Chapter 3

With a cold, detached gaze, I watched Jenson carry on with his wedding, his attention wandering to his phone. At one point, he even messaged me a question mark.

Since I didn't reply, Jenson's brows drew together briefly.

After the wedding wrapped up, Jenson and Ramona headed back to the villa.

Jenson and I used to live there after we married.

Now, the whole villa had been redecorated, looking brand new.

My photos were replaced with Ramona's.

The rustic style had been swapped out for a feminine vibe, with soft and bright pink shades everywhere.

No one would ever guess there was once another woman who called this place home.

Ramona had taken away everything I once had, until there was no trace left of me.

When Ramona first started at our company, I could tell she was the female protagonist. For a moment, I felt a flicker of dread.

I asked Jenson, "Will you ever fall for someone else? Will you hurt me because of it?"

Jenson paused, then pulled me into his arms with a smile, his narrow eyes curving as they filled with my reflection. "Barbara, you were the one who saved me from the darkness. How could I ever bring myself to hurt you?"

I let out a sigh of relief.

After all, I was the light in Jenson's life. He'd said so himself.

Back then, Jenson was the least favored kid in the Lindsey family—his life felt like it was trapped in endless shadow.

No one in our circle ever took him seriously.

I was the only one who genuinely cared about him. I was the one who dragged him out of that mess.

Jenson hugged me tight. "You were there for me through all the hard times. Barbara, I'd never be able to forget that."

I believed him at that time.

As long as Jenson remembered, I felt that the plot of this story would not even matter.

But what I forgot was that Jenson's memory was basically nonexistent. He could forget anything in a blink.

His grand promise didn't even last three months before he was swept away by Ramona's smile.

At first, Ramona was just a secretary. She was always running her mouth in the CEO's office.

Jenson didn't even bother to look her way. If anything, he found her endless chatter downright irritating.

That gave me some peace of mind.

But then Ramona started talking about her childhood in the countryside. She mentioned summer nights blanketed with stars, the morning dew, hungry little lambs bleating, and feisty praying mantises.

Jenson, who'd grown up that way, slowly went from impatient to quietly smiling, his gaze drifting, almost captivated, by the dimples in Ramona's cheeks.

I was away on a business trip at that time. When I got back, I saw Ramona beaming at Jenson. "Mr. Lindsey, if you ever have time, come visit my hometown. I'll take you out into the wild to look at the stars!"

Jenson's lips tipped up in a faint smile, and he nodded softly.

I stood about 200 feet away, silently watching them, but inside, my emotions were churning like a storm.

I knew Jenson better than anyone. I could tell exactly what his look meant.

Back when he was trying to win me over, he used to look at me just like that.

When he saw I was back, Jenson came right over. "I booked a private room at the Xander restaurant. I'll treat you to dinner there after work."

Ramona's face turned red and she bolted out of the office, clearly flustered.

I couldn't even muster a smile, didn't want to say a thing. I just went back to my office and sat there numb for the rest of the afternoon.

At dinner, Jenson ordered a spread. Almost everything was my favorite.

I didn't eat a single bite. I just looked straight at him and asked, "Are you into someone else now?"

Jenson paused for a split second, then grabbed his fork and started putting food in my plate while smiling. "Come on, don't be ridiculous. You're overthinking."

I dropped my gaze to the food sitting in my plate and quietly asked, "You're really not lying to me?"

Jenson coughed and added another piece to my bowl. "No."

I didn't press any further.

I just started pushing the food around in my bowl.

It was eggplant—the one thing I couldn't stand, and Jenson knew that.

But I remembered Ramona saying back in the day that eggplant was her favorite when she grew up in the countryside.

Thinking back, I couldn't help but let out a long, heavy sigh.

After Jenson and Ramona's wedding was done, they set off for their honeymoon on an island. Somehow, I ended up coming along too.

This was the island I'd been dying to visit.

Jenson once promised he'd take me there, but when we got married, he was tangled in the Lindsey family battles and never found the time.

I just wanted to lay eyes on it, at least once, before I vanished for good.

I followed Jenson into the room and caught them wrapped up in each other, lips locked.

I'd pictured this moment a thousand times, but actually seeing them kiss still felt like a punch to the gut.

I turned to leave, wanting to get out of there.

But then Ramona's phone rang. As soon as she answered, Woody Matthews came on the line, his voice urgent and rattled.

He said, "Ramona, you need to get Mr. Lindsey to look at his Instagram. Barbara's dead.

"Simon is holding a memorial for her at the same hotel you guys got married in. He's invited every single wedding guest—the same venue, same staff, even the emcees's there!"