The lighting in the private room was dim and suggestive, yet it made every expression on their faces strikingly clear.

There was mockery, disdain, and disgust.

None of them displayed any guilt.

I looked at Luke, the man I had loved for seven years.

From sixteen to twenty-three, my whole youth revolved around him.

He once said, "Winnie, you're like a porcelain doll, too fragile for this world. I'll hold you carefully in the palm of my hand forever."

He also said, "Winnie, I'll destroy whoever makes you suffer."

Now, the person who had made me suffer the most was him.

I did not cry. I did not even make a scene.

I simply bent down calmly and picked up the gift box from the floor.

Luke thought I was going to give it to him. A trace of smugness appeared on his face, as though he was saying, 'See? She can't live without me.'

"Whitney, if you apologize to Charlotte now and admit you were wrong, we'll let this go."

Luke lifted his chin arrogantly.

Adrian chimed in, "Yeah, Winnie. Luke still cares about you. Just apologize and stop being childish."

Apologize? I looked at the box in my hands and suddenly laughed.

"Luke, were all those three years of kindness fake?"

He avoided my gaze and replied in a cold voice, "You're just too difficult. No one can put up with you forever.

"I'm a man. I need a partner who can stand beside me in battle, not a crying accessory."

"Fine."

I nodded. My voice was as soft as a feather.

"Luke, as you wish."

I walked to the garbage can and threw that priceless gift box inside without hesitation in front of everyone.

Luke's expression instantly darkened. "Whitney! Have you lost your mind?!"

"This is the last time I'll ever lose my mind over you."

I turned around and looked at everyone in the room.

Adrian and Zayden were my childhood friends.

"Since you all like Charlotte so much, you can stay with her for the rest of your lives. I won't be joining you."

Then, I turned around and left.

Behind me, Charlotte's faint mocking voice rang out.

"Miss Xander really can't take it, huh? Looks like Mr. Howard was right. You are too delicate."

Luke's voice came through the crack in the door, laced with anger and frustration.

"Let her go! Let's see how far she gets! She can't do anything without me. I bet she'll be crying and begging me to take her back tomorrow!"

Outside the club, the cold wind cut against my face like a blade.

I did not call the chauffeur. I walked alone down the empty street.

The streetlights stretched my shadow long and thin.

Memories surfaced one after another.

My childhood friends withdrew their investment from my small art gallery to support Charlotte, saying her art was just a childish hobby.

Luke claimed he was busy, but he was actually accompanying her on projects. There was once when he even left me stranded alone on the highway just because she called him.

Now, I realized all the distance had been deliberate.

I had already become a burden to them.

Without realizing it, I reached the riverbank.

My fingers brushed over the diamond ring on my ring finger.

The engagement ring Luke gave me when he proposed was a five-carat pink diamond, symbolizing his one and only love for me.

Now it felt like nothing but irony.

Without hesitation, I raised my hand.

The ring fell through a crack in the sewer grate by the roadside.

By the time I returned to the Xander residence, it was deep into the night.

I went straight to my grandfather's study and made my decision.

"Grandpa, I'll take the Africa development aid project. I'll agree to the arranged marriage, too.

"I have only one condition: I leave tomorrow morning. Don't tell anyone."

I would make a clean break and leave for good.

From this day on, Whitney Xander would no longer exist in the capital.

I did not sleep that night.

The room was filled with traces of my past twenty-three years.

My limited-edition teddy bear from Luke, the rare vinyl record from Adrian, the crystal snow globe Zayden brought back from overseas…

Every single item held a memory.

Once, I treasured them like priceless gifts. I even got upset if the maids touched them while cleaning, even though they were just trying to do their jobs.

Now, all I felt was disgust when I looked at them.

They mocked me, my stupidity, and my delusions.

I found a large black garbage bag and shoved everything inside.

In the end, I only took a small suitcase with me.

Inside were a few simple sets of clothes, my documents, and a photo of Grandpa and me.

That was everything I had.

Four in the morning.

The Xander family's private jet was already waiting on the runway.

Grandpa stood in the cold wind. Tears were streaming down his face.

"Winnie, are you really not going to tell them?"

I shook my head and helped him adjust his coat. "Grandpa, why tell them? So they can laugh at me?"

"It's not going to be easy there. That Quinn kid from the Quinn family is known for his bad temper. People say he kills without hesitation..."

"Grandpa."

I cut him off. My gaze was fixed on the faint light breaking on the horizon.

"No matter how hard it is, can it be harder than this?

"It's fine if he has a bad temper, as long as he's not a two-faced hypocrite."

I hugged Grandpa tightly, then turned around and boarded the plane.

The moment the cabin door closed, I took out my phone.

At the top of my messaging app was the group chat: [Winnie's Protection Squad.]

The last message was from Adrian: [Tonight was a win. Charlotte really saved the day. She even got Luke on his knees! Winnie's probably crying somewhere. Just ignore her, she'll come around after a couple of days.]

I tapped 'Leave Group', no emotion on my face.

Then, I blocked Luke, Adrian, and Zayden.

I blocked everyone connected to my old life.

I waved goodbye to the first twenty-three years of my life.

…

On the other hand, on the other side of the capital.

The club's private room was still bright and chaotic with laughter.

Luke was drunk, still clutching the silk scarf I had thrown away.

Adrian patted his shoulder.

