I handed the bag in my hands to Crystal Amos, Clayton's younger sister. She was one of the few people who had treated me with kindness for the past few years.

"Please burn this dress after I'm gone. I don't deserve to wear this anymore."

Crystal accepted the bag from me, the anger showing in her eyes because of how unfairly she thought I was being treated.

"Clayton's truly gone overboard this time! I'm going to give him a piece of my mind! I'll make sure he gives you a hefty break-up fee before you leave! "

Crystal turned to leave in a huff, but I quickly stopped her.

"There's no need for that anymore."

She was well aware of how I'd been treating them both for the past few years, and she committed it to heart. After all, I was the one who had tried to help them improve their relationship and bring them closer to each other.

As soon as I was done speaking, Clayton reappeared while pressing against the wound on his arm. His voice was icy-cold as he asked, "Where are you going?"

I looked up at him. It had only been half a day since I saw him, but I couldn't help feeling taken aback.

Suddenly, I was reminded of the time when I first met him.

It was dark in the bar, and he was leaning against the edge of a table, downing glasses of wine all by himself.

A jacket was draped over his broad shoulders, adding to his tall frame. His eyes were dark, his lips tugged in a straight line, and he looked about as welcoming as a wolf with blood on its muzzle.

However, all it took was just one look from him, and I was enamored. I could no longer shift my eyes away from his gaze.

I had seen plenty of expressions in his eyes over the past few years. However, I had never once seen the tenderness he'd only reserved for Gladys.

I snapped back to the present and said, "You're mistaken. I was just asking Crystal to help me settle some irrelevant things."

The more I spoke, the more my eyes darted around the place. Somehow, it felt as though I was also trying to convince myself of that.

I wasn't wrong, though.

Since I'd arrived without a word, I was going to sever all ties with this world before I left, too.

Clayton stared at me for a long time. Then, he finally accepted my explanation and left after failing to find any fault with what I'd just told him.

This was more like his usual self.

Clayton had always been quiet when he was around me. He'd only speak a little more if he were talking about Gladys. Naturally, he wouldn't really care where I was going.

However, a short while later, the door to my home opened. I watched as Gladys ignored me and rushed upstairs to find Clayton.

She behaved as if this were her home instead of mine, seeing as how she didn't even spare me a single glance.

I followed her up the stairs and saw her knocking on Clayton's door.

As soon as she'd knocked, Clayton immediately screeched, "Get lost!"

Gladys sounded anxious. "It's me, Clays…"

The sound of the door unlocking was heard.

The door was thus opened from the inside.

I only realized then that the "Get lost" he'd yelled at the door earlier was meant for me. He thought I was the one knocking at his door instead of her.

Clayton's eyes were full of lust as he stared at Gladys and asked, "Why are you here? Aren't you worried that he'd find out you came over?"

Gladys' eyes immediately filled with tears. Her voice shook as she said, "We aren't dating just yet. He can't do anything about me.

"But you got hurt because you tried to protect me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't make sure that you were okay."

I stood rooted to the ground. My heart felt as though someone had just pummeled it into a mess. It had hurt so much.

It was obvious that they didn't even bother pretending I was still alive, based on their conversation with each other.

I had done everything I could all day to stop them from contacting each other, yet in their eyes, I was still nothing but the dust beneath their shoes. I was expendable to them.

Gladys began to cry. "Don't you want to see me too?"

Clayton couldn't hold back anymore. He hugged her tightly right in front of me.

"I need you, Gigi. I've always needed you."

I watched as his eyes gradually turned red. He looked like he'd just been reunited with something precious he'd lost for years.

His words were like a sharp knife in my heart.

So, had I always been a joke to him?

After they were finally done hugging each other, Gladys immediately started checking on the wound on his arm. She kept caressing his arm while sobbing quietly.

"Does it hurt?"

Clayton looked at her with pity in his eyes, feeling sorry for her. He gently grabbed her wandering hands and held them in his own.

His eyes were gentle as he said, "Don't be scared, Gigi. It doesn't hurt anymore.

"Look, the doctor bandaged it up really well for me. Nothing will go wrong as long as I change out the bandages regularly as told.

"Also, you should go back."

I'd spent five years with him, yet not once had I ever heard Clayton speak so gently to me.

As it turned out, only the main protagonist of the story deserved his gentleness.

I couldn't bear to watch anymore, so I quietly left.

I couldn't hide the tears in my eyes anymore. They streamed down my face and dripped onto the floor.

I sat in the living room for a long time, staring at the clock and starting a countdown in my head.

Luckily, I was about to leave in less than a day, and I would never have to return.

A long while later, Gladys carefully made her way downstairs, sporting lips that were a lot redder and more swollen than before.

I averted my eyes and pretended not to have noticed a thing.

However, Gladys came straight up to me and gave me in-depth instructions.

"I've finally managed to coax Clays to sleep. Be careful not to wake him up. Also, I won't be able to come very often, so you'd better take good care of him. Don't let him get hurt again.

"He may have a terrible temper, but he's a good person. If he ever yells at you, you can come looking for me. I'll help you tell him off."

She held my hand while looking at me with a gloating expression that she wasn't able to hide.

I withdrew my hands from her hold and couldn't stop myself from firing back, "I am his fiancee. You don't have to tell me what to do."

The delight in her eyes just exemplified. She chuckled aloud and said, "If it weren't for me, did you really think that you would even have a chance to be with him in the first place?

