But Olivia and I were already damaged beyond repair. I didn't want to stay tangled up with her anymore.

"Fine. I'm cold-hearted." I nodded calmly. "I'll leave right now and stop getting in his way."

With that, I grabbed my suitcase and headed for the door.

As I passed Olivia, she suddenly reached out and grabbed my arm, her voice cold and ruthless.

"Patrick, that's enough. Apologize to Shawn right now, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened. Otherwise—"

I cut her off with a mocking laugh.

"Otherwise, what? Otherwise, I'll never get the chance to come crawling back to you? You want me to apologize to him? Is he even worth it?"

Olivia's face went completely dark, her tone dripping with warning.

"Patrick, I'm done playing around. I'm giving you one last chance. Apologize to Shawn right now, or don't blame me for turning on you."

Before the standoff could go any further, Shawn gently tugged on Olivia's wrist, putting on a considerate act.

"Olivia, don't be mad at Patrick. He didn't do anything wrong. It's my fault… I'm the one who should leave…"

The second Olivia saw his pitiful face, she immediately let go of me and turned to comfort him.

Seeing my chance, I pulled my suitcase behind me and walked out without looking back.

Just as I was about to step through the door, Olivia's icy voice rang out loud and clear behind me.

"Patrick, if you walk out that door today, don't you ever think about coming back. Let's see what kind of life a worthless piece of trash like you can have without me."

I still stopped in my tracks and turned around.

Not because I was having second thoughts. Not because I regretted my decision.

I just wanted one last look at the girl I once loved so deeply—to see with my own eyes how ugly her face had become.

And after I saw it, I walked away without a single look back.

Olivia had once been the woman I could never reach—the center of every decision I ever made.

She was always the untouchable heiress of the Ranch family, while I was nothing more than someone insignificant, buried in the dust beneath her feet.

We met in college, though at first our lives barely overlapped.

Every day, I quietly followed in her footsteps—attending the same classes, eating at the same spots, even walking the same routes after school.

Eventually, just to see her more often, I pushed myself relentlessly and transferred into her department.

Before today, the thing I was most grateful for was that decision to switch majors.

Because that one choice changed everything between us.

At the time, our professor announced that anyone who didn't want to fail the final exam had to form teams and run experimental data together.

I had always been one of the top students in the class.

Olivia turned down everyone else who approached her and took the initiative to ask me to be her partner.

I still remember how thrilled I was back then.

The moment I looked at her beautiful face, my heart started racing. My cheeks burned so hot I could've fried an egg on them.

Resting her chin in her hand, Olivia looked at me with amusement in her eyes and teased lightly, "Patrick, if you keep staring at me like that, class is going to be over soon."

The whole classroom burst into laughter.

I snapped back to reality and dropped my head, so embarrassed I wanted the floor to swallow me up.

But Olivia hadn't meant to make fun of me.

"All right, stop laughing," she said with a smile. "Being partnered with Patrick is my honor."

That was how we gradually grew closer and closer.

In the end, Olivia was even the one who confessed to me first.

We had three and a half wonderful years together in college.

To everyone around us, we were the golden couple—the one everyone envied.

But even while we were dating, I never let my studies slide.

I kept my full scholarship the entire time, and after graduation, I even received an offer from a world-renowned international corporation.

But Olivia was the only daughter of the Ranch family. She had no choice but to go home and take over the family business.

When I saw the sadness in her eyes at the thought of us being apart, I turned down the kind of opportunity most people spend their whole lives chasing—without a second thought.

I joined the Ranch Group with her instead, doing everything I could to help her establish herself in the company.

To keep anyone from saying I was riding on her coattails, I deliberately started from the very bottom.

As time went on, our relationship grew more and more solid. Eventually, I felt the timing was right and proposed.

But no matter how many times I asked, she always said no.

Whenever I pressed her for a reason, she just gave me vague excuses.

It was only later that I found out Shawn was already by her side by then.

Shawn was younger than me, more energetic, and way better at making Olivia happy.

Little by little, my conversations with Olivia shifted from talking about everything under the sun to revolving entirely around the little details of her daily life with Shawn.

It wasn't like I didn't notice the change in her.

I tried countless times to save our relationship, to hold onto her.

But her heart had already left me a long time ago.

No matter what excuse I used to keep her by my side, all it took was one phone call from Shawn, and she'd rush to him without a second thought—rain or shine, hot or cold.

The care that once belonged to me, the patience she once gave me—she handed all of it over to him.

As for me, all I got were cold looks and endless complaints.

Even so, I still couldn't let go.

So I proposed again.

This time, she said yes.

But on the very day we were supposed to get married, she ditched me for Shawn once more.

And the moment I saw their marriage certificate, I knew it was finally time to wake up.

Back in the old, run-down apartment my parents had left me, I leaned against the wall beneath their photos and finally broke down crying.

After I'd cried until there was nothing left, I cleaned the place up a bit, went out to buy some daily essentials, and settled in.

Lying on the small bed from my childhood, my restless heart suddenly felt calm.

For the first time in a very long while, I slept deeply and peacefully.

I didn't have to worry about whether Olivia was in a bad mood. I didn't have to worry about whether she'd eaten right or dressed warmly enough.

In my dream, I saw my late parents again. But before I even had a chance to really talk to them, the dream turned sour.

Olivia appeared, demanding to know why I'd been so awful to Shawn. She tugged at my sleeve, insisting I apologize to him.

Rage flared up in my chest. Just as I was about to argue back, a shrill ringtone jolted me awake.

Still half asleep, I answered the call.

The next second, Olivia's furious voice blasted through the phone.

