When my grandma is on her deathbed, she tells me hoarsely that her only wish is to see me get married.

I keep crying to the point that I can barely utter a word. That's when my entire family turns to look at my boyfriend, Robert Fuller.

Robert lets out a small sigh before wiping my tears off my face gently. Then, he leads me out of the ward.

But as soon as the door is closed behind us, his expression goes cold.

"Clary, we've been together for seven years. You know I hate getting forced into doing things by others the most.

"Love is something that occurs by nature. It shouldn't be forced to happen just because others have opinions on how it should go."

He strokes my hair comfortingly.

"Let's not rush our marriage, hmm? Why don't we breach this topic again once things in my company go steady after it gets listed. What do you think?

"Anyway, I have a meeting to attend at night. You should deal with your family for the time being. I'll bring you a gift when I visit you tonight."

Before I can respond to Robert, he turns on his heel and leaves with his secretary, Mikayla Glenn.

The moment they enter the elevator, I witness Mikayla standing on her tiptoes so that she can arrange Robert's tie for him skillfully.

Robert never turns her away.

After wiping my tears away, I return to the ward and take Grandma's hand with a smile.

"Don't worry, Grandma. I'll get married in three days. Before I get married, I want you to do my hair for me."

The moment I said that, the tension in the ward finally eased.

Grandma's eyes turned red as she murmured, "That's good."

After I drove Mom and Dad home, Mom asked me to come into the study alone. "Clary, there's something I've been holding back for a while, but I think you should know."

She hesitated, reluctance flickering in her gaze as it lingered on me.

"Last month, on your birthday, Rob stopped by to drop off a gift. He didn't even stay five minutes before saying he needed to leave because of work.

"But half an hour later, a friend of mine saw him at a veterinary clinic on the south side of the city. He was there with a woman in loungewear, taking her dog in. It looked like that secretary of his… Ms. Glenn."

Mom pushed a photo toward me.

In the picture, Mikayla Glenn held a dog wrapped in bandages, looking up as she said something with a smile.

Standing beside her, Robert Fuller was leaning in, listening intently. His gaze was so focused and indulgent that it practically radiated off the glossy paper.

Even without any physical contact, the two of them seemed bound together by an invisible tether, as if they were in their own private world.

I stared at Robert and was briefly dazed.

There was a time when he looked at me the same way—attentive and warm, his emotions mirroring mine.

It was a stark contrast to that day, when I hadn't even finished wiping my tears, and he was already speaking in a low voice, urging me to see the bigger picture, be reasonable, and not make things harder for him.

"Clary, you and Rob have been together for many years. If he really wanted to propose, he's had more than enough chances to do it. Instead, you ended up having to force his hand. I'm just terrified that you'll get hurt. Maybe it's better if—"

"Mom," I cut her off before she could finish speaking. "I'm getting married, but who said it was going to be to Robert?"

By the time I got home from my parents' place, it was already late.

When I pushed the door open, I didn't expect to see Robert still awake. He was sitting on the couch in loungewear, monitoring the stock market.

He closed his laptop when he heard me, took off his glasses, and looked over inquisitively.

"Why are you back so late?"

The corners of my lips curled into a smirk. I almost wanted to say that he had plenty of nights when he came home even later than I did, but it felt pointless to bring it up.

Instead, I settled for a half-hearted excuse.

"It's nothing. I just stayed late to talk with my mom."

He nodded, then picked up a necklace from the jewelry box on the table. The stones caught the light as he stood and walked toward me.

"Clary, thanks for helping smooth things over with the whole marriage situation. You know I've always planned to marry you. The timing just isn't right yet. I want to give you the best wedding you deserve…"

As he spoke, Robert reached out, trying to pull me into his arms and fasten the necklace around my neck, just as he always did.

Since the beginning of our relationship, whenever he did something that hurt me, he would try to make it up with gifts.

Back then, no matter how expensive the gift was, he would always be genuinely remorseful. He would apologize with utmost sincerity and try to make me smile again.

Now, there was none of that.

His expression was calm, his eyes steady, like everything was already under his control. There wasn't a hint of tenderness in his demeanor.

This version of him felt like a stranger to me.

I turned my head away and stepped back, avoiding his hand and his embrace at the same time.

"Robert, you don't have to do this. It's over between us."

Robert's expression instantly darkened.

"Clarissa, you've never been the type to let your emotions get the better of you. Is this because I didn't want to marry you right now? Did you and your parents cook this up together to back me into a corner?"

I looked at him, meeting the fire in his eyes with nothing but calm.

"I'm not forcing you to do anything. I just don't want to be with you anymore."

His expression contorted with fury. "We've been together for seven years. No one knows better than I do how you feel about me. Don't try to play games with me. I'm not falling for that."

He was convinced that I was just throwing a tantrum, using Grandma's health to manipulate him and squeeze a proposal out of him.

