Chapter 4

That night, Nathan didn't come home.

Late at night, while scrolling through short videos, Yvonne came across a clip from someone nearby.

In the clip, a man was leaning over, tucking in the corners of a blue and white hospital blanket with hands that had well-defined knuckles.

The caption was simple: [Reunion.]

Even though the man's face wasn't shown, Yvonne instantly recognized Nathan.

During that year in the basement, she had spent countless nights nestled in his arms. How could she fail to recognize him?

Now, it looked like he and Sophia had gotten back together.

Maybe it was from staring at the screen for too long, but her eyes grew sore and a little bitter.

Yvonne turned off her phone, pulled the blanket over her head, and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Yvonne was woken up by the noise downstairs.

She headed down and spotted Nathan and Sophia in the living room, surrounded by several suitcases.

Nathan cleared his throat. "Sophia just returned to the country and doesn't have anywhere to stay, so she's staying here for a bit."

Sophia peeked out from beside him, looking a little embarrassed. "Ms. Warren, I hope my staying here won't be a bother?"

Yvonne shook her head, completely unbothered. She went straight to the kitchen to toast some bread for breakfast.

This villa was bought once Nathan's company was stable. Who Nathan let stay here had nothing to do with her.

Not to mention, she'd be leaving soon.

Sophia dragged her suitcase upstairs. Moments later, a startled shout echoed from above.

Sophia came downstairs, holding a watch, and held it out to Nathan. "Nathan, this is the birthday gift I gave you years ago. I never thought it'd still be here."

Yvonne instinctively glanced at the watch. Suddenly, she remembered those days when creditors were hounding Nathan. He had gathered up the villa, luxury cars, antiques, and every valuable item in the house, pawning them all to the bank.

When it came to this watch, his eyes were full of struggle. In the end, he took it back and said, "Let's keep it for now."

Back then, deep in his eyes, there was nostalgia and a sense of reluctance.

For the next three years, he would often take out the watch and stare at it blankly, lost in thought.

Yvonne had always assumed the watch was something Nathan's family gave him. Only now did she realize it was a gift from Sophia.

He kept it, not for its value, but because it reminded him of her.

In that moment, Yvonne finally realized how laughable it was that she had assumed, for three years, that she had made her way into Nathan's heart.

For three years, he never stopped thinking about Sophia.

Even though she abandoned him for a life overseas, he still couldn't move on from her.

All it took was for Sophia to show up, shed a single tear, and offer a few explanations, and he would forgive her and forget that painful past.

Yvonne gave herself a wry smile, turned around, and headed upstairs without sparing Nathan and Sophia another glance.

Over the next few days, Sophia practically took over the villa, leaving traces of herself in every corner.

At just one word from her about disliking the gray curtains, Nathan had them swapped out for the creamy white ones she preferred.

She complained the wall color was too dull, and Nathan had the place repainted in warm, inviting tones.

When she said she wanted to see Juliet roses, Nathan went so far as to have the freshest rose branches flown in from overseas and transplanted them into the garden.

Back when Nathan first bought this villa, he was so busy with work that Yvonne handled everything. She chose the furniture, picked out the decor, and oversaw the renovations. It was all her doing.

Now, she watched as every trace of her presence was slowly erased, and with it, her feelings for Nathan faded away, too.

*****

The day before the press conference happened to be Nathan's mother, Betty Finn's, birthday.

It was the Finn family's first big celebration since their comeback, and they went all out to make it a truly lavish affair.

In the afternoon, Nathan went out of his way to hire a top stylist and even had his assistant bid on several pieces of high-end jewelry at an auction, delivering them straight to the villa.

Sophia directed the stylist to adorn her with the sparkling jewels.

Yvonne glanced at the jewelry box and shook her head. "I'm not wearing these."

Nathan paused for a moment, then broke into a smile. "Yvonne, the company's listed now. You don't have to pinch pennies for me anymore."

Sophia put on her most considerate act. "Nathan, if Ms. Warren doesn't want to wear them, don't force her. I heard she's an orphan, so maybe she's not used to this kind of thing."

Yvonne replied calmly, "Yeah, I'm really not used to it."

Her jewelry usually cost tens or hundreds of millions. Wearing something worth only a million did feel a bit off.

Seeing Yvonne stand her ground, Nathan finally backed off and didn't push her any further.