"Mr. Dawson, about that farmhouse construction project in Hattensburg… I've decided that I'm willing to go there."

Gary Dawson, on the other end of the line, sounds fairly surprised. "I've been asking you to go there for ages, yet you refused every time because you said you wanted to be with your boyfriend, Timothy. Why the sudden change of mind?"

Madeline Carlton lowers her reddened eyes and pretends to chuckle nonchalantly. "I guess I hit one too many walls and just decided to come to my senses afterward."

Hearing this, Gary sighs and says sternly, "This is a highly classified mission. You will be assuming a whole new identity when you start working on this project. Before the mission ends, you will not be allowed to have any contact with the rest of the world.

"Madeline, are you sure that you've thought things through?"

"Yes. I just want to escape this place as soon as I can."

There is a long silence on the phone. However, Gary answers right after the pause. "Alright. I'll send the classified contract to you in a while. It should take about a month for the paperwork to be finalized. Use that opportunity to say goodbye to your friends and family."

The call disconnects. An email pops up in Madeline's inbox. Right after reading through the classified contract, she signed her name with a flourish and submitted the file with a click.

At the same time, Bloomberg Group's new product launch plays on the television. Timothy Bloomberg, wearing a tailored white suit, slowly leads Lacey Houston up the catwalk stage.

A week ago, the CEO of Bloomberg Group released a single evening gown featuring only the finest materials in the entire world and the most complicated and impeccable needlework ever. He wanted to create the most unique gown ever created for his lover, and he named it "Lovelace".

Lacey Houston was currently wearing "Lovelace" on her. Of course, "Lovelace" had to mean "Love" and "Lacey". He had simply named the gown after her, making it a bold proclamation of his eternal love for her.

The cameras were pointed at both their faces. He was tall, dark, and handsome, whilst she was beautiful and stunning. They also seemed intimately close to each other.

Madeline Carlton's lips tugged upward slightly in a self-deprecating grin when she saw that. They were perfect for each other. But that only made Madeline's situation seem even more like a sick joke.

Half an hour later, footsteps sounded at the door. Madeline remained seated on the couch and didn't get up to welcome the newcomer home. Instead, she just waited in the dark, watching as the bright overhead lights buzzed to life and pierced into her eyes.

Timothy Bloomberg changed into his indoor slippers and walked into the living room. It was only then that he realized Madeline was still leaning against the couch. He glanced up at her and said, "It's late. Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"Something interesting came up on TV. I forgot the time," Madeline said, her voice tight. She didn't even spare him a glance as she continued watching the TV screen.

"I thought you hated watching TV," Timothy said after a pause. He then glanced at the TV screen and walked over to Madeline, exchanging the cold glass of water in her hands for some warm water.

Then, he held her hands and said, "You're almost on your period. Maybe something warm would be better for your stomach."

Timothy expertly avoided the TV topic and made it seem like it wasn't a big deal. Madeline was stunned. She felt a wave of emotions surging in her heart. However, she ultimately just responded dryly with, "Alright."

She then continued sipping on the water, avoiding his gaze. Timothy realized that something was wrong with her. But, he simply patted her on the head and said warmly, "Go up to bed if you're getting sleepy."

The warmth in his fingertips sent Madeline into a daze. By the time she returned to the present, Timothy had already taken off his coat and gone into the bathroom to wash up.

Madeline was the only one left in the living room once more.

"Congratulations, Mr. Bloomberg and Ms. Houston!"

The TV was still replaying the product launch. Timothy had seen it. He knew that Madeline wasn't pleased with it. Yet, he didn't even bother to try explaining things to her.

It wasn't that he didn't know. He knew; he just didn't care. That was the only reason why he just couldn't be bothered about Madeline's sulking or subtle ways to attract his attention.

The water turned on in the bathroom, and Madeline felt her emotional resolve crumbling as she listened to the sound.

She couldn't help thinking about the past, before she got together with Timothy.

Madeline and Timothy had grown up together in the same neighborhood. They could be considered childhood friends.

She had started liking him as soon as she'd hit puberty. However, he only ever treated her as the younger sibling he never had, who just lived next to him.

When she learned that Timothy harbored no feelings for her, Madeline decided to hide her affection for him. She was worried that they wouldn't even be able to stay friends if she confessed to him.

After entering high school, there was a long queue of teenage girls waiting in line to confess to Timothy and hoping to get together with him because he was cold, brooding, and mysterious.

Fortunately for Madeline, Timothy was just as cold as his reputation and didn't think any of the girls at school were good enough for him. He left a trail of broken hearts wherever he went.

As they grew older, Timothy furthered his studies abroad while Madeline went to a local college. When he finally called to catch up with her, she'd then learned that he had found himself a girlfriend while studying overseas.

