"Don’t be mad. Just dump him already. I’ll find you someone a hundred times better."

Having Jasmine beside her was already a comfort.

Maybe it was the alcohol, but Hailey simply waved a hand, her voice a little too carefree. "It’s fine. I’m heading back to Belmond anyway. You know my brother, Maddox? He’s so handsome. So, so handsome, way better than him."

Jasmine scoffed, shaking her head.

But when Hailey muttered that she wanted to break up, Jasmine stilled, disbelief flashing across her face.

She had chased Enzo for three years. Back then, she only had eyes for him; her whole world revolved around him. Letting go now… how could that not hurt?

By the time they stumbled out of the bar, the city was already cloaked in midnight haze.

Jasmine got called away, leaving Hailey alone. She took a few unsteady steps, about to hail a taxi, when she suddenly froze.

A familiar figure stood at the street corner.

Allison.

A group of thugs surrounded her, their sneers cutting through the night. She was crying, her red-rimmed eyes gleaming under the dim streetlight.

The moment she spotted Hailey, she looked as if she had grabbed onto her last shred of hope.

"Help me! Please, save me!"

The thugs only laughed, reaching for her clothes.

Just as Hailey turned her head, a voice sliced through the night, cold, furious, laced with unrelenting rage.

"Get lost! All of you, get the hell out of here!"

With a single, brutal kick, the man sent several thugs sprawling to the ground. Then, his entire demeanor shifted. He turned to Allison, his touch achingly gentle as he whispered, "Don’t be scared. I’m here."

Something twisted deep in Hailey’s chest. A weight settled there, heavy and suffocating.

Without another glance, she climbed into a taxi.

Yet, just before the door shut, she caught his gaze, sharp, filled with blame and resentment.

She forced herself to ignore it. It had nothing to do with her.

Just then, a chat window, silent for half a year, suddenly flickered to life.

"I won’t be coming home tonight. She’s not feeling well. Don’t scare her."

"Tomorrow, bring me a birthday cake."

That night, the house was unbearably quiet. So quiet that even the walls seemed to echo with loneliness.

Hailey started packing.

One by one, she burned the love letters she had written, each carrying his name. Meaningless. Every single one of them.

The red scarf she had once knitted for him was thrown into the flames, unraveling into nothingness.

The origami stars she had folded, each one hiding whispers of love, reduced to nothing but ashes.

The diary where she had carefully recorded every moment of his proposal, crumbling, turning to dust.

It was as if she were erasing three years of devotion, one burned memory at a time.

By morning, Hailey had made a cake and prepared to take it to the hospital.

In less than a week, she would be gone. A simple cake, just a final act before she left for good.

But when she arrived at the hospital, an unexpected sound froze her steps.

Soft, intimate. The unmistakable sound of a kiss.

For a brief moment, she hesitated at the door before knocking.

As soon as she stepped inside, she watched as Enzo took the cake from her hands, only to feed it straight to the Alaskan Malamute beside him. A slow, indulgent smile tugged at his lips.

"Didn’t you love eating cake the most? Go on, enjoy."

Hailey barely reacted. She only lifted her head, only to be met with a sharp accusation.

"Was it you? Did you bribe those thugs to hurt Allison on purpose?"

The words were so absurd, so ridiculous, that for a moment, she could only stare.

Did he really think she was that cruel? That she would sink so low just to harm another woman?

Did evidence mean nothing to him at all?

She sat down in silence.

And in that instant, Allison clung to Enzo, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist as she pouted up at him. "Enzo, it hurts."

Enzo’s gaze flickered toward Hailey as if caught in the act. He shoved Allison away too hastily, an overreaction that only made things more obvious.

"We're just friends," he said stiffly. "Don't misunderstand."

His words denied everything, but the guilt shadowing his face betrayed him.

Hailey studied him with cool detachment, tilting her head slightly, a slow, knowing smile curving her lips. "Of course. You two are good friends, aren’t you? But if you’re going to say that, at least wipe off the kiss mark on your neck first. It’s really quite embarrassing."

At that moment, she felt untouchable, unshaken, and invincible.

Without hesitation, she reached into her bag, pulling out the marriage certificate. Then, right before his eyes, she began slicing it apart, shredding every last illusion.

"Didn’t you say it was fake?" Her voice was light, almost amused. "Fine. Let it be fake. If you didn’t want to marry me, you could’ve just said so. I wouldn’t have forced you. Why put on such a ridiculous act?"

A mocking smile played on Hailey’s lips.

Enzo stood frozen as if struck by lightning.

Without another glance, she turned on her heels, her high heels clicking sharply against the floor as she strode out. Behind her, the scene inside the hospital room remained frozen in time, the half-eaten cake discarded on the floor, Allison’s smug satisfaction, the flicker of panic in Enzo’s eyes.

His face turned deathly pale. She knew.

She had found out about the fake marriage certificate.

Allison, however, clung to him, her voice syrupy sweet as she twisted the knife deeper. "Brother, don’t be angry. We’re the ones truly married. She’s just a homewrecker trying to ruin us. Just ignore her."

She had always been the one his family had chosen for him.

And yet, at this moment, Enzo felt like he had been thrown into an ice pit. His heart was hollowed out, an unbearable emptiness swallowing him whole.

A sudden, desperate need clawed at him; he had to see Hailey.

Without hesitation, he shoved Allison aside, ignoring her shrill protests as he stormed out. He never looked back.