"You think too highly of yourself. I am his first love. You're nothing but my replacement. So, you'd better behave as one."

It was strange, but her words didn't stir up any emotion within me. Perhaps it was because I'd already sunk to the bottom of my sorrows, and nothing could bother me anymore.

"You're not the one to tell me whether I'm a replacement or not. At the very least, I am his fiancee. Even if we can't get married now, we can still marry next time."

"You—"

Gladys was upset, and she raised her voice at me all of a sudden. Then, she took a deep breath and paused to collect herself.

"You may be able to win this argument against me, but that's about it. And since I'm feeling mighty happy today, I'll let you win.

"But next time, I'm going to kick you out of this very house you live in. Guess who Clays is going to listen to then? Me, or you?"

With that, she stomped over to the door and slammed it shut behind her.

I immediately lost all my remaining energy and slumped back onto the couch, breathing heavily.

Clayton walked down from the top of the stairs and started chiding me.

"What's the point of arguing with her? She's nothing but an older sister figure to me."

I glanced at the red lipstick mark by his lips and couldn't stop myself from chuckling.

"Ah. I see that you have a very good relationship with her."

He immediately started explaining himself as he lifted his hand to wipe away the lipstick mark I'd just seen.

"I just brushed against something by accident. Can you please stop overthinking and coming up with ridiculous scenarios in your head?"

He walked toward me, his eyes deep and dark. However, his explanation was preposterous. I just couldn't think of how he'd manage to brush his lips against red lipstick "by accident".

I never really got to know anyone else besides him after transmigrating into this world. I only followed him around, and he had become my whole world.

Everyone thought that I was out of my mind, trying to "seduce" Gladys' lapdog without fearing retribution from her.

And yet, Clayton would never take my side or bother explaining himself.

He said, "Don't even think about it. I will never abandon Gladys just to be with you."

My eyes turned red. I then locked myself up in my room and refused to eat, drink, or even look at Clayton anymore.

Eventually, he broke into my room and dragged me out.

His eyes were as cold as ice as he demanded, "Did you really think that I would give you more of my attention if you starved yourself to death? Why don't you think of some other way instead?"

I read between the lines and pretended that he was actually trying to comfort me. And so, I found myself forgiving him and feeling a whole lot better afterward.

No matter what other people said about me, I refused to acknowledge them.

When people called me Clayton's lapdog, he wouldn't say a word to them. His expression would barely even change. However, he now got angry on Gladys' behalf and wouldn't let me call her names because he didn't want me to "overthink" and blame her for anything. He even went as far as calling them "ridiculous scenarios".

I hung my head low and wiped my tears away.

"You're the one overthinking things. I never did such a thing," I said.

I could feel Clayton's suspicious gaze on me.

I continued, "I'll apologize to her the next time I see her."

Sometime in the middle of the night, I looked at my neck in the mirror and couldn't help touching it.

It had been a full day, and my injury had been in plain sight, but Clayton never even noticed it. It was as if he were 100% sure that I wouldn't get hurt.

It had been quite chaotic that day. The only one who helped me up was Crystal, and she was also the one who brought me to the hospital after.

"It's been so long. I initially thought that my brother was also in love with you. After all, he's such a private person, but he was willing to invite so many guests to witness the wedding.

"But you were right next to him, and he still shoved you aside and ran toward Gladys, who was so far away—all to protect her!

"I can tell that he doesn't even love you in the slightest!"

I had been deathly pale that day, and droplets of blood had stained my wedding dress. However, Clayton never once turned to look at me or check on me. He just kept his arms tightly around Gladys, shielding her from the shattered glass and making sure that she was unharmed.

Gladys had remained in his arms for a long time before she suddenly snapped to her senses and forced herself to push him away.

"Your wife is hurt. You should make sure that she's okay," she said.

However, Clayton refused to listen. Instead, he kept inspecting Gladys all over, checking her for any injuries. He only heaved a sigh of relief when he noticed that she wasn't hurt.

"I'm glad that you're not hurt. Anyway, nothing will happen to her. I know that much at least."

Crystal helped me hobble out of the banquet hall. I was in so much pain that I couldn't stop the tears from falling.

I recalled the past and felt the pain washing over me once again. I couldn't help but shudder at the thought and quickly shoved the painful memories away.

However, the bitterness in my heart just wouldn't dissipate.

I guessed one would only be able to tell if someone actually loved them when their lives were in grave danger.

I knew that I would be able to heal as long as I could leave this place. Time would pass, and I would eventually forget all about Clayton.

I would then just pretend that I'd never transmigrated into this novel in the first place.

…

Early the next morning, the system began its countdown. There were exactly five hours left.

I looked at the ring on my finger and immediately took it off.

Clayton had given me this ring out of the blue three days after he was discharged from the hospital. His face had been red and heated when he gave it to me, telling me that he'd just bought it on a whim from a street vendor.

However, I read between the lines and understood what he really meant. Since then, I'd always treasured the ring with my life.

I rubbed my fingers around the band, feeling a little reluctant to part with it. Still, I knew that I had to say goodbye to it.

After thinking about it for a while, I decided to return it to its original owner.

I thus went over to Clayton's office and handed it back to him.

"This ring comes with a burden too heavy for me to bear. I can't keep it with me any longer."

Clayton stared at me in pure disbelief, and his breathing began to quicken.

"What do you mean by that? You don't want it anymore?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I don't want it anymore.

"Also, I'm here today to properly bid goodbye to you. Let's each go our separate ways after this."