My chest ached so badly it was hard to breathe. The reconciliation I thought we had was nothing but my own delusion.

In his eyes, I had been nothing more than a cheap girl he could sleep with.

I forced back my tears and walked up to Babur.

"Babur, is what you said true? These past weeks, tutoring me, treating me kindly… was it all just to get me into bed?"

Babur froze for a second, clearly not expecting me to be there.

Then his expression shifted into open disdain.

"Didn't think you'd find out this soon. Figured I could keep it going for another couple of years." He said it casually, without a hint of guilt.

"Valerie, you should be grateful I even sleep with you. I'm probably the best man you'll ever have access to in your life. A woman like you, all looks and no brains, who can only cling to a man, you'll be lucky if you end up with some construction worker or plumber."

He was so arrogant, so full of himself, that I could barely recognize the gentle Babur I once knew.

Maybe I had been clinging to a ghost.

Perhaps the man who once loved me had died the day of our anniversary.

"Relax, Valerie. I know you're not exactly high society, but that's fine. After I marry Daphne, you can still be my mistress if you behave. You can keep the apartment, the card. You'll still live the carefree life you're used to. Sounds good?"

There was charity in his tone, like he was offering me mercy. He reached out to grab my hand.

I stepped aside and slapped him across the face.

"Listen carefully, Babur." I straightened my back and met his eyes without fear, like I was declaring war. "I will get into Redmont University. I'll make you see how wrong you are. Babur, I will make you regret this."

After shouting that, I turned and ran.

If I stayed even one more second, I would have broken down.

Three full years. Over a thousand days together. So many plans for our future.

How could he discard me so easily, erase me from his tomorrow like I had never existed?

I cried all night in my rented apartment.

By dawn, my decision was made.

I canceled the lease in Baybridge, returned to Asterfall, and packed up everything that had anything to do with Babur and sold it.

Only the necklace that had once given me the courage to chase him back—I held it for a long time before deciding to keep it.

I began studying those incomprehensible books with real focus.

Even when I went for spa treatments with friends, I kept a book open in my hands.

"Valerie, you don't have to work this hard. You don't even understand half of that stuff. Why not just find another man to support you? We can go back to living carefree like before," Naomi teased, glancing between me and Lacey. "Look at you two. You've been so busy lately that even spa days can't hide how exhausted you look. Especially you, Lacey."

Lacey smiled faintly. Her eyes flicked toward my neck but she said nothing.

My hand paused over the page. I looked up at Naomi seriously.

"No, Naomi. I've made up my mind. I don't want to live off a man's affection anymore, constantly fearing the day he might abandon me. I want to be proud of myself. I will get into Redmont University. I will step onto Gilded Row. I will stand higher than Babur ever will—and I'll make him realize just how extraordinary the woman he lost truly is."

I threw myself into studying, spending nearly every day in the library.

Even my spa days with friends became rare.

Whenever we went out to eat, Naomi would make jokes at my expense.

"Hey, Valerie, what chapter are you on today? Let's hope next year your score isn't in the single digits."

The others burst into laughter.

Almost no one believed I could get into Redmont.

Not even Lacey, my best friend.

"Valerie, you should get a job, or find a man to support you. Not sit in my house talking about studying while I pay your bills."

Lacey asked me to move out.

With the little money I had left, I rented a tiny basement room.

After that, I couldn't even afford to spend long hours at the library.

I survived on three slices of bread a day, cramming myself into a basement barely big enough for a bed, studying until my eyes burned.

My friends couldn't stand watching me like that and tried to set me up with new men.

One handsome man after another showed up with flowers. None of them were inferior to Babur.

One even proposed.

I refused them all and told them honestly, "I'm focused on getting into Redmont University. I'm not looking for a relationship right now."

Somehow, word got back to Babur.

When he came to see me, arrogance was written all over his face.

"Valerie, I heard about you. I know you're still in love with me. No need to make up excuses like that."

He extended his hand as if offering charity.

"I told you before, Valerie. If you behave, I don't mind supporting you. Stop pretending you're suffering. Come home."

I looked at his outstretched hand and remembered how, three years ago, he had held it out the same way, inviting me into his home.

Back then, he had promised me a lifetime of happiness.

It turned out his "lifetime" had lasted only three years.

I raised my hand, and in the middle of his expectant smile, I slapped his hand away.

"Don't flatter yourself, Babur. I already believed a man's empty promises once. I won't do it again. This time, I'm working for my own future, and I'm getting into Redmont."

Babur's expression darkened. He stared at me for a long moment before a mocking smile curved his lips.

"Fine, Valerie. See you in a year. Let's hope you actually show up at Redmont's exam hall instead of just talking big."

His visit only fueled the fire inside me.

I poured nearly every ounce of energy into studying.

One year later, I stepped into the exam hall.

When I saw the test paper, relief washed over me.

Every topic on it was something I had studied.

Hours later, when I walked out, I felt lighter than I had in years.

I didn't expect to run into Babur there.

He wore a green suit with a bright red tie and brown shoes.

Like a walking Christmas tree, I thought silently as I turned to leave. But he spotted me.

"Valerie!"

He stepped in front of me, surprise flashing in his eyes.

"You've gotten even prettier. Didn't expect you to actually show up for the exam."

Babur casually pulled out a cigarette and lit it, arrogance settling over him again.

"Or did you hear I'd be helping out here and come looking for me? Valerie. I told you before, if you change your mind, you're always welcome to be my mis—"

I cut him off.

"You're overestimating yourself. Babur, the world doesn't revolve around you. And honestly, Redmont is far more appealing than you are."

His smile froze. He exhaled a cloud of smoke straight into my face, making me cough.

Then he laughed.

"Stop pretending, Valerie. Look at you. A bar suits you better than an exam hall."

I heard the mockery clearly, and for a second, it still stung.

This was the man I had loved for three years, now comparing me to a hostess.

But I was no longer the Valerie who would cry herself to sleep over a single insult.

The moment I decided to stop loving him, I decided to stop wasting my emotions on him.

The sting faded. I looked at him calmly.

"Babur, beauty has nothing to do with intelligence. If I can stay beautiful and still study, that's because I'm capable of it. If you believe people can't have both looks and good grades, maybe that says more about your limitations than mine. As for whether I get into Redmont, we'll find out when the results come out."

I turned and walked away without looking back.

A few days later, on the day results were released, Babur showed up at my apartment.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing your score."

His expression was dripping with mockery. He had come to watch me fail.

This time, he was the one who would be disappointed.

I opened the results page.

When I saw the score displayed on the screen, my eyes widened.