Gabriella's expression stiffened for a moment before she let out a cold laugh.

"A pathetic lowlife like you dares to question me? Your employee records say you can't swim and are terrified of water, while I'm an expert swimmer.

"How about we have some fun? If we both fall into the sea, who will Blake save?"

With that, she shoved Elena hard. Elena was caught off guard, and her waist slammed into the railing. She flipped over the next second and plunged into the ocean.

Gabriella smirked, then gracefully dived in after her, moving through the water as effortlessly as a fish. Meanwhile, the icy, salty seawater swallowed Elena whole, flooding her mouth and nose.

Just then, the past came rushing back like a tidal wave.

As a child in the orphanage, Elena had been praised by the headmistress for her excellent grades. That small moment of recognition had made her a target.

The bullies, led by the school tyrant, had shunned her and tormented her.

The worst incident was when they forced her head under a barrel of water again and again. If the headmistress hadn't arrived in time, she would have drowned that day.

From that moment on, Elena had developed a fear of water.

When Elena got with Blake, she had slowly let down her guard, revealing the painful memories she had buried deep inside.

Back then, he had pulled her into his arms, and his voice was filled with tenderness as he promised, "I'll protect you. I won't let anything like that happen to you again."

Now, as she struggled against the waves, she saw Blake diving into the sea without hesitation, swimming toward her with powerful strokes. At that moment, he became her last hope in the suffocating darkness. She fought against the current, reaching out toward him with all her strength.

"Save me…"

He came closer, closer still—until he swam right past her just as her fingertips were about to touch his. He was going straight toward Gabriella instead.

"You knew I could swim, yet you still came for me? Do you love me that much?"

Gabriella smiled in triumph as she wrapped her arms around Blake's neck while laughter spilled from her lips. "So much that you don't even care if Elena dies? Men can be so heartless when they stop pretending."

Blake said nothing. His face was grim, and his jaw was tight as he carried Gabriella back toward the yacht.

A wave crashed hard against Elena's chest, knocking the last bit of air from her lungs. She choked, and saltwater flooded her throat as her body slowly sank.

Her vision blurred, the sting in her eyes making it impossible to tell if it was the ocean or her own tears.

She never should have held onto hope. Blake had clearly never loved her!

Even so, it was such a shame. She would never get the chance to see her newly reunited family and her new fiancé.

Elena refused to accept this. She didn't want to sink into the depths of the ocean like this.

But her body was drained of all strength, and she could no longer fight. In the end, she could only close her eyes in despair and let the waves and darkness consume her.

When Elena opened her eyes again, she was in a hospital bed. It was the HR manager, Kade Johnson, who had saved her.

Kade looked at her sympathetically as he asked, "Elena, did you already know about Blake and Ms. Sadberry? Is that why you decided to resign?"

Seeing how pale and lifeless she looked, he shook his head.

"People like us can't fight against someone like her. It's good that you're still young. Once you leave, find a new place and start fresh."

Elena thanked him, and her face was still ghostly pale as she got up to go to the bathroom. But when she looked out the window, she saw something by the flower beds below.

Gabriella was wrapping her arms around Blake.

"Blake, since you love me so much, I'm willing to give us a try. Let's go on a trip for a week. If you do well, I'll make it official."

She had just found out that Elena was resigning and would be leaving in a week. Since that was the case, she would keep Blake occupied, making sure he and Elena never crossed paths again.

Blake should have been ecstatic—after all, this was everything he had been chasing for so long. But instead, he just stood there in a daze.

That was until Gabriella pouted and nudged his chest. "Hey, this offer won't last forever."

Only then did he snap out of it, his voice slow and uncertain as he replied, "Alright."

He had pursued her for so long, so giving up now was never an option. Besides, it was just a week. When he came back, there was still time to take care of that matter.

Elena simply watched as they stood together, wrapped in each other's arms. Then, she slowly began to smile.

So, that was it? Blake hadn't been hesitating—he had just been too stunned by the sudden good news.

