Tyler spewed vulgarities continuously like a madman. He no longer looked like the gentle and elegant man he usually was.

"That's enough, Tyler. Weren't you the one who permitted this denigrating behavior of theirs?"

Tyler stopped because of what I said.

"I heard what you people talked about from outside the room, and I didn't want to come in here."

I took a deep breath. As I held my tears back, I continued in a shaky voice, "Even so, I wanted to clarify what was going on."

Tyler knew what I was about to ask.

There was a long, long silence.

Tyler stood up and straightened his suit. Then, he wiped the blood off of his fist.

Looking at me with his eyes narrowed, he said, "I don't know anything about the video. I've never recorded anything."

He sounded like he was explaining himself, but he said so with such an arrogant and prideful tone. It was as if his explanation was a gift bestowed on me by the heavens.

"About our relationship, it is what it is. If you're sick of it, you may leave any time. After all, you've been with me for nine years. Even a do—"

Before he could finish his sentence, I marched forward, picked up the wine glass from the table, and splashed its contents on him.

I sneered. "Here's the glass I'm raising to you, as well as to myself who was once blind."

A shocked silence filled the room.

Tyler had a gloomy expression as he felt the alcohol trickle down his face. His jaw was tightly clenched.

I flung the wine glass to the floor. A piece of shattered glass bounced up and cut my calf, leaving stains of blood on the carpet.

Disregarding the shock in everyone else's eyes, I left the private room without turning back.

Someone in the private room said, "Ty, it looks like you've really spoiled her. None of your exes would've dared to splash wine on your face."

Tyler scoffed. "I've got to loosen the reins when it's too tight. She has to make a fuss like this a few times a year. It's really annoying, but she will come back to me in a few days."

I clenched onto my bag tightly as I hurried out of the corridor.

As I was rushing, I didn't see where I was going and ended up bumping into someone accidentally.

The man held me by my shoulders. Then, I heard him saying in an euphonious voice, "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine…"

Tempted to curl myself up into my coat, I kept my head down.

"You don't look like you're okay. Do you need help?" he probed again.

I lifted my head and took a glance at the man with a pleasant-sounding voice.

The man had the bearing of an elite businessman. He was in a black, smart-looking suit, and he had buttoned his shirt all the way up to his neck. Even his hair was meticulously styled.

"Why are the both of you tugging at one another? What are you doing?" Tyler yelled out at me from the other end of the corridor after he dashed out after me.

He stormed over. His shiny leather shoes against the red carpet appeared heavy and solemn, giving him an air of superiority.

He jeered, "I see you've found someone new. It's no wonder that you dared to embarrass me in public."

I wanted to leave the corridor as I listened to that remark of his.

There was no need to involve unrelated people into the matters between Tyler and I. After all, Tyler was the most powerful in all of Burgton City, while that man looked like an average businessman who couldn't afford to offend Tyler.

However, the man stuffed a handkerchief into my hands.

"Wipe your tears," he said in a calm and tender voice.

As he said that, he walked out of the corridor with me.

Subsequently, I heard someone from the other end of the corridor say, "I've seen that person at an auction. He's a big shot from Napolo City if I'm not mistaken…"

I bid the man goodbye at the door to the elevator.

In the elevator, I studied my slightly worn out face. The combination of my bright red lipstick and dark eyeshadow made me look appealing.

This was the style of makeup that Tyler liked. But, this wasn't me.

In the club's courtyard, water from a fountain danced to the melody that was played.

I removed the ring from the middle finger on my right hand and threw it into the fountain.

That was the couple ring that I gave to Tyler in the fourth year that we were together. That night, he went at it real hard.

After we were done, he slipped the ring on his finger casually. It fit on his finger just nicely. After all, I measured it countless times while he was fast asleep.

I returned to my room. Even until noon the next day, there was no news on my cell phone at all.

On the surface, August Club looked like it was opened by me. But, in reality, Tyler was the biggest investor. In a way, it was considered to be the fruit of our joint labor.

It was also the only place that kept us connected.

I observed the decoration in the lobby, which was designed with much effort. Everything from the design framework to the choice of colors was decided upon after my repeated communication with the interior designer.

I picked up a stool from beside me and swung it hard at the table.

It was Sunday today. As the club was located in the suburbs, no one knew what was happening.

The loud bangs sounded like battle drums, awakening every aggressive cell in my body. Even the massive fish tank and expensive potted plants were smashed to smithereens.

Specks of filth splattered onto the paint, which hadn't completely dried.

I ended up smashing everything in the room that was visibly breakable.

Scanning the chaotic mess around me, I wiped the tears off my face, then packed up the few garments I bought for myself into my suitcase.

I placed Tyler's supplementary card from my bag onto my vanity table.

After all that, I got onto a plane to Southhope City—the city I had always been wanting to visit. Despite Tyler's repeated promises, he had never gone there with me.

Southhope City was a place with beautiful scenery and a pleasant culture.

Nevertheless, no matter how picturesque a place was, it could not cure the pain of being broke.

Thanks to a friend's recommendation, I found a job as a model.

First thing the next morning, I stood at the door to an artist's studio. To my surprise, the artist did not look like the image of a typical artist I had in my mind.

The pale-looking Matthias Finley had black-framed glasses perched on his nose and wore a casual cotton shirt and pants that gave him the bearing of a stoic man.

Even though he had the same face as the elite businessman who saved me from my predicament in the corridor, he carried a completely different air as the man the other day.

After staring at me for a long while, he uttered courteously, "You have stunning eyes."

Perhaps an artists' way of thinking was different from an average person. Uttering a compliment came so naturally to him.

With a smile on my face, I said, "How could you tell? I've got such thick makeup on."

"Although you have thick makeup on, you have a really pure gaze. Us artists are best at identifying the nature of someone through their appearance.

"Of course, your beauty will remain the same no matter what makeup you have on."

What he said touched me deeply.

When I was with Tyler, he said that he liked it when I had thick makeup on. Light makeup made him disinterested, and he wouldn't allow me to go barefaced. He would call me ugly, albeit in an indirect way.

He did not like it when I wore plain-colored clothes. My wardrobe was filled with dresses of bright colors, given to me by him.

After all these years, I had gotten used to wearing clothes according to Tyler's preference. I had long forgotten what my preferences were.

After loving him for years, I had forgotten to love myself.

"So, do you mind removing your makeup? Even though I have a strong foundation in drawing, I hope that I can work with fewer distractions," Matthias requested in a sincere yet cautious tone.

I hurried into the washroom to remove my makeup. As I lifted my head to look at my bare face, I could see how pale I looked, thanks to all the foundation I wore all year round. The bags around my eyes were also more obvious now.

This was the real me.

When I emerged from the washroom, I could clearly see the amazement and excitement in Matthias' eyes.

Contrary to my expectation that being a model was a boring affair, it turned out to be fun thanks to the humorous Matthias.