I'm the daughter of the richest man in the world, constantly surrounded by countless exceptional men. Yet I fall in love with Lance Hartley, a man who has nothing.

I hide my identity and pursue him, staying by his side for six years and helping him become the company's chairman. Everyone knows I'm his girlfriend and assumes I'll be the one he marries.

But he abandons me and proposes to Ella Monroe, the famous movie star.

The man who once swore to love me for all eternity kneels and publicly declares his feelings for her, vowing he won't marry anyone but her in this lifetime.

Puzzled, my dad confronts him and demands an explanation. "Your girlfriend is clearly Lisa. Why would you marry someone else?"

Lance's expression turns cold and disdainful.

"She's just some poor woman with no family, no connections, no influence. Sure, she stuck by me through the hard times, but she's not wife material. Besides, she's not even in Ella's league. Why would I settle for her?"

Hiding behind the door, I feel my heart shatter. In that moment, I finally understand that I'm someone he can discard at any time.

I look at my heartbroken dad and smile bitterly. "Dad, I lost."

I accept the arranged marriage Dad sets up for me. But just as I'm about to marry someone else, Lance kneels before me, full of regret and remorse.

"Lis, I was wrong. Please don't marry him."

The night wind cut through the air, scattering what remained of my passion and fantasies about love.

I looked at my heartbroken dad and smiled bitterly. "Dad, I lost."

Dad gently patted the back of my head, comforting me. "In five days, Peter will come and marry you."

I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes and nodded firmly. After seeing Dad off, I quietly returned to my room.

Before long, my boyfriend, Lance Hartley, opened the door and came in. Seeing me standing by the window, he wrapped his arms around me from behind. His breathing grew rapid as he kissed my neck, his hands already restlessly slipping under my clothes, caressing my skin.

Feeling his desire, I softened my body and let him do as he pleased. But he was like an insatiable, ravenous wolf, taking me again and again until I drowned in waves of sensation.

As I drifted toward sleep, he kissed my cheek, his voice barely a whisper. "Babe, why don't you go abroad to study?"

I opened my reddened eyes, struggling to control my emotions. "What about you?"

His gaze deepened as he smiled. "I'll wait for you here."

I nodded slightly, lowering my eyes to hide the disappointment in them.

He wasn't telling the truth. He wouldn't wait for me, and he would marry someone else.

I was the daughter of the richest man in the world and was constantly surrounded by countless exceptional men. Yet I fell in love with Lance, who had nothing.

I hid my identity and pursued him, staying by his side for six years to help him become the company's chairman. Everyone knew I was his girlfriend and assumed I would be the one he married.

But he abandoned me and proposed to Ella Monroe, the famous movie star.

The man who once swore that he would love me for life knelt publicly and declared his feelings for another woman, vowing he wouldn't marry anyone but her in this lifetime.

Dad confronted him and asked what puzzled him the most. "You're clearly dating Lisa. Why would you marry someone else?"

Lance's expression turned cold and disdainful.

"She's just some poor woman with no family, no connections, no influence. Sure, she stuck by me through the hard times, but she's not wife material. Besides, she's not even in Ella's league. Why would I settle for her?"

Hiding behind the door, I felt my heart break into pieces. In that moment, I finally understood he saw me as someone he could discard at any time.

When I remained silent, Lance sighed helplessly. "Don't worry, I won't let you suffer any hardships. I'll cover all your expenses abroad."

He paused, then added, "But you can't show up in front of Ella. I care about her a lot, and I won't allow anyone to come between us. Especially not you."

Even though he spoke gently, I heard the warning beneath his words. I took a deep breath and looked at him seriously before saying, "Okay."

He exhaled with relief and pulled me into a tight embrace. "I'll stay with you tonight."

But the moment those words left his mouth, his phone rang. Seeing that it was Ella calling, he immediately released me and answered the call.

"Honey, my stomach hurts so badly. Please come take me to the hospital!"

Lance jumped up anxiously, grabbed his jacket, and rushed out. He was in such a hurry that he forgot to put on his socks.

I stared at his retreating figure, feeling somewhat dazed. He really was in love with Ella.

