With tens of thousands in debt still hanging over my head, I didn’t have the luxury to rest. Less than a day after my surgery, I had to get back to my feet and work hard again.

When I arrived at the runway venue, my steps faltered. Kelly was standing near the prep area and to make things worse, we were standing side by side on the catwalk.

When Kelly saw me, she gave me a signal with her eyes to follow her.

Once, we had been more than colleagues because we had been friends for several years, so I knew perfectly well what she meant. Kelly was also the only one who knew about my debt.

After the breakup, I had even reached out to Kelly. I had asked her to keep an eye on Simon and begged her not to let him drown in alcohol again. I had tried to protect him, even from a distance.

In the backstage dressing room, Kelly gave me a long once-over, then scoffed, "So … after leaving so decisively back then, what brings you crawling back now? Let me guess... Is it because Simon is the Payton Family heir now? That’s it, isn’t it? You think you can cling to him again."

Kelly sneered. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but I’m marrying him soon. Do you really think he’s treating you kindly because he’s forgiven you? Don’t be ridiculous."

"You have no idea how much he hates you," she continued. "He hates that you dumped him. He hates that you’re the reason he fell into the river and lost his shot at being an athlete. He hates you with every fiber of his being."

Kelly’s words grew more venomous by the second. However, the calmer I remained, the more infuriated she became. She then laughed and said, "Do you think he still loves you? No. That man’s heart is colder than steel when it comes to you. It’s been that way for a long time. If you have any self-respect left, you’ll disappear now. Spare yourself the humiliation."

I met her glare with calm eyes and said indifferently, "Alright. I’ll leave."

Kelly froze. Her eyes were skeptical when she said, "I don’t believe you. You love him too much. You’d never give him up."

A smile curved my lips, but my eyes were cold. "I owed him a debt for leaving the way I did. However, I’ve repaid it all. The boy I once loved is gone and the man he’s become... isn’t someone I want to hold onto. So, congratulations... you’ve won."

Then I turned and walked into the makeup room without a second glance, leaving Kelly stunned and seething.

That day’s show was themed around the water element. The centerpiece of the runway was a shallow, shimmering pool. Dressed in an ornate, flowing gown and balancing precariously on fifteen-centimeter heels, I stepped confidently onto the stage.

However, as I walked out, Kelly, who was matching my step for step, leaned over and hissed just loud enough for only me to hear, "I don’t believe you’re letting go. Keep clinging to him and I’ll make sure you regret it."

My instincts flared. I instinctively widened the gap between us.

Seeing me flinch, Kelly smirked triumphantly and said, "Can you guess who Simon loves the most right now?"

The words had barely left her mouth when the heel of Kelly’s shoe suddenly snapped. She stumbled, then tilted sideways.

There was no time to react. I could only watch as Kelly dragged me into the large pool.

As I sank and submerged into the pool, Simon’s panicked roar entered my ears, "Kelly!" Through the blur of water, I saw Simon dive into the water and swim toward Kelly with all his might. At that moment, my heart filled with heartache.

Water suffocated my lungs, but when the survival instinct kicked in, it propelled me to paddle toward the shore.

Finally, I arrived at the shore with great difficulty and the security personnel who had arrived in a hurry quickly jumped into the pool and rescued me.

Maybe because I had just had an abortion, my stomach hurt like hell and the pain made my face as white as a sheet.

Meanwhile, across the pool, Simon had already carried the weak Kelly in his arms. He didn’t even spare a glance at me.

My frantic manager was the only one who sent me to the hospital.

I was wheeled into the operating room. The anesthesia kicked in fast and I slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.

In the coma, I saw myself back in my university days. Simon and I were the most envied couple at that time. We would watch movies together, stroll in the park, travel around the wood and dream about each other's future.

Then the scene shifted. I was now seated in the backseat of a luxury Maybach. Outside, rain poured down in torrents as Simon knelt on the pavement, his voice hoarse and cracking as he begged me not to leave him. However, I merely cast him a cold smile before driving away, leaving him drenched and heartbroken.

The scene changed again. Simon was wrapping his arm tenderly around Kelly. His gaze looked at me coldly, as if I were nothing more than a stranger to him.

I jolted awake. The doctor told me off in a serious tone, "You were so lucky. You nearly died from severe bleeding. You just had an abortion, then fell into a pool during a fashion show. All that stress and trauma … your body can't take this much. Where are your family members? No one's come to see you."

My voice came out dry and cracked. "I don’t have any family."

The doctor gave me a sympathetic glance. He probably assumed I was a widow. After reminding me to rest and follow post-op care instructions, he stepped out.

A nurse came in not long after. She tried to chat. “You know, another girl was admitted after nearly drowning. Rumor has it she’s the Payton Family heir’s fiancée. People say Simon treats her like a treasure.”

She continued, "I used to think wealthy families were so fickle. So, I never thought the young master of the Payton Family was so romantic. He reserved an entire floor just for her treatment and even sat by her side while she got an IV. Barely left her alone for a second."

My expression did not change as I said, "Really? She must be very lucky then."

Just then the door swung open and Simon walked in. “You’re awake, Honey! Guess what I brought you?”

