"Are you still mad? What I said this afternoon wasn't sincere."

I looked at Nicholas, numb, and replied flatly, "You're engaged to Tiffany. So, why are you still dating me?"

His expression remained indifferent. "I don't like her. Our marriage is a family arrangement. Love is love. Marriage is marriage. That's how wealthy families work. I thought you knew that."

I suddenly felt like laughing. "I didn't. If I knew, I never would've been with you."

I never would've given my heart to a man like this. I never would've wasted ten of the best years of my life.

Clearly annoyed, Nicholas lit a cigarette. "Ariana Hudson, you've always been a smart woman. Cinderella marrying the prince only happens in fairy tales. We're from different worlds. Dating is fine, but marriage was never possible."

He flicked the cigarette ash, unconcerned. "But that doesn't affect our relationship. My marriage to Tiffany is just for show. I'm still yours."

Looking at the man in front of me, the one treating my feelings like a joke, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. It took me a long time before I spoke. "I don't want this kind of ambiguous relationship. I'm almost 30 years old. My family wants me to have a normal marriage."

Nicholas clicked his tongue impatiently. The smoke couldn't hide the frown on his face. "If your family's rushing you, I can introduce you to someone. You can fake a marriage to deal with them. Privately, you'll still be with me."

He said it so casually. It made me so angry that I couldn't even speak. He watched me in silence.

My silence, to him, was agreement. He smiled. "Ariana, for now, we need to stay apart for a while." He stubbed the cigarette in the ashtray, then continued, "I don't want Tiffany to find out about us. I don't have feelings for her, but it matters how things look on the surface."

His gaze darkened. "I need the Leary family's resources. Ariana, be good. Don't cling to me, and don't cause me trouble. Don't ruin my plans."

I wanted to ask him, "Your plans are so important, but ten years of my life is nothing?"

Ten years. How many decades would I even get in a lifetime? The best years of my life had withered in his hands.

When I first met Nicholas, he was 24 years old, and I was 18.

That day, he had drunk too much and passed out outside a bar. I was working there just to earn two thousand dollars a month for living expenses.

Seeing him completely out of it, I helped him into the lounge and poured him a glass of water. "Drink this. It'll help."

He looked up at me. A flicker of admiration crossed his hazy gaze. "Are you that short on money that you need to work at a bar?"

I nodded. After handing him the glass, I turned to leave.

Just as I reached the door, he called out to me. "I need an assistant. You'd be a good fit."

Later, I found out that he was the son of a real estate tycoon in Astor City. That night, he had been drinking over a business deal.

He offered me a salary of 50 thousand dollars, with no experience required.

50 thousand dollars. That was enough to pay all four years of my college tuition. Enough to fix the leaking roof back home. Enough to keep me from going hungry.

So, I said yes.

I had classes every day, so I wasn't at the office often. Nicholas didn't mind. Sometimes, he'd even ask if I was tired or whether work was affecting my studies. If my classes ran late, he'd drive through heavy rain just to pick me up.

He didn't feel like a boss, more like someone pursuing me.

On my 19th birthday, Nicholas bought me a cake and gave me a necklace. The necklace was expensive, with our names engraved on it.

Even someone as slow as me understood what he meant.

Back then, I told him I was a traditional woman. I didn't like relationships that went nowhere. "Nicholas, I don't have money or a background. Don't take advantage of me."

He pinned me against the floor-to-ceiling window and kissed me. "I won't. I would never do that."

His voice was hoarse as his kisses trailed from my eyes to my neck. "I've liked you from the moment I laid my eyes on you."

Nicholas pulled me into his arms and fastened the expensive necklace around my neck. "I don't like relationships that go nowhere either."

After graduation, I helped him secure several more projects. At my busiest, I drank so much that I ended up with gastric bleeding. I worked myself like a dog, repaying his support, and trying to catch up to him.

From the ages of 19 to 29, I devoted myself to protecting our relationship, trying to become someone worthy of him.

But the one who remembered that promise was only me. Perhaps he didn't forget and just chose to pretend for the sake of his so-called "greater plans."

Nicholas acted as if everything had been perfectly arranged and casually answered a phone call.

In the quiet living room, I heard Tiffany's soft, sweet voice. "Nicholas, I miss you."

His tone turned gentle. "Wait for me."

After hanging up, he turned to look at me. "Ariana, do you remember everything I just said?"

My face was expressionless. "I remember."

Satisfied, he nodded and leaned in to ruffle my hair. The perfume scent on him made me nauseous.

"In a few days, I'll send you Chandler's contact number. He's not into women. You two can cover for each other." After saying that, he left in a hurry.

I learned that when pain reached a limit, I didn't even have tears left to cry. My eyes, dry and bloodshot, burned as I watched him disappear before me.

Yes, I remembered everything he said. But I didn't love him anymore.

Quietly, I moved into a rented apartment. I took everything with me, except that necklace.

Nicholas didn't notice. Pleased with my "obedience," he quickly sent me Chandler's number, saying, "Chandler's good-looking and has a good family background. Your parents should be satisfied. Too bad he's not into women. Otherwise, I might actually feel threatened."

I had no intention of contacting Chandler, nor did I want to deal with Nicholas anymore. After turning off my phone's notifications, I fell into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, I received a call from Chandler. His voice carried the lazy edge of just waking up, sending a jolt to my heart. "Ariana, why didn't you reply to me? I waited for you until midnight."

