Terri turned away in disgust.

Blayne let out a cold laugh. “Someone like her? She actually thinks she deserves to walk in with me and attend the party? Still clinging to the title of my fiancée? As if.”

The staff behind him, quick on their feet, stepped forward with a dress box in hand.

Terri remained where she was, unmoving. She was waiting for Blayne’s final verdict.

‘This is good.’

With every action, Blayne was wearing down the last remnants of her patience and attachment.

The final stage of desensitization.

Once she had cried out all her tears, she would leave—swiftly, cleanly, without ever looking back.

Blayne tightened his hold around Valerie’s waist. “Go back the way you came. My family’s party doesn’t need someone as manipulative and disgraceful as you. You’re not fit to be my wife, let alone my fiancée.”

The dress matched Blayne’s outfit perfectly.

Terri watched as he handed it to Valerie.

Terri looked at Blayne, her expression unusually calm, without a hint of emotion.

She nodded. “Alright.”

That made Blayne seem caught off guard.

Something about the way she looked at him gave him an unsettling feeling as if he was losing something.

But he quickly dismissed the thought, convinced she was just putting on a front.

With a look of contempt, he turned away, holding Valerie’s hand as they brushed past Terri.

Valerie shot her a triumphant smile.

Just then, Terri’s phone chimed.

A message from Valerie.

[The Crimson Club, Room 304. Remember what I told you. Otherwise, you know what’ll happen.]

A familiar face flashed through Terri’s mind.

Her grip tightened around her phone as she stepped out the door.

From a higher vantage point, Valerie watched Terri’s retreating figure. She tugged at the sleeve of the man beside her, pouting.

“Mr. Hemphill wants me to sign the contract now. The party doesn’t start for a while, so we have just enough time. Blayne, come with me?”

Terri didn’t want to go.

But she had no choice.

Oswald, Blayne’s grandfather, had her in his grasp. He thought she was easier to control than Valerie, so he insisted she marry Blayne.

Now, Valerie was using the same tactics.

Years ago, Terri’s mother had been young and naive when she was taken advantage of by Giddeon, Valerie’s father, while he was stationed in a quiet Midwest town.

In places like that, a woman in Clarissa’s situation would have been sent away in disgrace.

Clarissa didn’t want to disappear, so she clung to Giddeon and followed him to Massachusetts.

She kept her head down and survived by playing the obedient, submissive role under Demetria’s watch.

But even then, in that household, Clarissa remained the perfect target for the cruelty of Belladonna, Valerie’s mother.

And by extension, Terri became Valerie’s punching bag.

Controlling Terri was easy.

All they had to do was threaten to expose Clarissa’s past as a mistress and cut off her financial support.

Clarissa was a timid woman who had lived her whole life afraid. If that day ever came, it would push her straight to the edge.

Terri couldn’t let that happen.

Even if it meant being treated like a dog, she had to go.

From inside the private room, crude, degrading voices mocked the female servers.

Terri’s lashes quivered.

She hesitated for a moment until she pushed open the door.

“Well, well, this must be Miss Valerie’s so-called sister, the one who tried to seduce her fiancé?”

All eyes turned to the entrance.

Their gazes were lewd and amused as if Terri’s presence had been expected.

Terri took a deep breath. “I’m here to get the documents Valerie told me to retrieve.”

The fat man at the head of the table let go of the server in his arms and lazily lifted his chin at Terri.

“That’s not how you ask for favors. If you want the contract, show some humility.”

He pulled out the document and placed a tall glass of fortified wine on top of it.

“Drink it, and the contract is yours.”

Terri wasn’t stupid.

She knew exactly what kind of trap they had set for her.

If Terri really drank the wine, she’d be nothing more than a dish served up on the table.

“I think I’ll pass. I’m allergic to alcohol. If needed, I can call Valerie and have her come instead.”

Terri tried to step back, but a few women on the couch grabbed her by the wrist.

“You took advantage of Valerie being in Scotland to seduce her man. Like mother, like daughter—both of you are shameless sluts. Who the hell are you pretending to be, huh?”

“Be smart and drink up. If you obediently become Valerie’s stepping stone, well, you might suffer a little less.”

One of them yanked her hair and shoved her back onto the couch.

Another woman picked up a glass of liquor from the table, grabbed Terri by the chin, and forced it down her throat.

She couldn’t break free. The burning alcohol slid down her throat as tears streamed down her face.

Once the glass was empty, the two women suddenly let go of her.

Right then, the door opened.

Blayne walked in and immediately saw Terri slumped on the couch, her face flushed.

Valerie covered her mouth in disbelief. “What happened here?”

The fat man exchanged a look with her, then sighed as if troubled. “Miss Valerie, Miss Terri insisted on taking your place to negotiate the contract with me. I tried to decline, but she just started drinking. I… I really didn’t know what to do.”

He was making it sound like Terri had tried to steal Valerie’s contract.

Blayne’s expression darkened as he looked at Terri, his face turning cold. “Has Valerie not treated you well enough? You couldn’t slander her, so now you resort to this kind of shit?”

Being accused time and again, ignored, and misunderstood—Terri’s eyes turned bloodshot. “I didn’t slander her, and I wasn’t trying to steal anything. I came here because Valerie told me to pick up the damn contract!”

