More than a dozen trucks were needed to clear every antique out of Kristine's house.

Standing inside the nearly vacant space, Kristine felt a strange sense of relief settle over her.

Reaching for her phone, she checked the calendar and only then noticed something she had completely overlooked. The day before her departure happened to be her birthday.

Over time, every day of celebration had turned painful for her, because each one inevitably came with a call from Elyse to Colton, and that was how she ended up forgetting her own birthday altogether.

Still, once Colton was out of her life, she could finally return to something resembling normalcy.

That night, she went to sleep holding onto that fragile hope. When morning came, she headed to a house. She and Colton had planned to live there after they got married.

Originally, Colton had purchased the house in full, yet she had insisted on paying half.

In her mind, a place could only be called home if both of them contributed to it equally.

Back then, she had little cash available, but she still chose to sell her most treasured pair of ceramic figurines. They had been truly irreplaceable.

After she entered the passcode, the lock flashed an error.

A frown immediately crossed her face.

She herself had chosen the passcode. It was made by combining both of their birthdays.

There was no logical reason for it to fail.

Suddenly, a middle-aged woman's voice came from inside the house. "Who is it?"

Seconds later, the door opened slightly, and a confused face appeared.

Caution crept into her tone as Kristine asked, "Who are you?"

Without hesitation, the woman replied, "And who might you be?"

Brushing past her, Kristine stepped inside and caught sight of Elyse emerging from the bedroom in a nightgown.

It became painfully clear that Elyse was already living there.

Annoyance surged through Kristine as she asked, "Who allowed you to move into this house?"

Seeing Kristine did not surprise Elyse in the least.

She had chosen to move in on purpose, fully aware of what this place meant to Kristine.

With a calm smile, Elyse replied, "Colton told me to live here. Don't you understand yet? I'm the only one who matters to him."

Elyse waited, expecting Kristine to lose her temper, but instead, Kristine calmly pulled out her phone and dialed property management. "Hello, this is the homeowner. There is an unauthorized occupant in my house. How exactly are you handling your responsibilities?"

Nearly an hour passed before someone finally arrived.

Instead of property management, the person who walked in was Colton.

A cold presence clung to him as he stepped inside, his sharp features hardened by impatience. The moment he noticed Kristine, irritation flashed openly in his eyes. "What are you causing trouble over this time?"

A sudden ache struck Kristine's chest, and the pressure made it hard to breathe.

She had honestly believed she would feel nothing.

With restrained anger, she snapped back, "This is our house. What gives you the right to decide on your own and let her move in?"

The air between them grew heavy with tension.

Watching from the side, Elyse appeared more than pleased with how things were unfolding.

She put on a fragile expression and spoke gently, stirring things further. "Colton, I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I didn't realize this was the place you shared with her. I'll move out immediately."

Suddenly, she pressed a hand to her chest and began coughing hard, as though she might faint at any second.

Without hesitation, Colton rushed to her side and held her up. "Kristine, can you try to be reasonable for once?"

The sight of his hand supporting Elyse sent another sharp pain through Kristine. When Kristine spoke again, her voice sounded unexpectedly calm. "She doesn't have to leave. I paid for half of this house. Just return that half to me in cash, and we'll be done."

She had been worried about how to deal with the house.

Now, the problem had resolved itself.

Kristine's sudden rationality was exactly what Colton wanted, yet for some reason, it left him feeling uneasy.

"No problem. I'll have Bobby transfer the money to you once I get back," he said.

"Okay." After that, Kristine turned and left without looking back.

As Colton watched her retreating figure, a flicker of panic rose in his chest, but he quickly pushed it down.

Kristine loved him deeply. Even if she was upset, it was nothing serious. She would work through it on her own.

Later that afternoon, a transfer from Colton appeared in Kristine's account.

The figure totaled ten million, an amount that doubled what she had originally paid for the house.

Despite his many shortcomings, Colton had never been the type to hold back when it came to money.

Not long after the transfer, a message from him came through. "I will pick you up tomorrow."

There was no room for discussion in his words. It was a declaration.

This was how he had always behaved.

The message contained only a few words, offering no hint about their destination or who else might be present.

To him, adding details clearly felt unnecessary.

Without giving it much thought, Kristine dismissed the message. She slipped her phone away and returned to preparing everything she needed for her departure.

At exactly ten the following morning, Colton's car arrived downstairs on schedule.

