Chapter 2

My elbows and knees were bleeding profusely, pain flooding my entire body.

Just then, I heard Ewan's icy voice through the phone. "Let's break up."

*****

Two weeks later, I visited the Collier family's villa to see my brother, Remy Morris.

He was autistic, seventeen years old, and most days, he wouldn't say a single word.

When I crouched down in front of him, he kept his head buried in his book, refusing to even look at me.

Meadow Collier rolled up in her wheelchair and smiled at me. "Remy's got a bigger appetite now. He's a growing boy, after all. The caregiver takes him out to play with sandbags every day so he can get some exercise."

I felt relieved knowing Remy was being well taken care of, even when I wasn't around.

"Thank you, Mrs. Collier," I said sincerely.

Meadow's face was gentle and lined with age, tears shimmering at the corners of her eyes. "Lydia, these past two years have been so hard on you. You've given so much for my daughter."

Meadow was Joyce's mother.

I shook my head. "You don't need to feel bad. Helping her with her schoolwork and business taught me a lot. It's been really rewarding for me."

Meadow sighed. "Joyce can't get her act together. It's a shame her father passed away so early. Now it's just us, a widow and her daughter, trying to keep the Collier family business afloat.

"The shareholders are all pushing us to go public, but if any of Joyce's scandals get out, we're all finished."

The Collier family's textile company, Cloud Weaving, had secured its Series A funding two years ago.

But that same year, Meadow and her husband, Sebastian, were in a car accident. Sebastian died on the spot, and Meadow was left paralyzed from the waist down.

The whole family business landed on Joyce's shoulders, but she was too reckless and never took anything seriously. There was no way she could handle all that pressure.

Meadow turned to me for help.

So, I stepped up in a time of crisis and became Joyce's stand-in, working tirelessly to keep everything on track.

Because I owed Meadow a debt.

Ten years ago, she took Remy and me in.

Back then, my mom worked at a textile factory and passed away from cancer when I was still young.

Remy and I became orphans. Our dad left us for another woman the year Remy was born.

After Meadow adopted us, Remy got help from top autism specialists, and I got to stay in school.

She was like the parent who gave us a second chance at life.

Her kindness was something I could never repay just by saying thank you.

So when Meadow needed me, I didn't hesitate to step up.

"If all goes well, Cloud Weaving should go public by November. For the next two months, I'll be cooperating with the investment bank's due diligence." I gave Meadow a detailed update.

Meadow nodded in approval.

I was working myself to the bone for Cloud Weaving's IPO, on standby 24/7, barely had any time for myself.

Changing the subject, I asked Meadow, almost begging, "Can I take three days off? Of course, I'll still handle any urgent work while I'm away."

I wanted to use those three days to try and get Ewan back.

I wanted to finally tell him how much I loved him.

But I never imagined that when I went to Ewan's apartment, planning to surprise him, Joyce was the one who opened the door.

Joyce was wearing nothing but a man's shirt, no pants at all. Her legs, slim and smooth from all those beauty treatments looked seductive and sexy.

"What are you doing here?" Joyce slammed the door shut and came out into the hallway to talk to me. "Ewan already broke up with you. Stop bothering him."

I stared at her legs, completely bare, so stunned I could barely speak. "You. What are you doing in his room? You and him..."

Joyce's eyes, made even prettier by surgery, sparkled with mischief as she smirked. "We slept together."

My heart felt like it had just been struck by lightning.

Right now, Joyce had no makeup on. Her face was naturally beautiful and soft, totally different from the scandal photos online.

No one would ever recognize her as the girl at the center of the nude photo scandal.

Joyce grinned, full of herself. "Honestly, it's all thanks to you. You keep posting academic stuff on my social media, and Ewan always replies. After a while, he started thinking we were soulmates."

As Joyce's stand-in, I had to log into her social media and post updates, everything from the history of textiles to textile culture from around the world. I'd share insights and weave in all kinds of references.

People started following me, treating me like some kind of cultural influencer.

Ewan was a history buff too, and whenever he commented on Joyce's posts, I'd always reply with genuine excitement, loving that spark when our minds just clicked.

I had never thought that I was paving the way for their romance the whole time.

Ewan never realized it was actually me he'd been connecting with all this time. He thought Joyce really got him, better than I ever could.

Joyce lit up a cigarette, smirking. "Ewan's amazing in bed, and he's got the looks too. He is smart, with that grown-up vibe. I wish I'd noticed him sooner. If I had, I would've stolen him from you ages ago."

Her smug, shameless smile made my blood boil.

The door opened, and Ewan came out in his pajamas. He froze when he saw me, completely caught off guard.

I turned and walked away, a chill going straight to my bones.

It was over. Five years together, gone in an instant. We were truly finished.