The dancing started after dinner.

Anthony bowed slightly, inviting Isobel to share the first dance. After deliberating, she took his hand, not wanting to put the Johnsons in a tough spot.

At that moment, Sasha hurried over to Anthony. "Mr. Johnson, something urgent came up at work that needs your attention."

When he heard that, he immediately straightened up without bothering to ask for the details. He gave Isobel an apologetic look.

"Sorry, Belle. I will need to get back to work. How about I pick you up at night?"

Under the gaze of the guests, Isobel retracted her hand. "Go."

Her heart ached at the sight of Anthony and Sasha hurrying away.

Four months ago, Sasha had moved into the Johnson residence as Anthony's cousin-in-law with the excuse of being widowed and defenseless. The Johnsons allowed her to stay out of sympathy.

At first, Isobel had no suspicion about Sasha's sudden arrival. She even showered Sasha with care.

Isobel thought the Johnsons were just helping Sasha out when the latter was made Anthony's secretary. It wasn't until Anthony and Sasha grew so close that she noticed something was off.

She used to be everything to Anthony. He would always put her first.

Lately, she often noticed him deliberating as though he was struggling to make a decision. Now, he was long past the hesitating phase. He'd run to Sasha without thinking.

Isobel excused herself from the dance, saying that she was unwell. She retired to her bedroom.

At the same time, Anthony and Sasha hurried into his office.

"Tell me. What's the urgent matter?"

"I thought you could read my mind since you didn't ask me anything in the car." Sasha gave a seductive look as he adjusted his tie.

Frowning, he grabbed her hand. "I told you not to mess around! It's Belle's belated birthday party today!"

"Anthony, you're being too harsh on me. I'm three months into the pregnancy now. Don't you miss me at all?"

"Sasha…"

"Weren't you interested in trying it out at the office?" She took off her coat to reveal a skimpy business suit. "Tony, can Isobel even satisfy your needs?"

Anthony's aggressive gaze swept past her entire body. No longer holding back, he grabbed her by the waist and kissed her passionately. His desires were fulfilled.

When they were done, Anthony wiped Sasha's lipstick stains on him off. He checked his phone, but Isobel didn't text him.

His heart skipped a beat. An uneasy feeling arose within.

"Spend the night at my place, won't you?"

He buckled his seatbelt and swatted Sasha's hand away.

"James will send you home. I need to pick up Belle from the manor."

Then, he ignored Sasha's tearful expression and drove off. On his way to the manor, he even bought some famous local candies for Isobel.

...

"Belle, what's wrong? Mom said you were feeling sick."

Anthony had jogged up to the bedroom and expressed his concern for Isobel. She got up in bed and shook her head. "I'm fine."

He caressed her head like he was coaxing a child. "I bought you your favorite candy. Do you want to take a bite? I'll send you home after that."

He had bought the candy from her favorite place—a century-old local store. When they were young, he'd line up to buy some candy and other treats just to cheer her up.

She lowered her gaze. Immediately, she smelled Sasha's overpowering fragrance that made her feel sick.

Why did Anthony not bother to lie better in the final days of their relationship? Just why?

Pushing his hand away, she croaked, "I don't want it. Please leave." She had only eaten the candy in the past because he had bought it for her. But now, she no longer wanted it.

She thought, "Don't bother taking me home either. I lost my only home the moment you betrayed me."

Isobel stayed quiet during the ride home. Anthony immediately sensed that she was feeling blue. He asked, "Belle, are you upset because I left you behind to work? I'm really sorry. When I'm done with this project, I promise I'll never cast you aside for work again.

"Did someone upset you when I wasn't around? Sweetheart, please don't ignore me."

Anthony might be a ruthless CEO, but he was just a loyal canine in front of Isobel. However, a leopard could not change its spots.

"I'm just tired," she replied flatly.

…

After that, Anthony cautiously kept an eye on her mood. One night, he sat on her bed. "My project will end in a month. Belle, do you want to travel anywhere? Let's go on a vacation!"

Little did he know that she would have left him by then. She shook her head.

"What's wrong with you, Belle? Tell me what's bothering you. You're worrying me." He clasped her cold hand.

How worried was he? She peered into his eyes. His feelings seemed genuine.

He loved and cared for her, even risking his life for her. Yet, he did not even notice she had undergone surgery. Not only that, but he boldly cheated on her.

She pulled her hand away. "It's nothing. I heard that Mason Cullen has a few mistresses and is in the middle of a divorce. Still, he was known to be crazy about his wife.

"People can be very different from how they appear. That got me thinking for a bit."

"Don't worry, Belle. I'll never be like him," Anthony promised without hesitation. He held her to offer her comfort.

He even expressed his loyalty, saying, "Let me be cursed if I fall for anyone other than you, Isobel."

She closed her eyes as tears fell. She had never questioned his promise, but it turned out to be a lie he was so used to making.

…

After that day, Anthony rarely came home. He often stayed out for the so-called project at work.

But that didn't bother Isobel too much. Now, she had the time and space to slowly plan out her eventual departure.

One day, she decided to return to the Sutton residence before leaving Halthorne City for good.

The Sutton residence was located on the west side of the city. After the deaths of Isobel's parents, the Johnson family bought the house and put her name on the title deed, but she rarely visited the place because it made her sad.

Many years later, she was surprised to find the residence neither dilapidated nor unkempt. The landscape—including the pond and the greenery—was well cared for.

She figured that Anthony must have arranged for people to work on the upkeep of the Sutton residence. The thought made her feel a little touched.

