Chapter 3

Aldric's words struck Briseis like a bolt from the blue, catching her completely off guard.

'Me? Best Actress?' Briseis thought.

The conversation between them continued.

Briseis's gaze fell on the bouquet of red roses in Aldric's hand.

She thought it was almost laughable.

She kept telling everyone Aldric would never mix business with pleasure, but reality hit her like a slap in the face.

Maybe her gaze was so intense that Aldric's attention was drawn to her.

Their eyes met, and for a brief moment, Briseis saw a flicker of panic in his eyes, quickly replaced by his usual composure.

Aldric walked over with the roses, sounding resigned. "Briseis, let Calanthe be the Best Actress this time, okay? Promise you'll keep this secret for me, alright?"

Briseis couldn't believe how confidently he said it. "Aldric, this honor belongs to me. Why should I let her have it?"

Aldric tugged at his tie, with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "You're not even acting anymore. These awards mean nothing to you now, do they?

"Besides, if you hadn't posted that comment today and made Calanthe upset, I wouldn't have had to think of a way to cheer her up."

His cutting words made Briseis's eyes well up with tears. She asked, her voice shaking, "So you took what was rightfully mine, and now you're blaming me for it?"

Aldric rarely saw Briseis look so vulnerable. He stepped forward, put his arm around her shoulders, and spoke softly, trying to comfort her. "Briseis, that's not what I meant.

"Calanthe's caught my eye lately, so of course, I have to keep her happy. The moment I get bored with her, I'll snatch the Best Actress trophy right back and hand it to you.

"Relax, I know exactly who my wife is. Everything I'm doing with her is just for appearances. Don't let it bother you."

Briseis had grown so used to hearing this line over the past two years that she barely reacted anymore.

He had said, "I'm messing around with her. You'll always be my wife. It's all just for appearances."

As far as Aldric was concerned, he saw nothing wrong with his actions.

In his eyes, if Briseis made a fuss, it meant she was being childish and lacking grace.

Briseis pulled away from his embrace, forcing back the sting in her eyes. "No need to trouble yourself, Mr. Vance. I don't want a trophy that's been tainted by her."

She didn't need a cheater, either.

Without bothering to see Aldric's reaction, she stumbled out of the venue and went straight home.

The next morning, Briseis woke up early and began sorting through her belongings.

She kept only the essentials she'd need for her move to Yorkland, packing up and discarding everything else.

That included everything she and Aldric had shared over the years—photo albums from their courtship and marriage, the oversized wedding photos they'd splurged on, and even the roses Aldric had planted for her in the garden.

Four years of dating, three years of marriage—seven years spent under the same roof, and everywhere she looked, there were traces of their life together.

It took Briseis half a month to clear out all those memory-laden things, letting go of them piece by piece.

In the end, the home that had once been filled with warmth was just as cold and empty as the day they first moved in seven years ago.

During those two weeks, Aldric never once set foot in the house.

Briseis knew exactly where he was.

That was just how Aldric was. Whenever he had a new fling, he'd stick around for at least a month.

Besides, Calanthe loved to show off. She was always posting lovey-dovey updates about them on Twitter nearly every day.

The day before, Aldric took her deep-sea fishing and personally cooked her a meal.

Yesterday, he visited her on set and pampered her with a calf massage.

Maybe as she cleared away all the memories they'd built together, Briseis was slowly letting go of Aldric, bit by bit, pulling him out of her heart.

Whenever she saw those posts on Twitter, she barely paused, then swiped right past them, not caring at all.

After sorting through everything at home, Briseis headed out to the mall.

The movie would take ages to film, and once she moved to Yorkland, she wouldn't be back for at least two years, so she had to bring a ton of things with her.

By the time she finished shopping that afternoon, her trunk was packed to the brim with shopping bags.

Briseis closed the trunk, opened the car door, and was about to drive off.

Her foot had just crossed the threshold into the driver's seat when someone suddenly grabbed her from behind and yanked her out.

Completely off guard, Briseis slammed onto the pavement.

She scraped a large patch of skin off her arm, and blood ran down in a thin stream.

Ignoring the pain, Briseis pushed herself up and realized it was five or six young girls who had jumped her. However, none of them looked familiar to her.

"Who are you?" Briseis demanded.

As soon as she spoke, the girls all glared at her with obvious disgust.

One of them stormed up, yanked Briseis by the hair, and snapped, "It's all her fault. If she hadn't been hogging the Mrs. Vance spot, Calanthe would've been with Mr. Vance ages ago.

"Now they're finally divorced, and she still dares to spend his money? She's got no shame."