Outside the hospital, Hailey’s phone buzzed with a call. A friend was inviting her to a farewell gathering.

She didn’t hesitate to accept.

Just as she was about to hail a taxi to the restaurant, a firm hand suddenly grabbed her from behind.

His voice softened, coaxing.

"I was wrong about this. Please, don’t be mad, okay? My mom said that there are times I have to play along with Allison. It’s just an act, don’t take it to heart, alright?"

Hailey almost laughed out loud.

Even now, he was still trying to fool her.

Did she look like an idiot?

The taxi she had called pulled up. Just as she stepped forward to leave, Enzo’s anxious voice followed her.

"Where are you going? I’ll go with you."

She frowned. Unbelievable.

The Enzo she once knew wouldn’t have bothered. He would have waved her off, impatient and dismissive.

Coolly, she replied, "I’m going out for drinks and food with Jasmine. You want to come too?"

"I do."

Exhaustion pressed down on her. "You don’t need to."

"We’ll take my car."

Enzo was relentless. He dismissed the taxi and drove her himself.

By the time they arrived, Jasmine had already ordered drinks. The moment she saw Enzo stride in, her lips curled into a scoff.

"Oh, look who it is. President Rainford. Not busy keeping your little girlfriend company? What brings you here with our Hailey?"

Enzo, ever the gentleman when it came to Hailey’s friends, silently pulled out a chair for her.

Jasmine, unimpressed, decided it wasn’t worth the energy to argue any further. The meal, however, was anything but pleasant.

Hailey exchanged a helpless glance with Jasmine, but neither said a word.

Midway through dinner, Jasmine’s sharp gaze caught an incoming call: Allison.

A frail, pitiful sob echoed through the phone.

"Hailey ate the cake… and now she’s passed out. Please, come check on her."

Right on cue.

Hailey didn’t so much as blink. At the mention of the cake, she simply leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, her expression indifferent.

She met his gaze with chilling indifference.

"Hailey, if you put something in the cake, just admit it. I won’t blame you."

Boom, her world shattered.

Another baseless accusation. Another attempt to frame her. Rage surged through Hailey like a storm, her entire body trembling. Her gaze turned razor-sharp.

"I didn’t bake that cake for an Alaskan Malamute. You were the one who insisted on feeding it. What was I supposed to do? If you hadn’t force-fed that dog, the one lying dead might’ve been you instead."

She turned to Jasmine with a regretful look. "I’m sorry. I wanted to treat you to a good meal today."

Jasmine, however, merely smirked, shooting Enzo a look of amusement. "Your wife doesn’t want you anymore."

Enzo ignored her entirely. His focus remained locked on Hailey as he seized her wrist firmly. "You’re coming back with me. Hailey ate your cake, after all. You have to come with me."

His grasp tightened, making Hailey wince. She glared at him coldly. "Let go."

But Enzo didn’t care. Without another word, he pulled her toward the car and shoved her inside. The entire ride was steeped in suffocating silence as if he had already convicted her.

Hailey suddenly remembered there was a time when, every time she was wronged, she would break down, desperately trying to defend herself.

But ever since she chose to return to Belmond, no matter how unfairly she was treated, the urge to explain simply vanished.

It wasn’t Allison’s mockery at the pet hospital she had to endure. No, it was far worse: her own parents, who didn’t even bother to ask for the truth before striking her across the face.

Her father’s furious voice boomed through the room. "Unbelievable! How can you be so cruel?"

"What did Allison ever do to you? How could you do something so vicious to her?"

His contempt, her mother’s relentless scolding, and the judgmental murmurs of the onlookers all fused into a suffocating weight, crushing her beneath it.

The man beside her didn’t spare her a second glance. He didn’t defend her. He didn’t even hesitate. Instead, he rushed toward the Alaskan Malamute, his voice thick with concern.

"How is Hailey? Is she okay?" he asked urgently.

Allison, eyes swollen from crying, collapsed into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "I don’t know what happened either! Come see her!"

The two of them, plus a dog, are a perfect little family.

And her? Just an outsider.

She wasn’t only enduring the disgusted stares of the crowd and the humiliation of being scorned by her parents.

She had been abandoned once, taken in by Maddox, and only reunited with her biological parents a decade later.

Maddox had told her, "If you ever feel wronged over there, come back."

But she had believed, foolishly, that her parents cared about her. That she belonged.

Yet, in their hearts, Allison was always first.

She had fought to carve out a place for herself, struggling to be seen and matter. But no matter how hard she tried, nothing changed. To them, she would always come second.

Fine. She didn’t want it anymore.

Her voice remained steady, indifferent. "That cake wasn’t meant for the dog. If you want someone to blame, find the real culprit."

She gave them a cold glance before adding, "Keep your dog on a leash while you’re at it. Don’t let it run wild, biting people."

Her father’s face twisted with fury. He let out a sharp snort and seized her arm. "Try walking out that door, and I’ll make sure you pay for what you did to Allison. I’m not your so-called foster father; let’s see what the police have to say about you!"

Her mother’s glare burned with pure hatred. "Absolutely vile!"

The police arrived swiftly. Two officers restrained her, gripping her arms so tightly she couldn’t move.

A female officer turned to Allison and Enzo, her gaze sharp. "Did she deliberately poison the dog?"

Allison didn’t speak. She merely turned to Enzo, her tear-filled eyes brimming with helplessness.

Enzo hesitated, his gaze wavering as it landed on Hailey.