Chapter 3

I scoffed. The man was pathetic.

He wanted to keep me around as a convenient stand-in while simultaneously welcoming his first love into his bed.

Men could be greedy, but he was truly in a league of his own.

"Rushing? Isn’t Miss Vance moving in today? Leaving right now is perfect timing."

I didn't want to waste another second on him.

It took nine years for his mask to slip, but I finally saw him for what he really was.

I supposed I had been blinded by love all those years; otherwise, how could I have failed to see his true colors?

Crash—!

A loud noise shattered my thoughts. I looked down at the shattered items on the floor, my brows knitting together.

The box that dropped was filled with gifts Julian had given me over the years.

Back before we even started dating, he had given me a snow globe.

He told me the tiny glass house inside was a promise of the home we’d build together one day.

Now, it lay in pieces on the hardwood floor.

Much like our supposed future.

Beside it was a matching scarf I had hand-knitted for him. He rarely wore his, and I had been too precious with mine to wear it often. Now, it was soaked in murky water and sparkling glitter.

Soggy, ruined, and pathetic.

There were the handmade ceramic mugs we painted together, carved with our favorite tulips, now reduced to jagged shards.

The cracked edges looked like they were mocking me.

Each broken item represented a piece of our history.

From cheap trinkets to luxury jewelry, the gifts mirrored his rise to stardom—and the decay of his feelings for me.

In the beginning, the gifts were cheap but full of heart.

Later on, they were expensive, but utterly thoughtless.

Whether his feelings had changed or he had simply revealed his true self no longer mattered.

None of it mattered anymore.

"What the hell did you do?!"

Julian roared at the mover, stepping forward aggressively, but I raised my hand to stop him.

"It's fine. It was all junk meant for the trash anyway. What's broken is broken."

Just like this relationship.

It held no value anymore.

Throwing it away was the easiest thing in the world.

"What do you mean junk?! Those were all—"

"Julian, honey, why are you so upset?"

A sweet voice rang out from the foyer. Julian’s rage vanished in a split second, as if his furious outburst had never happened.

"Nothing, babe. What are you doing here so early?"

Julian wiped the fury from his face, turning around with a handsome, tender smile that made him look like an entirely different person.

"Well, since I'm moving in today, I figured I'd come over before my shoot for that reality show!"

She smiled brightly, directing her personal staff to start bringing in her designer luggage.

Catching sight of me, she flashed a practiced, elegant smile.

"Don't worry, Miss Hayes. Now that I’m here, you don't have to stress over taking care of Julian anymore. I'll look after him."

She linked her arm through Julian’s, their fingers intertwining naturally.

I gave a curt nod. "Good. I wish you both the best."

With that, I turned back to the movers and told them to keep loading the truck.

Since I was leaving, I wasn't leaving a single trace of myself behind.

"Don't worry about the mess, sir. Like I said, it was meant for the garbage."

The moving guy let out a huge sigh of relief. He knew some of the items were designer brands, and if I had demanded compensation, he could never have afforded it.

"Thank you, ma'am. Thank you so much!"

He carried the remaining boxes out, and I grabbed a broom to sweep up the shards and trash.

Anna stood by the hallway, watching me with a smug tilt to her lips.

"Miss Hayes, you’re so domestic. Whoever marries you in the future will be very lucky."

"Yeah. I think so too."

I agreed calmly, not bothering to take her bait.

"Wait, don't put my bags in that room! Put them in the master bedroom! I’m staying with my boyfriend."

Anna called out when she noticed someone carrying her luggage toward my former room.

I looked at Julian. He immediately looked away, unable to meet my eyes.

A quiet scoff slipped past my lips. I tied off the trash bag and walked out the front door.

The master bedroom was a sanctuary I wasn't allowed into for nine whole years.

Yet on day one, Anna moved right in.