I stayed up all night packing up everything in the house, but the physical exhaustion did nothing to quiet my thoughts. Memories of the past continued to race through my mind.

I couldn't even remember when I'd become so calm and restrained. Perhaps, just like loving Jared, it had quietly seeped into my being.

Jared's assistant, Michael Roarke, arrived very early. The baby-faced young lad looked unusually troubled.

"Gab—" he began, the word twisting on his tongue before he finally settled on "Ms. Armstrong."

"Mr. Sheppard asked me to give these to you. He said once you sign these papers, you should forget about everything that happened over the past few years. This is your compensation."

Michael opened the suitcase. Inside, stacks of cash were neatly bundled, and on the very top lay a document.

Jared had transferred the subsidiary company I'd been managing to my name.

"Mr. Sheppard said you should go to the subsidiary…"

His words trailed off, but I understood.

Jared was making me step aside for Rachel. He was afraid that a scheming, calculating woman like me would bully his innocent fiancee.

My fingers brushed over the documents, and a soft chuckle escaped me. I'd devoted ten years to him, even risking my life more than once. In the end, it was only worth this much.

As it turned out, I was barely worth anything to Jared.

"Take these back," I said calmly. "And pass along a message for me. Tell Mr. Sheppard that we'll just pretend nothing ever happened over these past few years. I'm done messing around, too."

Jared was right.

I was 19 years old when I first met him. Now, I was 29.

At 19, I'd panicked and run away from a love that burned too hot. But now, at 29, I suddenly wanted to go back and see if that person was still waiting for me.

"No, Gabrielle, I'm going with you!" Michael blurted, eyes reddening. "You saved my life. We've all discussed it. We'll only follow you—no one else! If the boss marries someone else, we'll all jump ship and go with you!"

I had indeed saved their lives. Back when we had nothing, they all saw me as their big sister, holding out empty bowls and staring at me hopefully.

I dragged them out of all kinds of hell and put them to work for Jared. I never expected them to remember it all these years later.

"Don't be impulsive," I said gently, trying to persuade him.

But Michael broke down, sobbing uncontrollably—until Jared walked in. In front of outsiders, Jared was always a man of few words. And just one cold, menacing glance from him was enough to silence Michael's sobs.

Finally, Jared's gaze landed on me. It was icy, as if he were looking at an enemy.

"Gabrielle, don't think you can stay by using such a tactic. Don't make me hate you. Whatever you want, I can give it to you."

I scoffed, arching my eyebrow at him. "I want your life. Can you give me that?"

We locked eyes, and his face flushed red.

I didn't know whether he recalled that it was me who had knelt and begged before the hospital director. I was the one who had gotten him a chance at surgery.

This life of his had been given by me.

Now, he was using that very life to betray me.

"So this is what they mean by turning someone's goodwill against them," a voice chimed in before its owner even appeared.

That pampered, smug tone was enough for me to picture the woman immediately.

Rachel stepped out from behind the door, draped in jewelry, shining brighter than the sun.

"I know you, Gabrielle Armstrong. Old-fashioned women like you, trying to secure a position just because you've spent ten years with someone… Don't you think that's putting people in a difficult spot?"

She looked me up and down with open disdain.

I looked back at her. She really did resemble me from ten years ago, looking like a person who would braid diamonds in their hair if they could.

Everything about her screamed exquisite refinement. And there was an air of recklessness and fearlessness about her, too, tinged with a faint trace of stupidity.

"Jared, she probably doesn't even know whether to kiss you first or take off her clothes and get into bed, does she? She's basically a kid. How could you even bring yourself to be with her?"

Before I could finish, Jared had already covered Rachel's ears and pulled her into his arms protectively. His face darkened, and his voice turned even colder.

"She's not like you. She's not someone who's messed around. I'd never touch her before we get married."

Jared had once said that I was different, too. That kind of hands-on favoritism used to belong to me and me alone.

Now, it had become the knife stabbing into me.

I had never truly understood what it meant for a heart to shatter in just one second. But at this moment, I felt it. All emotion faded into nothingness, and not even a ripple remained. A dull, numbing ache spread from the depths of my heart to the rest of my body, inch by inch, until every part of me was in pain.

