Chapter 2

Julian was such a brilliant actor.

I found it incredibly laughable.

Since he insisted on lying to me, I decided to play along.

After all, I only had a week left before I disappeared from his life forever.

I sat back down at my desk and systematically packed my personal belongings.

Julian's face darkened, and he whispered angrily, "I told you to cooperate with her. Why are you packing your stuff? Where are you going?"

I replied indifferently, "I'm preparing for an out-of-town business trip..."

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a ceramic guardian angel figurine slip from Chloe's hand.

My heart leaped into my throat.

With a sharp crash, the figurine shattered.

The floor was covered in broken ceramic pieces and crumpled prayer scrolls.

Chloe shrieked in terror. "Why is there an angel with cat wings?! I'm a butterfly artist! I told you, I cannot stand anything that threatens butterflies—real or decorative! It completely ruins my artistic inspiration!"

Julian stepped right over the holy scrolls and roared at his bodyguards, "What are you standing there for?! Search the entire office! I want every single cat-related item removed immediately. If anyone dares bring one in again, they're fired!"

He turned to glare at me fiercely.

"If you don't want to get fired, clean up this trash right now!"

With that, he hurriedly escorted Chloe out.

I knelt on the floor, my eyes stinging, and tried to piece the shattered shards back together. But it was impossible.

Tears fell, soaking the handwritten prayer scrolls and blurring my memories.

Back when Julian first sponsored me in high school, he saw me pushing through classes despite being constantly sick. Out of kindness, he gave me this ceramic guardian angel.

He told me that from the moment he met me, he wanted to protect me and help me succeed.

He said he was too busy taking over his family's empire, so he commissioned this guardian angel to watch over me.

I thought he was just joking.

But he looked at me with absolute sincerity. "Inside this angel are prayer scrolls I personally gathered from six different cathedrals. They will keep you safe and successful for the rest of your life."

From that moment on, I loved him for years. I cherished that ceramic angel more than my own life.

Now that everything was shattered, it was time for us to end.

I emailed my resignation letter to my manager, then headed to the law firm to finalize the stock transfer. I instructed the lawyer to deliver the signed agreement to Julian in a few days.

When I returned home, I finished packing my luggage and arranged for a shipping company to pick it up early.

Julian called, claiming he had a business dinner and wouldn't be home tonight.

Minutes later, Chloe used an anonymous account to send me a video of them enjoying a cozy, intimate couples' spa bath on Snapchat.

I remembered when I graduated from college. I had begged Julian to take me on a graduation trip to a mountain hot spring.

He had dismissed me, saying he had no time, and even scolded me, saying public baths were too indecent.

Looking at their happy smiles in the video, a self-deprecating smile played on my lips.

In the end, rules only apply to the ones who aren't loved.

Julian never had me in his heart.

I choked back my tears and left a comment on the post:

"You look perfect together! I hope you last forever!"

Over the weekend, I received a call from Julian's aunt, Sylvia. She warmly invited me to her private wine tasting party.

Aunt Sylvia had no children of her own and had always treated me like a daughter. I decided to tell her the truth: I was moving to Los Angeles to get married.

Hearing that I had reunited with my biological parents, Sylvia was thrilled for me, though she was sad to see me go.

"Elena, no matter where you go, remember to come back and visit. I'll make this party extra special to send you off. You must come."

I nodded and agreed.

Before, my identity was too sensitive. I was just a penniless orphan sponsored by the Vance family.

Julian had warned me many times that if our relationship were exposed at family events, it would hurt the company's reputation.

He wanted me to focus on my career so that one day I could stand beside him as an equal, earning everyone's respect.

Back then, I was foolish enough to work overtime every night, believing his promise that we would go public once I became his equal.

Now that I was leaving everything behind, I could finally enjoy a party hosted by the Vance family without any burden.