I bit my lip, unsure what to say.

Chandler was Nicholas' uncle and the largest shareholder of Greene Group. He was not someone I could afford to offend. I racked my brain, thinking of how to refuse.

"If you don't respond, how am I supposed to return your ring? It's pretty expensive, right? Even secondhand, it'd go for at least 40 thousand dollars."

That was when I remembered that the ring I'd saved up for was still with him. It cost me 70 thousand dollars. My chest tightened at the thought. I dropped my hesitation and replied, "I was really tired last night and fell asleep. I didn't see the message."

Chandler let out a soft chuckle. "Mmm. Well, you can reply now."

For some reason, I suddenly felt like he could see right through me. "Okay."

That was how we ended up texting each other.

He sent me a location and said, "See you tonight."

I replied politely, "Okay."

At 7:00 pm, I arrived on time. Just as I reached the restaurant entrance, my phone rang.

It was Tiffany. She sounded like she was crying on the other end. "Ariana, I hit someone. I don't dare to tell Nicholas. Can you come help me?"

My heart jolted. I immediately replied, "Okay. Don't panic. I'm on my way."

If not for Nicholas, Tiffany and I would've been good friends. I sent Chandler a message and rushed out.

When I arrived at the scene, there was blood everywhere. But Tiffany herself was uninjured.

"Tiffany, what happened?"

She clutched the hem of my clothes tightly. "I'm not used to driving yet. I ran a red light."

I frowned. "Where's the person you hit? Did you call an ambulance?"

As I reached for my phone, she snatched it away and smashed it to the ground. "We can't call them!"

Her breathing was ragged, her gaze fierce. "I'm about to get married. There can't be any scandal."

Looking at my shattered phone, I said coldly, "Tiffany, this is someone's life. You can't do this."

She slowly forced out the words, "But I hit her really badly."

I froze. A bad feeling surged through me.

"She's in the trunk."

The surroundings were dead silent. No one else was around.

I yanked the trunk open. The person lying inside made my whole body go cold. It was my mom.

My blood seemed to freeze. I was unable to move.

Just two days ago, she'd told me to get more rest. Now, she lay twisted inside the cramped trunk, wearing the blouse I bought her in college. Her graying hair was soaked in blood.

My hands trembled as I lifted her out. She was so thin. It felt like I was holding nothing at all.

Tiffany stared at me in shock. Her voice slithered into my ears like a venomous snake. "Ariana, are you insane?"

Ignoring her, I took off my coat and pressed it against the torn wound in my mom's abdomen. "Call an ambulance. Now! The person you hit is my mother!"

Tiffany's eyes widened. Shaken, she stumbled back.

After hesitating, she finally made the call. But the voice on the other end was Nicholas'. "Hello?"

With reddened eyes, Tiffany spoke in a pitiful tone. "Nicholas, I hit someone. What should I do?"

He paused, not saying anything. I couldn't hold back anymore and practically screamed, "Nicholas, she hit my mom! If you have any feelings left, call the police and an ambulance right now! Otherwise, I'll hate you for the rest of my life."

Nicholas, still maintaining his composure, replied coldly, "Ariana, what feelings are you talking about? Can't you make the call yourself?"

He then turned back to comforting Tiffany, "Don't be scared. I'll handle it. At worst, we'll pay compensation."

My eyes burned red as I stared at Tiffany in disbelief. She was crying so prettily. Yet, there was a trace of satisfaction in her eyes as she said to him, "You're the best."

My mother's body was growing colder. I lifted her into my arms, kicked off my heels, and ran barefoot down the road.

Just as Tiffany tried to stop me, a black Bentley pulled up in front of her. Chandler stepped out, took my mother from my arms, placed her into the car, and sped toward the hospital with me. I was on the verge of collapse.

Chandler ran every red light. A drive that should've taken over 40 minutes was cut down to 20 minutes.

Only after my mother was rushed into the emergency room did all the strength leave my body. I collapsed onto the floor.

"Don't worry. She'll be okay." Chandler, drenched in sweat, spoke. When I looked down, I noticed his palms were scraped.

"Thank you."

He shook his head, then neither of us spoke again. We waited anxiously outside the operating room.

Two hours passed. Every second of it felt endless.

Close to midnight, the operating room light finally went out. The lead surgeon stepped out, looking relieved. "The patient is out of immediate danger."

Tears filled my eyes instantly. Chandler pulled me into his embrace, gently patting my shoulder. "It's okay. It's okay."

My tears soaked through his shirt. That hug felt warmer than anything else in the world.

After a week of observation, my mom was finally transferred to a regular ward.

During that time, Nicholas came to see me. He handed me a bank card. "This is compensation."

Looking at the card, fury surged through me. "Nicholas, I'll accept compensation, but it has to come from Tiffany. She needs to take responsibility."

Nicholas clicked his tongue. "What's mine is hers. Ariana, what are you pretending for? Back when we first got together, you never hesitated to take my money. Weren't you with me for the money anyway?"

At that moment, my blood ran cold. I stood up and slapped him across the face. I never imagined this was how he saw me.

"Nicholas Greene, I became your assistant for money. But I didn't stay with you because of it." I let out a slow breath, then finally said the words, "Let's break up."