Though Stacy rode very slowly, she was spacing out and never noticed Rachel directing her horse toward hers, their horses crashing into each other before she realized what had happened.

Though caught by surprise, she released the lead rope and leapt off, dropping into a nasty roll as she landed.

As she looked up, she found Rachel falling off her horse too, and straight into Martin's arms.

As soon as Martin let her down, she grabbed his arm and gasped feebly, "The baby…"

Stacy watched him pause before picking Rachel up again, and turned toward her as if it troubled him, "She's pregnant. I'll take her to the hospital for now, alright?"

The sight of him holding Rachel so tightly left Stacy feeling a pang of bitterness, but she smiled bitterly as she murmured, "Yeah."

And with her permission, Martin dashed off, while Stacy watched as he ran so anxiously, her bitterness almost showing.

A trainer came up to her just then, helping her to her feet, "Are you injured, ma'am?"

She had jumped off just in time so wasn't hurt that badly.

And such bumps and bruises would never measure up to her heartache.

"Thanks, but I'm fine," she told the trainer, shaking her head and bearing the pain as she left the stables.

She felt deja vu as the car that was supposed to take her home was gone, but it didn't hurt like the last time.

After all, she had expected that.

After getting an Uber, she went home alone, falling asleep early from the days of exhaustion.

She didn't wait up for Martin, as she didn't care if he ever returned.

However, she woke up the next morning to see him sitting on the bed, watching her.

He was smiling at first, but when he saw her gaze turning gloomy as if she didn't even see him, he started to feel a curious panic.

He scrambled to pick up the box he had put by the bedside drawer before he knew it, pulling out a bracelet and putting it around her waist.

Then, he gently kissed the back of her hand as if it were really precious to him. "Sorry I didn't take you to the hospital right away. Rachel's my friend, and she's pregnant—I have to take care of her, don't you agree?"

Friend?

Stacy lowered her head, hiding her sardonic smile.

Then, she glanced at the bracelet—she recognized it, as she remarked that it was beautiful offhandedly.

Remembering what she had overheard, she murmured, "It's not worth it…"

It left Martin flustered, and he quickly asked, "What are you saying? What's not worth it? You're really worth it, darling—you're not just worth this too, you're worth everything good in the world."

Stacy laughed faintly as she looked up at him, "So, there's this soap opera I just watched yesterday. The female lead was in a relationship with the male lead, but she got engaged behind his back. Everyone's arguing about whether the male lead should forgive her… What do you think?"

Martin was busy fondling her hand, and replied nonchalantly, "No way. She shouldn't be forgiven."

"I think so too," Stacy replied, gently pulling her hand out of his grasp, and spoke before he could hold it again, "I'm hungry."

"I'll cook," Martin quickly said. "Just wash up. I'll get you later."

As he excitedly headed downstairs to do so, Stacy watched him act like nothing ever happened and took off the bracelet.

She wasn't worth that expensive thing, just like how she wasn't worthy enough for him to sacrifice his family's ambitions.

-

It was going to be Stacy's birthday in two days. Martin usually accompanied her on her birthday. This time, he suddenly said that he was busy that day, so he celebrated her birthday a day in advance.

This time, Stacy didn't ask why he was busy.

If she could, she wouldn't even celebrate her own birthday.

But when she said that, Martin shook his head and said sternly, "No chance. I said I'll celebrate every birthday with you."

Stacy snorted as she thought to herself that this was going to be the last—that he wouldn't be around for her birthdays from now on.

Putting the candles on her birthday cake, Martin sang her a birthday song as he always did.

As she closed her eyes, she wished quietly that she would really have a new life after leaving Martin, and blew out the candles.

Martin smiled at her, asking what she wished for.

'Leaving you.'

Stacy thought as she simply kept her eyes on the cake as she cut it.

Seizing the time when Martin wasn't around on her birthday, Stacy packed her things, before gathering the photos she had taken with Martin over the years and burned everything in the garden.

There was no reason to keep that stuff as the sentiment they embodied was gone.

She took none of the things that Martin had given her too, and took only that which was hers, just like how Martin was no longer hers.

With that done, she registered a new SIM card. The current card wouldn't be used as she left, as she had no reason to contact the people she knew now.

And once that was done, she sat in the garden, swiping through trending videos when she reached an interview video.

She recognized Rachel, standing at the center of the video, while a single hand was holding her around the waist.

So Martin was busy keeping her company as she tried on wedding dresses.

"Please be understanding as the groom is refusing to show his face on stream," the news anchor disclaimed, before moving on to the first question, "So how did you two meet?"

Rachel giggled. "It's an arranged marriage…"

"No way!" The anchor exclaimed right then. "You both look so very much in love!"

Rachel smiled shyly as she looked aside when Martin spoke, "Is there a reason arranged marriages can't be true love?"

"Oh, right, yes, apologies," the anchor quickly nodded. "So when's the wedding?"

Martin turned so that the camera only caught the side of his face, but his loving gaze was not disguised at all. "In four days. It will be the wedding of the century—you'll see."