I stared at Jared for a long moment before pushing up the gold-rimmed glasses perched on my nose. This ten-year-long habit allowed me to force out a faint smile even at the peak of the pain.

"You're right, Mr. Sheppard. But I have no interest in any of these things. When I came here, I came alone and with nothing. And now that I'm leaving, I can leave empty-handed, too. I don't want anything. Let's just pretend all of this was just a game."

I grabbed my suitcase and walked past him.

Jared suddenly grabbed my hand. "Don't be upset with me."

But before I could say anything, Rachel, who'd been standing there the whole time, let out a petulant huff. She stomped her foot and turned around, pouting. She didn't even need to say a word before the hand that had been gripping mine loosened gradually.

Jared lowered himself to cajole her, not even caring about his pride in front of his friends.

Years of experience made me keenly aware that someone had investigated Jared, but I no longer had any reason to warn him.

Michael ran after me to see me out, still cursing Jared under his breath.

Two sharp honks cut him off.

"Princess, I'm here to take you home."

My hand suddenly felt light. Someone had taken my suitcase from my grasp.

Knox Ferris nodded at me, then flashed a beaming smile, his teeth bright and white. Submission and wildness clashed violently within him. Beneath the restraint of his suit, a forced civility caged something feral—wild, surging, alive.

That devastatingly beautiful, almost androgynous face turned both burning and docile the moment he saw me.

And in his eyes, I saw hostility.

"Mr. Sheppard," he said calmly. "One more step, and you'll be crossing the line."

He slowly straightened his spine, enveloping me in his shadow.

I followed his gaze, only then noticing that Jared had rushed after me.

The two men locked eyes. It felt as if in the next second, primal instinct would take over, and they'd tear each other apart.

Knox and I got into the car.

In the rearview mirror, Jared stood there dazed, engulfed in exhaust fumes.

Knox always drove very fast, but whenever he was driving me, the ride would always be smooth and steady. He turned the music down and kept glancing at the rearview mirror.

"Princess," he said softly. "You're not going to abandon me again this time, are you?"

I didn't answer him. I just turned my head and studied him.

I hadn't seen him in ten years. His hair was still that same half-long, half-short length, sticking up a little in places. Those usually sharp, ruthless-looking eyes were now blinking at me, making him look kind of cute.

I couldn't even reconcile him with the boy who'd once clung to me, crying and begging me not to leave.

Knox had been sent to my family when he was a kid.

When I went bird-nest raiding, he'd bring the ladder. When I cursed someone out, he'd hand me the knife. When I skipped school, he'd take the scolding for me.

We grew up together. And the day I was told I was supposed to marry him, I completely lost it.

Who could accept marrying someone—being lifelong partners—when that person knew every single embarrassing thing about them?

There were just some boundaries that shouldn't be crossed.

Without a second thought, I ran to find him, thinking he'd stand with me like always. Instead, I found out that he was a shameless boundary-crosser.

In the bedroom he'd always forbidden me from entering, I found photos of me covering the walls. And he just stood there, motionless, staring at them, a dark flush spreading across his face.

"Knox Ferris!"

I'd only shouted his name once, but his whole body shuddered, his legs nearly giving out beneath him.

I saw every part of him that day.

I was 19 years old that year—still at the age where I felt awkward and shy. He, on the other hand, was like a seasoned veteran at 19, far more experienced at losing control.

Morning, noon, and night, he went crazy over me, like a dog wagging his tail nonstop.

Finally, I couldn't stand the heat of his devotion anymore. I grabbed my suitcase and fled from Wolmere to Sunridge.

For a full ten years, I knew he'd been watching me from the shadows. Yet the feral dog never once made a sound.

Knox turned the wheel and pulled into the driveway of a house.

I was stunned for a second. I hadn't expected him to live this close to me.

"Princess, all of this is territory I've claimed for you."

He parked the car and leaned his handsome face close to mine, his eyes sparkling. His expression screamed, "As long as my territory's big enough, you'll stay by my side."

I really couldn't stand the slightly dumb expression on his face, and I stepped out of the car. But the corner of my lips curled into a smile against my will.