That was the first time Madeline experienced heartbreak. She had wanted to buy a plane ticket and fly over immediately to confront Timothy, but her parents stopped her.

When Timothy returned home, he'd come back alone. And as soon as Madeline learned that he'd broken up with his girlfriend, she could feel her heart coming back to life again. It was like she was finally able to breathe once more. She felt lighter than she'd ever been.

After having suppressed her feelings for him for such a long time, she didn't bother hiding her feelings for him anymore. She never stopped showering him with her love ever since he came back.

She did everything she could to stage coincidences and find excuses to meet him more often. She kept worrying about his well-being and often prepared breakfast for him. But that was just the beginning—she also wrote him a love letter, expressing her love and adoration for him, and telling him that she'd never once thought of giving up on him.

Her efforts eventually paid off. With how diligently she pursued Timothy, he finally agreed to get together with her a year later.

After confirming their relationship, Timothy didn't let Madeline tell anyone that they were dating. He said that it just wasn't the right time to announce it and worried that both their parents would get awkward with each other if they knew.

Madeline had felt upset about it at first. However, Timothy took great care of her and paid attention even to the smallest details about her. Gradually, Madeline forgot about it and thought of herself as the luckiest woman in the world.

Half a year ago, however, when Madeline borrowed Timothy's laptop for work, she unintentionally clicked on the wrong folder and found hundreds of photos of the same woman in it.

Was that woman Timothy's ex-girlfriend? Or worse, his side chick?

Madeline didn't know how to put her emotions into words at that time. She felt both angry and upset. However, after crying about it for a while, she decided to pretend it never happened and continued lying to herself to keep up with her facade of being the luckiest woman alive.

Still, she couldn't truly be at peace with her life as her suspicion grew. A few months ago, a model had suddenly gained immense popularity in the entertainment circle overnight, and her name was Lacey Houston. She was appointed as the official ambassador for Bloomberg Group's wedding gown business.

Madeline had been frozen for a long time when she first saw Lacey. She felt a chill creep into her body as she shivered uncontrollably. Then, it finally dawned on her that Timothy had never once truly loved her in the three years that they'd spent together. She never had a place in his heart.

Ultimately, the woman in the photos managed to cause ripples in Madeline's otherwise peaceful life.

Lacey began attending various public events with Timothy. They were almost always seen together, and everyone assumed that she was his girlfriend. But he had never once denied the rumors, nor did he offer Madeline any explanation for his actions.

It was fairly obvious that Timothy never loved her. The answer was right there, but Madeline refused to acknowledge it. Instead, she just decided to suppress her feelings.

It wasn't until today, with the revelation of "Lovelace", that Madeline finally knew for sure that her so-called happiness was nothing more than a figment of imagination in her head.

As she gradually eased out of her thoughts, the sounds coming from the bathroom also diminished.

Madeline grabbed the remote control and turned off the TV.

It had been three years, but this was the first time she'd felt exhausted. She wanted to give up.

She didn't want to be Timothy's backup plan anymore. Even more so, she didn't want to continue waiting for a man who still only had eyes for his first love.

She would soon be leaving in a month's time. She wanted to break free from the peatland that was Timothy and leave him behind for good.

A short while later, the bathroom opened with a soft click. Timothy walked out, still drying his hair with a towel. He found it weird when he realized that Madeline was still sitting in the living room.

Just as he started walking toward her, Madeline caught sight of him and immediately shifted her gaze away. She quickly got up and went into the bedroom first. However, as soon as she got into bed, a firm, strong hand grabbed her by the waist as Timothy's chest rested against her back.

He held her in his arms and asked in a low voice, "Has work been exhausting for you? You don't look too happy today."

"A little," Madeline answered perfunctorily. She drew her arm out from his hug and tried to shake him off, but Timothy only hugged her even tighter than before.

His lips traveled dangerously close to her earlobes as he whispered, "Don't worry. I know of a way to cheer you up."

Then, Timothy's hands started wandering down Madeline's body. She immediately froze, her eyelashes shaking under the light. A flash of mockery appeared in her eyes.

She really wanted to ask him how he still managed to act so close and intimate with her, knowing that he'd just been flirting openly with another woman on national TV, with such a straight face.

Still, the words never came out. Timothy's phone pinged with a notification just then, and it sounded very different from his other notification pings, as if it was specifically set for this contact only.

He stopped touching Madeline at once and got up to read his message. A while later, he grabbed his clothes and went back into the bathroom.

Madeline thought of the launch earlier that night and felt her arms shaking even though they were pressed together. She then got up slightly and reached for Timothy's phone, which was still pinging nonstop with notifications.