"Relax, bro. You know Winnie. She can't live without you. She'll be back tomorrow morning with hangover soup, her eyes all red, apologizing."

Charlotte swirled her red wine with a faint, amused smile on her face.

"Aren't you guys being a little too harsh? What if she actually leaves for real?"

Luke let out a cold laugh. His eyes were foggy with alcohol but full of certainty.

Winnie?

"She can't even survive on her own without the Xander family or without us.

"She's just a porcelain doll who can't leave my palm. This time, I'll fix that spoiled personality of hers once and for all."

Everyone burst into laughter, raising their glasses in celebration of a victory that had not even come yet.

However, they did not know.

Tens of thousands of feet above them, a plane was carrying the girl they had broken far away, across oceans and borders.

There was no longer a pampered Whitney Xander, only the reborn Mrs. Quinn.

At noon the next day, Luke woke up with a splitting headache.

Instinctively, he reached for the nightstand, wanting a glass of tea.

Every time he had a hangover before, there would always be a glass of honeyed tea at the perfect temperature waiting for him, along with a little note from Whitney reminding him to take care of himself.

Today, his hand found nothing.

"Tsk…" Luke frowned. He sat up and stared at the empty nightstand. An inexplicable irritation rose in his chest.

"Whitney?"

He called out, but there was no response.

Only silence echoed back at him.

"Still acting up?"

Luke let out a cold snort and reached for his phone.

His notifications were empty. There were no missed calls or messages.

That was not normal.

Normally, Whitney would spam him with dozens of long messages accusing him of giving her the cold shoulder or send him crying emojis, begging for comfort after a fight.

She had never been this quiet before. It was so quiet that it was like she did not exist at all.

He dialed her number by heart.

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is not available."

The cold robotic voice made his heart skip.

He immediately called Adrian.

"Adrian, has Whitney contacted you?"

Adrian had just woken up. His voice was groggy. "Nope. She's probably just sulking at home. Don't worry, bro! We just have to hold out. Whoever breaks first loses!"

Luke hung up, but the unease in his chest only grew stronger.

He did not even bother washing up. He grabbed his keys and rushed out the door.

He sped all the way to the Xander residence.

The usually polite butler who always greeted him warmly stood at the gate today with a cold expression, blocking his way.

"Mr. Luke, please leave. Old Master Xander said no visitors are allowed."

"I'm here to see Winnie!" Luke tried to push his way in.

"Miss Whitney is not here."

"Not here? Where could she possibly have gone? Where else does she have to go besides here?!"

Luke did not believe it at all. He shoved past the butler and stormed toward Whitney's private villa.

The butler did not stop him. There was only a trace of pity and mockery in his eyes.

Luke ran upstairs and pushed open her bedroom door.

"Whitney, have you had enough yet—" His voice cut off abruptly.

The room was spotless and immaculate.

It was a little too clean.

The bottles on the vanity were gone, and so were the stuffed toys by the bed. The closet door stood open, and it was half empty.

The entire room felt lifeless, as though its owner had been gone for a very long time.

On the table lay a black bank card, cut cleanly in half.

It was the supplementary card with an unlimited credit line that Luke had given her, which she had once used to buy all kinds of unnecessary luxury items.

Adrian and Zayden arrived shortly after.

"Luke, what is going on?"

Adrian's face went pale when he saw the huge black trash bag in the bin. His expression changed instantly when he opened it.

"These are all the things we gave her."

Zayden noticed something glinting by the windowsill.

He walked over. When he saw it clearly, he sucked in a sharp breath.

"Luke, look downstairs."

Luke rushed to the window.

Down below, beside a sewer grate, a diamond ring was stuck in the crack.

It was the pink diamond engagement ring he had given her.

Under the sunlight, it shimmered so brightly it almost hurt to look at.

"Mr. Xander! Where is Winnie?!"

Luke stormed downstairs and into the main hall.

Old Master Xander sat in his armchair, calmly rolling a rosary's beads, looking at the group of young men with a cold gaze.

These were the same men he once considered potential grandsons-in-law.

"She's gone."

His voice was ancient and firm, carrying no emotion.

"Gone? Where did she go? We'll bring her back! Mr. Xander, I was wrong. I was drunk last night. I'll apologize to her!" Luke said urgently.

"Bring her back?" The old man let out a cold laugh and threw a stack of documents at him.

It was the confirmation of the aid project and the arranged marriage agreement.

"She's gone to one of the most unstable regions in Africa for aid work. And she has already agreed to the Quinn family marriage.

"Now, the plane has landed.

"Luke, none of you will ever see her again."

"A-Africa? The Quinn family?"

Luke's hands trembled violently as he held the papers.

The Quinn family? Emery Quinn, the ruthless overlord known as the reincarnation of the devil, who controlled the West African mining territories?

"No way! Winnie hates the heat. She even hates bugs. She can't suffer! She would never go somewhere like that…"

Luke muttered to himself. His face was completely drained of color.

"Yes, she hates suffering."

Old Master Xander rose to his feet. His gaze was sharp as a torch.

"But she'd rather suffer there than take another ounce of humiliation from you. Luke, you were the one who drove her away."

In that instant, Luke's legs gave out. He collapsed to the ground.

A wave of panic swallowed him whole like a rising tide.

It was only then that he realized the girl who would always come back to him, no matter how wronged she felt, was really not coming back this time.