They were finally together. And soon, she would be gone. From now on, their worlds would have nothing to do with each other, perhaps forever.

Elena didn't hear from Blake until the day she was discharged from the hospital.

"Elle, how are you feeling? When I saw Kade jump into the sea, I knew you'd be fine, so I went to save Ms. Sadberry instead.

"She's so grateful that she even invited me on a business trip. If I do well, we can buy a house sooner. Just wait for me to come back."

Elena stared at the blatant lies on her screen and then calmly typed a single word: "Okay."

Blake's reply came instantly.

"Don't worry, I'll make it back in time for our two-year anniversary. I have a gift for you. True love is rare, and I know how good you've been to me."

Elena froze for a moment. So, the day she left would also mark two years since she and Blake got together.

But their relationship had been a lie from the very beginning. He was already with someone else. What anniversary was there left to celebrate?

For the first time, she realized that she no longer understood Blake. But it didn't matter anyway. She no longer wanted to.

After everything that had happened on the yacht, and now with Gabriella taking Blake on a "business trip", the entire office had picked up on something being off.

Sympathetic whispers about Elena spread everywhere.

Yet, Elena remained calm at the center of the storm. She was focused only on wrapping up her final tasks.

Seeing the situation, her manager didn't want to push her. "Elena, if you're not feeling well, someone else can take over this project."

Elena didn't plan to abandon her work. "Switching the person-in-charge now would be a hassle. I'll finish it on time."

Her manager's eyes flickered with both approval and regret.

"You're incredibly capable. I wanted to promote you long ago, but the higher-ups kept rejecting it. I hope you'll go far in your next job."

During her two years at Sadberry Group, Elena's outstanding performance had once left her wondering why she never advanced. But now, it was clear exactly who had been blocking her promotion.

She had spent two years giving everything, only to be utterly betrayed.

Every day leading up to her departure, Gabriella continued to flaunt her happiness with Blake.

While they checked into a luxury hotel costing tens of thousands per night, Elena was packing her things in their cramped, run-down rental apartment.

Yet, as she looked around, she realized there was nothing worth taking.

Back then, she and Blake had lived frugally, cutting back on everything to save for a house. Their home had been filled with discounted, second-rate items. So there was nothing of real value.

Well, it was quite like their relationship. Cheap, disposable, and not worth holding onto.

While Gabriella and Blake were out choosing custom-made couple's rings, Elena took a trip to St. Helena's Chapel.

There was a time when she and Blake had walked up the hill together, hand in hand, their hearts full of love. At the chapel's gates, they had fastened a love lock to the iron fence, vowing to stay together forever.

But now, for the first time, Elena noticed a small detail she had overlooked before. Etched onto their lock, in the faint strokes of a marker, Blake had drawn a tiny star.

The person he had always dreamed of spending forever with was never her. It had always been Gabriella.

That liar.

Elena unclipped the lock, tossed it into the trash, and walked away without looking back. That was exactly where it belonged.

…

On the day of her departure, Gabriella posted yet another grand display of affection as she arrived at the airport.

It was a certificate, printed in elegant gold-embossed lettering—Blake had spent tens of millions to buy her the naming rights to a real star.

What an extravagant gift.

Elena then thought about the gift she had left for Blake.

There was a stack of cheap fake star certificates, along with printed screenshots of Gabriella's endless flaunting on social media, all neatly placed on the table in their tiny apartment.

Elena blocked them both with no hesitation, powered off her phone, and boarded her flight to Mastrium.

"Aunt Becca, I've thought it over. I'll leave the Blair family and move abroad to live with you."

Rebecca Rhodes brimmed with joy and exclaimed excitedly over the phone, "That's great, Callie! I'll get started on your visa right away. It'll take about a month.

"In the meantime, you should spend time with your friends. Once you settle in Zephyria, it'll be hard to see them again. Take the chance to say your goodbyes.

"And especially with your Uncle Spencer. He's raised you since you were a child. So, make sure you express your gratitude and thank him properly."

Callie Rhodes murmured a soft response.

