After his shower, Sigmund lowered his head and caught her ear between his teeth, his fingers slipping beneath her shirt.

When Michelle tried to stop him, it was already too late. He pushed her down onto the bed, covering her lips with his as he moved to take her.

Then his phone rang.

Seeing the caller ID, Sigmund froze for a second before quickly answering.

“Sigmund, I think someone broke into my house. Can you come over?”

His tone softened instantly, gentle and reassuring. “Stay where you are. Don’t worry, I’ll be right there.”

After hanging up, he brushed a quick kiss against Michelle’s lips. “Another job called last minute. They need me to cover a shift.”

Michelle said quietly, “Didn’t I tell you not to overwork yourself?”

“Things are different now. I know your family’s in trouble, so I need to work harder to take care of you,” Sigmund said, patting her head before changing clothes and heading out.

He didn’t return until late that night.

When he walked in, he noticed something was missing.

Then he realized all the things they’d once shared as a couple were gone.

Those were the little things she had carefully picked out after each date.

“What’s this about? Cleaning up all of a sudden? I thought those were your favorites.”

Michelle tossed a few more items into the trash and said casually, “I don’t like them anymore. I’ll buy new ones when I find something I like.”

Sigmund’s chest tightened for no reason, and he quickly grabbed her hand. “It’s late. Where are you going?”

“I’m staying at home tonight.”

Since moving in with Sigmund, Michelle had seldom gone back to her family home. During the height of her love for him, the only place where she could fall asleep peacefully was in his arms.

She gave him a faint smile, picked up her luggage, and walked out the door.

Once in the car, her phone rang again.

It was the real estate agent. “Miss Lowe, if you want to sell the villa quickly, you’ll take a loss. Are you sure? I can list it immediately if you’re certain.”

“The price doesn’t matter,” Michelle said steadily. “The sooner it’s sold, the better.”

The villa was one Michelle had bought for Sigmund three years ago.

The study, bathroom, and balcony—every corner still carried traces of their intimacy.

Even after her family’s downfall, she still thought about leaving a part of her wealth behind for Sigmund.

She wanted to ensure he’d have a secure future.

But now she realized he had never needed any of it.

He knew about her family’s bankruptcy, watched her getting forced into marriage, and did nothing.

When she was most desperate for money, he was still pretending to be poor right in front of her.

A faint, bitter smile tugged at Michelle’s lips.

Just then, her phone buzzed with a new message—someone wanted to meet her.

“Miss Lowe, my name is Emily Rivers. I’m Sigmund’s ex-girlfriend. He probably never mentioned me to you.

“Three years ago, I left the country to study after we had a fight, but we never officially broke up. Now that I’m back, Sigmund will come back to me.

“Last night, he was out the entire time. Aren’t you curious where he was? Don’t tell me you actually believe he’s so poor he had to work an overnight shift at that club.”

After speaking, Emily took out a bank card and slid it across the table toward Michelle.

“I know you’re short on money. Here’s 6 million dollars. You can use it however you need. But I have one condition. You have to leave Sigmund.”

Michelle’s throat tightened, and she let out a faint, humorless laugh.

How ironic.

She had always been the one using money to make people go away, yet tonight she was the one being bought off.

“Does Sigmund know you’re making decisions behind his back?”

Emily smiled. “You probably have no idea how close Sigmund and I were. We almost got married once.

“He used to take me to a different island every year because I loved the ocean. He bought a private restaurant just to recreate the food I missed from my childhood.

“There’s a tattoo on his chest—a rose ring. I inked it myself. It was meant to be our wedding ring.

“Do I need to tell you more about his background? You’ve been with him for three years and still don’t even know who he really is. Do you honestly think he loves you?”

A chill spread through Michelle’s body.

So, everything he liked and did have been because of Emily.

“Miss Lowe, you think you were keeping him, but in truth, he’s been using you as my substitute.”

Emily’s smile brightened, her tone almost teasing. “Do you believe me when I say that if I call him right now, he’ll come straight to me? Want to bet on it?”

A storm of emotions flashed through Michelle’s chest, but eventually, they all settled into calm.

She remembered the first birthday they spent together.

Sigmund brought her a cheap, ugly cake that tasted awful, yet she thought it was the best one she’d ever had.

That day, he held her close as she made a wish.

She said, “I hope you’ll still be with me for my next birthday.”

Sigmund had smiled and promised, “I’ll spend every birthday with you from now on.”

And once, when she’d been drunk and nearly assaulted, Sigmund had shown up just in time.

He held her trembling body in his arms and vowed, “From now on, I’ll always come for you first. I’ll never let anyone hurt you again.”

To him, those promises meant nothing. But back then, she believed every word.