"Patrick, where the hell did you disappear to?! Did you forget today is the company's contract signing banquet? Everyone else showed up with a date, and mine is nowhere to be found. You're doing this on purpose to humiliate me, aren't you?!"

I woke up completely and pulled the phone away from my ear, annoyed.

"If that's what you want to think, then fine."

"Patrick!"

Olivia's voice shot up.

A moment later, I heard footsteps through the receiver.

She'd probably moved somewhere quieter to continue the conversation.

She let out a soft sigh, and when she spoke again, her tone had noticeably softened.

"Patrick, today is important for the company. Can you please stop causing problems? Just get over here. The signing ceremony is about to start. Once tonight's banquet is over, I'll explain everything to you properly, okay?"

Hearing her talk to me in that placating tone, I loosened my grip on the phone for a second.

Before I could answer, I heard laughter and teasing voices from her end.

"Oh wow, Shawn looks just like a groom today!"

"No kidding. Now that I look closely, Shawn's outfit matches Ms. Ranch's perfectly."

Shawn spoke up, sounding shy and embarrassed.

"Don't say things like that… I-I just dressed casually."

When I stayed quiet too long, Olivia said my name again.

I let out a cold laugh.

"Olivia, isn't your date already there? Don't call me again."

Without waiting for her reply, I hung up.

Because I knew if I didn't end the call right then, I wouldn't be able to hold my emotions together anymore.

I didn't want to dwell on the past, but the memories of those five years had already soaked into every corner of my life.

So many days and nights, I had spent loving her. I had never once imagined how I was supposed to live without her.

The Olivia from before had always put me first. She had promised me forever.

But now, she didn't need me anymore.

Tears slid from the corners of my eyes and soaked into my pillow as I jolted awake from those memories.

My heart ached unbearably.

But before I could even process what I was feeling, someone started pounding violently on the front door.

My first instinct was that she had come.

Before my mind could catch up, my body had already moved first.

The moment I opened the door barefoot, I realized how ridiculous I was being.

"Patrick? It really is you—you're back?" Sonya Peters from the neighborhood committee beamed when she saw me and gave my shoulder a warm pat.

"Yeah, Sonya, I'm back. What's going on?"

"Oh right, I got so caught up talking to you I almost forgot." Her expression turned serious. "Patrick, you should head downstairs and take a look. There are a few black SUVs blocking the entrance to the alley, and they said they're here for you. Our streets are narrow enough as it is—people can barely get in or out now."

Frowning, I followed Sonya downstairs.

The second I stepped outside, I spotted Olivia's black car parked at the mouth of the alley.

As soon as she saw me, a bodyguard opened the door, and Olivia stepped out in her high heels.

I immediately turned to leave.

Behind me, her icy voice cut through the air.

"Patrick, stop right there!"

I ignored her and walked faster, but her personal bodyguard blocked my path a moment later.

"Patrick, what the hell is wrong with you?!"

Olivia stormed up to me in her heels and slapped me across the face without a second thought.

"You've gone way too far!"

I slowly turned my face back toward her.

The love that had once filled my eyes was completely gone.

She froze for a second, then spoke coldly again.

"Do you have any idea I left an entire room full of guests behind just to come get you? Hurry up and come with me."

I didn't want to deal with her, but more and more neighbors had started gathering in the alley to watch the drama unfold.

I might not have wanted to be around Olivia, but I wanted even less to be the center of everyone's gossip.

After weighing my options, I finally walked toward her car in my pajamas.

The rear window rolled down.

Dressed in a formal suit, Shawn looked at me apologetically.

"Patrick, sorry about this. I'm not feeling great, so Olivia wanted me to sit in the back with her. I guess you'll have to tough it out in the passenger seat."

Olivia walked up right behind him.

When she noticed me staring at Shawn in the back seat, a flash of embarrassment crossed her face.

She opened the rear door for me herself and awkwardly tried to cover for him.

"Shawn isn't feeling well, so I brought him along to get some air. You don't mind, do you, Patrick? The back seat is big enough for the three of us to sit together…"

I quickly looked away and got into the passenger seat on my own.

"I don't mind."

My indifferent attitude clearly got under Olivia's skin. She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but stopped herself.

She slammed the rear door shut and said coldly, "Drive."

As the car pulled away, the curious neighbors were still hanging around outside, watching us go.

Olivia's expression darkened even more because of it.

"I honestly didn't expect a dirty, rundown place like that to still be livable," she said scornfully. "Showing up somewhere like that in custom couture—it's unbelievably bad luck."

Hearing that, I shot her a glare through the rearview mirror and sneered.

"Since you're so high and mighty, Ms. Ranch, you really shouldn't have bothered coming here today."

"You—!"

Before she could finish, Shawn spoke up in a pitiful voice.

"Olivia, is Patrick upset again because I came along…? Maybe I should switch seats with him."

Olivia stared at me through the rearview mirror and snapped viciously, "You stay right where you are. Let's see what he dares to do to you."

I pretended not to hear her. I closed my eyes and leaned back to rest. I needed to save my energy for the battle ahead.

'Olivia, since you won't let me walk away in peace, don't blame me for doing things my own way.'

The car finally stopped in front of a hotel owned by the Ranch Group.

Olivia was still livid. The second the car stopped, she got out and walked off without looking back.

Her bodyguards stayed close behind me, so she wasn't worried about me trying to run.

After I slowly stepped out of the car, Shawn walked over to me with a smug smirk. The weak, pitiful act was gone. Now, he stood in my way arrogantly, his face full of triumph.

"Patrick, don't get too full of yourself. Olivia is my wife now. You're nothing but a pathetic side piece she won't even acknowledge in public."

He let out a cold laugh.

"Just wait and see. In the end, the one standing beside her with a smile will be me."