I lifted my bloodied face, the mix of blood and cream making for a horrifying sight.

I was utterly wretched.

I, Cynthia Quinn, was nearly maimed by my boyfriend on my 26th birthday.

A crimson haze clouded my vision.

In my fading consciousness, the last thing I heard was Xander stammering, "I'm sorry, I really am… I didn't mean to… It wasn't Natasha's fault; I just wanted to tease Cynthia a bit. I never thought—"

"That's enough!" Mia shoved Xander aside. "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you really still making excuses at a time like this? Shouldn't you be worried about Cynthia's safety? What? Does dragging it out and making things worse make you feel better?"

With that, she helped me up and sped me to the hospital.

When I woke up, Xander wasn't there.

The anesthesia hadn't worn off yet. The pungent smell of disinfectant filled my nose, and my vision was still blurry due to blood pooling around my optic nerve.

The doctor's angry voice not far away echoed.

"What kind of friends do you people have? How could anyone shove something like that in someone's face? This is attempted murder! Do you have any idea how close it was? Forget blindness—just a little closer, and she would have been dead!

"Honestly, you should report this to the police. I can provide evidence anytime. This is an open-and-shut case."

"Forget it," I interrupted, expressionless, as I sat up in the hospital bed.

Mia fumed, "Cynthia, you're too forgiving with him. If you keep this up, you'll pay dearly for it!"

Pay dearly?

I had already paid so much for him that I had lost count. I couldn't even remember when I became this version of myself.

I was just waiting to wean myself off this relationship. Only then would I have the courage to unleash my full fury and take my revenge.

Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the golden sunlight crept inch by inch.

Xander turned up late, slightly sweaty and out of breath. He shoved a small, delicate box into my hands.

"Cynthia, please listen to me. I was stupid. I read online that you should first upset your girlfriend and then surprise her to make it more impactful. You get it, right? Look, this is my birthday present for you!" He smiled ingratiatingly and raised his hand to show me. "See? It's a pair of matching rings. I've been preparing this for so long!"

There was a men's silver band on his slender ring finger.

I stayed silent for a moment before speaking slowly. "Xander, I might not be able to see clearly right now, but I'm not blind."

Inside the box was a receipt showing the purchase time—20 minutes ago.

So much for "careful preparation" or "a long time".

My voice remained calm. "Even if you're going to lie to me, couldn't you at least put some effort into it?"

Xander's face flushed red.

After a long pause, he finally forced out, "If that's how you want to see it, then fine. I'll leave. Let's not contact each other again until you've thought this through."

Xander, ever the aloof and domineering man he was, never once yielded to me.

I knew that this matter would have been glossed over if I had simply pretended not to notice and had taken the gift with feigned joy.

But I refused to do that again.

At 3:00 am, I received a bank notification that Xander had transferred 500 thousand dollars to Natasha.

He didn't know that the account he transferred money from was mine.

When Xander was 18, he knelt before me and pleaded, "Dear sponsor, I dream of attending a prestigious university. I want to study abroad at Garnem. I want to escape these mountain ranges forever! Please help me fulfill my dream! I promise I'll repay your kindness in full one day!"

Xander was some boy I anonymously sponsored for three years. We only met officially after his college entrance exams.

Per the charity organization's requirements, I wore a mask and didn't reveal my real name.

The first time we met, he pleaded with me to support his dream of attending a prestigious university. Face filled with determination, he fought hard to hold back tears.

My heart melted at the sight of him.

That moment of compassion became a lifelong entanglement.

I paid his tuition for the Ivy League and gave him a bank card, depositing 50 thousand dollars into it every month.

All of this was just to help a promising student from a humble background achieve his dreams.

With my support, he completed a dual degree.

By chance, his outstanding interview performance landed him a position at Quinn Group as my assistant.

At that time, I had no personal feelings for him.

He was the one who cared for me with warm words and thoughtful gestures, pursuing me persistently for an entire year until I fell into the gentle dream he wove for me.

After we started dating, I gave him my whole heart.

I guided him step by step, helping him rise from an assistant to a COO and eventually become a small shareholder in the company.

In just a few short years, he transformed from an unremarkable nobody to a rising star in the business world. People now respectfully addressed him as "Mr. Loewe".

