My words struck like thunder, shocking my friends. They stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what had just come out of my mouth.

"But you have to promise me," I begged, gripping my friend's wrist tightly. "Don't tell Ryan where I am. I'll make sure he never finds me."

My friends exchanged glances, then nodded and patted my shoulder.

"Charlotte, we're glad you're doing this," one said. "You haven't been yourself because of that man and we all wish you a better future."

Just then, the door to the private room was pushed open.

Ryan walked in, his eyes sweeping across the room until they stopped on me. Seeing how drunk I was, he strode over, his voice as cold as ever. "You're drunk."

I lay sprawled over the table.

When I saw that it was Ryan, I slapped my own face. "I must've had too much to drink. I'm actually seeing Ryan come to pick me up, hahaha."

That man said nothing more to me. He simply scooped me up and carried me out, his voice flat.

"I've already paid the bill."

He then dumped me into the passenger seat, started the car and headed home.

The cool night breeze quickly sobered me up by about seventy or eighty percent. Recalling what had just happened, I patted my head, probably because I'd drunk too much and misremembered. How could Ryan possibly carry me out himself?

Ryan's voice snapped me from my thoughts. "I brought you some cake."

Looking at the mango cake in front of me, I let out a cold laugh.

I really wanted to say that I was allergic to mangoes, but in the end, I still said, "You did all this just so I wouldn't expose what Annie has done, right?"

That man shot me a dark, unreadable look, then stopped the car and walked into the house. In the living room, he was directing the housekeeper to move my things into the main bedroom.

"I will let you sleep in the same bed as me, but I won't touch you," he said.

I rolled my eyes, not intending to respond.

He clenched his fists and for some reason, suddenly spoke again. "I'm going on a business trip tomorrow. If you want anything, I can bring it back for you."

"No need. Just save it for your little Sweetheart." I was too lazy to argue with him.

I grabbed the pillow and blanket, carried them to the guest room and prepared to sleep.

Ryan immediately frowned. "Even throwing a tantrum should have its limits. This was exchanged for your father's life!"

"You have no right to mention my father!" I shouted, then pushed him away and closed the door. "It's getting late, I'm going to sleep."

When I woke up, I discovered that Annie had actually won an award. Taking a closer look, I realized the award-winning work was identical to my own graduation project!

I quickly searched through my belongings and, sure enough, my graduation project was missing.

Back then, to marry Ryan, I had given up further studies and even that project was left unfinished. Over the years, it had remained a scar etched into my heart.

I almost instantly thought of the culprit.

I ran to Ryan like a madwoman, saying with a trembling voice, "Where is my graduation project? Did you give it to that bitch?"

Ryan quickly recoiled in disgust, frowning. "Watch your language."

But I didn't want to control my emotions and I continued to speak agitatedly. "How dare you use my work to pave the way for your mistress! Ryan, you knew it was my heart and soul, yet you still gave it away! Why are you so heartless?"

He only watched my outburst with indifference, then his thin lips parted slightly. "It's your honor that Annie got to use your work."

"Is that so?" I laughed in bitter anger, tears streaming down my face as I spoke. "Would you like this kind of honor for yourself? How noble you make it sound, Ryan. I never knew you could be so despicable."

Only then did I finally understand why he had bought me the mango cake yesterday. It turned out my graduation project could be dismissed with nothing more than a fruit cake.

"If you have no evidence, don't bother me. I still have a business trip to attend to," Ryan said slowly, meticulously wiping his hands.

He watched me desperately search the computer for a backup of my project, only to realize it had been completely deleted long ago.

In that instant, everything became clear to me. I also realized how utterly ridiculous I had been.

"Ryan, since you've chosen to go this far, don't blame me for what comes next!" I sneered.

With red-rimmed eyes, I packed my things.

Just as I gripped the handle of my suitcase by the door, Ryan suddenly warned me, "Don't even think about touching Annie."

Standing beside him, Annie spoke softly, "Charlotte Shelton, if it wasn't meant for you, let me fulfill it in your place."

I glanced at my watch, realizing I had to leave for the airport quickly. After declaring that I would "pursue this to the end," I pulled my suitcase and walked away.

Annie clung to Ryan's arm, pretending to be worried as she asked, "Mr. Fulmer, what will she do after leaving you? She won't really leave and never come back, will she?"

He let out a chuckle, remembering how I once followed him everywhere, my eyes never leaving him. "She won't. Charlotte can't live without me."

On the way to the airport, I dialed a number I hadn't contacted in years. "Sir, this is Charlotte. Can you do me a favor?"

After hanging up, I saw Ryan had posted a video of Annie receiving an award on his social media. The timestamp showed it was from last night, right before he picked me up.

A wave of nausea washed over me. Without hesitation, I blocked his number, then went on to block everyone connected to him.

At the same time, Ryan felt an inexplicable restlessness, his mind flooded with images of me screaming in despair, his heart clenched tight.

After sending Annie away, he called me repeatedly, but the line was always busy.

Once I arrived at the airport and switched to a new SIM card, I thought back to the pure joy I had felt when I married Ryan, always believing that one day I would melt his heart. Now, it was time for that dream to end.

In another place, Ryan suddenly felt an inexplicable wave of agitation; the image of me crying hysterically filled his mind. It was as if his heart was being tightly squeezed, making even his breathing difficult.

For the first time, I had made him feel what heartbreak was like.

He kept dialling my number after Annie was gone, but none of the calls went through. When he opened the chat messenger, he discovered that I had blocked him.

"Boarding is now open for the flight from New York to Milan," the announcer informed.

Without hesitation, I boarded the plane. As it soared into the sky, I watched New Orleans grow farther and farther away, shrinking into a tiny dot.

I closed my eyes and silently whispered in my heart.

"Goodbye, New Orleans. Goodbye, Ryan."