I looked up. He was holding a box of tea pastries and it was my favorite cakes. The same ones he used to buy whenever he tried to apologize after a fight.

He considerately adjusted my hospital bed so I could sit up, then opened the still-warm box and held a piece near my lips.

I stared at it blankly. The pastries had lost their appeal.

It was clear he held deep grudges against me, but on his face, he could still show deep love.

I felt like a puppet trapped in a cruel performance, my suffering just part of the show. Even if I died, I would just be another prop left on stage until someone decided to kick me aside.

Beneath the covers, my hands clenched into tight fists as the misery almost strangled my breath.

Simon gently touched my face while smiling at me. “You’re not mad about me saving Kelly first, are you? She can’t swim like you can, so I had to go for her. Come on, don’t be mad, okay?”

I just nodded expressionlessly.

Trying to change my mood, he softened his voice even more. “Let’s not talk about that anymore. Let’s talk about us. Have you thought about where you want to hold the wedding? What kind of dress you want? What shape of diamond you want for your ring?”

He added, "We have to plan it soon. Once your belly shows, you won’t look good in a wedding gown.”

There would be no wedding. No baby. Not anymore.

“We’ll talk about it later,” I said softly. “I’m tired. I just want to sleep.”

Simon didn’t argue. He tugged the blanket gently around my body, kissed the corner of my mouth and quietly left.

When I looked at his back as he left, my heart was as calm as a puddle of stagnant water.

How long is he planning to keep up this act? I wondered.

He had talked about marriage before, too. However, it was all just talk. I knew he was not going to marry me. Since I knew the truth, I would not stay. We had become two parallel lines that could never meet again.

For the past few days, Simon had conveniently found excuses not to visit and I was done pretending.

Today was my birthday. In the past, Simon would have planned an entire day filled with surprises. He would have showed up with gifts, dinner reservations, little romantic gestures.

However, today, my phone buzzed endlessly, not with birthday wishes, but with messages from the chat group where Simon and his buddies discussed plans for throwing a celebration, not for me though. It was for Kelly. They wanted to congratulate her on landing a spot in the Victoria runway show.

Not wanting to see any more of it, I simply turned off my phone.

After a few days of rest, I finally had enough strength to start packing. I gathered all the luxury items Simon had ever given me and stuffed them neatly into the wardrobe. As for my personal belongings, I fit them into a single, modest suitcase.

Once everything was ready, I planned to text Simon and officially break up with him. After that, I would stay in a hotel until my visa came through.

As I was dragging my suitcase downstairs, I ran straight into the last people I wanted to see … Simon’s drinking buddies. They were helping him back home, dead drunk.

“Well, well,” one of them smirked. “Where are you off to with that suitcase, Miss Luxton? Don’t tell me you’re finally leaving?”

I ignored him and focused on Simon, who was slumped between them. “What happened to him?”

They dumped him unceremoniously onto the couch, then turned to me. “Take care of him, will you? He’s your man, after all.”

The way they treated me like his nanny made my blood boil. Before, I would swallow their insults, thinking I deserved their disdain. Well, not anymore.

I said coldly, "I'm not his nanny. So don’t speak to me like I am."

"You …!"

One of them took a threatening step forward, clearly provoked, but the others held him back. I pointed to the door. “Get out.”

Once they were gone, Simon stirred awake. He bent down, trying to kiss me.

I turned my head away, shoved him off and stood up. Straightening my torn clothes, I said in a flat tone, “Not tonight. I don't want to. Besides, it's not safe to have this in the first trimester.”

Seeing my serious expression, Simon tried to coax me, softening his tone. “Why are you avoiding me? Are you still upset about the fashion show? I’m sorry, okay? How about I buy you Chanel’s new couture line? Come on, baby, forgive me.”

In the past, I would have fallen for his sweet words and puppy eyes. However, I would not fall into the same mistakes anymore.

“I’m not upset. I just don’t want to,” I replied flatly.

His face darkened and the alcohol fueled his frustration. He pressed me down again, his voice slurred but his words cutting me like a knife. “Then what do you want? Money? Bags? Show access? I can give you everything now. Just say the word. That’s what you want, right?”

His accusation hit me like a slap. I took a sharp intake of breath, my nails digging into my palm.

“There’s nothing you could give me that would make me want you again,” I said quietly.

I shoved him away with all the strength I had. He sneered, his voice dripping with venom. “No? Even if I throw money at you? You went crawling to someone else for money before, didn’t you?”

Crack!

Without hesitation, I slapped him hard across the face.

The sting of my slap seemed to sober him instantly. He scrambled to speak, but I cut him off gently, “You’re drunk. Go rest.”

Without another glance, I walked upstairs, locked the bedroom door and tuned out the apologies and sweet-talking he spouted from the hallway.

I grabbed my phone to shut it off for the night, but a string of messages in the group chat caught my eye.

I was about to ignore them until one particular comment stopped me cold.

"Did you notice? All the luxury stuff on Jane is gone. I think she finally realized they were knock-offs, huh?"

I remembered a colleague at the fashion show once whispering about how my Go-go bag did not look quite right. Back then, I had defended Simon without hesitation.

Now, it all made sense. I had been nothing but a fool. A clown.