When I got back to my apartment, I sat on the sofa for a long time.

I couldn't understand how love could change so quickly.

Lars was once the man who would hold my hand through any storm. Now, he looked at Pearl with the same affection he once had for me.

Every time I questioned him about what was happening between them, he would simply say, "You're overthinking. She's just a childhood friend, and I'm just… I'm just used to looking after her."

And… I believed him every time.

I used to have absolute faith that Lars loved me.

That was, until one fateful night.

Lars got drunk, and I went to pick him up at a private club in Riverton's old district. One of his old friends was drunk too, and let something slip in front of me.

"Lars liked Pearl even before he came to Eastwind City from Vitalus. The reason he pursued you is because of your smile… It looks just like Pearl's. He's with you because Pearl turned him down back then. But don't worry, the rest of us have talked to him. We told him to treat you right. After all, you've been with him for so many years… But you have to understand something, too. It's not that easy to let go. They're childhood sweethearts, after all..."

Beep… Beep… Beep…

It wasn't until the kitchen timer went off that I was pulled back into reality and out of my reminiscence.

The medicine bottle lay in front of me, unopened. It was prescribed for my stomach pains.

I took out a pill and washed it down my throat with warm water. My stomach was aching, and I could hardly hold back the pain.

I got up and looked around the home I had designed and decorated myself. Then, I put down a clear mark on the calendar.

Fourteen days left before I leave this city.

With that, I started packing my things.

This home would become that woman's belonging eventually. I didn't want her to touch a single thing of mine—not even a hairpin.

As I soaked in the tub later that night, I scrolled through my phone and saw Pearl's latest Instagram update.

[By day, he's a stern CEO. By night, he lines up to buy cake for me. He said he wants to make up for all the years he missed. So happy!]

She posted a photo of a blueberry cake. While holding the cake, I spotted a familiar watch on her wrist. It was Lars' watch—I knew, because I had a matching pair.

That year, we managed to pull off a merger on the East Coast that startled the financial world. Lars didn't sleep for four nights in a row. I stayed by his side until we signed the contract that put Midas Capital on the map.

The same night the project ended, he took me to a luxury watch store on Fifth Avenue. He forced himself to stay awake and bought us a matching pair of watches.

I told him it was too expensive, but he put it on my wrist anyway.

"Bianca, I must be the one to give you everything you love."

He never took that watch off.

Back then, everyone knew that Lars loved me.

But now… Everything was so ridiculous.

No one knew that all those loving looks weren't meant for me. He was just using me to reminisce about someone else.

I let out a long sigh and took off my watch. Then, I snapped a photo of it and put it up for sale online for one dollar. No returns, no exchanges.

Lars didn't come home that night, either.

I slept until noon the next day. Still exhausted, I dragged myself to Midas Capital headquarters for my resignation.

Over the past two years, as the company stabilized, I stepped back from the core management and focused instead on the design and art direction.

Unexpectedly, as soon as I entered the design department, a few old colleagues stopped to congratulate me.

I was puzzled.

It wasn't until Candice Smith, my best friend and the company's HR director, pulled me into her office.

"Bianca, are you and Lars about to get married?"

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb! The florist just delivered a whole box of pink roses downstairs. Isn't Lars planning a surprise for you? Maybe even a proposal!"

My chest tightened.

Pink roses—the flowers he gave Pearl when he picked her up at the airport two months ago.

Candice suddenly noticed the document in my hand. "Is that…?"

"My resignation letter."

Candice froze. "You're stepping down? Well, I suppose it makes sense if you're getting married, my dear future Mrs. Carter!"

I didn't respond.

She signed the paperwork, smiling as she handed it back.

"Bianca, you've been the best superior I've ever worked with. If you've decided to focus on family, maybe that's for the best… Though I hope Lars doesn't let you down."

"I'm sure I'll be happy," I replied, my tone firm.

However, that happiness had nothing to do with Lars.

Right before stepping into Lars's office, I hesitated for a moment.