Perhaps they could still be family even if they were not fated to be lovers.

She ran her fingers across the familiar bricks and tiles at the residence. Then, she decided to go to the second floor and clean her childhood bedroom.

As she reached the staircase by the windows, she caught sight of two figures in the garden out of the corner of her eye.

Anthony and Sasha's presence on the grounds made Isobel freeze. Her mind went blank.

The two of them were completely undressed as they made out in the garden. She could even hear their dirty talk.

Sasha, who was wearing Isobel's childhood clothes, purred, "Tony, do you like it? If you refuse to comment on it, I won't put this on for you anymore!"

"Can't you tell how much I like it? Guess I'll have to work harder."

"You little rascal! I just wanted to hear it straight from your mouth…"

Their words sent a stabbing pain through Isobel's heart, rendering her breathless.

Five minutes ago, she entertained the silly possibility of ending things on a good note with Anthony.

She put a hand over her mouth and helplessly crouched under the windows, crying silently. Tears rolled down her cheeks and dripped onto the wooden floor, forming a tiny puddle.

She couldn't help but wonder if Anthony had ever been serious during their seven years of dating and if she had ever truly known the real him.

He gave her the impression of an earnest man even during their first kiss.

That day, he had rubbed his hands nervously many times before mustering the courage to hold her hand. Then, he looked at her affectionately before asking, "Belle, can I kiss you?"

She nodded, her smile wide. They kissed under the spectacular fireworks display. At the end of it, he kissed her on the tip of her nose and her ears. It felt like he wanted to be one with her.

"Oh, my Belle…"

Back then, she had naively thought that she was at the top of the world. To her, Anthony felt like home. However, the man before her was nothing but a stranger.

A promise only mattered when two people were in love. And only the person who took the vows seriously would believe in it.

Anthony and Sasha's ridiculous lies had desecrated the old residence that carried the memories of Isobel's parents.

Isobel knelt on the floor in pain. Finally, she came to the decision to sell it off. After she did what was needed, she dragged herself back home.

The last brilliance of the dusk poured into the bedroom, where she and Anthony had shared sweet memories.

She stood rooted at the same spot until the sky darkened. Everything around her—the decor pieces, the photos, the slippers, the pajamas, the toothbrushes, and the love letters he wrote to her—looked jarring. They made her want to cry.

She swept all the couple items she could see into a cardboard box like an emotionless robot. She no longer wanted something that was lovely on the outside but rotten to the core. She no longer wanted Anthony.

She would get rid of all of it.

…

Anthony returned to an empty house. He found Isobel spacing out on the couch.

"What's happened to our place? Where are my slippers? Where are our photos?"

She returned to reality and calmly explained, "Isn't minimalism trending now? We had all this stuff for seven years. I want to replace them with something new. So, I threw out all the old items."

Her words carried a subtext. He came to a slight pause before regaining his composure.

He took a seat beside Isobel and pulled her into a hug. "You can throw out anything you like, as long as it's not me."

She smirked. He offered, "Here's a card for you. Use it to buy anything you want."

"It's fine."

Anthony remembered that he had given her quite a number of credit cards. Hence, he didn't take her rejection seriously.

After some silence, something struck him. He wandered into the bedroom and rummaged through the drawer.

"Belle, where's that Perler bead couple portrait you gave me?"

"I threw it out too."

A wave of panic set in. He hurried back to Isobel. "But Belle, you made that for me."

She looked up at him wistfully but said nothing.

Anthony had an ominous feeling that she might have seen through him. Looking away, he grabbed his coat and walked out of the house.

"You can throw out anything you want, but not that Perler bead portrait! I'm going to look for it now."

"I threw it into the dumpster downstairs. The garbage truck might have collected it," she reminded him.

"No way, Belle! That was your first gift to me after we started dating. It means a lot to me. I don't want to throw it out."

Isobel did not stop him. This time, she watched him search the dumpster from the warmth of her bedroom.

Surprisingly, Halthorne City experienced snow that year.

Anthony personally searched the dumpster for two hours, disregarding the snow and putting aside his pride. Finally, he reclaimed that Perler bead portrait.

Sensing her eyes on him, he turned around and looked up while holding the portrait. Their eyes met. He raised the portrait high in the air and smiled like a child fishing for praise.

Isobel watched the scene, her feelings growing complicated. She wondered if that was Anthony's true self or the man who had betrayed her.

Regardless, she was no longer curious to find out. She drew the curtains without smiling back at him.

…

That night, the Johnsons reached out to Anthony, requesting that he attend the family dinner that weekend.

He looked at Isobel with a frown.

She had been in a foul mood lately and always responded flatly. She even lost some weight.

"I won't bring Belle with me. She's been tired, and she doesn't have an appetite. I'll make some homemade meals for her."

"It's a family dinner, you little rascal! You can't miss it! You need to be here, even if Isobel isn't attending," Frank Johnson lambasted his son.

"But I told you that I need to take care of Isobel!"

"You scoundrel…"

Isobel grabbed the phone and spoke to Frank softly. "Frank, we'll be there this weekend. Please calm down."

Since she agreed to go, Anthony said nothing more. After ending the call, he said, "You didn't have to agree. It's just a family dinner. We can skip it once."

She replied, "There's no point in upsetting your parents."

In fact, she had no idea if the Johnsons were aware of the relationship between Anthony and Sasha when they opened their house to the latter.

Regardless of her doubts, she didn't want to make a scene before leaving the Johnson family, as she was grateful to them for raising her.

She held onto the sliver of hope that Anthony had merely fooled all of them.