Bethany had not texted Hudson for several days, and it made him uneasy.

He asked, “Bethany, I’ve started planning the wedding. How are things on your side?”

Hudson felt nervous. He was afraid that she would say she had changed her mind and that she was not going to marry him.

Bethany took a deep breath and forced herself to sound as normal as possible.

She sniffled lightly and said, “I’m almost done here. I just need to wrap up a few things with work before heading back. Thanks for taking care of the wedding plans.”

Hudson let out a quiet sigh of relief. Still, he could tell something was off.

“Your voice sounds hoarse. Are you feeling okay? It’s been getting cold in Sea City lately. Wear a few more layers when you go out. You’ve always been a bit weak since you were young.”

His gentle voice filled Bethany’s heart with warmth.

“If anything comes up, call me right away. You don’t have to deal with everything alone. You have me now. I won’t let you suffer anymore.”

Bethany said softly, “I’ll take care of myself. Don’t worry.”

After hanging up, she looked out the window. The dark clouds had cleared, and the sky was bright again. Her mood felt better, too.

Shane drove Yelena home. The whole way, he had a bad feeling that something was about to happen.

He said somberly, “Yelena, you can’t keep doing this. No matter what, Bethany’s your future sister-in-law.”

The moment Yelena heard “future sister-in-law,” tears streamed down her face.

She looked at Shane and asked in a shaky voice, “Shane, do I even matter to you?”

Shane could not stand seeing her cry. His heart softened right away. “That’s not what I meant. She’s been with me for six years. If I don’t side with her, people will talk.”

Yelena stopped crying and smiled. She held onto Shane’s arm intimately. “You want to marry her just to stop the gossip? I’m still the one who matters most to you? I’ll always come before her, right?”

Shane distractedly answered in the affirmative, but he felt uneasy.

Maybe he had chosen Bethany out of impulse at first, but over the years, he had seen her sincerity.

He knew she was the right person for him.

In love, she gave him everything without holding back. At work, she could give him all the support he needed.

When she had brought up marriage, he agreed.

But every time Yelena cried, he could not help but give in. They had grown up together, and he could not stand seeing her sad.

He always thought Bethany was stronger, so he chose to comfort Yelena instead.

He kept telling himself that once Yelena got better, he could finally settle down with Bethany.

As time went by, he forgot something. His favoritism toward Yelena was hurting Bethany.

But he was sure that Bethany would never leave him. People who were loved always thought they would never lose it.

Bethany stayed in the hospital for two days, but Shane never showed up again.

She opened his social media page. As expected, he was glued to Yelena again.

His cover photo was Yelena’s selfie, and every single post was about her.

It was almost funny. Bethany was his actual girlfriend, yet she had never appeared on his page once.

In the past, thinking about it would always send her emotions spiraling. During her six years with Shane, she had turned into a bitter, miserable woman.

“This terrible relationship… Maybe letting go is its own kind of relief.” Bethany smiled wryly.

Once she felt well enough, she packed her things and checked out of the hospital.

She was about to leave Sea City, but she needed to meet up with Mia Sanders first.

Mia was her best friend. After graduation, the two of them stayed in Sea City together. Bethany stayed for love, while Mia stayed to start a business. They co-owned a coffee shop.

“Mia, I can sell you my share of the coffee shop at a low price. I already promised my parents I’d go back home and get married. I won’t be coming back to Sea City.”

“Are you serious? You’re giving up on Shane and marrying someone else?”

Mia stared at her in disbelief. She could not believe what she had just heard.

Bethany had expected that reaction. She had been so loud and bold about her love for Shane. She had even sworn that she would marry no one else. Thinking back, she found herself foolish.

She tried to brush it off. “Yeah. I’ll head back after I finish tying up a few loose ends. You’ll have to be my bridesmaid.”

The coffee shop had taken a lot of effort from both of them. Mia figured that if Bethany was willing to sell her share, she must have really made up her mind to leave.

“Alright. I’m glad you’ve finally figured it out. No point hanging on to something that’s already broken.”

Mia asked Bethany to draft a contract. Once they signed it, Bethany officially cut her last tie to Sea City.

As she stepped out of the coffee shop, her phone rang. It was Shane.

“My dad’s back. He wants you to come over for dinner. The chef’s already preparing the food. Where are you? I’ll come pick you up.”

Bethany did not want to go, but then she thought about it again. Shane’s father still did not know that he wanted to postpone the wedding again.

She was leaving soon anyway. She might as well tell his father in person so that everything would be settled properly.

Not long after, Shane arrived to pick her up. Bethany was texting her mother about the wedding.

He glanced over and saw the word “wedding” on her screen. His face darkened.

“I told you to let your parents know we’re postponing it. You didn’t tell them?”

