I accidentally wear the gown Miles Graham prepared for his childhood sweetheart. To my horror, he forces me to take it off in public.

"I prepared this for Nora—do you think you're worthy of wearing it? Take it off! You're dirtying it!"

He knows I have serious PTSD after almost being violated, yet he insults me with those words. I look at him tearfully and beg him not to say anymore. That's when the gown's zip bursts open.

My PTSD acts up. I'm so overwhelmed that I collapse on the floor and have a seizure.

Miles dismisses everyone and takes Nora out on a date. He leaves me lying there in humiliation.

I call my mentor before being discharged from the hospital. "Ms. Gardner, I've decided to participate in the water conservation project in Affenheim."

On the day I was discharged from the hospital, no one came to pick me up.

I took a taxi alone and returned to the cozy little home that Miles Graham and I once shared. It was a place just for the two of us outside the Graham residence.

As I pushed the door open, I could hear the sounds of laughter echoing inside. I was stunned for a second but still walked in calmly.

Just then, Miles glanced up at me. His expression was cold as he snapped, "I only warned you not to touch Nora's things. It wasn't like I was asking you to strip on the spot.

"The zipper broke, but the dress didn't even fall off. Did you really need to fake an episode? You embarrassed me in front of my family."

Nora Spencer clung to Miles' arm, covering her nose as she said mockingly, "Leilani's convulsions were so convincing! If she joined the entertainment industry, she'd definitely be Oscar material."

Miles let out a derisive laugh. "Her? She wouldn't even dare to show skin."

Nora laughed so hard at Miles' statement that her whole body shook. She was wearing a silk slip dress, and her ample curves bounced with her laughter. Miles' discomfort was visible to the eye as she rubbed herself cheerfully against his arm.

As I watched their growing intimacy, my heart remained indifferent. It now felt as still as dead water.

I was easily embarrassed when I was younger, and that calamity nearly cost me my life.

I was almost violated back then. I barely escaped and ultimately stumbled into a crowd barely clothed. That was when I became the target of pointing fingers and stares, and it nearly drove me insane.

I remembered Miles pushing through the crowd to wrap me in his coat. He carried me to the car with care and held me silently yet tenderly all the way. During those days, he comforted me with soft words and cared for me tirelessly until I returned to normal.

Yet now, he casually turned my trauma into a joke to amuse Nora.

After glancing at the two of them, I lifted my head and looked around. All the photos of Miles and I had been taken down. Even the single photo on my desk was now replaced by Nora's glamor shots.

This house felt so unfamiliar. Perhaps, it was never truly mine from the very beginning. I then turned calmly and headed toward the room.

Nora stood up quickly and blocked my path. Her gaze was arrogant, but her tone was meek as she said, "Leilani, don't blame Miles. There was a leak at my place, so I'm just staying here temporarily until it's fixed. Once it's done, I'll move out."

The old me would have mocked her for her little act. I might have cried and asked Miles to choose between the two of us. But now, I just nodded silently, eager to disentangle myself from the two of them as soon as possible.

It seemed my reaction struck a nerve with Miles. He strode over and grabbed my wrist roughly. "Nora already lowered herself to ask you so nicely. Why are you still acting so high and mighty? Don't forget, Leilani Jabs. I'm the one who bought this house!"

His grip landed exactly where bruises from before remained, and the pain made me hiss. Hearing this, Miles' expression shifted slightly. He instinctively loosened his hold.

His gaze then fell on the purplish mark on my wrist. His brows furrowed deeply as he recalled his actions from a few days ago, and his expression softened.

I spoke quietly, "I'm going to rest now."

Miles' face darkened instantly, his tone carrying a hint of reprimand. "You're jealous again, aren't you? Since Nora returned to the country, I've explained repeatedly that we're just—"

"I'm simply exhausted," I interrupted. "You two can interact however you like or be as intimate as you want. From now on, it has nothing to do with me."

I then turned sideways to enter the room and shut the door firmly in Miles' face.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly ahead.

Loud noises echoed outside the door as Miles seemed to be smashing things again. At some point, he had developed this habit of expressing his dissatisfaction with me through this method.

The first time it happened, he broke our matching mugs. Then, he shattered the ceramic figurines we had made together. The final straw was when he threw our engagement rings straight out the window…

…

Countless waves of sadness crashed over me. It was like I was being suffocated. I suddenly felt overwhelmingly tired.

I lowered my gaze to my wrist, where the bruises had left purple scars that looked like a circular blade. It was slicing through my heart and slowly cutting away the decayed parts of my soul.

Then, the doorbell rang, and the living room abruptly fell silent. I stood and walked out. The place was a complete mess by now, and it was utterly unrecognizable.

Pieces of our photos lay shredded across the floor in the living room, glaringly out of place. I simply slowly closed my eyes.

I was 19 when Miles saved me and carried me into his car. From then on, I gained the nickname "little damsel".

Miles never formally introduced me to his friends. On the rare occasions we met them, I would overhear whispers and teasing comments like, "Oh, so this is Miles' little damsel?"

I thought I wasn't good enough for Miles, so I worked relentlessly to get into a top university. I also discovered my passion. That was how I pursued my dreams in the world I loved while yearning to be a part of his.

Back then, I would often cup my face with a smile and ask, "Miles, when will you marry me? When will you introduce me to your friends?"