It wasn't indecision. I was simply figuring out the most direct and effective way to get his signature.

As the top player in Eastwind City's finance world, Midas Capital had attracted a lot of funds from the old money in recent years. Even if I were a co-founder, I had to do this by the book. To avoid future complications, the resignation process had to be clean.

I pushed the door open—before I could even say what I was rehearsing in my mind, I saw Pearl sitting across from him.

Now, I understand why her desk was empty today. She was already by his side.

"Lars…" Her voice was sugary sweet as she gently patted his shoulder. "You're distracted again!"

Lars looked at her with a kind of affection I had never seen before. "Alright, stop messing around. I still have a contract to handle."

"I'm not messing around…" she said.

Pearl shot me a challenging look, not even trying to hide it.

"Oh!" She smiled sweetly. "Bianca's here."

Lars froze; he quickly leaned back, instinctively putting some space between them.

I suppressed my anger. "Lars, I have some paperwork for you to sign."

I handed him the documents and the folder.

Seeing that I wasn't mentioning anything about him and Pearl, he visibly relaxed and nodded. "Alright."

"I shouldn't disturb you two from working. I should leave for now," Pearl said. She stood up and left, deliberately brushing past me. Her perfume was making my nose itch.

Lars opened the file, and I was about to explain my reasons—until a sudden shriek sounded behind me.

"Ah! That hurts!"

I turned around, only to see Pearl buckling as one of her heels skidded and she stumbled to the floor.

"Pearl!" Lars immediately jumped to help her, but I raised my hand and stopped him.

"Sign it," I said coolly. "It won't take more than a few seconds."

He frowned. "When did you become so vicious and heartless? Is this paperwork really that important?"

Before I could answer, I heard Pearl sobbing behind me.

"It hurts… I think I twisted my ankle…"

Lars couldn't focus at all, desperate to get past me. However, I just glared at him silently. In the end, he impatiently grabbed the pen and signed where I pointed, not even skimming the details.

Good. That was exactly what I wanted.

I just wanted to leave this city where he existed neatly.

Lars picked Pearl up and gently set her on the sofa, carefully holding her ankle and comforting her, "It's not swollen, but I'll take you to the hospital just in case."

"It's really not that serious…" Pearl murmured. While doing so, she shot me a triumphant look.

I simply walked out.

I had just reached the parking garage when someone stopped me.

Lars was running toward me, out of breath. "Bianca, wait!"

When I looked back, he used this chance to block my car door. His eyes were full of urgency. "Don't get the wrong idea. About us… There's really nothing between me and her. We just grew up together… I can't just ignore her."

"Sure," I said with a nod, my gaze dropping to his hand on the car door. He instinctively let go.

He was surprised. "You're not mad?"

I glanced at him. "Should I be?"

"I…" He hesitated before taking my hand. "I've got an event tonight, but I'll come home."

"Alright."

By now, him coming home felt like charity.

That night, I grabbed a quick bite outside, then returned home and kept packing. I was about to rest when my phone on the table buzzed.

It was a Facebook message from Pearl.

[See, Bianca? Lars still remembers my favorite pink roses! He's even more attentive than before. Thanks for training him so well.]

She even attached a photo—it was the custom Porsche I had picked out with Lars, its trunk stuffed full of pink roses and strung with sparkling lights.

At that moment, I understood everything clearly.

All the genuine love Lars had given me over the years had always belonged to someone else.

Lars didn't come home that night. So much for his promise.

And not just that night… He disappeared for the next few days, too.

The entire time, I never reached out to him.

It was only during a casual phone call with Candice that she mentioned, "You haven't heard? He's on another business trip with Pearl."

Her again.

Still, their trips gave me enough time to keep packing.

Seven days left on the calendar.

That afternoon, I was sorting clothes in my dressing room. My phone rang—it was Candice.

"Bianca, did you put the wrong address for your package?"

"What package?"

