Third Person's POV

Talia hated the sterile smell of hospitals, so Starlet moved her to a private care facility.

Talia also didn’t like being around people, so even after ten years of being with Aldrich, Starlet never once mentioned her.

That’s why, when she heard her sister didn’t have much time left, the idea of taking her place became her escape plan.

Emerging from the water, she stood in front of the mirror. Slowly, her own pale face blurred, merging with her sister’s.

A soft, almost peaceful smile spread across her lips. Once she was gone, it wouldn’t matter where she went or what she did—Aldrich would never be able to find her again.

She would disappear from his life forever.

That night, after booking a flight overseas for two weeks later, she slept more soundly than she had in months.

The next morning, after breakfast, she began clearing out everything that reminded her of Aldrich.

The gifts he had given her, the surprises he had planned, the photo albums filled with memories. Seven or eight full boxes of love and nostalgia, all of it thrown away, one piece at a time, until nothing was left.

Just as she was hauling the last box outside, a sleek, limited-edition Tesla pulled up to the curb.

Hearing the sound, Starlet instinctively turned around—only to lock eyes with Aldrich. His usual sharp, arrogant gaze met hers, but he wasn’t alone.

A woman draped herself over his arm, her makeup flawless, her outfit seductive. They stood together in the open, making no effort to hide. Even after seeing her, neither of them flinched.

Starlet knew exactly what Aldrich was thinking.

He assumed that because she loved him, she would forgive everything he did while he was "lost" in his amnesia.

But no matter how deep a love ran, it would run dry eventually.

And Starlet had never been the kind of person to tolerate betrayal. Deception, infidelity—those were the things she despised most in life.

Especially when the woman in his arms was the one person she hated more than anyone.

Her grip on the box tightened as she stared at Eileen Malone, the ringleader of her high school tormentors.

From the moment she stepped onto campus, Eileen and her group had made her their target. Every cruel trick, every vicious prank—they had all been inflicted on her.

For years, her body was never free of bruises. She had tried to fight back once, but it only made things worse.

The final straw came when a classmate casually complimented her looks. That was all it took for Eileen to snap. She and her lackeys cornered Starlet in the bathroom, holding scissors and a lighter, ready to burn her hair and scar her face forever.

Panicked, she had no choice but to jump out the window.

Luckily, she survived, but the price was a deep, jagged scar on her right cheek.

Eileen’s wealthy family had thrown a hundred thousand bucks at her to keep her quiet. And for Talia’s sake, she took it. But when she watched her abuser walk away unscathed, boarding a plane to study abroad, she had never felt so much hate.

And Aldrich knew all of this. He knew Eileen was her nightmare. He knew she still woke up screaming from those memories.

Yet here he was—parading around with her like it was nothing.

The weight of all the lies and betrayal crashed down on her, filling her with disgust.

She didn’t want to waste another second on these two. Without hesitation, she lifted the last box and threw it into the trash.

Out of the corner of his eye, Aldrich saw what she was throwing away. His expression darkened, and in an instant, he stepped forward, his voice tense.

“Why are you throwing all of this away? Don’t you remember—I gave you all of this—”

Starlet cut him off with a smirk, her tone laced with mockery.

“I thought you lost your memory? How do you still remember these things?”

The moment the words left her lips, Aldrich’s heart sank.

For the first time, he realized his mistake.

His throat went dry, and he quickly cleared it, forcing a smirk in an attempt to mask his slip-up.

Third Person's POV

"How could I possibly remember? Simply judging by how broke you look, I doubt you could afford any of these expensive things. You also said I used to like you. So if those aren't from me, then who else could’ve given you all this?" He arrogantly answered.

Then crossing his arms, he scoffed, "But don't get any ideas. I don’t care what you do—what’s in the past is in the past. I’ll never fall for you again. My heart belongs to Eileen now. After all, we’ve been childhood sweethearts since the beginning."

'Childhood sweethearts?' Starlet echoed inwardly, hitting her like a slap.

She had no idea there was a deeper connection between them. If that was the case, then what about the day he saved her all those years ago? Was it really a coincidence, or had it been planned all along?

Everything they’d shared—the warmth, the laughter, the whispered promises—how much of it had been real? And how much of it had been a lie?

The memories and the betrayal twisted together like claws, tearing through her already shattered heart.

She turned her cold gaze to Eileen. The woman was dressed to perfection, her fox-like eyes filled with smug satisfaction. Then, as if to drive the knife deeper, Eileen wrapped her arms around Aldrich’s neck and kissed him.

"Aldrich, didn’t you say you weren’t close to her? Why is she still here?" she pouted.

Aldrich chuckled, pinching her nose playfully. "Relax, she’s not living in our villa. She stays next door."

And he wasn’t wrong.

Ever since Aldrich lost his memory, he had refused to acknowledge his relationship with Starlet. He had even ordered the servants to throw out her belongings.

At the time, she had been relieved that three months ago, he had put a villa and a sports car under her name. But looking back now, it was clear—it had all been premeditated.

Ignoring the couple, Starlet turned and walked away.

Aldrich’s gaze followed her retreating figure, an uneasy feeling creeping into his chest. His heart pounded erratically, like something important was slipping through his fingers.

Something wasn’t right.

'Starlet hates Eileen. Shouldn’t she be jealous? Angry? Shouldn’t she be confronting me, demanding an explanation? Why is she so calm?' Aldrich wondered.