All the livestream comments were offering their blessings, while Stacy felt her heart clenching, like a hand seized her heart and squeezed it violently.

The sun that should be offering warmth felt like it was gone, as every comment of blessing on video was a blade slicing through her flesh.

She laughed self-deprecatingly—she had nothing, and was just a caged bird, never to see the light of day.

That night, Martin returned with a box containing a dress.

Seeing that it was meant for bridesmaids, she fought back her bitterness to ask calmly, "Are you asking me to be a bridesmaid at your wedding?"

"What?" Martin blurted blankly, his heart skipping a beat as he thought Stacy caught on.

Stacy giggled and calmly repeated, "Is that not a bridesmaid's dress?"

Though relieved, Martin promptly threw the dress on the floor and exclaimed panickedly as he rushed up to hug her, "I'm sorry—I didn't know it's that type of dress. I'll get you a new dress in a few days, okay? Also, who would you be a bridesmaid to? You're the only bride for me."

Stacy calmly stayed in his arms and thought of Rachel.

-

Over the next few days, Martin stayed in the house constantly.

Stacy had no idea why at first, until the second day when she overheard him on the phone, "That's enough. I'll just placate her for now, okay? So that the wedding won't be ruined. Just be good, okay?"

Stacy smiled silently as she listened—so they were worried she had caught on and would crash their wedding.

They were truly paranoid.

Then, the night before Martin's wedding, he was holding Stacy firmly in his arms and said, "Be a good girl and don't go out tomorrow, okay? I'll have a surprise for you in the evening."

Stacy didn't want to say anything, but he was bent on her responding, so she gave him a nonchalant grunt.

Martin woke up before dawn the next morning, giving her a peck on her brow before leaving.

Stacy quietly opened her eyes, listening to his car's engine speed off into the distance.

She lay still on her side, quietly staring outside the window until daybreak.

It was when she picked up her phone that she noticed the wifi was disconnected, and the tv was as well when she tried to turn it on downstairs.

The maid came up to her then, saying nervously, "Sorry, Mrs. Spencer. There's no connection today since they're fixing the cables in the area."

Stacy stayed impossible and said quietly, "Then I'll go out for a stroll…"

The maid shook her head. "M-Mr. Spencer was asking for you to stay at home to wait for him."

Seeing how nervous the maid was, Stacy peered through the window and saw the two black-clad bodyguards steady outside.

She knew right then that Martin was keeping her grounded at home so that she wouldn't find out.

But there was no secret that could be hidden forever—even if she wasn't aware now, she would still notice eventually.

Laughing coolly, she didn't press the issue and said, "Alright. I'll go upstairs for a nap. Don't wake me unless it's important."

When she returned to her room, she packed up whatever she had left into her suitcase, and pulled out the gift box she bought, putting inside the ring and the bracelet along with a note: Congratulations on your wedding.

Then, tearing the bed sheets into slits and tying each together into a rope, she climbed down the second floor.

Martin couldn't keep her locked up, because she had never been a caged bird.

Once out of the villa, she threw away her old SIM card and inserted the new one.

Going to the company that helped her burn her accounts, she bought a plane ticket using her new identity.

Just as she was about to take a taxi to the airport, she heard someone exclaim, "Look! That's so romantic!"

She turned to see that the big screen in the middle of a square was broadcasting live from Martin's wedding.

It was so grand it really deserved to be called the wedding of the century, with Martin and Rachel looking like they were a match made in heaven as they stood together.

The people nearby were all impressed.

"It's so divine. The groom and the bride really deserve each other!"

"Yeah, and I heard the groom paid a king's ransom for the bride's wedding gift. It's as if she's a real-life princess… I'm so jealous!"

Meanwhile, the ceremony moved on to the exchanging of rings—Martin had taken off his usual ring, and hid any traces with some makeup powder.

As it was time to kiss the bride, Stacy lowered her head as her neck was sore from craning it, while lowering her baseball cap to hide her face.

Hearing the roar of approval, Martin's wedding was over, but the bride wasn't her.

Smiling self-deprecatingly, Stacy wiped away the single tear she had shed unknowingly and took a cab to the airport.

She was at the airport lobby checking the time when her phone jingled with a notification of an exclusive headline.

She tapped on it for some reason, and found her own name mentioned between Martin and Rachel, with herself being accused of being the woman who had seduced Martin and sabotaged their relationship.

So in the end, it happened—she was the other woman, subjected to public condemnation.

"How could she be so shameless?!"

"My gosh, some village bumpkin seducing the son of the Spencer family? Look in the mirror first, for goodness' sake!"

The audible harshness around her left Stacy feeling like her soul had left her, even if she knew they wouldn't recognize her.

She wasn't going to argue either, as Stacy Lynd would cease to exist after today, and she would be freed from the past.

Still, as she headed to the terminal thirty minutes before her flight, she overheard someone gasping, "Wait, the groom ran away?"

"Why? Why would he leave his bride at the altar?"

However, Stacy never stopped, determined as she kept going towards the terminal.

And when her flight finally lifted off, she had truly left everything behind to start a new life.