I returned to the home I shared with Howard. I had barely set my bag down and reached for the light switch when a figure suddenly leaped from the shadows and onto my back. "Howie, you're home!"

Fresh out of the hospital and still weak, I buckled under the weight and collapsed. I winced in pain and shoved the person off me. "Who the hell are you?"

Crystal scrambled to her feet and flicked on the lights. She covered her mouth in a show of shock. "I'm so sorry. I thought you were Howie… Oh, are you his girlfriend? He said you wouldn't be coming back…"

Howard and I were nothing alike in build. Anyone with half a vision could have told us apart.

Clutching my aching lower back, I stood up and took a proper look at her.

"Why are you here?" I asked, my voice thick with annoyance.

Her hair was damp, and she wore nothing but an oversized white shirt that barely covered her thighs, putting her long, bare legs on full display.

I recognized that shirt. I had given it to Howard when we first got together. The custom cufflinks even bore our initials.

Her eyes instantly welled up with tears. She fidgeted anxiously before suddenly grabbing my hand and slapping herself across the face with it.

I froze, completely stunned. Before I could react, Howard burst through the door, shoved me aside, and pulled Crystal behind him. "Celine Morrison, what gives you the right to hit someone?" he snarled. "She just mistook you for me. Slapping her is uncalled for."

He turned from me to gently cup her reddening cheek, scolding her for not dodging quickly enough.

My hand went numb, and the pain in my waist flared. A sting pierced my nose. I felt like an outsider in my own home.

"Howard, aren't you going to explain why she's here?" I asked.

I had bought this house for him so he could focus on building his career without a worry in the world. And now, he had the audacity to bring another woman into our home.

For the first time, Howard looked a little guilty, but his expression quickly hardened into irritation. "Crystal was scammed by her landlord. After our business trip, she had nowhere to go. As her boss, I let her crash here for the night. Baby, our house is huge. It's not a big deal."

I took a step forward to see his hypocritical expression more clearly, but Crystal shrank back dramatically, waving her hands as if terrified I'd strike her again. "Howie, I'll leave. Don't be angry, Celine. I'll go sleep under a bridge or something. You don't have to worry about me."

Howard moved to shield her again, his voice dripping with contempt as he yelled at me, "When you do something wrong, you pay the price. Apologize to Crystal now!"

As if that weren't enough, he added, "Celine, not everyone is born with a silver spoon in their mouth like you. You don't know what it's like to face hardship. Kids from poor families may have nothing, but we still have our dignity. You don't get to trample on it!"

With that, he wrapped a protective arm around Crystal and led her to the living room to tend to her injury.

He had a talent for twisting a simple question into a class war. All I had done was ask what she was doing in my house.

But it didn't matter anymore. Neither the house nor its owner had anything to do with me now.

My lower back throbbed. Leaning against the shoe cabinet, I tried to steady my breathing. That was when I noticed a takeout bag Howard had brought in. It was from Tabletop Kitchen, my favourite restaurant.

He had left Crystal alone here to personally pick up the food. Whenever I wanted to eat there, he either ordered delivery or sent his assistant. But for her, he was thoughtful enough to make the trip himself.

If I hadn't shown up, the two of them would have been enjoying a romantic dinner.

My phone rang. It was my mother, saying the Zimmerman family was thrilled I had agreed to the arranged marriage. They even suggested holding the wedding next month and mentioned they'd received my gift.

My parents became confused when the word "gift" came up, so they asked if I knew what the Zimmerman family meant.

I didn't really think about it. I simply looked up and said yes right away.

Wonderful—the sooner the wedding, the better.

"Want to eat together?" Howard asked, coming over to grab the food. His fingertips brushed my cheek. "Celine, don't be mad. I have to establish authority in front of my employees. You're the one who taught me that."

I turned away, disgusted by the scent of ointment and another woman's perfume on his fingers. I didn't answer.

"You're not jealous, are you? How could there ever be anything between Crystal and me? You know I can't stand people who make trouble."

When I still didn't respond, he continued, "Alright, alright. It's my fault. I've been traveling so much and haven't been taking good care of you. I promise, once this project is done, we'll have the wedding."

He probably wasn't aware that each time he mentioned Crystal, a smile hid in his eyes.

"Howie, I'm starving! My stomach is growling!" Crystal's faux-cheerful voice rang out, and Howard rushed to her side.

I declined their invitation to eat together, claiming I needed rest. I went upstairs by myself and packed my things.

Clothes and jewelry could be replaced, but I had to take some items with me.

Howard always called me a spoiled rich woman who knew nothing about hardship and only used money to solve problems. I pretended not to care, but I took every word to heart.

Half a year ago, I started learning handmade crafts just to prove him wrong. First, I made an exquisite wooden gift box. Then, a thick, handcrafted picture book.

The book was full of little mechanisms—a compartment for cigarette ash, even a tiny fox tucked inside. But what mattered most was the five years of memories it held. The final section was meant for both of us to write our hopes for the future together.

This was the surprise gift I had poured my heart into for his birthday this year. And in return, he had crushed my heart under his foot.

He didn't deserve this gift.

My fingers traced over the tiny scars the carving knife had left on my hand. A tear dropped onto the page. I picked up a pen and wrote, "Howard and I have no future."