I walked into the house, with Knox following behind me, talking nonstop about everything he'd done over the past ten years.

Unable to take his endless yapping, I grabbed him by the collar and shoved him down onto the bed. But he flipped us over in an instant, pinning me beneath him instead.

Through the thin fabric, his body heat scorched every inch of my skin. He stayed perfectly still, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

When he finally spoke, even his voice was hoarse. "Princess, please, just give me a chance, okay? Just once? Please, I'm begging you… Don't hate me."

Knox's arrogance clashed violently with his restraint and obedience.

Those slightly upturned eyes held a desperate, suppressed plea, and he forced himself so hard that tears welled up instinctively. Yet, he still propped his body up, unwilling to press his full body weight on me even a little bit.

I raised my hand, slowly tracing from the bridge of his nose down to caress his soft, red lips.

As if granted permission, Knox gently kissed my fingertips, each touch achingly tender.

I studied him closely.

The raw, almost beastly life force in him was once something I'd desperately avoided. But now, I realized that a person like this—someone covered in sharp thorns yet who showed only gentleness and restraint toward me—was truly the sweetest confession of love.

"Knox," I said, lightly patting his shoulder. "Get up."

He visibly shuddered at the sound of my voice. Still, he straightened his arms, lifting his body little by little.

"I'm tired," I said softly.

He stared at me. His shimmering eyes looked as though they'd overflow with tears at any second, but his mouth said the opposite.

"Okay."

He closed the door gently from the outside. Then came a loud bang.

I didn't need to look to know that he was kicking the wall to vent his frustration. I couldn't help but curl my lips into a smile. He really had mastered the art of swallowing his anger rather than letting out even a single word.

Listening to his footsteps fade, I suddenly realized Jared was right. It was people like Knox Ferris—arrogant and overbearing—who really seemed alive.

Once upon a time, I had been like that too. But that version of me no longer existed.

I slowly raised my hands, staring at my pale, slender fingers in a daze. Ten years ago, these hands had been smooth and full, gripping reins and vaulting over walls. Now, they only bore the marks of holding a pen.

I could barely even remember that I'd once been so alive as well.

The past ten years had changed me after all. Just like how my skin had turned pale, the calm composure I'd learned when grappling with life and death had carved itself into my bones.

At the end of the day, I was human, not a machine. I couldn't just delete ten years of memories on command. Luckily, after all my wandering, I'd finally come back to where I started.

I dialed the internal line. "Knox, let's get married."

I could clearly hear the person on the other end trying to suppress his excitement. I hadn't expected him to be this thrilled.

…

The next morning, before I even woke up, my phone started chiming repeatedly.

"Sweetheart, you're finally getting married. I can finally relax now."

"Don't bully Knox, you little menace."

There were more than a dozen messages just from my parents alone, and countless more from my relatives.

Only then did I learn that my family hadn't looked for me in the past ten years because they'd assumed that I'd been with Knox all along.

I glanced at Knox, who was peeking nervously from outside the door. Suddenly, he reminded me of a golden retriever—adorable-looking but actually full of mischief.

He noticed I was looking at him, and as if a secret signal had been exchanged, he charged straight toward me.

"Princess, what do you say we get married on April 7?" he asked, his eyes sparkling.

I raised an eyebrow and gave a slight nod.

He immediately pulled out his phone as if presenting me with a priceless treasure.

On the company's official website, he'd already announced our wedding date, and the comments below were already flooded with a long string of congratulations.

He watched me cautiously. I smiled helplessly.

Before I could say anything, my phone rang.

"Gabrielle, you left something at my place. Come pick it up," Jared said.

Knox's brow instantly tightened. He pressed down on my hand and kissed me hard. The air was so fiercely stolen from my lungs that I even felt dizzy for a second.

In that instant, I realized that a touch of wildness had appeared in those docile-looking eyes of his.

As if he couldn't get enough, the kiss deepened. His arm tightened around my waist, and I couldn't help but let out a soft gasp.

Satisfied, he gave my cheek a quick peck, then leaned close to the phone. In a husky voice, and with each word drawn out into something unmistakably suggestive, he said, "Mr. Sheppard, you'll have to bring it over instead. My princess seems… a little preoccupied right now."