Caleb said that he never had any connections with me outside of work. Hannah was the one he loved, and he would only ever love Hannah in the future.

A single tear rolled down my face.

I knew that it was time for me to make a decision.

I thought about many things.

I recalled that Caleb seemed to have been very nice to me in the past.

Once when I was away on a business trip, he had traveled halfway across the globe to celebrate my birthday with me.

When I had a fever, he had not slept a wink throughout the night.

But now, he had taken back the nice treatment and given it to another woman.

Actually, it wasn't hard to tell whether he loved me or not.

Since that was the case, I decided that we should part ways in peace and never contact each other again.

…

I went to the reservoir and flung the string of sandalwood beads into the distance.

When I was leaving, it started to rain heavily out of the blue.

Putting on a smile, I held my coat over my head as I walked back in the rain.

The rain was heavy, and the wind was strong, too. I felt like I would freeze when the wind blew toward me.

A car pulled up in front of me.

A window was slowly lowered to reveal a face with a cold and hard expression on it.

It was Ryan Jackson, the president of the largest real estate company in Paxford.

I heard that he had gone abroad to Cascadia since college, and he had returned only recently.

He was known to be a decisive and ruthless man.

The resources and assets he owned were on par with the entirety of Hale Group.

I had met him once when I accompanied Caleb to an event a few days ago.

"Get in the car. Cabs can't come this far," Ryan said calmly.

I looked at the ride-hailing app on my phone.

None of the cabs had accepted my request.

After thanking Ryan in a low voice, I opened the car door and got in.

Ryan glanced at me before tossing a towel at me.

"Dry your hair," he said curtly.

He gripped the steering wheel with his left hand while his right hand held his phone. He seemed to be searching for the navigation app.

"Where should I send you to?"

This actually wasn't an easy question to answer.

I had been living in Caleb's villa all this while.

All my belongings were still at Caleb's place, anyway. Since I had decided to cut off all ties with him, I had to go to his place and move all my stuff out.

I said, "I still haven't retrieved my belongings, so please take me to the residential area Mr. Hale lives in."

Ryan didn't say another word as he started driving. Not long after that, he dropped me off in front of Caleb's villa.

I was about to get out of the car when Ryan called out to me.

"Why don't we work together, Ms. Lark? I can help you get away from Caleb, but you'll have to help me out, too."

Ryan spoke indifferently. He sounded casual as if he were just commenting on the weather.

"I need a marriage partner to stop the nagging from the elders in my family."

I stared at him in wide-eyed shock.

I couldn't even register what he was saying for a moment.

"A marriage partner?"

"Yes," Ryan said in confirmation.

After thinking for a bit, I smiled. "I'm sorry, Mr. Jackson, but I don't think I'm suited for the role. I can leave Caleb on my own."

With that, I moved to open the door and get out of the car.

Ryan didn't continue the topic. Instead, he handed a name card to me.

"I wish you the best of luck, Ms. Lark. Even if we don't end up working together, we can still be friends, right? This is my name card. If you need help, Ms. Lark, feel free to call me anytime."

After thinking about it for a bit, I decided to take the name card.

Then, I got out of the car and walked toward Caleb's villa.

The house was empty and too quiet for comfort.

I could barely believe that this was the same place that was usually filled with liveliness and frenzy.

When the butler saw me, he hastily said, "You're back, Ms. Lark…"

I nodded. I didn't say much to him as I went straight to my room on the second floor.

But as soon as I opened the door, Caleb came into view.

He was sitting on the suitcases I had packed before leaving in the morning. He was holding his phone in his hand as if he was waiting for a message or a call.

The air in the room was murky. Caleb had probably been smoking a lot.

When he heard the sound of the door opening, he raised his head and looked in my direction.

"Are you moving out, Alicia?"

I ignored him as I walked up to the cabinet. Pulling open a drawer, I retrieved my personal documents and my purse. Then, I stuffed them in my bag.

"What are you doing?"

Caleb obviously sounded a little panicked, and he had a bitter tone in his voice.

"Why are you taking these things?"

I said calmly, "You'll be marrying Ms. White soon, and you've also released a statement this morning. If I keep living here, it'll only cause harm to everyone involved."

Just as I was reaching out to get the luggage on the floor, Caleb gripped my wrist.

"You're well aware of the funding issues in our company, and only the Whites can help me out. You know very well that I was just pretending. Stop making a fuss, Alicia."

His eyes were red as he stared intently at me.

"Let's get along like we used to, alright?"

"Like we used to?" I thought, "So I have to keep playing the role of the toy, which is hidden from the public and never allowed any status or identity?"

I didn't say a word as I picked up the luggage on the floor.

I walked to the door and shook my head at Caleb.

"Let's clear this up once and for all, Caleb. I don't owe you anything, nor are you indebted to me. Let's not contact each other from now on."

As I strode forward, I heard a crash behind me. It sounded like something was smashed into pieces.

"Alicia!" Caleb called out to me in a low voice, "Mark my words. If you leave right now, I'll stop your brother's medications immediately. Judging by your capability, you can't possibly afford the huge expense on your own."

I froze in my footsteps. I was rooted on the spot.

…

My brother had found me when I was almost graduating from college seven years ago.

I had always assumed that he had died along with our parents somewhere out there.

To my surprise, he had been searching for me for the past few years.

Back then, after I had moved to Paxford along with Caleb's family, I had ceased all contact with the people I had previously known.

My brother had finally found me, but back then, he was also diagnosed with severe kidney disease.

With help from Caleb, my brother had undergone kidney transplant surgery. However, something had gone wrong during the surgery, so my brother was now in a vegetative state. He could only be kept alive with medications for the rest of his life.

The medications were of the expensive and imported kind. Back then, I was a fresh graduate, so I couldn't afford the cost at all. In my desperation, I had no choice but to agree to Caleb's conditions.

I was to become his woman and stay by his side.

This went on for seven years.

I thought that he would eventually marry me, but in the end, to him, I was nothing but a toy at his beck and call.

I was even the most worthless of the lot.

I bit my lip as I continued walking forward.

This time, no matter what the result might be, I had to try my best to change.

Unfortunately, fate had other ideas. I had just placed my luggage at the hotel when I received a call from the hospital.

Caleb had actually stopped my brother's medications and injections, as he said he would.

Without the injections, my brother's health soon showed signs of deterioration.

I didn't want to turn back and beg Caleb for help. In my panic, the thought of Ryan crossed my mind.

I dialed the number on the name card he had given me.

…

Ryan immediately transferred my brother to another hospital and had the best doctor in Paxford examine my brother.

After leaving the hospital, Ryan took me to his home in Northwood.

My hesitant expression probably exposed my feelings at the moment.

Ryan unlocked the door with his fingerprint. After glancing at me, he spoke in a calm and emotionless tone.