“Help! Someone fell down the stairs!”

Shouts echoed in her ears as a crowd quickly gathered around.

Before she lost consciousness, Sylvia caught a glimpse of Nathaniel and his friends. One by one, they slipped away.

They noticed the commotion, gave it a casual glance, and walked off. How could they possibly know that the person lying there, surrounded by the crowd, was Sylvia—the woman they thought had already left?

When Sylvia woke up, she found herself in a hospital bed.

A nurse was tending to her wounds. “You’re awake?”

“Why am I here?”

“Oh, you fainted from low blood sugar. A stranger brought you in and left after making sure you were safe. What’s your family’s number? I’ll call them for you.”

“There’s no need,” Sylvia said, shaking her head.

The mere thought of Nathaniel Sinclair’s name was enough to make her stomach churn.

Dragging her heavy steps, she left the room and headed to the billing desk.

She hadn’t gone far when she overheard two nurses chatting nearby.

“Did you hear? Early this morning, they brought in a man and a woman from a bar. Apparently, they fell off the couch during... you know... and landed on broken beer bottles. They were covered in cuts.”

“I saw it! It was crazy. Who knew people could get that wild these days?”

“And the guy looked really familiar. I think I’ve seen him on TV!”

“Yeah, he does look familiar. What’s his name again? I think his last name is Sinclair—”

Sylvia froze mid-step, her body stiffening. Before she could ask for details, she caught sight of two familiar figures walking toward her from a distance.

The young nurse noticed them too, quickly ducking her head as she whispered, “That’s them! They’re good-looking, but seriously, what a mess.”

Sylvia stared at Nathaniel and Vivian as they approached. Her legs felt like they were rooted to the ground, refusing to move.

At that moment, Nathaniel spotted her.

The instant he saw her, he released his grip on Vivian’s arm.

“Sylvia, what are you doing here?”

Nathaniel quickly rushed over, scanning Sylvia up and down with concern etched across his face. “You don’t look well. Why didn’t you call me?”

“And you?” Sylvia asked calmly, stepping back to avoid his touch. “What are you doing with this woman?”

Vivian stepped forward confidently and extended a hand to Sylvia. “Hi, I’m Vivian Hayes. I’m Nathaniel’s—”

She deliberately dragged out her words but left the sentence hanging.

Nathaniel hastily interjected, “Just a friend.”

Vivian’s expression faltered, but she refused to back down. Smiling sweetly, she added, “It’s nice to meet you. I’m getting married on the first of next month. I hope you can make it to the wedding.”

At her words, Nathaniel’s face darkened, his sharp gaze cutting toward Vivian.

“Vivian, Sylvia doesn’t know you well. Why would you invite her to your wedding?”

“Well, she doesn’t know me, but she knows you, and you know me, so doesn’t that make us all connected?” Vivian replied with a provocative smile.

Sylvia, catching the blatant challenge, turned to Nathaniel with a small smile. Her voice was light, almost teasing. “Nathaniel, wasn’t our wedding originally scheduled for that day? You said you had something important. Don’t tell me it’s to attend her wedding?”

Nathaniel panicked, his composure slipping entirely. He shook his head frantically. “Of course not! I have a business trip that day. I’ll be out of the country. Don’t overthink it.”

“Is that so?” Sylvia replied, her voice indifferent as his guilty demeanor spoke louder than his words.

She didn’t press further, her patience long worn thin. “Well, I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to make it that day. I’ll be busy.”

“Busy? What a coincidence.”

Sylvia smiled faintly, her eyes sharp as she replied, “Yes, it’s such a coincidence that I’m getting married on that day too.”

Her words hit like a thunderclap.

Nathaniel froze, his face filled with shock as he stammered, “What are you talking about, Sylvia? Our wedding was postponed—”

Seeing his panicked expression, Sylvia took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. “It’s nothing. I was just talking nonsense. I won’t be free that day.”

She turned to leave, and Nathaniel instinctively stepped forward to follow her.

Sylvia stopped him in his tracks.

“You’re here to accompany your friend for her check-up. Leaving her alone wouldn’t be very considerate, would it? I’ll head back on my own. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Nathaniel hesitated but then turned back to watch Sylvia walk away. A pang of pain hit his chest as he watched her retreating figure.

Vivian, noticing his concern for Sylvia, crouched down beside him. “Nathaniel, I’m in so much pain. My whole body hurts. Will you take me home?”

Irritated by Sylvia’s cold demeanor, Nathaniel’s frustration boiled over. He brushed Vivian off sharply. “Know your place. Stop provoking her.”

Back at home, Sylvia resumed packing.

She couldn’t stand staying in this place any longer.

Thankfully, she didn’t have much to take.

Soon, she had filled a single suitcase with her belongings.

When she was done, she carried the suitcase downstairs. As she reached the table, her eyes landed on the roses Nathaniel had given her the day before.

With a cold smile, she grabbed the bouquet and tossed it straight into the trash.

A housekeeper noticed and asked in confusion, “Miss Garner, wasn’t this the bouquet Mr. Sinclair gave you? Don’t you want it anymore?”

Sylvia replied with an expressionless face, “I don’t want things that belonged to others.”

“But these flowers look perfectly fine. How could they have belonged to someone else?” the housekeeper asked, clearly confused.

Sylvia didn’t bother to explain. She went back upstairs and packed all the clothes and bags Nathaniel had gifted her over the years into a large bag.

“Throw these out.”

“Throw them out?” The housekeeper hesitated. “Miss Garner, you used to treasure these things. You wouldn’t even wear them because they were from Mr. Sinclair.”

