Chapter 2

I didn't bother with the person still standing there in a daze. I simply turned around, walked out, and got into the car waiting to take me home.

I never expected to open the front door and find Charles sprawled across my couch, casually wearing my pajamas and drinking coffee as if he owned the place.

The moment he saw me, he deliberately loosened his grip on the mug and let it slip from his hand, his face feigning surprise.

The clay mug Eleanor and I had made together hit the floor and shattered.

Charles covered his mouth in mock horror. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to."

Then, as if by accident, he lifted his foot and knocked the framed photographs of Eleanor and me off the table. One after another, they crashed to the floor.

He didn't even bother stepping around the broken glass as he walked toward me, deliberately crushing the shattered photographs beneath his shoes.

He clicked his tongue and smirked.

"Daniel, you must be furious, huh? But what can you do? Ella just happens to be hopelessly in love with me. It's not like destroying a few worthless things matters. If anything, she probably wouldn't even care if I—"

The rapid clicking of my phone camera cut him off, instantly wiping the smug look from his face.

I lowered my gaze and scrolled through the photos I had just taken before looking back at him. The smugness vanished from his face, replaced by unmistakable shock.

"You intentionally destroyed someone else's property," I said calmly. "The total value is approximately 58 thousand dollars. You can transfer the money to me, or I can file a police report. The choice is yours."

Before Charles could respond, the front door opened. Eleanor had just returned from the hospital and had apparently heard every word.

The moment Charles saw her, guilt flashed across his face. He hurried over to her and began explaining.

"I was just trying to wipe the dust off them. I didn't mean to damage anything. I accidentally knocked the pictures over."

Instead of getting angry, Eleanor seemed relieved. She glanced at the broken photographs and waved them off.

"What's done is done. We can always take new pictures. It's nothing serious, and I'm sure Daniel wouldn't hold something like this against you."

She turned to me with a confident smile, clearly expecting me to back down.

My expression didn't change, but my fingers were already moving across my phone as I filed the police report.

Eleanor's smile only grew, as if my silence confirmed what she already believed. To her, this was just another jealous tantrum.

"Daniel, you can drop the act now," she said, walking toward the drawer beside her. "I know you've been throwing a fit on purpose this whole time."

She pulled the drawer open, revealing every piece of jewelry I had given her over the years, each one carefully preserved and labeled with the memory behind it.

Her expression softened with certainty.

"See? You still care about these things. You're just trying to get my attention."

I said nothing. Instead, I reached into the drawer, gathered every piece of jewelry inside, and placed them in her arms. "Take them."

Eleanor froze

"In exchange, I want a 30 percent stake in Project Starlight, your company's core project. Consider it compensation for the five years of my marriage that I invested in you."

The room fell silent.

Even Charles stared at me as though I had lost my mind. In their eyes, I had always been the lovesick fool who would choose Eleanor over money, power, and everything else.

They had never seen this version of me—the man standing before them without a trace of sentiment.

The smile finally disappeared from Eleanor's face. She gritted her teeth and stared at me in disbelief.

"You want a share in my company? You've lost your mind."

I gave her a faint smile. It was the first real emotion I had shown since leaving the hospital, but there was nothing warm behind it—only cold, absolute rationality.

"Then, Ms. Hayes, I'll see you in court."

After Eleanor and Charles stormed out, the house fell silent, leaving me alone in the empty room.

I stood in front of the drawer filled with notes of all shapes and sizes, staring at them for a long moment before reaching in and picking up one of the yellowed scraps of paper at random. The edges were worn and faded, bearing the unmistakable marks of years gone by.

[July 2. Eleanor said blue gemstones look best on her. She mentioned wanting the Star of the Ocean and said she'd love to wear it to an event with me someday. So I worked my ass off and bought it for her. I hope she likes it.]

[September 13. Eleanor told me her favorite croissant shop had closed down. What a shame. I guess I'll never get to eat their croissants again.]

[September 18. That idiot, Eleanor, secretly learned how to make croissants for me. She's so hopelessly clumsy that she burned both her hands and ended up with several blisters. I don't think I ever want to eat another croissant again.]