Catherine gave me a hard slap and glared at me. “You’re such a letdown! You’ve been through so many hardships with him over the years. Now that he’s rich, you’re leaving him?!”

I was twenty-six years old. Joseph was still a nobody when I started dating him.

I stayed by his side as he started his business and attended social gatherings to get orders. Back then, I drank so much wine that I suffered from internal bleeding in my stomach.

“Yulia, don’t push yourself like that. I’m begging you.” At that time, Joseph got down on his knees beside my hospital bed and cried. However, he was under more pressure than me.

“Joe, things will get better for us.”

When life was at its most difficult, Joseph carved us a pair of rings. We hugged each other under the fireworks as if we could see a lifetime of happiness ahead.

As for that ring, I wore it for many years. Unfortunately, it was full of blemishes despite my efforts to take care of it.

I ignored Catherine, and she finally calmed down. “Fine, you can leave. But ask him for money. I’m sure he won’t care about it since he’s doing so well now. Your younger brother’s getting married. He’s going to buy a house in the city center. See—”

“Madam, you can ask me for money, but don’t make things difficult for Yulia.” Suddenly, Joseph walked over with an unpleasant expression.

He became livid when he saw the state of my face.

“The money in this card will be enough for him to buy a house. If you people fault with Yulia again, I won’t go easy on you!”

Fearful and in shock, Catherine quickly accepted the card. “Sure, I won’t come by again. I won’t meddle in her business no matter what.”

“Yulia is so delicate that I could never bear to lay a hand on her. If you do this again—”

“Don’t worry. I’ll never come here again!” Catherine wore a flattering smile and left with the card.

“I’m sorry that you got hurt because of me.” Joseph seemed to sympathize with me. He held my hand and led me back to my room. But he was stunned to see my half-packed luggage.

“Yulia, what are you doing?” He looked at me nervously.

“Oh, my favorite artist is going to hold an exhibition in Jade City. I’d like to go there and learn something,” I said calmly. The exhibition was real, but I had no plans to go there.

“How many days will you be gone?” Joseph relaxed and asked with concern.

“At least three days. This is a rare opportunity, so I want to stay there for a few days.” I looked at Joseph calmly. It turned out that once I felt the greatest pain, I would become numb to it.

Joseph applied some ointment on my face, and I caught a glimpse of a love bite on the back of his neck. It looked like he had no intention of hiding it.

“I had some urgent affairs at the company last night, Yulia. I couldn’t wake you up since you were sound asleep.” He placed an ice pack on my swollen face and explained gently.

What a liar! I subconsciously clenched my fists and stabbed my fingernails into my palm. The pain temporarily helped me to keep my sanity, and I did not expose him.

“You changed your ring, Joseph Lynch?” I stared at his finger absent-mindedly. It had been a long time since I addressed him by his full name.

He once cared very much about that ring we had. We went traveling during one winter and ran into heavy snow on our way back. As a result, he lost his ring.

He hid it from me and searched everywhere for it in the blizzard. After an entire night of looking, he finally found it.

Upon returning, he held the ring and hugged me as he cried pitifully. “Yulia, I nearly lost the ring. Luckily, I found it.”

However, it had been a long time since I last saw him wear that ring. I looked down and smiled, but my eyes were already teary. “It’s okay to put on another ring. The previous one doesn’t match you anymore.”

“No, you’ve gotten it wrong, Yulia! I’ve had to attend various important occasions lately, so I’ve needed something else to match my look. I didn’t forget about our rings.” Joseph was still trying to defend himself.

I once asked him to put on another ring when his business started growing. Our ring did not really match his outfit.

However, he insisted on wearing it. He wanted to tell everyone that I was his beloved woman and future wife.

Unfortunately, it did not take long for him to stop bringing me into his social circle. He also spoke ambiguously when it came to his relationship status.

I was fine with it because I trusted him. But after my recent discovery, I found my life with him a joke.

“Yulia, stop crying. I don’t want this ring; I want ours.” Joseph took off his ring and threw it into the trash can. Getting flustered, he tried searching for his old ring.

After a long while, he sat before me in disappointment as if he had made a mistake.

I looked at him coldly, but I could not bring myself to scold or comfort him. “Joe, stop looking for it.”

He could probably tell that something was off with my tone. He hugged me tightly and spoke in a shaky voice. “Let’s get a pair of customized rings, okay? I’ll order them.”

I was no longer interested in such things. “Sure.” I feigned happiness and replied.

“Yulia, did something happen? Did your mother make you sad today? Don’t be scared. I’ll always be with you, love you, and adore you,” Joseph promised as if he truly yearned to make me happy. However, reality had torn his lies apart.

“Mm, okay.” I got up and continued packing my luggage. I could sense him watching me. Anyway, I only took a few clothes with me.

“Aren’t you going to bring the doll?” Joseph asked before he handed me a shabby doll. He made it for me when we first got together, and I had kept it for ten years. Although my eyes were still teary, I smiled gently. “No. I’ll be back in a few days.”