I understood his pride, so I never mentioned my financial support, nor did I ever bring up the fact that he is the fiancé of Quinn Group's CEO.

However, my silence and concessions only led to his betrayal.

After the nurse had just changed my dressing, I lay on the hospital bed, staring at the pitch-black night sky dotted with a few scattered stars.

Out of nowhere, I thought of the diamond-encrusted watch on Natasha's wrist.

How ridiculous.

He was still using that bank card after all these years. However, he was using my money on another woman.

It was a rude awakening when I finally realized I had been a fool all along.

My phone buzzed suddenly.

As I opened the notification, I saw that it was a Tweet. In the comments, an account had tagged me.

The caption read, "Love is a fallacy, but loving you is the paradox I can never forsake."

The accompanying picture showed Xander sitting at the dining table, smiling warmly as he scooped up some broth.

Ah, this was Natasha's declaration of war.

That spread of dishes was unmistakably Xander's handiwork.

After we started dating, Xander never cooked for me again, claiming to be too busy with work.

Silently, I exited Twitter and opened my chat history with Xander.

Half a month ago, while I was exhausted from back-to-back business trips, I had messaged him in a rare moment of vulnerability.

"I've been hungry all day. If only I could eat something you cooked, honey."

It wasn't until the next day that he replied indifferently, "You're an independent adult. I don't want to see you incapable of basic self-care. If you were, I'd lose all respect for you."

It felt like a punch to the heart. All the warmth and eagerness I once had to share my life with him were instantly doused. It felt like I had been splashed with a bucket of cold water.

My assistant, Susanna Mugler, mentioned that Quinn Group had been losing bids frequently lately. Several key projects had been snatched up by a company called Interstellar Group.

It was as if they had been privy to our bottom line, consistently bidding just slightly higher than us.

I wasn't the only heir of the Quinn family.

What had I been doing while my brothers tirelessly worked for the family's interests? I wasted time on a man who didn't love me, allowing myself to sink deeper into this abyss.

Ignoring the doctor's advice, I was discharged early. I threw myself completely into work.

I stayed at the office for three straight days. However, Xander didn't reach out. Security footage showed he hadn't returned home either.

We didn't cross paths even in the office.

It was just another of his silent protests.

Whenever he was upset, he never said it outright. Instead, he found ways to hurt me and forced me to make the first move to reconcile.

I didn't even know when it started.

I became increasingly submissive while he grew more arrogant.

In this relationship, I had long since abandoned my defenses and surrendered completely.

Late at night, Susanna stayed with me to review proposals. Soon, a small mountain of paperwork accumulated.

As she handed me a cup of coffee, she hesitated before speaking, "Ms. Quinn, you seem different lately."

"How so?" I asked.

"Your energy—it's back. I haven't seen you like this in a long time."

I glanced at the glass door, where my reflection stared back at me. Despite the dark shadows under my eyes, there was a sharp clarity and determination in my gaze.

This was the real me—Cynthia Quinn, the young rising star who had soared effortlessly through life, the prodigy of Jeandle's business world.

I wore a small smile as I returned to my work, my mind buzzing with ideas.

By the time I stood up again, it was already the next morning.

Even though my back ached and my body was sore, my heart felt fulfilled.

I rubbed my eyes and picked up my phone, only to see 32 missed calls and two text messages waiting for me.

I opened the messages.

"Cynthia, you wanted to marry me, no? I'll go with you to choose a wedding dress at 10:00 am tomorrow. I've sent the location to your assistant."

As I didn't reply immediately, he sent another message shortly after.

"It's up to you. If you don't show up, don't bother coming for the rest of your life."

While he would coax me, his patience lasted no more than ten minutes.

After pondering for a moment, I decided to meet him.

The bridal shop he chose wasn't far from the office; I had barely dozed off for a few minutes before arriving.

The store was designed like an Entlerian garden, with lush artificial vines cascading down from the ceiling. It looked like heaven straight out of a painting.

It was only 8:30 am, but the place was already bustling with brides trying on dresses.

In front of me, a young couple was playfully bantering back and forth, their happiness filling the air.

It turned out that one could smile just by watching others be happy.

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from one of the fitting rooms.

"Ah... I can't quite reach the back."

The sales assistant replied kindly, "Miss, shall I come in to help you, or would you like your fiancé to assist?"