Genuine surprise crossed his face when he realized Kristine was staying in her own house. "Aren't you living in Crestwood?"

Colton's villa was located in a neighborhood called Crestwood.

Kristine had only been permitted to move in during the third year of their relationship.

In contrast, rumors said that on the very first night Colton met Elyse, he had already brought her there.

That alone showed the gap between being cherished and merely tolerated.

With little emotion, Kristine answered, "I stayed there long enough. I got tired of it."

No further comment came from Colton, and the car filled with silence.

About thirty minutes later, the vehicle finally stopped in front of a high-end car dealership.

A brief emotion flashed through Kristine's gaze.

Just a month ago, an automotive company revealed a brand-new sports car to the public.

She had fallen in love with it instantly and had brought it up to Colton more times than she could count.

Since the model had not yet gone into mass production, only three units existed in the entire world.

Not long ago, this dealership had secured one of them, and the news had quickly spread everywhere.

Excitement surged in Kristine's chest as she stepped out of the car and followed Colton inside.

The instant she entered and noticed Elyse encircled by staff like the focal point of the room, her mood collapsed completely.

Just as Kristine was about to leave, Elyse spoke up in a gentle, deliberately sweet tone. "Colton, Kristine, you're here!"

Gesturing toward the very sports car Kristine adored, Elyse continued, "I've already chosen one, Colton. I want this one. Is that alright?"

Affection colored Colton's voice as he answered, "Sure."

When his gaze shifted to Kristine, the softness disappeared entirely. "You can choose one as well."

Kristine shifted her gaze toward Elyse, whose expression openly carried pride and provocation. Lifting her hand, she responded calmly, "I want this one as well."

A frown appeared on Colton's face. "Pick something else."

Without backing down, Kristine answered with resolve, "This is the one I want."

As she watched Kristine slip back into what she considered her former stubbornness, a faint curve appeared at Elyse's lips.

A glance was enough for Elyse, since she knew Colton would not approve.

As expected, Colton's expression tightened. "Don't be unreasonable, Kristine. There are so many cars here. Why can't you just choose a different one?"

Gently, Kristine echoed his words. "Right. Why can't I just choose another one?"

After that, she raised her head, and a bright smile slowly formed. "Don't be so tense. I was only joking. Of course, I wouldn't compete with your precious sweetheart. I want this one instead."

Following the direction of Kristine's gesture, Elyse turned to look, and her expression immediately darkened.

What Kristine had chosen was another sports car, one with a price tag of one hundred million.

"Miss Lloyd!" the dealership manager shouted when he saw Elyse collapse to the floor.

Before anyone else could react, Colton was already in motion. He rushed straight to her, lifted her into his arms, and carried her out without hesitation.

A trace of ridicule slowly spread across Kristine's lips.

After Colton drove away, she was left with no option except to find a cab on her own.

Unfortunately, getting a taxi near the dealership proved to be nearly impossible.

Wearing her high heels, Kristine walked for an entire hour before she flagged down a taxi.

Seated inside the car, she looked down at her sore, blistered feet and let out a quiet sigh of relief.

At least the pain stayed in her feet, because her heart remained untouched.

...

Since the incident at the dealership, several days passed without Kristine crossing paths with Colton.

There was no reason for her to reach out or ask about him.

Elyse took it upon herself to deliver every detail anyway.

"At 9:05 this morning, Colton sat with me and spoon-fed my soup. He was so careful."

"By 6:23 this evening, Colton peeled an orange just for me. It looks perfect. Do you want a bite? What a shame you will never get the chance."

Under the message, Elyse attached a photo of the neatly peeled orange.

"At 10:35 tonight, Colton is lying beside me and already asleep."

Beneath that text was a photo showing Colton resting on the bed next to Elyse, his arm supporting his weight as he leaned close.

Kristine skimmed through the messages before dropping her phone back into her bag.

Maybe she had already gone numb, because Elyse's constant updates about Colton now felt no different from watching a ridiculous drama.

After opening the car door, she stepped out and headed straight into K&C Entertainment.

K&C Entertainment had once been built by her and Colton side by side.

At the beginning, her reason for doing so was simple: she wanted something that would bind her closer to him.

She truly thought that creating a company together would make it harder for Colton to walk away from their relationship.

What she never expected was that it would eventually become the chain that trapped her instead.

"You're planning to leave for Peudon?" Vance Bailey, the VP, looked at Kristine with open disbelief. "Does Colton know anything about this?"

