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.

[Bianca, even if you want to get married, you shouldn't use a wedding dress to force him.]

[Do you really think buying a dress means that Lars will marry you? Stop dreaming!]

[He promised me long ago. I'm the only one he'll ever marry!]

At midnight, the streets of Riverton were still busy and bustling.

I sat quietly in my car, watching Pearl's messages come in one after another. I didn't respond to any of them.

It wasn't until one in the morning that I finally went home. To my surprise, the lights were on.

When Lars heard the door, he couldn't hide his anxiety and got up. "Where were you? Why were you so late?"

"Just went for a drive," I said as I took off my coat.

He stepped closer, reaching out to hug me. I instinctively pulled away.

"Still angry at me? I was a little harsh today," he said before pausing for a moment. "If you don't want to work anymore, then don't. As long as you're happy."

I lowered my head and said nothing.

"By the way, your birthday's coming up." I looked at him. "Any plans?"

He looked at me softly. "I'll stay home and celebrate with you, of course. Just the two of us."

He tried to hug me again, and this time, I didn't refuse.

He seemed relieved, holding me close in his arms and whispering, "Bianca… I feel like you've changed lately."

"You're overthinking it." I slipped out of his arms and headed for the bathroom. "I'm cold. I'm taking a shower."

If this were in the past, he would have noticed right away and wrapped me in a coat before holding me tight. Now, he didn't notice my almost-frozen fingertips or hear the shudders in my breath.

"Oh, right!" he said suddenly, and he followed me into the bathroom. "Where are your toothbrush and cup? They're missing."

I stopped. "Hygiene products should be replaced regularly. There are new ones in the cabinet."

At that, Lars didn't say anything more.

After my shower, I curled up in bed, ready to go to bed, but my phone started buzzing nonstop. It was Pearl again. She was sending one screenshot after another.

This time, the timeline stretched way back. One year ago, two years ago…and even much earlier. Every message came from Lars.

[Pearl, I listened to you and started dating. She's nice… Her smile is just like yours.]

[Being around her, I always feel like I'm back in those days with you when we were still young.]

[Pearl, I dreamed about you. How have you been?]

It was only after Lars bought two key properties in Riverton that Pearl started replying more frequently. That was when they began sharing their daily lives.

Two years ago, when the lemon tree I planted finally bore fruit, Lars took a photo of it and sent it to her right away.

[Look, the lemons grew well. When they're ripe, I'll bring the biggest one to the office and make lemon juice for you.]

The cold light from my phone screen reflected my expression that I barely recognized. I had always known there was something between them, but knowing and seeing it with my eyes were two different things.

Seeing Lars telling Pearl every little detail I had poured my heart into…

At that moment, I realized that being a replacement for someone else was so much more disgusting than betrayal.

[Bianca, even if you don't leave, the only woman Lars will marry is me!]

[I know you don't want to give up your company shares, considering you helped him build the business. So, be smart. I'll ask him to give you one hundred thousand for the severance.]

One hundred thousand?!

I couldn't help but laugh, almost to the point of tears. A hundred thousand… It wasn't even enough to cover a meal at my new fiance's wedding banquet!

Then, the bedroom door opened. Lars stood at the door, holding up his phone, his face tense.

"Bianca, did you put the watch I gave you up for auction?"

That was what mattered most to him. His luxury watch, with a starting bid of one dollar.

"Bianca, did you put the watch I gave you up for bid?"

I smiled lightly, and lied without hesitation.

"That wasn't my watch. Didn't Candice and her husband get a matching set, too? She wants to switch to a new one, so she asked me to help sell hers."

Lars stood there for a few seconds, suspicion flickering in his eyes. "Really? For a dollar?"

Then, his tone softened.

"Bianca, I know I've neglected you lately." He sat on the edge of the bed and reached out for me. "If you're upset, just tell me. Don't bottle it all up and stress yourself, okay?"

"Alright," I said.

"After my mom passed away last year, you're all I have left." His voice was low. "Trust me. No matter what happens… You've always been the most important person to me."

I leaned against him in his arms, catching a faint whiff of rose scent on his jacket.

"It's late. I want to sleep," I whispered.

"Let me hold you a little longer," he said. "Is something bothering you lately? Just give me a few more days. Once things settle down, we can talk."

Yeah, right.

He had been busy lining up for cakes, planning birthday surprises, filling trunks with pink roses, and making Pearl happy without me noticing. True, he was quite busy indeed.

Lars looked at me, brushing the corner of my eye. "Why are your eyes red? Were you just crying?"

I was about to answer, but his phone rang.

Lars let go and turned away to answer it, frowning as he walked out. At that moment, every bit of tenderness disappeared from his face.

I remained where I was and called his name:

"Lars."

Yet, he didn't even look back.

I got up and walked to the window, watched as he hurried downstairs and drove away, his last words still echoing in my ears:

"You've always been the most important person to me."

I didn't need those words anymore.

With a marker, I drew a line across the calendar. Tomorrow was his birthday. It would also be my last night in Eastwind City.

I had already ordered a birthday cake for him. We had spent so many years together, after all.

I shredded our photos on the wall into pieces and threw them in the bin. From now on, this place had nothing to do with me anymore.

Maybe it was because I had missed my meds for days, but I was awoken by my stomach pains early the next morning.

My thoughts went back to the first year we started the company… Just the two of us, and less than two thousand in the bank. To survive, Lars helped me chase clients, and I pulled all-nighters with him. We split hamburgers, and I was drinking for him at parties.

Later, to secure a round of funding, I drank through three parties in a row and ended up with a gastric perforation. The doctor rebuked him right outside my hospital room. Lars sat by my bed, a six-foot-tall man like him, crying like a boy who got into trouble.

"I'm sorry for not being good enough. Staying with me made you suffer," he said.

"I'll never let you down as long as I'm alive," he promised.

How laughable.

I curled up on the sofa, cold sweat soaking my back. I took out my phone and dialed his number. No answer. I called twice more—still nothing.

At exactly ten, Candice called.

"Bianca, he didn't show up at the office again! The paperwork's piling up, and the financing deal is still waiting on his signature. If he disappears again, the company's done for!" she cried.

Rubbing my aching stomach, I answered with a distracted hum.

"And…" Her voice sped up, "I just heard Royce Farrell, the CEO of Radar Finance, is having his wedding next week in Botolph City. If Lars wants to get the company listed smoothly, he must show up and make an appearance. Otherwise, it's all over!"

I froze.

"Wait," I said, my voice hoarse. "Who?"

"Don't you know? Royce Farrell, the CEO of Radar Finance? If the Farrells give the nod, it's almost a guarantee for our company to get listed!"