When Mrs. Campbell handed me a $5 million check to leave Ryan, I didn’t hesitate for a second. I had spent five years by Ryan’s side, giving him the best years of my youth without any official status. This $5 million didn’t seem like much in comparison. The news spread quickly to Ryan’s ears. I later heard that he had even skipped his most important meeting to rush over that day. When Ryan arrived at the apartment he had bought for me, I was in the middle of packing my things. “What do you think you’re doing?” Ryan’s face was as dark as a thundercloud. After being with him for so many years, I knew this look. He was furious. “Mr. Campbell, is it really that hard to understand? $5 million to break up with you – seems pretty straightforward to me,” I said, trying to smile and maintain my composure. My words only served to infuriate Ryan further. He practically growled, “You’ll regret this once you’re gone!” With that, Ryan stormed out, slamming the door behind him. To be fair, Ryan had treated me well over the years, at least materially. He had kept me like a pampered bird in a gilded cage, never skimping on designer bags, luxury clothes, or expensive watches. If I had stayed with him, I would have certainly received more than this $5 million. But I was tired of it all. If I hadn’t recently heard that Olivia Parker was returning from abroad, I might have almost forgotten my true status in Ryan’s life. Olivia was Ryan’s fiancée, the one Mrs. Campbell had always approved of as a suitable daughter-in-law from an equally prestigious family. I managed to pack up my belongings in less than half an hour, feeling rather proud of my efficiency. After leaving the apartment, I had nowhere to go, so I ended up at my best friend Lucy’s place. Unfortunately, I arrived to find Lucy’s boyfriend was also there. Watching the loving couple together made me feel like a third wheel. Lucy gave me an apologetic look, and since I hadn’t given her any advance notice, I decided to go to a hotel instead. Coincidentally, it was a hotel Ryan and I used to frequent. Sometimes when he’d had too much to drink, we’d check in here to rest. Ryan rarely lost his composure in front of others, even when drunk. But on the rare occasions when he did overindulge, no one could handle him except me. His secretary would always call me whenever Ryan had too much to drink. As I was checking in at the front desk, the receptionist recognized me. She smiled and asked, “Is Mr. Campbell not with you today?” I shook my head and replied matter-of-factly, “Mr. Campbell and I are no longer together.” The receptionist seemed taken aback by my candid response and looked a bit embarrassed. After all, my relationship with Ryan had been well-known in certain social circles. Ryan was a famous bachelor in the business world, and I was… well, his mistress. Once I had checked in, I decided to treat myself to a relaxing bubble bath. Rose petals floated on the water’s surface, their gentle fragrance filling the air – it was my favorite. Ryan had always been allergic to flower pollen, so I had never been able to enjoy a flower petal bath before. As I lay in the bathtub, watching the steam rise, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. I stayed at the hotel for three whole days until Lucy came to find me. Lucy knew about my breakup with Ryan and suggested we go on a trip together to help me clear my head. However, the day before we were supposed to leave, Lucy’s company had an emergency that required her attention. Just like that, our girls’ trip turned into a solo adventure. In the end, I decided to go to Chiang Mai, Thailand, by myself. As soon as I boarded the plane, I received a call from Ryan. The phone rang for a long time, until a flight attendant came over to remind me that the plane was about to take off and I needed to switch my phone to airplane mode. Just before I turned off my phone, a message from Ryan came through: I’ll only say this once. Come back when you’re done with this nonsense. Reading that short line of text suddenly reminded me of something that had happened four years ago. Four years ago, after I had been with Ryan for a year, I suddenly learned about Olivia’s existence. That night, I drank a lot and threw a tantrum for the first time. Ryan was working in his study at the time, and I came home drunk. Ryan never allowed anyone to disturb him while he was working, and I had always been obedient. But that night, emboldened by alcohol, I deliberately went to bother him. Wearing a spaghetti strap nightgown, I asked him what was more important – his work or me. That night, he was truly angry. He took off his gold-rimmed glasses and looked at me coldly. “Natalie, I’ll say this one more time. I’m working. Get out.” I didn’t listen, and he threw me out of the study, coat and all. After storming out of the mansion in a huff, I quickly regretted my actions. The neighborhood was in a secluded area, and at night it was completely deserted. To make matters worse, I hadn’t brought my purse with me, which only added to my misery. As I huddled by the roadside, shivering and clutching my coat around me, Ryan came looking for me. His face was ashen as he towered over me and said, “Are you done with your tantrum?” I bit my trembling, purple lips, about to stubbornly retort when a sneeze escaped instead. Perhaps it was because I looked so pitiful at that