Elise thought to herself, 'The fireworks must be beautiful.'

After all, they were specially arranged by Andrew for Kimberly.

When she opened her eyes again, Elise had already become a wandering soul, homeless and lost.

She was trapped by Andrew’s side, unable to leave, forced to watch as he went on dates with Kimberly while completely ignoring the wife he had been married to for eight years.

Andrew had gone so far as to book an entire rooftop restaurant overlooking the river for Kimberly.

“...Drew, what do you think of my idea?” Kimberly asked softly, her brows slightly furrowed as she looked at him expectantly. “Where do you think I should hold my art exhibit?”

But for some reason, Andrew seemed distracted. His eyes were fixed on his phone on the table, as though he were waiting for a message from someone.

The grip of Kimberly’s fingers on her knife and fork turned white, her jealousy distorting her delicate and innocent features.

Elise glanced at the clock—it was already past nine. At this time in the past, she would have been texting or calling Andrew, urging him to come home early.

Yet, more often than not, Andrew would either ignore her or respond coldly. “Elise, are you done? It’s only nine o’clock. Why are you nagging me to go home so early?”

“Do you want me to go back just to sleep with you, a boring, dull old hag?”

“Do I need to remind you that you’re nearly thirty? Why are you acting like some clingy young girl checking up on her boyfriend?”

“Tsk, you're still immature. I’m hanging up.”

It wasn’t because their relationship had soured that Elise started urging him to come home.

In fact, it was Andrew who had once asked her to check on him and insisted he return home.

When she had asked him why, twenty-year-old Andrew had kissed her gently on her eyelid and said earnestly, “Because it gives me a sense of security. I’m afraid that one day, you’ll stop loving me.”

“Elise, without your love, I wouldn’t survive.”

And so, it became a habit—every day at nine, Elise would call to remind him to come home.

But as time passed, Andrew grew increasingly impatient, his words turned sharp and cruel.

Elise stared blankly at him now, wondering. Was he waiting for her call?

But... she was already dead. How could Andrew expect a call from someone who no longer existed?

“Drew! Drew!” Kimberly’s voice grew louder, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“You keep looking at your phone. Is it something important for work?”

“If it is, you should go. I mean, I’ve been gone for over eight years, but I still have my hands and feet—I’ll be fine,” she said.

Andrew immediately denied it. “Nothing of the sort. Work could never be more important than spending time with you.”

But Kimberly pressed on. “Then... are you waiting for your lover’s call? It’s already late. If you don’t go home soon, she’ll definitely be upset, right? Maybe we should wrap up for the night...”

Andrew’s face darkened in annoyance. “What lover? Elise is not my lover.”

“If she hadn’t lied to me for so many years, I would never have ended up with her.”

Elise’s heartache numbed her. She looked at him in confusion, wondering. 'When did I ever lie to you?'

But Andrew said no more, clearly keeping some unspoken understanding between him and Kimberly.

“The person I truly love is...” Andrew began, his gaze tender as it landed on Kimberly. Staring into her innocent, doe-like eyes, he hesitated before continuing, “Do you really not know who it is?”

Two delicate blushes crept onto Kimberly’s pale cheeks. She seemed about to respond, but Andrew’s phone rang, interrupting the moment.

Unexpectedly, in Kimberly’s retelling, all those past events had been twisted into proof that she was forced to leave the country.

A hint of bitterness flashed in Kimberly’s eyes as she reached out to cover Andrew’s mouth.

“It’s all in the past, Drew,” she said softly. “We were simply not meant to be. Thank you for coming to pick me up, but you should go back. After all, Elise is your wife now.”

She lowered her gaze, her delicate face filled with sorrow.

Andrew grabbed both her hands, his voice urgent as he spoke, “Kim, you know that you’ve always been the only one in my heart. If it weren’t for her using the company’s troubles to threaten me, I never would have married her!”

“She even had the audacity to call me earlier, claiming she was dying in a car accident and begging me to see her one last time. What a compulsive liar!”

“She knew you were returning today but still tried to force me to leave you in front of everyone. How is she expecting you to hold your place in Los Angeles’s elite circles now?”

“I think she’s just jealous of you. Why did I ever marry such a bitter and petty woman?”

From an angle Andrew couldn’t see, Elise thought she caught a flicker of calculated malice in Kimberly’s eyes.

The sinister intent sent a chilling shiver down Elise’s spine. However, when she looked again, Kimberly’s face held nothing but guilt.

“Aren’t you afraid Elise will be upset if you don’t go home?” Kimberly asked, her tone soft and hesitant.

Andrew snorted coldly. “She won’t.”

“If she dares to complain, I’ll divorce her.”

“She even pretended to have a car accident. If she’s really dead, all the better—I’ve tolerated her long enough.”

Listening to the undisguised hatred and disdain in Andrew’s words, Elise’s heart shattered into a thousand pieces.

Suddenly, Andrew’s phone rang. His brows furrowed, and with a muttered “What a nuisance,” he got up and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window to answer the call.