The tears weren't for him; they commemorated the five years of love that had ended without a proper goodbye.

A knock came at the door. Crystal stood outside the study. "Celine, sorry to bother you. Can I borrow your pajamas?"

As I lowered my head to wipe my tears, she had already walked to my side.

"Are you sad?" she asked, her tone smug and nothing like the timid act from before.

I was taken aback, but it wasn't surprising. This was a woman who had slapped herself to manipulate others, after all.

I didn't reply. Instead, I pressed a black button on my desk, activating the study's hidden camera.

"Celine, you should just give up. You can't win against me," Crystal said, folding her arms and looking down at me.

She continued, "You're not as young, pretty, or fun as I am. And you definitely don't know what a man wants. Do you really think you can keep him by giving him everything and helping him succeed? Let me tell you something. Women who are too capable never get a happy ending.

"Only I can make Howard feel like a real man. Only I can give him everything he wants. Don't believe me? You'll see soon enough. I guarantee it."

With that, she let out a loud scream, grabbed my collar, and shoved me toward the window. The moment Howard ran over, she flipped our positions perfectly, making it look like I was the one threatening her.

Howard yanked me aside to get to her, and I stumbled into the bookshelf. Out of habit, he moved to help me up, but Crystal immediately grabbed his arm, whimpering, "I'm so scared. I really messed up. I've brought nothing but trouble. I shouldn't have worked in your company…"

Howard covered her mouth. "Don't say that! Don't be afraid. I'm here. I won't let anyone hurt you!"

He then turned to me and said, "Celine, I already explained everything. Why don't you trust me? Are you trying to kill her now?"

I had never seen Howard this angry before. His veins bulged, and his eyes were as red as a trapped beast's. "Apologize," he demanded. "I said, apologize to her!"

I reached behind me, and my hand came away wet. I was bleeding; I had hit my back so hard.

"I didn't—"

But Howard cut me off. He didn't even glance at my injury; he just kept pressing me to apologize. Behind him, Crystal flashed a devious smile.

All the strength drained from my body, leaving nothing but a hollow shell. Numb and feeling ridiculous, I obeyed. "Crystal, I'm sorry."

Howard snorted coldly, then walked away with Crystal in his arms.

My gaze fell on the handmade photo album on the table. If Howard had just glanced in its direction, he wouldn't have missed it. I didn't need it anymore.

I tossed the album and the USB drive—filled with all our memories—straight into the trash.

Late that night, Howard came over, looking exhausted. "Crystal will be sleeping in the guest room on the second floor. She won't bother you, so don't bother her either."

His words were cruel and laughable. Had he ever listened to a word I said? Had he ever asked what actually happened? He had just sentenced me without a trial.

I forced out a hum of acknowledgement.

Howard's expression softened, and he patted my hand helplessly. "Stop overthinking. It's fine as long as you change. Get some rest."

He said he'd be working late, that he would sleep in the guest room that night, and that I shouldn't wait up for him.

But I waited. I waited until he and Crystal were lost in each other, their bodies tangled, indulging themselves without restraint. Then I walked out without looking back.

I found a random hotel and slept until morning. When I woke up, a text message from an unknown number was waiting for me.

It was from Joshua Zimmerman, the second son and future heir of the Zimmerman family—my arranged marriage partner.

He invited me to choose our wedding rings. I agreed.

When I arrived at the store, Joshua wasn't there yet, so I went in alone.

The store specialized in custom luxury wedding rings, and it was filled with sweet, soon-to-be-wed couples. I was the only one wandering around alone.

Curious glances landed on me from all directions. But I didn't care. After what happened with Howard and Crystal, not even the sky falling could shake me.

Joshua and I were getting married for business purposes. There were no feelings involved. We hadn't even met. Why should I expect him to dote on me?

My heart had already crumbled to ashes. Asking for more would be unfair.

Finally, in the last display section, I found a ring I liked. I waved to the salesclerk. "Hi. Can I take a look at this ring?"

"Wow! Howie, this ring is so pretty!"

Crystal's voice overlapped with mine. Howard stood behind her, his expression instantly darkening. He grabbed my wrist. "Celine, what are you doing here?"

I yanked my hand free. "Shopping for wedding rings, of course. What are you here for? Dinner?"

Several salesclerks snickered when they heard my snide remark. Embarrassed, Howard's face flushed with anger. "I mean, why are you in a wedding ring shop?"

I folded my arms and stared at him coldly. "You're here too. Why can't I be?"

I turned back to the salesclerk. "Please show me this ring."

"We were here first," Crystal said, stepping forward to block me. "So they should show it to me first. Right, Howie?"

Crystal was too young and impatient. As expected, Howard ignored her; his eyes locked onto mine. "You're picking rings for our wedding, right, Celine?"

I didn't answer, simply examining the ring in my hand.

The salesclerk tried to diffuse the tension. "There's no need to argue. We have ten new designs arriving soon, all handmade by renowned jewelers from overseas…"

Another salesclerk nudged her. "Don't talk nonsense. Those are for our VIP clients. We can't sell those!"

I paid them no mind. I let out a soft laugh, met Howard's stubborn gaze, and said calmly, "Yes, this is for a wedding. But not with you."

"What did you say? If you're not marrying me, then who—"

"Me."