Chapter 2

I went into the study, retrieved the necklace, and handed it to Caspian. The tight frown on his brow relaxed slightly as he took the velvet box.

"Noah and I will be back as soon as possible. If there's anything you want to eat, just order it yourself using my card."

I smiled and quietly said okay as I watched them leave.

After the heavy front door shut with a loud thud, I turned around to return to my room as the maids' mocking taunts drifted over from behind me.

"She's such a failure as Mrs. Hayes. Not only can't she keep her husband's heart, but she also can't keep her son's.

"She has the same birthday as Ms. Winslow, but both of them ran off to celebrate Ms. Winslow's, and not a single person remembers her birthday. At this rate, it won't be long before she has to hand over her place as Mrs. Hayes to Ms. Winslow."

Another maid sighed in sympathy. "Mrs. Hayes really does have it rough. Her biological parents are dead, and her foster parents never loved her either.

"Ms. Winslow is the lucky one. She spent the first 20 years of her life growing up pampered and spoiled by the Winslows, and now, her biological parents' business has taken off, so she gets to live in luxury all over again."

Every word reached my ears clearly, but I never looked back. It wasn't the first time I had heard such talk.

At first, I would have angrily snapped at them. I used to dislike Erin, but back then, I still believed Caspian truly cared for me.

But later, all it took was one comment from Erin that she liked my bracelet, and Caspian took the gift he had given me and handed it to her at her birthday party.

Slowly, my heart had grown completely numb, but I knew that it was fine. Three days would fly by.

Tonight, I was finally going home.

…

I returned to my bedroom, took our wedding portrait down from the wall, and ran my fingertips over the wedding dress.

On our wedding night, the System had announced my successful completion of the mission and presented me with an invitation to leave this world.

Over the years spent trying to win Caspian over, I had said a lot of romantic words. But somewhere along the way, those words became laced with genuine affection.

I had agonized over the decision all night.

Half-drunk in the middle of the night, I finally gathered the courage to tell him. "The truth is… I'm just a passing traveler in your life. Someday, you'll meet your true female lead, who's elegant, graceful, and understanding… someone who's far better than me."

Caspian's eyes had immediately reddened. He shoved me against the wall, knocking empty beer cans all over the floor.

Then, he bit my lips hard and announced in a hoarse and possessive voice, "I don't want someone elegant or understanding. You're the only female lead in my life, and I love you for who you really are. I love being controlled by you."

His kiss had left me utterly dizzy and breathless.

That night, I was so overwhelmed with happiness that I ignored the System's repeated prompts. I forgot just how easily human hearts could change.

Five years passed in the blink of an eye. Erin entered his life just as expected, and little by little, his heart began to lean toward her.

He started complaining that I wasn't refined enough and that I couldn't handle social events with grace. He said I controlled him too much and never gave him enough freedom.

He began to resent all my flaws and picked apart everything that wasn't perfect about me.

In the end, I was the only one who still remembered the promises made on our wedding night.

There was a sudden, loud pounding on the door. The shock made me flinch, and the wedding portrait slipped from my hands, shattering into pieces on the floor.

The pounding didn't stop. I quickly stepped over the glass shards and opened the door.

Caspian immediately grabbed me by the arm and began dragging me out. His grip was painfully tight.

I instinctively frowned and asked, "Where are we going?"