“Did you not hear me?” Sylvia said coldly, turning to grab her jewelry as well. “Donate them.”

“These are all gifts from Mr. Sinclair, and they’re worth a fortune!”

“I said donate them.”

The housekeeper didn’t dare argue any further and hurried to carry out Sylvia’s instructions.

Once everything was sorted, Sylvia took out her phone and booked a plane ticket.

She was going home. She’d be gone by tomorrow.

After booking her flight, a notification popped up on Sylvia’s phone.

It was a message from an unknown number.

Curious, she opened it, only to be greeted by an explicit photo of Nathaniel and Vivian locked in an intimate embrace.

The message that followed was laced with venom:

“Sylvia Garner, if you’re not a fool, you should already realize that Nathaniel and I are more than just friends. Are you wondering why we ended up at the hospital? It’s because things got a little too heated between us at the bar, and we accidentally hurt ourselves.

“Oh, and by the way, I’m getting married next month on the first. The groom isn’t just anyone—it’s your boyfriend, Nathaniel Sinclair. I’m his first love, the woman he truly cares about. You’ve been nothing more than a placeholder, a stand-in for the five years I wasn’t around.”

Every word was a deliberate provocation.

Staring at the photo and message, Sylvia felt her heart twist with pain.

How could five years of their relationship mean nothing?

Her hands trembled as she gripped the phone, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.

At that moment, the front door opened.

Nathaniel was back.

He slipped his arms around her from behind, his voice low and tender. “Sylvia, why are you crying again? I’m home now. There’s really nothing going on between me and her. I didn’t make it back last night because I drank too much with the guys.

“As for Vivian, she’s just a friend. She just got back from overseas, and I ran into her this morning. Don’t overthink it, okay?”

Sylvia wiped her tears, quietly shutting off her phone.

“I understand.”

She pushed him away and studied his face. It was still as clean-cut and bright as it had been five years ago—handsome, charming, and deceptively pure.

But his heart?

His heart had completely changed.

Sylvia couldn’t hold back any longer. Her hand struck Nathaniel’s face with a resounding slap.

Caught completely off guard, Nathaniel froze.

But instead of anger, his heart seemed to settle, oddly relieved.

“If hitting me makes you feel better, go ahead. I don’t mind, as long as you’re not upset.”

So loving. So disgusting.

Sylvia didn’t hesitate and slapped him again. After all, he’d invited it.

“Nathaniel, do you remember what I once told you? I can forgive anything but if you ever betray me, I’ll marry someone else.”

Nathaniel’s expression darkened instantly.

“Sylvia, what nonsense are you saying? You know I’ve always seen you as the one I’ll grow old with. I love you and only you. My feelings will never change!”

He claimed to love her the most, yet he had ended up in the hospital after fooling around with someone else.

He claimed she was the only one he loved, yet he postponed their wedding to fulfill another woman’s dying wish, leaving Sylvia with scraps.

Sylvia looked up at him, her gaze piercing, as if trying to see into the depths of his heart and understand what he was really thinking.

In the end, she just nodded, saying nothing.

“I understand.”

Nathaniel pulled her into an embrace, but Sylvia pushed him away with a flick of her hand. That was when he noticed the suitcase at her side.

The relief he had felt moments ago was gone, replaced by fresh panic.

Grabbing her arm, he asked, “Whose suitcase is that? Where are you going?”

“Oh, my mom said that since the wedding is coming up, I should go back home for a bit.”

“Really?”

Nathaniel exhaled in relief. “I get it. Some people say it’s bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding. Even though ours is postponed, it’s fine if you want to spend a few days with your family.”

“Mm.”

Sylvia smiled faintly but didn’t say anything more.

She grabbed her suitcase and started heading for the door.

Nathaniel, still reluctant to let her go, picked up her suitcase and offered, “Let me take you home.”

She gave him a wry smile. “That’s not necessary. Don’t they say men should let loose a little before the wedding? Nathaniel, maybe you need that too.”

There was a time when she had truly believed in him.

But now, all she could think was, as soon as she walked out the door, would he bring Vivian into this house the very same night?

“Do you think I’m that kind of man?” Nathaniel protested, his voice full of conviction. “Sylvia, I’d never do anything to hurt you. After you leave, I’ll keep to myself until the day we get married.”

He was still lying!

Even now, as she was about to leave, he couldn’t stop deceiving her.

Sylvia felt utterly drained. The last shred of hope she’d clung to had completely dissolved.

She lowered her head slowly, letting out a deep, weary sigh. It was the sound of someone giving up entirely.

“Fine. Take care of yourself. I’m leaving.”

Pushing him away, she walked out without looking back.

When she finally arrived at her parents’ home, they were thrilled to see her. They immediately pulled her aside, bombarding her with questions.

“You’re finally back! The Cooper family has already agreed to the wedding on the first of next month. But weren’t you supposed to marry Nathaniel that day? Why the sudden change in grooms?”

“Yes, sweetheart. Marriage isn’t something to be taken lightly. You should marry the one you love. You know we’re not the kind of parents who would force you into anything.”

Sylvia was too exhausted to respond. She didn’t want to explain and revisit the pain.

“Mom, Dad, I’m really tired. I just want to go to my room and rest.”

Seeing her so worn out, her parents exchanged a worried glance but didn’t press her further.

“Alright, then. Get some rest. Before the wedding, we’ll find some time for you to meet Bennett, okay?”

“No need. I’ll meet him on the wedding day.”

It didn’t matter anymore. She had already made up her mind to go through with the wedding—whether she met him or not was irrelevant.