I had known for a long time that she held a place in his heart, but I still pursued him recklessly six years ago. I wanted nothing more than to be by his side.

Back then, he was just an ordinary employee clawing his way up from the bottom, someone anyone could bully. I fiercely confronted everyone who mistreated him.

Once, one of his colleagues framed him for stealing a proposal. I fought desperately to snatch the USB drive containing the evidence, but I accidentally fell down the stairs and got a concussion. Thankfully, we found the proposal on the USB and cleared his name.

Another time, some colleagues ganged up on him. Just as one of them raised a knife to stab him, I threw myself in front of him to block it. The blade pierced my abdomen, damaging my uterus so severely that I would never be able to have children.

At the time, Lance held my blood-soaked body tearfully and promised, "Babe, I'll never let you down in this lifetime."

I thought he had fallen in love with me. After pouring all my love into him for six years, I never expected that all I would get was him saying I wasn't worthy and that I wasn't even in Ella's league.

How ridiculous!

No matter how hard I tried, I could never take Ella's place in his heart. If that was the case, there was no reason for me to keep loving him.

This was the end of the road for us.

I couldn't sleep.

No matter how hard I tried to force myself, sleep evaded me. My mind kept conjuring images of Lance and Ella together.

Even though I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I knew he must be holding her with the utmost tenderness, comforting her. In the end, I simply got up and started packing my things, preparing to leave.

…

The next day, I was jolted awake by noises coming from the room next door. Irritated, I got out of bed.

When I opened the door, I saw the maids moving out a piano while chatting amongst themselves.

"Are we really throwing this piano away? What if Ms. Cooper asks about it?"

"She's leaving anyway. Why should we care?"

"Exactly. The new Mrs. Hartley is moving in soon, and this room needs to be converted into her walk-in closet. Everything has to go."

My heart clenched, and I stepped forward to stop them. "Don't throw it away!"

But Lance grabbed my arm and said carelessly, "It's just a piano. Just get rid of it. You can buy a new one abroad."

My brows furrowed slightly, disappointment flashing in my eyes. He had completely forgotten that this was the birthday gift he got me with his very first paycheck.

I had always treasured it, but apparently that didn't matter anymore. I lowered my eyes, pulled my arm free, and took a deep breath before agreeing. "Fine. Throw it away then."

His gaze remained indifferent, and his tone was cold as he added, "The house also needs to be cleared out for renovations. Your ticket is booked for three days from now, so you need to move to a hotel in the meantime."

I stared at him in shock, not expecting him to kick me out so quickly. His gaze was serious, without a trace of warmth. To him, I was probably nothing more than a pet he had grown tired of.

When the maids drove me away, my mood was still heavy. Watching Lance stand at the entrance, personally overseeing the renovations and utterly invested in his wedding preparations, I smiled bitterly.

A searing pain spread through my chest, as if someone were jabbing needles into my heart over and over, bleeding me dry.

The car stopped halfway up the mountain. I looked at the driver in confusion just as the door was yanked open from outside. Two bodyguards roughly dragged me out.

Seeing Ella standing by the roadside with an arrogant air about her, I suddenly felt uneasy.

She was beautiful and alluring—the kind of woman who was born to be a star. It was no wonder Lance had been in love with her for so many years.

When she saw me, she looked me up and down with obvious contempt.

"Lance was right. You're nothing special. Just a plain, homely woman who can never fit into high society. No wonder he's only ever treated you like a plaything even after all these years you spent by his side."

I frowned, responding in displeasure, "Well, I guess you'll be the plaything now."

Her expression darkened, and she slapped me across the face.

"You're nothing but a shameless woman, while I'm the one he truly loves. You'd better be smart and disappear forever. Don't ever show your face in front of us again."

My cheek stung sharply, and my eyes turned cold. Without hesitation, I slapped her right back.

She froze, clutching her face before shrieking in fury. "You hit me!"

Ella raised her hand to strike me again, but I shoved her away. She stumbled back several steps and lost her balance, falling to the ground.

Furious, she pointed at me and barked at the bodyguards, "Hit her! Hit her hard!"