Without hesitation, Kristine answered, "I haven't told him yet. I need you to keep this confidential."

"Naturally." Vance nodded, though disbelief still lingered on his face. "Weren't you completely devoted to Colton? Are you really able to walk away from him like this?"

For seven long years, Kristine had stayed by Colton's side. She had handed over the most precious years of her life without holding anything back.

"I'm done with him," Kristine said calmly. "Once I leave, I will hand over the remaining work related to the company's equity division to you. I really hate to bring you trouble like this."

"There is no need to sound so distant," Vance replied, lowering his head as a faint look of satisfaction passed through his eyes. "We graduated from the same school, after all. I was able to join the company because you strongly recommended me."

A quiet sense of appreciation rose in Kristine as she faced Vance.

In truth, while the company was registered under her name, the burden of keeping it alive had fallen squarely on his shoulders.

Without his efforts holding everything together, the business would have fallen apart a long time ago.

After making one final round through the office space, Kristine made the decision to leave.

At the entrance of the building, Vance walked her out himself and stood there until her car disappeared from view, only then turning back upstairs with reluctance.

...

During the drive, Kristine unlocked her phone and marked off the second-to-last note on her list, which was the division of the company's equity.

Soon after, her attention shifted to the final task waiting beneath it, which was moving out of Colton's villa in Crestwood.

Once that step was completed, there would be nothing left tying her to Colton.

The drive continued without a single word spoken.

Inside the car, the air slowly became stifling and tense.

As soon as she arrived at his villa, Kristine went straight up to the second floor.

When Kristine stepped inside, the household staff behaved as though she did not exist, and no one came forward to acknowledge her presence.

Everyone in the house was aware that Colton did not love her.

Since the day she moved in, he had rarely returned home.

Instead of heading to the master bedroom, Kristine went straight to the guest room, because she and Colton had been sleeping in separate rooms.

Inside the closet were rows of clothes from well-known luxury brands. Every single piece had been given to her by Colton.

To Kristine, none of it carried any meaning.

Slowly, she crouched down and dragged her suitcase out from beneath the bed.

Just as she began placing items inside, a sharp car horn sounded from outside downstairs.

"Mr. Yates."

Polite voices floated upward from the front entrance.

Colton had come back.

At once, Kristine shoved the suitcase back to where it had been.

She had no intention of letting him find out that she was preparing to leave.

Once she finished what she was doing, Kristine raised her head and found him standing at the doorway, his tall frame filling the space.

Weariness lingered in his eyes, yet the soft glow of the hallway lights sharpened his features and made him undeniably striking.

For a moment, Kristine forgot to breathe.

"What are you doing?" Colton asked, fixing her with a penetrating look that felt impossible to hide from.

Blocking the suitcase with her body, Kristine answered, "I was trying to find something."

Without pressing further, Colton stepped inside the room.

"The past few days have been a mess," he said. "I spoke with Bobby earlier. I'm free on the nineteenth, so we will get married that day."

Once again, he spoke as though he were delivering a decision rather than opening a discussion.

With a slight tilt of her head, Kristine responded, "The nineteenth happens to be my birthday."

A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes before disappearing.

"I already made plans for that day," she continued.

"You usually do not celebrate your birthday, right?" he said.

He had simply never marked the occasion with her.

That realization stayed unspoken, yet it kept circling in her thoughts.

"Then we can choose a different date." After saying that, Colton adjusted his tie and walked toward the bathroom.

Roughly half an hour passed before he stepped back out, the warmth of the shower still clinging to him.

A towel was wrapped loosely around his waist.

Beads of water traced a slow path from his chest down over his defined abdomen.

Those contours had once stirred something fierce in Kristine, but now they left her unmoved.

From across the room, Colton watched her sit with her head lowered while she scrolled through her phone.

A faint crease appeared between his brows.

There was a time when showing off his physique would make Kristine hurry over, unable to resist touching him.

"We should sleep." With that, Colton reached over and turned off the lights.

Surrounded by darkness, Kristine rose to her feet. "I should get going."

A frown settled on Colton's face as he watched the door swing open and then shut.

Darkness filled the room once more.

For an instant, unease gripped him, yet he forced it down and convinced himself that everything would remain under control.

...

Over the following days, Kristine did not catch even a glimpse of Colton.

From what Vance told her, Colton had likely left town for a business trip.

Not even Vance had managed to get in touch with him during that time.

If this had happened before, the news would have crushed Kristine.

