Although my parents' house and workplace were both in the same city as me, I still rented a place outside after getting a job. Although it was tougher living alone, the freedom I gained was worth it.

Florence had invited some people we were close with, and we were just preparing to have some fondue together.

Seeing Hayden arrive uninvited, she could not help saying sarcastically, "Oh my, are you trying to get a pass from Anna before officially introducing Whitney to your parents?"

"Shut up," Hayden snapped darkly. "How many times have I told you guys? Whitney and I are just old friends."

Whitney's smile froze on her face, but no one noticed it.

Florence did not let up. "What do you mean by this visit then? You're bringing an old friend to visit your childhood friend? My, it turns out that this old friend can't trump a childhood friend!"

Everyone looked like they were highly enjoying the drama unfolding before them.

Hayden ignored Florence's questioning and turned to me. He said, "I went to visit Mr. and Mrs. Shaffer, but why was nobody home?"

"They went to Marratiff on holiday over the new year," I said indifferently. "Are the two of you staying for fondue? I didn't prepare any extra."

Whitney tugged on the hem of Hayden's shirt. She was eager to leave. "In that case, let's…"

"It's fine," said Hayden, helping himself to a seat beside me. "We're already here, so we might as well get together with Anna and the others."

He looked at Whitney and said, "You just came back from abroad, so you need to expand your network of connections."

As he said that, he glanced meaningfully at me with an expression that said, "you'd better appreciate my goodwill".

At the end of the day, it was all for Whitney's sake.

Honestly, what were you expecting, Annabelle Shaffer?

I smiled self-deprecatingly, feeling completely downtrodden.

However, Hayden was once again startled to see my smile.

"It seems like you still can't bear to leave Anna!" Florence exclaimed with a laugh while nudging me.

"Hardly," Hayden replied with a snort, returning to his usual self and helping himself to some fondue. "Why wouldn't I be able to part with her?

"Besides, I really think that it is meaningless. Sometimes, even if I don't do anything wrong, she will get angry with me. Just why is that?"

There was a rare hint of passive-aggressiveness in his voice. Florence ignored him and held her phone out to me.

"Look at this! Gets you excited, doesn't it?" she asked enthusiastically.

Hayden followed my gaze, and his expression darkened instantly.

There was a five-foot-nine-inch-tall man with particularly dazzling eight-pack abs displayed on the screen.

"Whoa!" someone exclaimed enviously. "Do you have connections to any more of those quality men?"

"Yes, in your dreams," said Florence sarcastically. She rolled her eyes. "This is a junior staff member who just came to work with my department. Anna gets dibs."

"He'll definitely do," I say, practically drooling.

Unexpectedly, I was grabbed by a pair of hands.

"What are you up to?" Hayden asked in a low voice, which was a sign that he was truly angry.

The atmosphere in the room instantly became tense.

"Strange," Florence said loudly. "I'm just introducing Anna to a potential partner. Why the heck are you getting angry?"

Seeing our confused looks being directed his way, Hayden let go of me and turned away from me.

With the presence of Hayden and Whitney, the get-together quickly ended amid a strange atmosphere.

In the following days, I focused on enjoying myself. With Florence by my side, I enjoyed all the food and entertainment that I had been reluctant to try out in my previous life due to monetary concerns.

One day, as we were in the middle of a spa session, Florence suddenly held her phone out to me. "Isn't this Whitney's Instagram page?"

Whitney had posted a photo of herself baking at home. However, Hayden's figure was clearly visible in the reflection of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

In fact, they were both in their sleepwear.

Whitney had captioned the photo, "With me."

"It doesn't matter," I told Florence. I massaged my face in an effort to get rid of the flash of bitterness that I felt.

A moment later, both our phones rang at the same time. We were being invited to dinner. Apparently, something big was about to happen.

It was only after Florence and I arrived at the location of the gathering that we realized it was Whitney who wanted to confess to Hayden.

Ever since Whitney returned to the country, Hayden had been at her beck and call. Someone gossiped that there had been several times in which Hayden had to stay up late because he was handling her affairs. When she asked him to stay the night, he had not refused.

Furthermore, the two of them had been inseparable since high school. This time, it was also highly likely that she had abandoned her foreign boyfriend for Hayden.

As the gossip reached its peak, someone even mentioned seeing Hayden visiting a bridal boutique. It looked like something good was about to happen.

As I listened to the chatter of the people at the same table as me, calm gradually overtook the bitterness in my heart.

Forget it. Since I had already decided to part ways with him, he could do as he wished.

In my previous life, I had been willing to pay for a custom wedding dress out of my own pocket, but Hayden had vehemently refused.

He had said that since I was the one who asked for this marriage, I didn't deserve a choice in anything.

In the end, I had no choice but to wear the discounted wedding dress that he rented from the photo studio for the wedding.

Whitney had made this quite a grand affair. She had invited many old acquaintances from her high school days.

I was drinking juice, bored out of my mind. However, as everyone was toasting each other, there were a few familiar male guests who came forward to ask for my contact information.

I smiled as I either accepted or declined their requests. I pretended not to notice Hayden's dark gaze.

Whitney was dressed formally today. No matter how much everyone's positions shifted, she remained firmly by Hayden's side.

They were truly a match made in heaven.

She glanced at me from time to time. When she saw that I did not make any moves, she gradually relaxed.

On the other hand, Hayden was mingling with their classmates. No matter who raised a toast, he would go along with it.

Very quickly, his face started turning red.

"Who did Whitney prepare such an extravagant setup for, Hayden?"

"Whitney's so elegant and generous. She'd be more than a good match for you!"

"Why don't you take the initiative here instead of letting a lady propose to you?"

Everyone was making fun of Hayden.

I could not help but recall his distaste for women "throwing themselves at him". If that was the case, what did he think of Whitney now?

Of course, I could hardly be compared to Whitney. I smiled self-deprecatingly and turned away.

Strangely, Hayden did not respond to everyone's words. He simply downed glass after glass of wine.

He began, "Actually, I've already…"

As if he had thought of something, he slowly trailed off again.

Although Whitney was suspicious of his strange behavior, she still pulled herself together and clapped her hands. "I have something to announce, everyone! You all know that Hays and I have already known each other for a long time. Nobody treats me better than he does."

Right on cue, she blushed shyly. Someone from the crowd was already wolf-whistling.

She mustered up her courage and continued, "Today, everyone will serve as witnesses. I wish to ask… Are you willing to go out with me, Hays?"

Amid the thunderous applause, I raised my glass toward the crowd from a distance. It was also a form of farewell to my past life.

Everyone looked toward Hayden. He did not look up. He simply gripped his wine glass tightly.

After a moment of silence, Whitney's smile started to stiffen on her face, and tears formed in her eyes.

Her voice was slightly shaky as she called out, "Hays?"

After a long moment, Hayden decided to speak up. "I'm sorry, Whitney. There's actually someone whom I've always liked."

He looked in my direction.