Chapter 6

Lily woke up early the next morning. She packed her documents and the few belongings she had, then stayed in the study for the rest of the time.

"What are you doing?" Simon's voice cut through the silence.

Lily didn't look up. She finished checking the last document, pulled out the USB drive, and reached for the folder she'd prepared.

Simon pressed his hand on the corner of the folder and wouldn't let go until she answered.

"These are materials you never cared about but I put my heart into," Lily said flatly. "I'm selling them."

She'd always had her own ideas about business, but Simon thought they were too risky and never supported her.

Back then, she loved him, so she went along with what he wanted. She'd been obedient for all these years just to keep him happy.

Simon let go. He trusted that Lily wouldn't do anything to hurt him or the company.

His tone softened. "Vanessa wants to go shopping. You should go with her later, and it'll—"

"That has nothing to do with me," Lily cut him off.

So that was why he'd come looking for her—to make Vanessa happy.

He'd been thinking about Vanessa this whole time and didn't consider her feelings at all.

Anger flared in Simon's chest. "How long are you going to keep this up? You're usually so kind and soft-hearted, so why can't you have some compassion for Vanessa?"

Lily closed her eyes, and her expression turned colder. "If she was really pitiful, she wouldn't have gotten between us and moved into my house."

He wanted her to pity Vanessa, but who was going to pity her?

Lily said, "You're the one who can't accept her."

Lily wanted to say, "Yes, I can't accept her," but what was the point? What would it change?

Her heart felt hollow and cold. She walked past him and left.

Love and indifference—the difference was crystal clear. Now that she saw it, there was no point wasting energy arguing with a man like this.

Outside the study, Vanessa stood by the door with a smug smile playing on her lips.

As Lily brushed past her, Vanessa leaned in and whispered, "Give it up. You'll never win."

Lily knew Vanessa was right, but the taunt didn't touch her. She'd never cared about winning or losing in the first place.

What she'd wanted was simple—two people in love, growing old together.

Before long, the house stood empty except for her.

She packed her things, grabbed her bag, and walked through the door. She moved slowly through the rooms, taking in the home that felt both familiar and foreign at the same time.

Finally, she stopped outside the master bedroom, but she didn't go in.

"The curtains need to be warm colors, and we should put a thick rug by the bed. Nothing dark for the lamps."

She could still see herself from back then, tugging on Simon's sleeve and rattling off her wishes. She'd thought she was loved. Her smile had been so bright, her voice so sweet.

But she'd never questioned why Simon only let her decorate the master bedroom and nothing else in the house.

He'd been so stingy with her.

And she'd mistaken those scraps for his whole heart. She'd given him ten years without holding anything back, and all she had to show for it now was a broken body and a chest full of scars. She was a joke.

Lily's lips curved into a bitter smile, but tears fell faster than she could stop them.

So this was what it felt like to trust the wrong person. The price she'd paid was devastating.

She wiped her eyes and pulled herself together. The handwritten letter she left behind was her final goodbye—deliberate and absolute. She was done with years of one-sided love.

At noon, Lily headed to the airport. She couldn't wait to see Michael.

Halfway there, her phone buzzed with a message from Simon: [Vanessa ate something bad last night. The doctor wants to keep her for observation after the tests, so I need to stay with her tonight. Don't wait up for me.]

Did he really think she'd still be waiting for him at home?

Lily almost laughed. She pulled out her old SIM card and tossed it out the window, then slipped in a new one.

That afternoon at the airport, the siblings finally reunited.

Michael walked toward her quickly, and his eyes held nothing but raw concern.

"Michael." That was all Lily managed to say before she buried her face in his arms and broke down sobbing.

She'd been hurt so badly, but she didn't even know how to put it into words.

Michael sighed and gently rubbed her thin shoulders. "Once we finish the paperwork, we're going home."

He'd rushed over as fast as he could to handle the fake death arrangements, but it still felt like he'd taken too long.

Lily nodded hard. The past ten years felt like waking up from a bad dream, and seeing her family's worried faces made everything worth it.

At the hospital, Michael took Lily to meet the contact person and personally expedited the process.

They were walking through a corridor when Vanessa spotted them from the other end. She was waiting for her own check-up.

Vanessa stood up immediately, half a hallway away, and wanted to chase after them to get a better look.

Simon was instantly concerned and put down his phone to steady her. "What's wrong? Are you feeling sick again?"

"Simon, I just saw Lily. Some tall, skinny guy had his arm around her, and they walked right past."

Simon paused and glanced in that direction. "Are you sure? Maybe you saw someone else."

"No way." Vanessa was eager to catch Lily doing something wrong, and her voice got louder without thinking. "Come on, Lily and that guy both looked so striking. I couldn't have been wrong even if I tried."

She realized she sounded too worked up and quickly adjusted her tone. "Simon, I'm just worried Lily might do something impulsive to get back at you. Something that could hurt Shaw Enterprises' reputation."

What could harm the company's reputation and involve a stranger?

Simon frowned instinctively. "Lily's definitely at home like she's supposed to be. You must be tired and saw someone else."

Lily loved him enough to die for him. He absolutely didn't believe she'd mess around with another man.

He said, "Don't overthink it. It's not good for your health."

Meanwhile, Lily worked with Michael and arranged everything at the hospital as fast as possible.

They managed to get back in the car and head to the airport before dark.

But until she actually got home, she couldn't shake this tight feeling in her chest.