“$50 million. Leave the country within a week. And stay away from my son forever.” Mrs. Harrington sat opposite me, her perfectly maintained face etched with undisguised contempt. If this were years ago, my eyes would have welled up, and I’d have retorted, “I’m not with him for money.” But now, I just calmly nodded. “Okay.” Mrs. Harrington clearly paused, then sneered. “At least you know your place.” She emphasized those last words, as if highlighting the immense social chasm between her son, Rhys Harrington, and me. I lowered my gaze, took the check, and turned to leave. By the time I returned to the mansion, it was already dark. This place was too big; I often got lost. The only familiar thing was the photo on the coffee table. In it, Rhys had his arm around my waist, looking down at me with eyes so tender they could melt the deepest winter’s ice. I gently brushed over the photo, suddenly remembering that rainy night three years ago. That year, I found Rhys by the alley entrance. He was covered in blood, his eyes unfocused. “Who are you?” I asked him. “I… I don’t remember,” he murmured, shaking his head. Rain mixed with blood dripped from his hair. And just like that, I took this amnesiac man home. Our tiny, run-down apartment was cramped with the two of us. The paint peeled from the walls, the pipes leaked, and in winter, we needed three blankets just to stay warm. But it was in this most impoverished place that the purest love blossomed. We relied on each other, becoming each other’s sole world. He would wait three hours downstairs when I worked late, just to walk me home. He would stay up all night, rubbing my stomach when period pain made me break out in cold sweats. He even worked five jobs a day, secretly, just to buy me an expensive necklace I’d admired three times but never dared to buy. The only thing I couldn’t quite handle was his insistence on our intimacy every night. I’d blush and plead, and he’d nuzzle my earlobe, chuckling, “Baby, it’s because I love you too much.” During our most loving year, he even dragged me to a tattoo parlor, getting my name inked on his collarbone. The tattoo artist asked if he was scared of the pain, but he just smiled at me. “Pain is good. That way, I’ll never forget the one I love most.” I thought we’d be happy like that forever. Until he regained his memory. That’s when I learned he wasn’t some poor guy found on the street, but the scion of the powerful Harrington dynasty, practically owning half the financial world in Westwood. He’d only lost his memory in a car crash, orchestrated by a rival, and ended up on the streets. After reclaiming his identity, Rhys moved me into a sprawling mansion. Its bathroom alone was ten times the size of my old apartment. But he, too, became a different person. He wore custom-tailored designer suits whose brands I couldn’t even recognize, sported priceless watches, closed multi-million dollar deals, and spent nights away from home. I deluded myself, telling myself he was just too busy. Until the day entertainment headlines were plastered with rumors of him and the heiress, Serena Albright. In the photos, he was holding the car door open for her, wearing one of those designer suits. The way they smiled at each other stung my eyes. The comment section buzzed with “a perfect match” and “destined to be together.” In that moment, sitting alone by the window, watching the moon all night, I finally understood the truth. The Rhys who braved the wind and snow to pick me up from work, the Rhys who worked construction to buy me a necklace, the Rhys who tattooed my name on his collarbone – he had died the day his memory returned. The current Harrington scion and I were more than just worlds apart. He stood among the clouds, and I was stuck in the mud. Just like the moon can never reach the dust, someone like him was destined for someone equally brilliant. If that was the case, why humiliate myself further? It was better to let go. To let go of him, and to let go of myself. That night, the mansion remained empty. Rhys still didn’t return. I didn’t wait for him until dawn as usual. I went to bed early, and as soon as morning broke, I headed to the visa center. I used the expedited service, and my visa and passport would be ready within a week. It was noon when I left the visa center. I found a random restaurant. The moment I pushed the door open, my steps faltered slightly. By the window, Rhys was gently wiping Serena Albright’s lips with a napkin. His eyes held a