moment, but Ryan’s eyes softened slightly. For the first time, he bent down to help me up, but my pride got the better of me and I pushed him away. His hand hovered in the air, and I could tell he was truly angry now. “I’ll only say this once. Come back when you’re done with this nonsense.” True to his word, after saying this, Ryan turned and walked away. I called out to him, “Give me my purse.” “Natalie, I bought that purse for you. If you’re not planning on coming back, you can forget about taking it with you.” At that moment, I suddenly understood the nature of my relationship with Ryan. The Louis Vuitton and Hermès bags I carried, the designer clothes I wore – they were all bought by Ryan. Seeing that I remained silent, Ryan bent down once more and picked me up in his arms. From that day on, I became extremely obedient, staying by Ryan’s side without complaint. And so, five years passed… I turned off my phone, casually deleting Ryan’s message. After a two-hour flight, I arrived at Chiang Mai International Airport. Unfortunately, shortly after disembarking, my bag was stolen. At the police station, the Thai officer eyed my expensive designer outfit. His expression seemed to say, “If they didn’t steal from you, who would they steal from?” Unable to communicate due to the language barrier, with no money and no valid identification, I couldn’t prove my identity. The police pushed a phone towards me, gesturing for me to call someone for help. My parents had passed away when I was very young, and I had been raised by my grandmother. But my grandmother had passed away before she could enjoy her golden years, the same year I met Ryan. He had been like a ray of light shining into my dark life. With no other choice, I tried calling Ryan. I dialed his international number again and again, but the constant ringing only served as a reminder that the light that had once illuminated my life had truly disappeared. I couldn’t remember Lucy’s number, and the police officer across from me was quickly losing patience. It wasn’t until late afternoon that a young American man came to my rescue. His name was Sean Thompson, and he happened to be at the police station that day on business. Seeing me sitting alone in the corner, looking lost, he approached me out of a sense of camaraderie for a fellow foreigner. He used his fluent Thai to help me communicate with the police. After leaving the police station, I got a new phone number, effectively cutting off all contact with Ryan. But occasionally, I would still come across news about him online. I saw photos of him shopping with Olivia, looking at her adoringly. There were articles about the two of them attending ribbon-cutting ceremonies for newly opened hotels, looking like the perfect power couple. And then came the announcements of their upcoming wedding of the century… I decided to stay in Chiang Mai and became good friends with Sean. With Sean’s help, I successfully landed a job at a Thai-American joint venture company. The five years I had spent as Ryan’s kept woman had left me feeling ill-equipped to fend for myself in the real world. Between the language barrier and the demands of my new job, I was grateful to have Sean’s support. Sean and I, two lonely souls adrift in a foreign land, found comfort in each other’s company. But no one had told us that when two lonely people huddle together, it doesn’t necessarily make them feel any warmer. Standing on a balcony with a panoramic view, I smiled and asked Sean, “Why did you choose to stay here?” He looked up at me, his eyes filled with a deep sadness. It was the time of year for the Yi Peng Lantern Festival again. The sky was filled with floating lanterns, their warm yellow light casting a glow on Sean’s chiseled features. I learned his story then. Coming to Chiang Mai for the Lantern Festival had been his late girlfriend’s wish. He said, “They say if you make a wish on a sky lantern, it will come true.” I knew that as he said this, he must have been thinking of his girlfriend. But his girlfriend never made it here, having passed away in his arms. I clasped my hands together and made a sincere wish to the countless lanterns floating in the sky: I wished to forget Ryan. As days passed, work kept me busy. Sometimes I even had to deal with harassment from my lecherous boss. The sleazy man would use work as an excuse to touch me inappropriately and make crude jokes. To help me out, Sean pretended to be my boyfriend when he came to pick me up from work one day. After that, my boss stopped harassing me, and no other colleagues tried to pursue me romantically. I was grateful for the peace and quiet. After living in Chiang Mai for nearly two years, I suddenly received an assignment from my company to go to the United States for a project. Within a couple of days, I had packed my things and returned to the States with a few Thai colleagues. As soon as our plane landed, representatives from the client company were already at the airport to escort us to our hotel. The hotel was one Ryan used to frequent, and I felt a moment of disorientation as I stood at the entrance. Memories I thought I had forgotten came rushing back like a tidal wave. It wasn’t until I saw that the receptionist had changed that I finally relaxed my tight grip on my suitcase handle. “Welcome, Mr. Campbell, Ms. Parker…”
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