As the bodyguards raised their hands menacingly, I shouted sternly, "I'm still Lance's woman. Do you dare to lay a hand on me?"

The bodyguards hesitated.

Just then, Lance came running over and helped Ella up from the ground, his face full of concern.

"Ella, are you hurt?"

Ella bit her lip pitifully and held out her hands, scraped raw by the rocks, for him to see. His expression immediately darkened, and his sharp gaze swept toward me.

I opened my mouth to explain, but before I could speak, his hand swung through the air and struck my face hard.

"They might not dare to hit you, but I do!"

A sharp pain spread across my face, and blood trickled from the corner of my mouth. I turned my head to wipe the blood away, my mind reeling from the shock.

I found myself laughing through my tears. I never expected Lance would actually hit me for Ella.

Six years ago, when I threw myself in front of that knife for him, he promised no one would ever hurt me again. He swore he would protect me for the rest of my life. But now he was protecting someone else and hurting me instead.

He had changed after all. Or perhaps I had never really known him to begin with.

Ella clutched his arm tightly, her voice pitiful as she said, "Honey, she pushed me."

Lance glared at me, his voice sharp with accusation. "Lisa, do you think just because you've been by my side for years, you can bully her? Didn't I tell you not to show up in front of her?"

I pressed my lips together and said nothing. He stepped closer and gripped my chin forcefully, making me look up at him.

"From now on, stay away when you see her. If you dare bully her again, I'll break both your hands."

Tears fell uncontrollably from my eyes, dropping one by one onto the back of his hand. But he remained unmoved. The coldness in his eyes couldn't have been any colder.

I bit my lip hard, digging my nails into my palms as I tried to suppress the grief welling up inside me. Seeing the stubborn yet desolate look in my eyes, he finally released me.

I wiped away my useless tears and turned to leave. But after just a few steps, I heard Ella's wounded voice call out.

"Wait. Give me the ring on your finger."

I stopped in my tracks, my gaze involuntarily drawn to the ring on my finger. This was a Hartley family heirloom Lance gave me after I took that knife for him.

Back then, I lay in the ER, covered in blood. Even the doctors said there was no hope for me. Lance pushed past everyone into the ER, fell to his knees in front of me, and cried out my name.

Everyone told him there was no hope and to let me go, but he refused, shaking me again and again. He even promised to marry me and slipped his family's heirloom ring on my finger.

"You have to marry me. You're not allowed to die. Do you hear me? You're not allowed to die!"

At the sound of his desperate, anguished cries, my heart began to respond.

The doctors immediately launched another round of resuscitation efforts. After a few harrowing minutes, my heartbeat stabilized. I managed to survive once the surgery was over.

After that, I never took the ring off. It stayed on my finger all this time.

And now, Ella wanted it.

I instinctively looked at Lance, seeking his opinion. He hesitated for just a moment before saying, "Give it to her."

I froze for a second. The sorrow in my eyes gradually settled into calm. I quickly removed the ring and dropped it on the ground.

Seeing what I did, he grew furious. Through gritted teeth, he snarled, "Lisa, is this how you treat something I gave you? You just threw it away?"

I looked at him with cold, desolate eyes. "Didn't you tell me to give it to her?"

He snapped back angrily, "But you don't have to be so rude about it!"

I smiled coldly. "We're done. What right do you have to tell me what to do?"

He looked taken aback. Though he was clearly furious and ready to explode, he found himself at a loss for words when he saw the reckless expression on my face.

Just then, the sharp crack of gunfire echoed in the distance. A fierce gust of wind cut past my ear. The gunfire drew closer, and everyone present scattered in panic.

Lance looked worried and started to move toward me, but Ella's terrified cry stopped him.

"Lance, I'm scared! Save me!"

He immediately pulled her down and covered her body with his, shielding her from the incoming gunfire.

I didn't move. When the bullet pierced through my chest, the pain left me completely drained. All the love, hate, and resentment suddenly felt meaningless. I supposed when death was this close, nothing else mattered.

As I fell, I looked at Lance one last time. He held Ella tightly against him, his hands carefully cradling the back of her head, terrified she might get hurt.