This time, however, it felt like a small mercy.

Because Colton was away, she finally had the opportunity to visit his villa and gather her things in peace.

Very little there actually belonged to her.

What remained were mostly items she had bought for Colton, including matching watches, clothes, a stuffed bear, and other things like that.

To Colton, all of it had seemed immature, so he had shoved everything into the farthest corner of the wardrobe.

One by one, Kristine pulled those items out and placed them carefully into her suitcase.

With the suitcase packed until it could hold no more, she walked out of the villa for the last time.

A member of the household staff noticed her departure but assumed she was leaving for work and did not stop to ask questions.

Before she realized it, the nineteenth had arrived.

By then, Kristine had already settled everything that needed her attention.

All she had left to do was wait for the twentieth and finally leave Gridron behind.

That night, Kristine went by herself to a cake shop in the city. She carried the small cake to a nearby park, chose a quiet corner, and ate it slowly on her own.

The sweetness lingered on her tongue.

This time, there was no need to worry about Colton leaving halfway through.

Leaning back, she lifted her gaze toward the darkened sky, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

At that moment, a sharp explosion sounded above her as fireworks suddenly bloomed across the sky.

Colors exploded across the sky as fireworks bloomed in dazzling patterns above her.

Kristine remained there for so long that her neck began to ache before the final burst faded into silence.

A sudden vibration broke the stillness.

Reaching into her bag, Kristine pulled out her phone and checked the screen.

A message from Colton appeared. "Did you like the fireworks? Happy birthday."

Tears rushed up without warning, blurring Kristine's vision, because she had never received a birthday wish from Colton before.

She never imagined that the first one would arrive on what was meant to be her very last day in this city.

After opening the message, Kristine had barely finished typing the word "thanks" when a new alert appeared on her screen.

The notification turned out to be a photo sent by Elyse.

With a light tap, Kristine opened it and saw an image of a slice of cake.

"Colton baked this cake for me with his own hands. I heard today is your birthday, so I deliberately asked him to make one just for me. I get to eat birthday cake, and you do not. What a pity for the birthday girl!"

While reading the message, the tears that had filled Kristine's eyes slowly disappeared.

Switching to Colton's chat, she typed out a short reply. "I want you to make a cake for me."

Once the message was sent, silence followed without any reply.

Only after midnight did a response from Colton finally come through. "I do not know how to make a cake. If there is anything you want to eat, I can ask Bobby to buy it for you."

A bitter laugh slipped from Kristine.

Was it truly because he did not know how to bake, or was it simply because he did not want to do it for her?

Her eyes drifted to the scar on her wrist, which had already begun to fade, and her smile slowly grew heavier.

Back when she was at home, cooking had never been something she needed to do.

However, to make Colton happy, she had taught herself to prepare all of his favorite dishes.

Even when her fingers were cut or blisters formed from burns, she endured it and refused to stop.

"No need," Kristine texted.

From that moment on, she no longer needed anything from him.

...

The morning after, Kristine walked downstairs and froze when she noticed Colton already there.

A sudden unease tightened in her chest.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"In case you forgot, yesterday was your birthday. I had something important to handle, so I could not stay with you," Colton replied in an even tone. "That is why I am making it up to you today."

A muted scoff echoed in Kristine's mind.

To him, being with Elyse was clearly what mattered most.

"There is no need for that," she said. "I already made plans for today."

Colton rose to his feet, his tall figure seeming to press down on the space around them. "Are you keeping something from me?"

Lately, Kristine had been far too composed. That calmness made him uneasy.

They used to argue over Elyse all the time, sometimes every few days without fail.

Kristine held his gaze and speaking without hesitation. "No."

Colton examined the stubborn look in her eyes, and a sense of unease slowly tightened his chest, making him feel as though something unpleasant was about to unfold.

"Come with me," he said. "You can decide where we go."

Before Kristine could turn him down, the moment slipped away.

Without warning, Colton seized her arm and ushered her straight into the car.

Her flight was set for eight that evening.

There was still enough time left.

More importantly, there was one place she wanted to see again before everything ended.

Following Kristine's directions, the car eventually stopped at the main entrance of Gridron University.

Surprise flickered across Colton's face as he took in the familiar buildings. "Why did you bring me here?"

"This is where I once confessed my feelings to you." Kristine spoke as she gestured toward a large stone nearby.

On campus, that stone was known as the wishing stone.