tenderness that could melt the deepest winter’s ice, exactly as they had when he used to kiss me, laughing, in our old rental. I stood rooted to the spot, feeling my heart gripped by an invisible hand. I turned to leave, but accidentally knocked over a potted plant by the door. Rhys looked up at the sound. Seeing me, the warmth in his eyes vanished. He slowly walked towards me, his thin lips parting, his voice low and cold. “Are you stalking me?” Before I could even speak, he continued, “I already explained those online rumors were just about a business deal. How long are you going to keep this up?” I opened my mouth, wanting to explain, but my throat felt choked with cotton. Mrs. Harrington’s words from yesterday echoed in my ears: “Rhys and Serena’s marriage alliance was decided long ago by our families. He’s very fond of Serena himself…” A partnership? Was it that kind of partnership? “Rhys, don’t be so harsh.” Serena followed, smiling sweetly to smooth things over. “It’s fate that we ran into each other. Come, let’s sit together.” Before I could refuse, Serena pulled me directly to their table. I sat there like a puppet, placed in a chair, directly facing Rhys’s icy cold face. “Aubrey, what would you like to eat?” Serena pushed the menu towards me. “Their French cuisine is very authentic.” I stared at the French words on the menu, completely incomprehensible to me, a sense of embarrassment spreading in my chest. “I’m not hungry.” I pushed the menu back. “Then have some soup.” Serena spooned a bowl of seafood soup and placed it in front of me. “It’s very fresh.” I stared at the shrimp floating in the soup, my stomach clenching with a sharp pain. I was severely allergic to seafood. Just as I was about to politely decline, Rhys’s phone rang. He stood up to answer it, his back tall and straight. I’d seen that suit in a magazine; it cost more than my entire old neighborhood. “Go on, try it.” Serena suddenly lowered her voice. “After all, given your background, you don’t usually get to eat such expensive dishes.” I snapped my head up, meeting her smiling eyes. “You don’t really think that just because you had a fling with Rhys, you can marry into a wealthy family, do you?” Her fingertip tapped lightly on the rim of her glass. “If he hadn’t lost his memory, a low-class woman like you wouldn’t even be fit to polish his shoes.” I clenched the napkin, the fabric crumpling in my palm. I might have been poor, but I wouldn’t let anyone trample my dignity like this. “Serena, we don’t even know each other, you—” “Oh!” My words were cut short as Serena suddenly gasped, raising her hand and knocking over the bowl of seafood soup. The scalding liquid splashed onto her hand and all over mine. Rhys, hearing the sound, rushed back. His long fingers immediately clasped Serena’s hand. “What happened?” “It’s nothing…” Serena’s eyes were red. “It’s all my fault. Aubrey, as your girlfriend, seeing us having lunch together, she must have gotten angry, and it’s understandable…” Rhys instantly looked at me, a frosty frown on his brow. “Aubrey, I’ve explained countless times. Do you have to be like this?” “I didn’t, she just—” “Enough!” He cut me off. “I saw it with my own eyes. How could it be false? When did you become so unreasonable?” With that, Rhys put his arm around Serena and walked away without a backward glance. Serena, her head on his shoulder, slowly turned back and gave me a triumphant smile. I stood there, my hand trembling, red and blistered from the scald. Blisters were already forming, stinging like a thousand needles. But in Rhys’s eyes, there was only Serena’s slightly reddened skin. He left so quickly, so decisively, without even a glance my way. Yet, my Rhys, he used to be so concerned about me. Three years ago, when I burned myself cooking, he was so anxious his eyes turned red. He rushed to the pharmacy that night to buy medicine, and when he returned, he applied it to my hand, asking, “Aubrey, does it hurt?” Back then, his eyes were only for me. But the Rhys of today could no longer see me. Chapter 2 I went home alone. Once there, I found the first-aid kit in the living room and disinfected, medicated, and bandaged my own hand. A sharp, stinging pain radiated from the wound, like countless ants gnawing at my skin. As I turned to go upstairs, my gaze fell upon the grand piano in the corner of the living room. Rhys had bought it after he regained his memory, saying he’d teach me to play. But after all this time, a thick layer of dust had