After a brief pause, he assumed, 'Could it be… she's only holding back because I've lost my memory? Is she only suppressing her emotions for my sake?'

Even so, a sharp pang of guilt still hit him.

As such, he decided that once he was done having fun, he would make it up to her. He would spend the rest of his life making her the happiest woman in the world.

That evening, Starlet took a walk down the quiet streets, holding onto Bowie’s leash.

Bowie, a golden retriever, had been Aldrich’s first birthday gift to her. Over the past ten years, they had raised him like their own child.

Although she had thrown away everything else, she couldn’t bring herself to abandon him.

As they strolled along the familiar path, she waited until the streets were empty before unclipping the leash and letting Bowie run free.

Watching him sprint around with boundless energy, a small smile tugged at her lips for the first time that day.

But just as she was about to call him back, a sudden blinding light made her raise her hand to shield her eyes.

And then a loud thud followed by a sharp yelp tore through the night.

Starlet froze.

Her breath caught in her throat as she saw Bowie lying in a pool of blood.

Her heart clenched painfully, and she scrambled forward, her hands shaking as she scooped him into her arms.

"Oh no! Aldrich, I… I hit a dog! I didn’t know it was Starlet’s! I didn’t mean to!"

Eileen stepped out of the car, her voice laced with feigned innocence as she clung to Aldrich’s arm.

But under the glow of the streetlights, Starlet saw it—the amusement in Eileen's eye, the barely concealed satisfaction. She had done it on purpose.

Knowing that, rage burned through Starlet's veins.

Without a word, she stood up, marched toward Eileen, and slapped her across the face.

Third Person's POV

"Starlet! What the hell are you doing?" Aldrich roared as he instinctively pulled Eileen into his arms, shielding her from Starlet’s reach.

Starlet’s heart clenched at the sight, but she forced herself to stay calm. She met his gaze and spoke evenly. "Aldrich, she ran over Bowie. You saw it, didn’t you?"

"It’s just a dog," he scoffed, his voice indifferent. "Besides, it’s dead now. But if it means that much to you, I’ll buy you another one."

His callous words made the light in Starlet's eyes fade, but before she could respond, Eileen suddenly clutched her head and whimpered in pain.

"Aldrich, I don’t know if Starlet hit me too hard just now, but my migraine is acting up again. It hurts… so much…"

Panicky, Aldrich turned to her and quickly said, "Hold on, I’ll take you to the hospital right now."

He was about to walk away with her in his arms when Starlet grabbed his arm and desperately urged, "Bowie needs medical attention right away, or it’ll be too late!"

Their eyes met, and for a moment, Aldrich hesitated. Seeing the pain in her expression, something inside him softened. He was just about to agree when Eileen gripped his shirt tightly.

"Aldrich… Maybe you should stay with Starlet instead," she murmured, her voice trembling. "After all, to her, a dog is more important than I am…"

"What are you saying? How could an animal ever compare to you?" Aldrich said firmly. "You’re my precious girl—nothing and no one could ever come close."

With that, he shook off Starlet’s hand and carried Eileen away without looking back.

As his warmth left her palm, Starlet felt an unbearable emptiness spread through her chest. Any last hope she had for Aldrich disappeared like smoke in the wind.

'So this is it. He wasn’t just playing a role—he truly believed in his own-made lie. He convinced himself so well that his heart turned blind and his mind completely taken in by his own performance,' she thought.

Then, she scoffed mentally, 'Well, I'm now done playing along.'

Still, she couldn’t help but wonder, 'But when this little game of his ended in two weeks, when he realized she was no longer around, would he be just as indifferent then? Would he still be so sure of his choices?'

Letting out a bitter chuckle, she turned away, cradling Bowie’s limp body as she stumbled toward the nearest veterinary hospital.

But by the time they arrived, it was already too late. Even if they saved him, he would only be hanging on by a thread. As she looked into those dark, trusting eyes—filled with silent pleading before slowly fading into emptiness—tears streamed down her face.

In the end, she chose to let him go peacefully.

Bowie was gone. Along with him was the love and youth she had given away so willingly for the past ten years.

She had his ashes turned into a pendant. When she finally returned home, the sun was already high in the sky.

As she stepped inside, her phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number.

It was a video.

She clicked on it, and instantly, explicit scenes filled the screen—two bodies entangled in heated passion, limbs wrapped around each other as they moved together without restraint. The man in the video seemed completely captivated by the woman beneath him, his obsession evident.

The two people in the video were none other than Aldrich and Eileen.

It was obvious who had sent it.

For thirty minutes, Starlet watched the footage, torturing herself with every second. Her tears had long since dried up. Her nails dug so deeply into her palms that blood trickled down her fingers, but she felt nothing—just a dull, numbing ache.

Just as she was about to turn it off, their voices suddenly cut through the silence.

"Aldrich, can we take a break? I’m so tired…"

"Tired?" Aldrich's voice was low and rough. "This is your punishment for killing Bowie. Don’t think I don’t know you did it on purpose."

Instead of panicking, Eileen only giggled, nuzzling into his chest.

"You figured it out so easily… No wonder you’ve been so ruthless with me tonight," she purred. "You were mad because of her, weren’t you? If that’s the case, then why did you stand up for me earlier? You should’ve just let me die with that mutt."

"Die?" Aldrich smirked. "That would’ve been such a waste. You’re far too precious for that." His voice dropped lower, laced with dangerous amusement. "Now, tell me… do you know what you did wrong?"