People believed that standing beside it and making a wish would ensure it came true.

At that time, her only wish had been to become Colton's girlfriend. In the end, that wish was fulfilled.

What never followed was his love.

Colton's eyes shifted in the same direction as hers, and the memory slowly resurfaced.

On that day, Kristine had been a little drunk. She burst out from behind the stone, clutched his collar, and declared without hesitation, "Colton, I like you. Will you be my boyfriend?"

Back then, Colton was one of the most sought-after people on campus.

Whether in Gridron or Peudon, there was never a lack of people chasing after him.

However, having a tipsy girl confess so boldly was a first for him.

Finding it entertaining, he replied on purpose, "Sure."

Clarity returned to Kristine's eyes at once, but shock rooted her to the spot.

Before he had the chance to tease her any further, Elyse called him.

When he came back later, he finally realized what it felt like to have a girlfriend.

In the beginning, Colton had found Kristine's nonstop talking irritating.

Over time, however, her constant presence slowly became something he was used to.

There was even a moment when she fell ill and did not seek him out, and he felt an unexpected sense of emptiness.

A sharp stir of emotion hit Colton.

Turning his head, he looked at Kristine sitting beside him.

Since when had she grown so silent?

Looking back, it seemed to start after he repeatedly insisted on flying to Eyling, no matter how strongly she objected.

Initially, she had argued with him heatedly. Later, her resistance faded. Eventually, she stopped arguing with him about Elyse at all.

That realization struck his chest once more.

"Kristine, Elyse's return was because—" he said.

"This place is where we went on our first date," Kristine interjected. She opened the car door and stepped out. She didn't want to hear Elyse's name.

A moment later, Colton got out and followed her.

Pausing her steps, Kristine came to a halt in front of a small stall that sold chili dogs.

As the heir to the wealthiest family in Gridron, Colton had grown up under strict expectations and careful supervision.

Food from the streets had never been something he would willingly touch.

Kristine, however, loved pulling him through cramped alleys and sampling local snacks with him.

This stall had been the very first place she ever brought him to eat.

The memory of Colton's expression twisting in obvious disgust when the chili dog was handed to him still lingered vividly in her mind.

"Two chili dogs, please," Kristine said, snapping back to the present and placing the order just as she had done years ago.

"All right. It will only take a moment," the owner answered.

Seeing such an eye-catching pair together was a first for him, so he stared briefly before remembering to move.

Even though four years had gone by, Kristine could still recall this place with striking clarity.

Colton's gaze stayed on Kristine, his throat bobbing slightly as he spoke. "We could go back to how things were at the beginning."

No more fights. No more cold silences. How perfect that sounded.

A faint trace of irony curved Kristine's lips. "If Elyse had never existed, then maybe we could have."

Reality, however, never allowed room for such possibilities.

"Elyse's situation will be resolved soon," Colton said with certainty as he held onto Kristine's hands. "We can return to how things were before."

Only at that moment did he notice how cold her hands felt.

The fear rising in his chest made his grip tighten instinctively. "Kristine, believe me. We can make this work."

Something within Kristine wavered.

"There is no chance left anymore. Tonight I—"

Her words were cut off when Colton's phone suddenly rang.

The sound came from Elyse's exclusive ringtone.

A faint smile lingered on Kristine's lips as she quietly mocked herself for believing him even briefly, and for thinking they could ever go back to the past.

Without hesitation, Colton answered the call.

The voice that came through was not Elyse's. It belonged to her attending physician, Brent Walsh. "Colton, you need to come to the hospital immediately. Elyse's heart condition has worsened, and she truly needs you here right now."

Colton's face turned rigid. "I understand."

After that, he turned around and walked away.

Kristine kept her eyes on his departing figure, the same faint smile still resting on her face.

Her emotions did not waver.

No matter whether Colton appeared today or not, she had already decided to walk the entire food street they once visited together, from beginning to end.

At the time, Kristine had been completely unaware of Elyse's existence.

She truly believed that Colton loved her as well, which was why he had indulged all of her playful behavior.

It was only much later that she finally saw the truth clearly.

Leaving the food street behind, Kristine stepped away and paused to cast one final glance at the bustling crowd, then she turned around and headed straight for the airport without looking back.

By seven thirty that evening, Kristine had already arrived at the airport.

While she waited to board, a message from Colton came through. "Are you still at Gridron University? I'm on my way there!"

She did not respond. Instead, she cut off every possible way for Colton to reach her.