Alyssa's POV:

I was heading toward the lobby exit when my phone screen suddenly lit up. It was a text from Caden.

Caden: "Don't forget, I need you to attend the hospital's charity gala tonight. Dress decently, and don't talk to anyone important. Just smile and look pretty."

My blood instantly ran cold. "Don't talk to anyone important." He only cared that I stood next to him like a quiet accessory, never stealing the spotlight.

Just then, a familiar voice came from an alcove nearby: "Honey, I'm almost there. Just dealing with something." Caden had his back to me, talking on the phone.

Brianna walked around the corner, her smile radiant: "Caden! I just met a lovely lady, Alyssa."

Caden turned around, and his eyes briefly met mine. A trace of impatience flashed across his face, but it was quickly replaced by a gentle smile. He pulled Brianna close and kissed her forehead.

"My beautiful Brianna," he whispered, then lifted his phone. "It's fine, Mom. I'm with Brianna, and we're about to enjoy a romantic dinner. No, of course I'm not going to the gala. I have to accompany my fiancée."

He wasn't going to the gala. The very gala he had just texted me to "dress decently" for.

I remembered our third wedding anniversary last year. I cooked his favorite meal, wore a blue dress I usually saved for special occasions, and bought a bottle of cheap sparkling wine to pretend it was champagne. Caden came home late at night and didn't even glance at the dining table.

"Don't you know I have an important presentation tomorrow? I don't have time to play these boring games with you." He waved his hand and knocked over the wine glass. Cheap liquor and glass shards scattered across the floor, and he walked into the study without looking back.

Such a contrast shattered my heart into pieces.

Brianna took out an exquisite jewelry box from her tote bag: "Look at the gift Caden gave me today! As a thank you for helping him plan the proposal. It's an antique Cartier bracelet, very expensive."

The fine gold chain sparkled under the light. I stared blankly at that bracelet. I had seen it on a top-tier antique jewelry website; it cost a fortune. And I knew exactly where that money came from.

How disgusting!

Two months ago, a hundred and fifty thousand dollars was transferred out of my savings account. Caden said it was to buy "emergency research equipment" and that he would pay me back once his funding was approved.

He had sworn to me, "This is for our future, Alyssa."

That was my blood, sweat, and tears! Now it was all worn on the wrist of another woman.

Brianna noticed my silence and tilted her head. "Are you still thinking about that man who doesn't cherish you? My grandma used to say, where a man spends his money is where his heart is. If he's not willing to spend money on you, just tell him to get lost."

My phone buzzed again. Another text message.

Caden: "Make sure you transfer the rent tomorrow. Also, my dry-cleaning bill went over budget, remember to send a bit extra."

I stared at the screen, astounded by his shamelessness. While planning a romantic dinner and showing off a gift bought with my money, he was still limitlessly demanding more from me.

Brianna caught a glimpse of my screen. "Is it him? Still asking you for money? He's just a pathetic parasite, absolutely disgusting. Cut ties with him clean and just block him!"

This was advice for a stranger, yet it accurately pronounced the verdict on my reality. Cut ties clean, block him.

"You're right," I said, my voice not trembling in the slightest. "Thank you, Brianna. Thank you for making me see everything clearly."

I turned and left, no longer looking at the "engaged couple" immersed in their sweetness. My legs, which were weak just minutes ago, were now filled with strength.

I strode out of the dazzling lobby, thoroughly leaving Caden's lies behind me, and walked toward my own future.

Alyssa's POV:

I was almost at the exit, my heart beating a steady, resolute rhythm in my chest.

A hand suddenly touched my arm. I whipped around. It was Brianna, who had chased after me again, panting slightly, holding a small package in her hands.

"Alyssa, wait!" Her voice was bright and rushed. "I almost forgot, this is something Caden made for me last week. He's always so busy, but he still wanted to make a special gift. A little leather pouch for my paintbrushes."

She smiled as she opened the package, her laughter full of affection. "Even though the stitching is clumsy, he made it with so much heart."

Inside was a rough leather pouch sewn with thick thread. The dark brown leather was incredibly soft, yet it made my heart feel indescribably cold.

"He said he made this from some old scrap leather he had lying around," Brianna said, handing the pouch to me. "Although it's not perfect, the thought is what counts."

I took the leather pouch, tracing the crooked stitches. This wasn't some "old scrap leather lying around." This was the leather from my late grandfather's cherished old armchair!

After my grandfather passed away, I cut a piece of leather from it as a keepsake. Caden knew perfectly well how precious this was to me. He was the one who helped me cut it back then, promising he would make a memory box for me out of it.

Yet months later, he nonchalantly claimed he "lost it" when we moved, even scolding me for being "too sentimental" over a piece of old furniture. And now, my grandfather's relic, my grief, had all become his "sweet gift" to please Brianna.

"This is truly... precious." My voice was tight as I handed the pouch back to her.

Brianna tucked it away, unbothered. "Precious? Maybe it was just something he bought for a few bucks at a flea market. What matters is the intention."

Next, she pulled out her phone and showed me a photo. "Look at this! Last month, Caden took me to a special charity gala. The board members from my dad's hospital were all there. Everyone said we were the perfect couple. He's especially good at mingling with everyone, really charming. All the ladies absolutely loved him."

In the photo, Caden was holding Brianna's arm, laughing radiantly among a crowd of VIPs. This was his glamorous life—the world he desperately hid and kept me out of.

His countless warnings echoed in my head: "Alyssa, we can't be seen together in public. A married resident will make people think I'm not focused enough. Once my career is stable, we'll go public."

Her phone suddenly rang, and a sweet smile bloomed on her face: "It's Caden!" She answered the call, her voice light. "Honey? I'm almost there. I know you miss me, see you in five minutes!" After hanging up, her cheeks were slightly flushed. "He just gets so anxious whenever I'm not around. Always worrying over nothing."

Yet I had never received a call like that from him. When my grandmother was hospitalized, he told me to "handle it quietly" and not disturb his studying; when I was bedridden with a high fever, he only texted me to get well soon because no one was there to do his laundry. He never cared if I lived or died, only whether I could continue to serve him.

"Really, Alyssa," Brianna said earnestly, "don't waste any more time on that man who is just using you. You deserve true happiness."

Her words were like the final push I needed to make up my mind. Looking at the text from Caden demanding money still on my screen, I calmly pulled up his contact and decisively hit "Block."

His needs, his lies, vanished in an instant. Next, I switched my phone to airplane mode.

"You're right." A smile of sheer relief surfaced on my lips. "From now on, I won't waste any more time."

"That's the spirit! Don't let anyone step all over you ever again." Brianna checked her watch and waved goodbye. "Caden is waiting for me, I have to go!"

I watched her jog briskly toward the entrance, running straight into the trap Caden had meticulously designed for her.

Gripping that Montblanc pen tightly, I turned and walked toward the subway station. The cold wind brushed my face, but it made my mind clearer than it had ever been before.