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.

Timothy must have realized that Madeline was starting to behave coldly toward him. The next day, probably in an attempt to win her back, he sent her a screenshot of a restaurant reservation he'd made for them both that night.

Madeline knew that he was only doing this to make things less awkward between them.

Every time they had a disagreement and gave each other the cold shoulder afterward, Madeline was always the one who made the first move to apologize and break the ice between them.

In the meantime, Timothy's role was to give her a hug or a gift after they'd made up. After all, he only had to console her just a little bit, and Madeline would be all over the moon and forget everything that made her mad in the first place. She would then act warm and enthusiastic toward him all over again.

This had always been the case in the last few years. As long as he gave her a carrot every time after giving her a stick, Madeline would forgive him no matter what he did.

Timothy had always been in control of their relationship, whether it was a warm one or a cold one. Madeline was just his puppet on a string that he could play with, and she could never escape his control.

But now, even after seeing the reservation receipt, Madeline didn't express her usual warm and overjoyed response.

She simply replied with a text, "Okay. See you tonight."

After locking her phone, Madeline continued with the rest of her work. She didn't dwell on his actions nor swoon over how sweet he was being like she used to in the past anymore.

Right after work, Madeline headed for the restaurant. The time they'd reserved for their seats was at 7:00 pm, but she was already there half an hour earlier.

Still, she waited until 9:00 pm, and Timothy was yet to arrive. She figured that he'd already forgotten about dinner.

So, Madeline ate her steak slowly, sipped on her red wine gracefully, and gradually made her way out of the restaurant at 10:30 pm.

She'd been stood up so many times before that her calmness was unnerving at this point.

Since the restaurant was quite close to Timothy's office, Madeline decided to walk over and visit him there. A stroll would be good for digestion anyway.

When she arrived at the company, Timothy's office lights were still switched on, so she went to the door and prepared to enter.

Right before she turned the knob, however, she heard him talking to someone else inside.

"I thought you were still mad at Lacey for leaving you without a word in the past, Timothy. I didn't think that you'd both get back together so quickly as soon as she returned. Tell me the truth—have you never forgotten about her?"

Timothy took a long drag of his cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke. There was a look of sadness in his eyes. "You can't just forget someone you've loved for years."

"Then what about Madeline? You're stringing her along while getting back together with Lacey. You can't continue keeping her in the dark.

"You'd better watch out and stop playing with fire. If it ends up consuming you, nobody's going to be able to help you win her back."

"Madeline…" Timothy muttered under his breath and sighed. Then, he chuckled aloud and said, "Madeline? She'd never get mad at me. She's the one who threw herself at me, after all. Trust me, she'd never leave me even if I told her to.

"But also, I've been doing a good job at hiding this from her," Timothy said coldly and confidently. He had probably already rehearsed how he'd easily handle and control Madeline if need be.

Madeline's heart stopped. She felt her blood freeze over.

She peered through the crack in Timothy's door and stared at him, not knowing whether she should feel sorry for him or herself.

Timothy continued chatting with the other person in his office, but she wasn't interested in their conversation anymore. So, she left as silently as she came.

…

Days passed, and from the looks of it, Timothy never recalled his dinner date with Madeline. It was fine; Madeline never told him that she'd been to his office either.

One day, an auction was held in Gremlich, and Madeline took the day off work to attend it.

She only had one objective, and it was to buy a birthday gift for Timothy's father, Joseph Bloomberg.

The auction was held in a basement. As soon as the antique emerald vase was brought onstage, its exquisite design and intricate carving immediately brought a round of sighs from the audience.

The bidders kept raising the bid prices, and Madeline raised her bidding paddle three times before she successfully won the bid for the vase.

Since she had already accomplished what she'd come here for, Madeline rose to her feet to head over to the back to fill in her details for the item to be sent to her. Just as she'd reached the exit, however, the next item up for auction was revealed.

As the red satin cloth fell, Madeline was frozen to her spot.

The item was a priceless antique ring.

It was a ring that Timothy designed, first revealed to the world when he broke into the fashion design industry. When he and Madeline had just gotten together, he had proudly shown it to her and said, "Next time, I'm going to propose to you with this ring."

He had held Madeline in his arms back then while saying it. She'd felt a little conflicted and asked, "But what if something better comes along the way?"