Miles would only pat my head and give me a fond smile. He never directly answered my questions, so I always assumed he just wasn't ready to make promises.

Until one day, I happened to sit in the booth behind him and his friends where we were separated by a screen.

Miles had spoken casually, "I do like her. She's stunning, and I could say she's one in a million. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone against everyone to carry her into the car back then.

"But she's so resilient, like hardy grass. Hardy grass can't compare to the delicate charm of a begonia, which makes you want to cherish it.

"Even so, she cares enough about me. She'll eventually back down no matter how much she protests. I don't even need to put in much effort to mollify her. I think I could keep her around for a few more years."

"I guess meeting you was truly her misfortune then…"

"What a headache. This is such a nuisance."

They talked about me like I meant nothing. Back then, I had to struggle to steady myself, forcing my back straight to suppress the bitterness in my heart.

That was when I realized I was nothing more than a bother to Miles. But still, I naively believed that if I behaved better and became even more outstanding, Miles would stop seeing me as a nuisance.

I began tolerating all his bad temper without limits. It seemed his habit of smashing things started when I abandoned my boundaries.

Later, when his so-called "begonia" Nora returned, I realized that after all these years, I was still just a nuisance in his life.

Miles was holding me in his arms when his friend mentioned Nora. His usually calm and indifferent expression flickered with a trace of longing.

"Nora? She's such a delicate little flower. If I were single, I'd keep her like a treasure in a golden house. She deserves to be adorned with jewels, and she's always so proud and beautiful."

I forced a smile while I was still in his arms. At the same time, the nails I had done to please him dug painfully into my palms. I pretended to be strong as I endured all the pitiful glances directed my way.

From then on, I started to reexamine our relationship and realized it had always been one-sided. It was nothing but a futile effort.

After I finished packing my belongings, I suddenly received a photo. It was Miles from behind, and he was fresh out of the shower.

He was wearing only a white towel around his waist. His broad shoulders were undeniably attractive. Meanwhile, Nora was dressed in a lace nightgown as she stared directly at the camera with a smug, provocative look.

Before I could reply, Nora retracted the message. I had grown tiresome of this little game of hers.

Ever since she returned, she had been sending me photos of her and Miles in intimate moments.

I remembered the first time I confronted Miles about it. He glanced at me briefly, then smiled indulgently. "Nora? She's just trying to tease you. Even after all these years, she's still so mischievous."

"Miles, what are you saying?" I stared at him in disbelief.

His smile faded, and he let out a faint scoff. "Don't come to me with this nonsense again. If Nora and I wanted to be together, we would've done so long ago."

This time, I quietly blocked Nora.

I casually opened another chat and, after some thought, sent a message to him. "I'm planning to join a water conservation project in Affenheim. Maybe I'll spend the rest of my life there."

…

After graduation, I gave up staying at the university to become Miles' secretary. Then, Miles arranged for Nora to join the company when she returned. I had become redundant to him not only in our relationship but also at work.

I arrived at the office with my resignation letter, only to find myself sharing the elevator with Miles' nephew, Carter Graham. He was two years younger than me but had already established himself firmly in the company, standing as an equal to Miles.

After a few moments of silence, Carter finally spoke in surprise. "Little damsel, are you really going to Affenheim?"

"Don't call me little damsel anymore. Your uncle and I will soon have nothing to do with each other," I replied in exasperation.

Carter chuckled lightly at my response.

I smiled faintly. "Later, I'll need you to help me finalize a contract."

After Nora took over my position, Miles stopped paying attention to whether I stayed or left. I was even transferred to Carter's department. Although Miles still saw me at the company daily, he never realized I had already stepped out of his sphere of influence.

Carter said in a low voice, "It'll be hard for us to see each other again."

Looking at my reflection in the elevator doors, I replied, "Let's leave it to fate."

As the elevator doors opened, Miles and Nora were standing there, chatting intimately. The moment Miles saw me with Carter, his expression darkened instantly.

"Leilani Jabs, are you so desperate for a man that you're talking about 'fate' with someone younger?"

I simply smiled faintly at him, unwilling to respond.

Carter cleared his throat. "Uncle Miles, you misunderstood Leilani. Don't you have someone else now anyway?"

Nora's lips curled into a satisfied smile. Then, Miles took a deliberate step away from Nora in response, his expression unchanged. Nora's smile quickly faltered.

A hint of mockery flashed in Carter's eyes. Nonetheless, I found the entire exchange utterly boring.

After leaving Carter's office with my signed resignation letter, I bumped into Miles storming toward me. I calmly flipped the document over to hide its contents, but Miles still caught a glimpse of the word "resignation".

His brows furrowed deeply as he said, "What were you doing with Carter? What could you possibly have to talk about with him? Are you trying to use resignation to threaten me? Can't you think bigger? I'm only looking out for an old friend—"

Feeling exasperated, I interrupted him, "A colleague asked me to deliver a document for Carter to sign."

Miles fell silent. He simply rubbed his nose to mask his embarrassment.

"Anything else?" I asked expressionlessly.

Miles hesitated before remembering why he had approached me. "Nora's coming with me to meet a client. You don't like going to these things, so she'll handle it in your place."

I stared at him quietly.

After a moment, he added, "She said your nails are beautifully done and wanted you to help her with hers."