Blayne rubbed his temples in frustration. “Dammit, Terri. I never thought your jealousy could go this far. You can’t stand to see your sister have anything, can you?”

Terri’s voice trembled. “I didn’t—”

Seeing the growing disdain in Blayne’s eyes, Valerie knew she had achieved her goal. She subtly signaled to the others in the room.

Then, with teary eyes, she clutched her chest, looking heartbroken. “It’s my fault. I should’ve done better. Don’t blame Terri—she’s still young…”

And with that, she collapsed into Blayne’s arms.

Panic flashed across his face. Without hesitation, he scooped her up and rushed out.

His eyes were filled with urgency and concern.

Meanwhile, Terri wiped her tears and stumbled out the door, struggling to stay on her feet.

That’s when it hit her—there was something in that wine!

A drunk, unaccompanied woman in a private room of a club… She suddenly realized exactly what Valerie was trying to do.

The drug took effect quickly. She staggered, pressing against the wall as dizziness overwhelmed her.

With her last bit of strength, she unlocked her phone and tapped the only pinned contact.

Blayne’s phone buzzed. Seeing the caller ID, his chest tightened for some inexplicable reason.

On the hospital bed, Valerie noticed the change in his expression.

She bit her lip and gave a frail smile. “It’s okay, Blayne. If you have something to take care of, go ahead. I’ll be fine here on my own.”

At her words, Blayne didn’t hesitate.

He hung up.

In the end, it was a female server who called an ambulance for Terri.

The doctor diagnosed her with a drug overdose.

Not only was it an aphrodisiac, but if left untreated, it could’ve caused neurological damage.

That was the polite way of putting it.

Terri calmly thanked the doctor.

Then, she pulled up her bank account.

It was the card Oswald had given her when she agreed to marry Blayne.

It had been locked. The balance was zero.

Of course, it was empty.

The night Blayne had humiliated her while drunk—over Valerie—Terri had already signed the termination agreement.

The last line of the agreement read: [From now on, Terri Darton and Blayne Holzman have no further relationship.]

She waited until her account was locked—that would be the final proof. The proof that she was truly free.

Because of that drink, Terri had injured her stomach and remained in the hospital for treatment. During this time, Blayne never once called or asked about her.

When she was finally cleared for discharge, her phone rang.

Looking at the familiar number, she hesitated for a moment until she picked it up.

“Grandma went to the villa today, and not a single soul was there. What kind of stunt are you pulling this time? You got the money, the marriage is done—what the hell do you want now?”

It was rare for Blayne to call, but his tone was as sharp and irritable as ever.

He didn’t sound like this when things were good between them.

Back then, his voice was gentle, carrying a hint of boyish warmth.

This sharpness, this impatience—this was how Blayne spoke to outsiders.

Right.

In his eyes, Terri was an outsider now.

The last lingering trace of sentiment in her heart disappeared completely, leaving behind a peace she had never felt before.

His tone no longer hurt her.

Calmly, she replied, “I’m in the hospital. The doctor wanted me to stay for observation, so I didn’t go back.”

And she never would.

But she didn’t say that.

There was a brief silence on the other end, then his voice turned even more annoyed, laced with sarcasm. “Can you stop competing with Ver over everything? She gets hospitalized, and suddenly, so do you? You’re not even trying to hide it. Jeez, you’re starting to disgust me!

“Listen, this is the third time already. If you still want any money from my family, then wait until you apologize to Valerie. When she says the word, I’ll wire you.”

After saying that, he hung up without waiting for Terri to speak.

Regardless, her gaze remained indifferent.

She tapped on Blayne’s profile. The name displayed was [Love].

Without hesitation, she blocked him.

She was exhausted. Tired of it all.

She split her savings in half, keeping only what she needed to live on. The rest, she transferred to her mother.

She knew full well why Valerie kept tormenting her—to make herself seem more important in Blayne’s eyes.

But once Terri was gone, Valerie would lose interest.

And without her in the picture, her mother’s life would finally get easier.

Terri had played this game of cat and mouse long enough.

So she chose to leave.

She blocked every number and silenced every notification.

She was going far away—to Texas.

To start a new life.

Blayne would never hear from her again.

They would never cross paths again.

She found a gap in her schedule to return one last time, gathering all of her belongings.

Everything Blayne had bought her remained untouched.

One New Year’s, he gave her a gift—holding her hand, he guided her as they wrote in elegant script together.

[Terri, may you be happy year after year.]

She had hugged him then, tears streaming down her face.

Back then, she had believed it was real.

She had treasured that piece of letter like it was the most precious thing in the world.

Now, she took it out and set it aflame without a second thought.

The fire curled around the paper, flickering hungrily, but her expression remained impassive.

She placed the villa’s key back where it belonged, erasing every last trace of herself.

As if she had never been there at all.

Sitting in the airport lounge, she wore oversized sunglasses that hid her expression.

Overhead, the announcement came.

“Passengers on flight DL760, please proceed to boarding. May you have a pleasant journey.”

As the artificial voice echoed through the terminal, Terri pulled out her SIM card and tossed it into the trash.