was wearing matching pajamas with Jonathan, like a couple.

I used to buy those pajamas and beg Jonathan to wear them with me, but he refused every time.

He'd say, "Victoria, that's so childish. Only teenagers wear stuff like that."

When I came back the next year, those pajamas were gone.

I always thought Jonathan had thrown them away.