His tone made Bethany’s chest tighten. He knew that constant delays would make them unhappy, so he had simply dumped the problem on her.

Whenever things got hard, she was the one taking the hit, while he just stood by and watched.

Bethany chuckled. “I already told them. Don’t worry. I’m not clinging to you any longer.”

Shane froze and tried to explain himself. “You’ve got it wrong. That’s not what I meant! I just—”

“Forget it. It doesn’t matter anymore.” Bethany did not give him the chance to explain. She opened the car door and got in.

She rolled down the window and looked outside. The wind brushed against her cheek. Neither of them said another word.

When they first got together, Bethany always had so much to say. But her desire to talk had faded along with her love.

When they arrived at the Stafford villa, Bethany and Shane walked in one after another.

Shane’s father, Gavin Stafford, was a businessman. He was strict with Shane but always kind to Bethany.

“Bethany, you’re here! I asked the chef to make your favorite food. Dinner’s almost ready.”

As soon as he said that, Phoebe Lawson and Yelena came down the stairs, arm in arm.

Neither of them looked happy to see Bethany.

At dinner, Yelena insisted on sitting between Shane and Bethany and kept asking Shane to serve her some food.

“They grew up together, after all. Their bond is just special,” Phoebe said and shot Bethany a meaningful look.

Bethany felt sick. She set down her spoon and turned to Gavin.

“Mr. Stafford, the wedding has been put on hold. Shane must’ve mentioned it to you, right?”

Gavin froze for a moment. It was clear he did not know anything about it.

“What do you mean it’s been put on hold? Didn’t you already send out the invitations?”

Shane lowered his head. He had not found the right time to tell Gavin about postponing the wedding, and he did not expect Bethany to bring it up first.

Bethany threw the question to Shane. “You should ask Shane about it. It was his decision.”

Gavin’s face hardened. “What could be more important than your marriage? The invitations are already out. Do you want to make this family a joke in front of everyone?”

Before Shane could speak, Yelena chimed in and said, “Dad, don’t blame Shane! He postponed the wedding to take care of me.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Gavin snapped. “You’re not a child anymore! When will you learn to behave? I don’t know what your mother’s been teaching you.”

Yelena was not Gavin’s biological daughter, but ever since Phoebe married into the Stafford family, he had treated her like his own. He adored her and rarely raised his voice at her.

Yelena could not handle it and ran out of the house crying.

“Are you happy now? Look what you’ve done!”

Shane did not hesitate to go after her.

“Did you have to yell at her like that? If something happens to Yelena, I’ll never forgive you!”

Phoebe shot Bethany a glare before walking upstairs.

“Bethany, you wait here. I’ll talk to her,” Gavin said and followed Phoebe upstairs.

Bethany had seen this many times before. It no longer surprised her.

She suddenly felt tired. This whole situation had dragged on for too long. She was sick of it.

Yelena always came between them because Shane always took her side, and Phoebe never set any limits on her child.

Yelena was her parents’ precious daughter, but Bethany was loved just as much by her parents.

She wanted to leave, but her manners would not let her walk out without saying goodbye.

She went upstairs to thank Gavin in person.

But when she reached the door, she heard his voice from inside.

“You’re so foolish! The company’s short twenty million. The bank won’t lend us another cent. The Cole family has money. Once Bethany marries into our family, they’ll invest in the company. If it goes under, how will you afford all your luxuries?

“I know Yelena likes Shane, but can’t you tell her to wait a little longer? Why does she keep causing a scene? Once the company stabilizes, I won’t stop them from being together. For now, keep her in line! I don’t want her causing trouble.”

Bethany’s face went pale. The man she once thought was kind and fatherly turned out to be just as selfish and calculating.

Was this why Shane had agreed to marry her in the first place?

Her hands felt cold. She quietly backed away and left the Stafford villa.

She did not want to stay there any longer. The thought of Shane and his family made her sick. Six years of her life had gone to waste!

When she got home, Shane arrived soon after.

He looked rushed. He went straight to the bedroom and grabbed a few clothes. Then, he noticed a suitcase by the closet.

“What’s this?”

Bethany came up with an excuse. “It’s the clothes I don’t wear anymore. I’m planning to donate them.”

Shane nodded. He did not think much of it.

“Yelena hurt herself again. She’s in the hospital. I’ll stay there for a couple of days to look after her.”

He left in a hurry. He did not even realize that half the things in the house were gone.

When the door closed behind him, Bethany felt a quiet sense of relief.

She blocked his contact, then wrote him a note.

[Shane, let’s break up. I’m marrying someone else.]

She placed the note and her key on the shoe cabinet, took her suitcase, and headed straight to the airport.

From that day on, Shane’s world no longer had Bethany in it.