“Didn’t I already tell you?! I’ll be home before ten. Why are you pestering me...”

“Mr. Williams, the roses you ordered have arrived.”

Andrew froze for a moment, his lips parting but no words coming out. After a long pause, he finally said, “Send them up.”

When he returned to his seat, an awkward silence lingered between him and Kimberly.

Several times, Kimberly opened her mouth as if to ask something, but in the end, she merely stabbed her steak with force, her eyes filled with venom.

Elise stood silently beside the table, watching the two lovers who seemed destined to be together.

In the early days when their relationship began to crumble, Elise had tried several times to have serious conversations with Andrew.

But each time, the discussions ended badly—always because of Kimberly.

On her birthday, Andrew had flown abroad to congratulate Kimberly on winning an award.

When Elise fell ill, he accompanied Kimberly on a creative retreat along the Atlantic coast.

On their wedding anniversary, he took Kimberly to the island where he and Elise had once gotten married.

The moment Andrew reunited with Kimberly, the scales in his heart had already tipped toward her.

Every holiday, the gifts Elise received were leftovers chosen after Kimberly had her pick, sometimes nothing more than promotional freebies.

Elise often voiced her grievances, but Andrew would always look at her with disappointment and claim it was her debt to Kimberly.

Whenever she tried to ask more questions, he would refuse to elaborate, telling her she knew the answer in her heart.

Over time, her complaints drew accusations from him.

“Why are you so petty and mean-spirited? Why can’t you let it go?”

Three years had passed. Elise endured the pain of neglect and resentment, finally gathering enough despair to prepare to leave.

But the unexpected arrival of a child—and Andrew’s recent efforts to prepare a surprise—made her put the divorce papers back in the drawer.

Tonight, Elise had only planned to drive around and clear her head, to seriously consider whether she should leave. But fate had already made the decision for her—it had taken her away completely.

Two staff members carried in an enormous bouquet of 999 roses. Kimberly’s face finally broke into a smile.

“Oh my! Drew, what made you think of giving me this?”

Andrew’s lips curled into a soft smile. “Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman—only you are worthy of them.”

Kimberly shyly glanced at him and spoke hesitantly, “But if you’re giving me roses, what about Elise…”

Andrew cast a quick glance at his phone, still devoid of notifications, his face darkening.

“Why bring up someone so unpleasant?” He scoffed. “That sharp-tongued, venomous woman—being with her every day disgusts me.”

Elise’s soul trembled with pain so deep that her very essence seemed to shatter.

The two drank heavily during dinner, the strong alcohol eventually taking its toll. In the end, Andrew carried Kimberly to the hotel bed and gently laid her down.

As he turned to leave, Kimberly drunkenly grabbed his hand. “Drew, don’t go… I’ve missed you so much.”

Andrew froze mid-step, his deep eyes fixed on the drunken Kimberly.

Kimberly appeared to regain a sliver of clarity, closing her eyes as a single tear slid down her cheek.

“No, you should leave. You’re Elise’s husband now. If she finds out…”

Andrew leaned abruptly, his thin lips capturing hers in a harsh kiss. His sultry, raspy voice echoed beside her ear, “You're pushing me toward someone else?”

“What is Elise to me? Do you think I’m still the weak, powerless dog I was eight years ago, forced to endure humiliation?”

“I, Andrew Williams, hate nothing more than being threatened.”

A flicker of triumph flashed in Kimberly’s eyes, though her words were those of refusal.

“Drew, don’t… Elise is your wife…”

Andrew silenced her with another kiss, leaving her no room for protest—only muffled gasps and moans filled the room.

The two indulged in passion through the night, while Elise could only face the wall, covering her ears as she endured the torment of listening to her husband making love for another woman.

The summer rain poured down relentlessly, drowning out the sultry sounds from inside.

Elise couldn’t pinpoint when her relationship with Andrew had devolved into nothing but suspicion and disdain.

Just over a month ago, Andrew came home drunk after another business meeting.

His assistant had frantically called her, saying Andrew was demanding to see her.

Flattered and surprised, Elise braved a raging storm and drove over two hours to pick him up.

In the dark hotel room, Andrew kissed her feverishly, his motions urgent and forceful.

He was clearly heavily intoxicated, as though he wanted to consume her entirely.

“Ly…” he murmured repeatedly, his voice soft and hoarse.

At the time, Elise naively thought he was expressing concern for her driving through the storm to see him.

Blushing, she told him, “As long as it’s for you, it’s worth it.”

It turned out he was calling Kimberly, and not her.

The person Andrew longed to see was never her. It had always been his one true love, Kimberly.

Elise had never realized she had become someone else’s substitute.

That night had led to her pregnancy.

Despite the bitterness, Elise tried to find solace in her misery. In a twisted sense, she even felt relieved that the child hadn’t come into the world.

If it had, knowing the truth, she wouldn’t have been able to love the child at all.