There was a moment of silence inside the fitting room, followed by a sweet voice that replied, "Um... well... let him come in then..."

Who else would be waiting outside that fitting room if not Xander?

Xander didn't hesitate as he walked straight in.

How lovely it was for them to have skin-to-skin contact with nothing to hide.

It seemed that they were here for some wedding dress roleplay, huh?

After a long while, the curtain was finally drawn back.

Under the bright lights, Xander stood in his suit, looking every bit the gentleman as he gracefully held Natasha's hand. Natasha, dressed in a satin wedding gown, exuded elegance and poise.

"Isn't that Mr. Loewe from Quinn Group?"

"Oh my gosh, they look perfect together!"

"I've seen them online! Mr. Loewe once spent millions on matching watches for his wife!"

"So sweet! I'm totally rooting for them!"

Xander, who had been featured in local news and newspapers, quickly became the center of attention.

Mistaking them for a newly engaged couple, the staff eagerly invited them to participate in the store's anniversary activity.

The challenge involved holding opposite ends of a cookie between their lips. They would win if the cookie didn't fall to the ground after ten minutes.

The crowd cheered enthusiastically, "Mr. Loewe, join in! Join in!"

I stood among the spectators, silently watching as if I were observing a stranger entirely unrelated to me.

Natasha noticed me out of the corner of her eye.

Xander's supposed "noble intellectual" raised her eyebrows mockingly.

She was provoking me.

I found it laughable.

"Xander, take a good look," I thought. "Who's the childish and scheming one here?"

Surrounded by the crowd's excitement, Xander blushed and reluctantly bit down on one end of the cookie.

The butter cookie was so fragile that it quickly teetered on the verge of breaking.

To keep it from falling, Xander and Natasha had no choice but to inch closer.

The crowd grew louder, chanting, "Kiss! Kiss!"

Finally, their lips brushed against each other.

With a sharp crack, the cookie shattered and fell to the floor.

Xander's earlobes quickly turned red, and he lowered his gaze, his lashes trembling. It was obvious he felt something for Natasha.

A wave of nausea hit me. They were absolutely disgusting.

Very well, then.

I gave the staff a tip of 3,000 dollars, asking them to shine the spotlight on Xander and Natasha. The store then began playing "Wedding in a Dream".

Such a grand love story certainly deserved to be put on display.

I led the applause, wishing them a lifetime of happiness and everlasting unity.

Xander was clearly startled. His beautiful eyes widened, and his gaze faltered as he looked at me.

"Cynthia? Why are you here so early?" He stuttered, "I... I was just playing a game... I didn't..."

The staff must have understood what had just happened, no matter how slow they might be.

The music stopped.

I only smiled. "Why stop the music? It's a wonderful day, and you make a perfect couple. With the mood set, maybe I should go ahead and book a few tables for you. We could get a certificate and hold a wedding banquet. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Probably embarrassed by the situation, Xander tugged at my sleeve and mumbled, "Cynthia, can we talk about this later? There Are too many people here. It's not a good place to talk..."

The only thing that could make this proud man lower his voice and beg me was the pressure of being watched by the crowd.

His reputation was always more important than mine.

Natasha came out to smooth things over then. "Cynthia, don't be so unreasonable. Xander couldn't get a hold of you, so I just accompanied him to try on the wedding dress. You should apologize."

In the past, I tolerated Natasha out of consideration for Xander's reputation. But now, I no longer cared about Xander.

I sneered. "Natasha, who do you think you are to be calling me by my name so casually? If I remember correctly, your so-called academic research was funded by Quinn Group, right? So what's with this attitude toward your sponsor?"

My words left Natasha speechless.

"Enough!" Without saying another word, Xander slapped me across the face. "Cynthia, Natasha is from the academic world, and she doesn't understand the superficiality of your business world. Can you at least show her some respect?"

I only found it amusing.

Did I need to remind him that the "innocent" and "guileless" woman he talked about was actually the same age as me, a successful CEO?

My face burned with pain, but my heart felt as though it had been frozen solid.

I remained silent for a moment, then looked straight at them calmly. "Did I say anything wrong? By the way, Xander, you only achieved success through sponsorship, too. Am I right?"

Xander's eyes went wide. "You... How did you know..."