settled on the piano lid. Just like our relationship, it had long been covered in dust. My eyes welled up, and I quickly went to my room to pack my luggage. Clothes, documents, bank cards… I sorted each item slowly, as if bidding farewell to my past self. Halfway through, the bedroom door suddenly swung open. Rhys stood in the doorway, his suit jacket draped over his arm, his tie loose. He saw my open suitcase and frowned. “What are you doing?” “Packing.” I answered calmly, continuing to fold clothes without looking up. Rhys frowned and walked closer. A faint scent of perfume, the same one Serena had worn today, wafted from him. He grabbed my wrist, his grip so strong it made me wince in pain. “Just because I had lunch with Serena today, you’re throwing a tantrum and running away? Serena didn’t even make a big deal out of you hurting her, and here you are, acting childish?” I looked up at him. The irritation in his eyes was painfully clear. “Serena and my family are old friends. Her parents asked me to look after her since she just returned. Can’t you be more understanding?” Understanding? The word pierced my heart like a knife. I clutched the clothes in my hand, the fabric crumpling in my palm. I was already preparing to exit quietly. How much more “understanding” did he want? “Speak!” Rhys suddenly raised his voice. I turned silently, resuming my packing. My silence completely enraged Rhys. “Fine. Let’s see how long you can keep this up.” With that, he slammed the door shut. The “bang” reverberated, making my chest tremble. The next morning, when I went downstairs, I saw Serena sitting in the living room, laughing and talking with Rhys. She was wearing a white dress today, her makeup flawless, looking innocent and elegant. Seeing me descend, she immediately stood up, smiling sweetly and harmlessly. “Aubrey, you’re awake? My parents insisted Rhys take me to today’s auction. Please don’t overthink it.” I glanced at Rhys. He was looking down, adjusting his cufflink, not even sparing me a glance. “I’m not overthinking it.” My voice was barely a whisper. “What you two do has nothing to do with me.” Rhys’s hand paused, his frown deepening. He was about to speak, but Serena quickly interjected. “Why don’t you come along, Aubrey? You don’t have anything else to do, anyway.” Before I could refuse, Serena affectionately linked her arm through mine. I was dragged into the car just like that. The auction house lights glittered, filled with distinguished guests. Rhys sat in the front row, his long fingers casually raising the bid paddle. One by one, pieces of jewelry and luxury watches were won by him, then casually handed to Serena by his side. Serena smiled gracefully, occasionally leaning in to whisper in his ear, their intimacy a painful sight. “Rhys, should we get something for Aubrey too?” she suggested, feigning thoughtfulness. Rhys’s tone was indifferent. “No need. She’s not used to such things.” Hearing this, Serena’s lips curled into a slight smile. In an angle Rhys couldn’t see, she shot me a victor’s smirk. I lowered my gaze, my fingertips gently tracing the auction catalog in my hand, my heart chilling. Was it that I wasn’t used to them, or that I didn’t deserve them? In his eyes, I was probably always that Cinderella from the wrong side of the tracks. Even standing beside him now, deep down, I didn’t deserve these luxurious things. But it didn’t matter. Soon, there would be no connection between us anyway. I sat quietly in the corner, watching Rhys lavish Serena with gifts, watching their open displays of affection, as if I were merely an irrelevant bystander. Until the final item was presented— A jade bracelet. My breath hitched. My fingers involuntarily clenched. It was Grandma’s heirloom! Three years ago, to buy me a birthday gift, Rhys had worked construction and ended up falling from the site, nearly losing his life. To pay for his surgery, I had no choice but to sell the only bracelet my grandma had left me. Later, when I saved enough money to buy it back, the bracelet had already been purchased by someone else. I searched every antique store in Westwood, but I never saw it again. And now, here it was, unexpectedly appearing before my eyes. A thrill of hope surged through me. Almost instinctively, I raised my bid paddle. “One million.” Serena turned to look at me in surprise, then let out a light laugh and raised her paddle. “Three million.” “Four million!” “Five million!”
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