After ending the phone call, she left the balcony and returned to the living room. Instinctively, she looked toward a framed photo on the table.

The sunset in the photo cast a warm glow over the faces of 17-year-old Spencer Blair and seven-year-old Callie. Spencer stood by the swingset, his smile wide as he pushed Callie on the swing. Her dress fluttered in the breeze and brushed against the tulips in the garden.

Even though so many years had passed, Callie remembered how happy she'd been that day. However, time had changed everything. She and Spencer could never go back to the way things were.

A flicker of sadness crossed Callie's eyes as she looked away and recalled the distant past.

The Rhodes and Blair families had been close for generations. Spencer was ten years older than Callie, and she'd always called him Uncle Spencer.

When Callie was seven, her parents, Grant Rhodes and Lenna Murray, had died in a tragic plane crash, and Spencer had brought her to live with the Blairs.

Perhaps out of pity for her being orphaned so young, Spencer had always kept her close and cared for her. He'd read her bedtime stories every night, had never missed a day picking her up from school be it rain or shine, and bought her anything that caught her eye.

Just like that, he had raised the tiny girl he'd taken in into a graceful young woman.

It was because of Spencer's tender care that Callie had clung to him from a young age.

When she had reached her teenage years, it had felt only natural for her to fall deeply and hopelessly in love with the man who had always been by her side.

When Callie turned 17, Spencer had thrown her a grand birthday party, just like he did every year. He had drunk too much during the party, and she had helped him to the couch to rest.

With the man she liked right in front of her, Callie couldn't resist leaning down and kissing him.

Then, Spencer's eyes had flown open, and he had shoved her to the other side of the couch.

Callie hadn't understood at first. She had thought it was a sign, a chance to confess her feelings. Yet, to Spencer, her words had been utterly outrageous.

"Callie! Do you realize I'm your uncle?" he had bellowed in fury.

"I know, but we're not even related by blood," she had argued.

Spencer's expression had hardened at her stubbornness.

"I'm ten years older than you! You're only 17, Callie. You don't know the difference between love and family. You don't even understand what it's like to have feelings for someone!"

Callie had always listened to him, but she was unyielding on this matter.

"So, you're only rejecting me because I'm too young? That's fine. I'll grow up one day, and I'll prove to you that I know what love is!"

She couldn't even remember how the argument had ended. But after that day, on every one of her birthdays, she had confessed her feelings to Spencer. And every year, he had rejected her.

Still, Callie had never considered giving up.

Her 21st birthday was only a month away. But this year, she didn't plan to confess.

A month ago, Spencer had introduced her to his girlfriend, Talulah Mackie.

The pain in Callie's heart was unbearable, but she had forced herself to hold back her tears and asked him if he was just trying to use his girlfriend to make her give up on pursuing him.

Spencer had merely glanced at her and had said indifferently, "Don't flatter yourself. I'm getting older. Having a girlfriend is perfectly normal."

His dismissive look had shattered her.

Callie had cried the whole night, her mind a whirlwind of everything that had happened over the years. When morning came, she had received a message from her aunt who was living abroad.

Rebecca had said, "Callie, do you want to come live with me? I wanted to take you with me after your parent's accident, but my career was unstable, and I had postpartum depression.

"I couldn't handle it all at once, so I had to put it off. But now that you're older, staying with the Blair family is no longer convenient. I'm doing better now. Would you like to come and reunite with me?"

Callie hadn't replied. She still didn't want to leave Spencer. She wanted to try one more time.

Nevertheless, in the past two weeks, it seemed like Spencer had been going out of his way to show off, constantly bringing Talulah around Callie.

They would hold hands, hug, and kiss—doing everything that only couples would do.

Just last night, he had let Talulah stay over and brought her to his room.

Callie had sat downstairs until three in the morning, watching as the light in his room finally went out and listening to the faint sounds of intimacy.

She had pressed her hand over her mouth while tears streamed silently down her face, soaking the couch. At that moment, she had finally decided to give up on loving Spencer.