I took a deep breath, gathering what little courage I had left and shakily opened the box.

It wasn’t a wedding ring. Instead, it was a small tattoo machine, a familiar brand logo and two stencils with the initials of their names intertwined.

I remembered begging him countless times for an engagement ring. After he flatly refused, I bought this brand of tattoo machine myself.

I recalled how angry he had been when I bought it, accusing me of deliberately challenging him, knowing that the company had a no-tattoo policy.

Yet, here he was, buying one himself, intending to surprise Aileen with it. The company rules clearly meant nothing to him when it came to pleasing her.

A rush of emotion hit me, and in my pain, I buried my freshly done nails into Rufus' hand.

Once I had loved him so deeply and now, all that love had turned to hurt and hatred.

I tried to let go of this six-year-long relationship that had gone nowhere.

The next morning, I followed Aileen's suggestion and went downstairs to buy him a bowl of minced pork congee with celery.

But he spat it in my face, his brows furrowed tightly.

"What is this? Are you trying to disgust me, to get back at me? Don't you know I hate celery?"

The congee was her suggestion, but soon I understood.

It wasn’t that his stomach hurt. He was rejecting the celery because of Aileen.

Even though this "white moonlight" of his had once abandoned and betrayed him to go abroad.

I spent the entire night awake, replaying everything in my mind. I had come to terms with and let go of much of this relationship.

I wiped away the stain on my face with a tissue. He humiliated me, but I wasn’t angry. Instead, I quietly drank the congee myself—after all, wasting food would be far more shameful.

Rufus removed the needle and changed his clothes, his voice cold as he said, "Now that I’m the CEO, there’s a lot to do. Don’t cause me any more trouble."

With that, he lowered his head to reply to a message and stormed out.

I knew, without a doubt, he couldn’t wait to go with Aileen to try on wedding dresses.

Part 4

At this point, the luxurious wedding dress I had my eye on, the most extravagant one in the country, would never see the light of day.

It had arrived yesterday, along with his custom-tailored suit, which I had planned to surprise him with. But between feeling unwell and the emotional breakdown that followed, everything was left unfinished.

Today, I decided to return the dress.

As I stood outside the bridal shop, I spotted Rufus’s Maybach parked nearby. It hit me just how small the world is and I couldn’t help but think—this was the most exclusive and luxurious bridal shop in the country.

The fitting room was dazzling, filled with gold and splendor. Aileen slipped into the wedding dress, happily snapping selfies with her phone. She then clung to Rufus’s arm, acting all sweet and coy.

"Rufus, this wedding dress is absolutely gorgeous! The lace trim and the ethereal feel make me love it even more. I really, really like it—this one, I want this one!"

Rufus didn’t seem bothered by her interruption. Instead, he chuckled, gently teasing her by flicking her nose, his tone soft and indulgent.

Somewhere deep inside me, something shattered. He had completely changed. Was this really Rufus?

Furrowing his brow as he conversed with the store manager, he said, "My fiancée really loves this dress. If the client is willing to give it up, I'll offer you an extra thirty thousand and compensate them seventy-five thousand."

Hearing this, I couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.

She likes it, so you want it—does that mean I have to give it to you?

The store manager, clearly swayed by Rufus’s offer, immediately turned to make a call, asking him to wait for a moment.

I walked up to Aileen, my expression my expression cold and detached.

It was Rufus who noticed me first. His face instantly stiffened. Without a word, he shoved me, sending me crashing into a row of wedding dresses. Right in front of me, he pulled Aileen close, his arm tightly around her waist as if to protect her from any threat I posed.

Aileen’s face drained of color in fear. When she saw me, a mess tangled in the wedding dress, she frowned and obediently curled up in Rufus's arms.

"Today’s not a day off. You’re supposed to be at work, not here causing trouble!"

Rufus didn’t show the slightest hint of guilt or unease. Instead, he boldly confronted me, his tone laced with disdain.

The wedding dress had been knocked into disarray and the sales clerk, shocked, shot me a furious glance but dared not speak out.

I stood up from the floor without a word, not wanting to argue.

My feelings for him had long since faded—he no longer stirred any emotions in me.

Seeing that I remained silent, staring at Aileen, he grew serious and said,

“Emilia, you can’t force something that isn’t meant to be. The one I love is Aileen.”

"Since you're here, let me make things clear. I'll give you a generous breakup settlement: an Audi and of course, you can keep the villa, but I’ll pay half to help you buy a new apartment in a different neighborhood."

I kept my gaze fixed on Aileen’s wedding dress and asked, "Rufus, I just want to know—did you ever love me, even for a single moment?"

Aileen, hearing my words, smirked, her lips curling into a condescending, victorious smile.

"No, Emilia," Rufus replied coldly. "I can only say I tried, but I couldn’t settle. I agreed to be with you because you helped me."

"I only pitied you. Aileen wasn’t around and I needed someone to fill the space, so I agreed to be with you."

"My love for Aileen is engraved in my bones, woven into my soul."

So heartless.

Fine.

Since he was so ruthless, there was no reason for me to show him any mercy.

Just then, the store manager walked in, phone pressed to his ear, as he apologized, "Mr. Nox, I’m sorry..."

The store manager looked around at the mess, trying to maintain her composure. She asked if Rufus had been startled, then turned to scold me, the one responsible for the chaos. But when she saw me, her words caught in her throat and she paused in surprise.

"Ms. Sieghart, you're here... Did you hurt yourself?"

"I'm fine," I replied coldly.

"This gentleman wants to..."

Before the manager could finish, I cut her off.

"I refuse. Have her take it off."

The manager stiffened, unsure of how to proceed.

Aileen shook her head, clinging to Rufus like a petulant child, refusing to cooperate.

"Emilia, stop your ridiculous act at once! I paid for the wedding dress, so I’ll decide who wears it!"

"Bring me the scissors."

"I’ll say it one more time: take off the wedding dress."

I ignored him completely, my gaze icy as I locked eyes with Aileen.

I had paid in full for that wedding dress and although the store manager hesitated, she ultimately obeyed my command.

Aileen shot me a few furious glares before turning to Rufus with a look of shock and hurt.

Rufus, teeth clenched in rage, raised his hand as if to slap me, but I kicked him between the legs and shoved him into a rack of dresses.

I cornered Aileen, then took the scissors and began slicing her wedding dress to pieces.

I didn’t stop until she was left exposed, the fabric now in tatters.

Throwing the scissors aside, I turned and walked out of the bridal shop, dialing Grandpa's number.

"Grandpa Duke, let’s make the announcement about Rufus being removed as CEO on the day of his wedding."

Part 5

I immediately called Sebastian, the middle-aged butler and told him to sell the villa I was living in at a low price.

It was time to leave my past behind and cut all ties with Rufus.

Despite the six years of emotions and memories that bound me to him, the sudden separation still left a lingering sense of regret.