"Your wedding dress! It was delivered to the office, addressed to you." She couldn't hide the excitement in her tone, eager to hear the latest gossip about me. "He really went all out, let me tell you that! It's a haute couture wedding dress from Felicity Couture, easily seven figures!"

My heart sank, and I drove straight to the company.

I opened the parcel, wrapped in champagne-colored satin. The dress was definitely my size, but something was off.

This didn't fit Lars' modus operandi. Even though the company made good money over the years, he had always been careful about spending. He would never splurge on something as extravagant as a wedding dress.

Besides… He never really planned on marrying me.

As I was thinking it over, my phone rang again. This time, it was my mother.

"Did you get the wedding dress, sweetheart? Mr. Farrell, Royce's father, is putting a lot of thought into your marriage. I told him you'd be back in Botolph City in two weeks, and he's already started to prepare the wedding. He even picked out the dress himself and sent it ahead of time, so you could try it on and see if the size matches."

"Mom, did you give them my office address?"

"Yes, why? Did your company move?"

"…No." I took a deep breath and calmed myself. "I'll send you my new address. Send everything wedding-related there from now on."

"Alright," she quickly said, her satisfaction obvious. "Oh, right. Royce's family is very enthusiastic, and they want you home as soon as possible. They say you can choose any kind of wedding you like. Do you want to pick the wedding planners yourself?"

"It's fine, I don't have any demands." My voice was soft. "You can handle it however you think best."

"Wedding…?" A cold voice interjected.

I quickly hung up and turned around. Lars was standing behind me, still in his black suit, looking confused.

I looked up at him. "You're back from your trip?"

"Yeah." He avoided my eyes as his gaze landed on the wedding dress. He frowned. "Bianca, I already told you. This isn't the right time for a wedding. The company is at a crucial stage, and we're in mid-financing. Can you stop pressuring me?"

"Did I ever say you were the groom?" I shot back.

He froze. "What do you mean?"

I smiled. "Nothing."

I stepped forward and carefully packed up the wedding dress, ready to leave.

He grabbed my wrist, his tone softening, "Are you angry? I'm sorry, I've just been really tired these few days. Don't get upset, okay?"

I didn't argue and simply nodded. "It's fine."

He studied me. "Really?"

"Really."

He visibly relaxed, though he was still suspicious. "Then keep the wedding dress. Honey, just give me some time… I promise, I'll marry you."

As he tried to calm me, he sounded exactly like a man worried about being pressured into marriage.

"You're overthinking it," I said.

Lars blinked.

"My college housemate is getting married. The dress was sent to the wrong address," I lied.

His expression softened. He reached out to pinch my cheek. "Were you trying to scare me?"

"Let's go with that," I said, close to sighing.

Lars probably forgot that all my college housemates were already married. He had gone to every one of those weddings with me.

Back then, on our way home from the wedding banquet, he would always say, "Once the company stabilizes, we'll have our own."

The company had stabilized, but the wedding was just an unrealized promise.

Knock, knock!

The door opened and Candice walked in, looking like she was getting a sweet tooth from what she had just witnessed.

"Hate to interrupt you," she said, glancing at the dress before turning to look at me, "but the interviews for the new design director are about to start. You need to at least be there."

"Design director?" Lars was surprised. "You can't handle the workload and are planning to hire someone to help?"

I shook my head. "No, I resigned."

"You resigned? Why didn't you tell me first? Bianca, you're a core member of the leadership team! The design department is an integral part of the company. Do you know what your sudden resignation will mean to the company? How can you make such a rash decision?" he roared.

I looked at the man before me, suddenly feeling that everything was so alien.

"So, what do you want?"

"The process isn't complete without my signature," he said in annoyance. "Stop being such a mule and come back to work tomorrow."

"Lars," I started with a faint smile, "you've already signed. There's a copy of the paperwork with Candice. You can review it at any time."

He stood there, stunned.

I picked up the wedding dress and walked away, saying nothing.

The man I once loved didn't even tell me not to leave.