She unlocked the phone with ease and familiarity.

The person sending Timothy text messages hadn't been saved under a name, just a pink heart emoji. Still, Madeline could tell straight away that it was Lacey.

"Timothy, I really liked that dress you designed for me. Thank you so much for still remembering all of my preferences even after so many years.

"I'm home now. Drive safely back!"

Madeline read the messages, noting how close they sounded. She then scrolled upward in the chat window and saw that those messages were received at 9:00 pm. Then, the next few messages were the ones that just came in a few minutes ago.

"Timothy, my stomach kinda hurts, but I'm the only one at home. I don't know what I should do," Lacey had texted.

Timothy had instantly replied, "Hold on. I'll be there in a second."

Madeline's lashes shook again. She bit her lips and then carefully put the phone back like it was untouched. Her mind was in a mess.

A short while later, Timothy emerged from the bathroom fully dressed. Just as he pulled his coat on, Madeline tugged on his hand and asked, "It's late at night. Where are you going?"

He hesitated and paused just for a fraction of a second. Then, as if suddenly coming up with an excuse on the spot, he turned around and pressed a chaste kiss on Madeline's forehead, saying gently, "Something really urgent just came up at the office, and I need to go there and take a look.

"Go to bed first. Don't wait up for me."

Then, Timothy walked out of the door without another backward glance. However, Madeline didn't feel like sleeping anymore after that.

Around 2:00 am, about an hour after Timothy left, Madeline couldn't hold it in anymore and called him on the phone.

Lacey was the one who answered the call. "Timothy just went down to get medicine for me. If you have a message for him, you can tell me and I'll forward it to him."

Lacey's voice was saccharinely sweet. However, the sound of it felt like a knife that plunged straight into Madeline's heart.

Just before the call ended, she heard Timothy's low, scratchy voice on the other end of the line. "Babe…"

As if on instinct, Madeline hung up at once. But just a second later, she had already calmed down. Maybe it was because she had been hurt far too often in the past. She was already numb to the heartbreak that happened afterward.

The only discomfort she felt was a stuffy feeling in her chest. She was upset that she'd been lied to and kept in the dark for such a long time. She'd wasted all of her youth and emotions on someone like him.

…

Madeline was woken up by her usual daily alarm on her phone. Her pillow was soaked with tears.

Timothy only returned at night the next day. Madeline was having dinner when he came back. As soon as she'd heard the key turning in the lock, her first reaction was to get up and welcome him home. However, she quickly came back to her senses and stopped herself from doing it.

In the past, every time Timothy came home from work, the first thing she would do was to run up to him and hug him tightly. But now, there was no need for that anymore.

Timothy was a little surprised when Madeline didn't even acknowledge his return. "Why didn't you wait for me for dinner?"

Madeline set down her fork and turned to look at him. He had changed into a new suit, and he smelled clean and fresh.

She pretended as if nothing had happened as she got up to grab his plate and utensils. "I thought you wouldn't be coming back since you were so busy at the office," she said nonchalantly, without a hint of dissatisfaction in her voice. It was like she was calmly describing the weather.

Still, it was vastly different from how she usually treated him. Her calm demeanor now made Timothy raise his eyebrow in confusion.

He quickly went up to her and held up a shopping bag in his hand. Hugging her with his other arm, he apologized and said, "I'm sorry, but there was just too much work at the office. I was wrong for not coming back home last night. Don't be mad at me anymore, alright?

"I visited a few of our branches today and brought you a gift. Look! Do you like it?"

Timothy lowered his head as he retrieved a box from the bag, his collar falling open slightly since he hadn't buttoned the first one. His chest and collarbones were littered all over with red scratches and bite marks, which pierced straight into Madeline's eyes.

Timothy brought out a bracelet for her, with different types of heart-shaped charms hanging from it. However, he didn't know that Madeline never wore bracelets and actually hated heart-shaped items. He also didn't notice how her eyes dimmed as soon as he brought the bracelet out.

Seeing that Madeline didn't make a sound, he grabbed her hand and put the bracelet on for her, not letting her pull away. After the bracelet was clasped around her wrist, he then slid his hand into hers and held her tightly, refusing to let go even though Madeline tried to shake him off.

He grabbed her hand and said with a smile, "Maddie, now that you're wearing the bracelet, that means you're locked by my side forever. You'll never be able to leave me anymore."

Never be able to leave him?

Madeline thought, "You were the one who let go of me first, Timothy Bloomberg. You'd already lost me a long time ago."

All the love she'd had for him that burned brighter than the sun had now backfired on her, leaving her burned to ashes and soot.

Madeline had already thought it through. She was going to smother out the fire with her own hands and throw Timothy out from the depths of her heart.