Looking at him, I suddenly found it ridiculous that I had held on for so long, and that it took me this long to see him for the cold and selfish man he truly was.

"I'm not playing games, Robert. You're just too self-centered. You only think about yourself, your company, and your reputation. You've never thought about me or what my family wants."

That struck a nerve.

Robert's expression darkened, his voice rising.

"I've been working nonstop to take the company public. Don't you think I'm doing that to give you a better life? I'm postponing the wedding because I want it to be perfect for you! Clarissa, why can't you just be reasonable? Stop trying to force me into doing things I'm not ready for!"

Reasonable?

My nose stung.

Hadn't I been reasonable enough?

Not long after we got together, he said I was too sharp, so I learned to dull my edges and withdrew into myself.

For years, despite how much I wanted to get married, I allowed his endless excuses to convince my family and me to wait a little longer.

Even now, because of my love for him, I had turned a blind eye to his intimacy with Mikayla, convincing myself that he still loved me.

This version of myself was someone even I despised.

"Robert, whether you believe me or not, I'm done. I don't want to keep waiting for you. I don't want to keep revolving around you, and I'm definitely done watching you and Mikayla constantly push the boundaries."

At the mention of Mikayla, Robert's eyes flickered before settling back into anger.

"I've told you before. She's just my subordinate. Stop making a scene over nothing. As for the wedding, there's nothing to discuss. We wait until the company goes public and is stable. You can throw all the tantrums you want, but it's not going to change a single thing!"

With that, he tossed the necklace onto the couch and stormed off.

The door slammed shut behind Robert, and the framed photo by the entryway fell and shattered on the floor.

We had bought this place in our third year together. I had handled every detail of the renovation myself, tucking my hopes and dreams for the future into every corner of the house.

Now, the warmth was gone, and all that remained was disappointment.

I opened the closet and took out my clothes, folding them piece by piece before placing them into the suitcase I had prepared earlier.

In the study, I only took the documents I needed and left everything else untouched.

After packing, I arranged for a courier company to send the suitcase to the apartment I had rented.

Once everything was done, I sat on the couch, staring blankly ahead.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a notification.

Mikayla had just posted on her social media.

The caption read, "My cramps are killing me, but someone made me chamomile tea. I'm so lucky."

The post featured a photo of a kitchen.

A man with broad shoulders and a narrow waist stood at the stove, his back to the camera. From the angle of the picture, I could see that he was dressed in a fitted suit with a teddy bear apron tied around his waist.

Even without seeing his face, I could tell from his posture how relaxed he was. This version of Robert was the complete opposite of the cold, distant man he was with me.

In the past, Mikayla's subtle provocations would've sent me into a spiral as I furiously demanded an explanation from Robert.

Now, I simply double-tapped the screen to like the post before blocking both of them.

Not long after, there was a knock at the door, and I received a letter.

I opened it, only to find a wedding invitation printed on a deep crimson card accented with gold leaf.

At the same time, a message from Nathan Crosby popped up on my phone.

Nathan was a steady and reliable man. He was also a venture capitalist I'd been introduced to through a family connection.

When I had finalized my wedding date three days ago, we had agreed to marry that very night.

"Clary, did you get the invitation? This is the design you picked. Let me know if it matches what you had in mind."

I paused for a moment, not expecting him to be this efficient and meticulous. This sense of security was something I had never once received from Robert.

Snapping back to myself, I sent Nathan a confirmation.

Lowering my gaze, I looked at the date printed on the invitation.

It was only three days away, but that was more than enough time.

…

The next morning, I went to the office to tie up any loose ends on my current project.

As soon as I stepped into the workspace, I heard whispers around me.

"Did you see Ms. Glenn's Instagram post? Mr. Fuller made chamomile tea for her himself."

"The whole company's talking about it, and he hasn't denied anything. That's basically a tacit admission."

"I think they actually look good together."

I paused for a moment.

In the past, Robert insisted that office romances were a liability, forcing us to keep our relationship a secret. Now, apparently, he couldn't care less.

The murmurs died instantly the moment my colleagues spotted me, panic and awkwardness flickering across their faces.

Before Mikayla's appearance, they had rooted for Robert and me, knowing that we had built this place from the ground up after we graduated.

I could tell what they were thinking and reassured them, "You don't have to be nervous. They do look good together."

The words had barely left my mouth when an angry voice came from behind me.

"Clarissa!"

Robert emitted a chilling aura as he walked over, his expression dark as his gaze swept across the room.

Everyone lowered their heads at once, not daring to make a sound.

"Come to my office."

He turned and marched inside.

I followed.

The second the door shut, he turned and stared at me in silence.

"What was that about yesterday? Liking Mikayla's post, then blocking me?"

I leaned against the door, keeping my expression neutral.