Timothy chuckled and leaned down to press a kiss on her forehead. Then, he said seriously, "This is the first design of mine to win an award. It's priceless to me, and you're the only one who deserves it."

So, what was the ring doing here at the auction?

Why would Timothy donate such a precious thing to the auction? There had to be a mistake somewhere!

Madeline's mind was in a mess. She went back to her seat and listened as the auctioneer introduced the origin of the ring as a video played overhead, explaining the intricate design work woven into the ring.

The video went on for quite a while, and Madeline was dazed all throughout. It wasn't until everyone started raising their paddles and an assistant asked Madeline whether she needed any help that she finally snapped back to the present.

She couldn't help thinking that the ring being there had to be some kind of mistake. She raised her paddle at once, intending to get it.

"13,500,000 dollars!"

A familiar voice suddenly shouted the price, and Timothy walked out from behind the video screen with his paddle in the air. With three strikes of the auctioneer's gavel, he easily won the bid for his own ring.

Everyone on the ground was confused. Why would someone donate their belongings only to bid for them again?

Timothy grinned and took the microphone from the auctioneer's hands to explain himself. "There was a mix-up, and the ring accidentally appeared in today's auction. Luckily, I came just in time.

"To me, this ring can only belong to one person, and it should only appear on her finger. I'm sorry, everyone, but I'm going to have to take away something you all have fallen in love with."

Then, Timothy went up to the platform, took the ring, and turned to leave.

He didn't see Madeline in the audience. Meanwhile, she heaved a silent sigh of relief and hurried out of the venue.

However, she still felt confused in her heart. She went to the bathroom and turned on the tap to wash her hands, still feeling confused and uneasy.

At that moment, someone started speaking in a stall, and they sounded like they were in awe.

"Did you see the look in Mr. Bloomberg's eyes just now while looking at the ring? I swear I saw hearts in his eyes. I wonder who the ring belongs to? She must be so happy to have a man like him."

Madeline felt a gust of warmth in her heart when she heard that. However, one second later, another person spoke up, sounding very surprised. "Don't you know it? Mr. Bloomberg has been going in and out with Lacey all day, every day. Of course it has to be her!"

"Lacey's so lucky. I heard that they used to be classmates at the same college, and she was even his first love. She's got him wrapped around her little finger even when she wasn't around. I mean, who wouldn't be envious of their romantic love story, having found each other again since their college days?"

The water continued running from the tap, splashing against Madeline's fingers and turning them icy-cold.

She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt panicky all of a sudden. She had a bad premonition that something was going to happen.

She flew home at once, hoping that Timothy would come home to her and bring her the ring. However, she waited until it was dark out and the stars hung brightly in the sky, and yet, Timothy never showed up.

She wasn't able to stop herself from calling him. The call was picked up at once, and this time, it was Timothy himself, not Lacey, who answered the call.

Madeline felt her anxiety die down just a little. However, there was the sound of loud gasping and panting right afterward.

She was an adult, and it was impossible for her not to know what was going on at the other end of the line.

"Timothy?" Madeline called out his name with bated breath.

The line went silent for a few seconds. But Timothy's voice appeared once more, low, scratchy, and sultry.

"Maddie, you'll have to go to sleep by yourself tonight. I'll try to get back as early as possible tomorrow."

He hung up right after that.

Madeline took deep, deliberate breaths, forcing her palpitating heart to slow down and trying her best to remain calm.

However, as soon as she got her phone, she saw that Lacey's recent Twitter post from two hours ago was trending.

Lacey had posted a selfie, showing a man on his knees, carefully applying ointment onto her wound. Even though the man's silhouette was blurry in the photo, Madeline could still feel the pain in her chest intensify.

Even more so when she caught sight of the ring on Lacey's left hand, which looked like she'd tried but failed to hide on camera.

Madeline shuddered.

The ring Timothy had promised her had now appeared on Lacey's finger. Before she could even make sense of that, her body beat her to it as tears welled up in her eyes and began dripping down.

Lacey had captioned the photo, "You are my safe space."

Had this been in the past, Madeline would have immediately felt jealous, burst into tears, and called Timothy on the spot to demand an explanation.

But now, Madeline's heart was still. She didn't make a fuss.

From the looks of it, she guessed that Timothy had never made room for her in his heart in the first place. Everything he promised her was just perfunctory.

Madeline turned off her phone, going to bed feeling exhausted all over.