Michelle clenched her hands, forcing a smile. “I’ll do as you wish. I’ll leave him, but not because of anything you said tonight.”

Hearing the answer she wanted, Emily didn’t waste another word.

With the air of a victor, she stood and walked away.

Over the next few days, Michelle was busy arranging her engagement, and Sigmund never once tried to contact her.

It wasn’t until she returned to the club that she saw him again, sitting at the bar.

Sigmund seemed distracted all evening, his gaze constantly drifting elsewhere. He didn’t even notice when Michelle arrived.

Following his line of sight, she realized he’d been watching Emily the whole time.

Men surrounded Emily, drawn to her like moths to a flame.

“Ah, what are you doing? Don’t touch me!”

Her sharp cry broke through the noise.

Sigmund’s face darkened as he stormed forward, grabbing a bottle and smashing it over one man’s head.

He pulled Emily into his arms, his presence so cold and commanding that no one dared move.

Michelle’s heart nearly stopped.

She had never seen him lose control like that, but tonight, he was furious because of Emily.

The man who had dared touch Emily had his arm broken within seconds. No one else dared utter a word.

When Sigmund finally left with his people, the troublemakers were all thrown out of the club.

As Michelle walked past one of the private rooms, she heard a woman’s soft, teasing voice.

“Sigmund, don’t be so nice to me. You’re forgetting you have a girlfriend. What if she finds out and gets upset?”

“I don’t have a girlfriend. She was just your replacement.”

Through the half-open door, Michelle saw Sigmund holding Emily in a passionate kiss.

After hearing his words, she froze on the spot.

So, Emily hadn’t lied.

She really was nothing more than Sigmund’s passing amusement. And all this time, she’d foolishly believed she was his benefactor.

But the truth no longer mattered. She would be leaving him soon anyway.

Michelle let out a silent, bitter smile and was about to turn away when thick smoke suddenly drifted down the hallway.

“Fire! There’s a fire!”

The alarm blared, and the entire club erupted into chaos.

People surged from every direction, shoving and stumbling. Michelle was knocked to the floor, struggling to get up before someone’s foot came down on her again.

When she looked up, she saw Sigmund rushing toward safety with Emily in his arms.

Instinctively, Michelle tried to crawl toward him, screaming his name for help with all the strength she had left.

Sigmund seemed to hear her. He turned and caught sight of her on the floor, bloodied and trampled.

His expression froze.

For a brief second, he looked as though he wanted to go back for her.

But then he noticed Emily faltering in his arms.

After a moment’s hesitation, he turned away and kept running.

Michelle was stunned. The man who once swore to protect her and never let her be hurt again had abandoned her at the most desperate moment.

Drawing a shaky breath, she forced herself to crawl toward the wall and pulled herself upright, stumbling along with the crowd until she finally made it outside.

Once she reached safety, her knees buckled, and she collapsed straight to the ground.

That was close. She had almost lost her life.

After steadying her breath, she lifted her head and her gaze met Sigmund’s from across the crowd.

There were urgency and regret in his eyes, emotions she couldn’t read.

But he stayed by Emily’s side, not taking a single step toward her.

Was he afraid Emily would misunderstand?

Michelle gave a faint, broken smile, pushing herself off the ground as her eyes reddened.

He used to panic over the smallest scrape on her hand, insisting on taking her to the hospital right away.

But now, Sigmund’s eyes could only see Emily.

Michelle returned home alone, cleaned and dressed her wounds with trembling hands, and eventually drifted to sleep on the couch.

When she woke, it was already past midnight. As expected, Sigmund hadn’t come back.

She didn’t bother asking where he’d been. At dawn, as she was about to leave, she ran into him coming through the door.

He pulled her into his arms immediately, scanning her injuries with concern. “Did you go to the hospital? Are you hurt anywhere else?”

Michelle just stared at him. Did he really not realize how meaningless this performance was now?

“I’m sorry, Michelle. The woman last night was my sister. She’s been afraid of fire since she was a kid. I couldn’t leave her behind.”

Sister…

He had actually made the effort to invent that lie for Emily.

“It doesn’t matter whether she’s your sister or not,” Michelle said calmly.

“Sigmund, I can’t afford to support you anymore. From now on, you’re free.”

Sigmund’s face darkened, and he yanked her into his arms.

“What’s that supposed to mean? You’re done with me, so you’re just throwing me away?

“Michelle, I won’t accept this. You said you’d take responsibility for me.”

Michelle shook her head with a weary smile and gently pushed him off.

“Sigmund, it was just fun. Don’t tell me you can’t handle that? I treated you well these three years. Now that I’m broke, are you trying to squeeze more out of me?”

Sigmund yanked her into his arms with force, his teeth grazing her ear in frustration.

“I’m not going anywhere. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”