Chapter 2

Ivy slid the last stack of documents through the window at the visa center.

The staffer flipped through them quickly and said, "All set. Everything's complete. The result will be out in a month. You'll get a text when it's time to pick your visa up."

Ivy nodded. "Thank you."

She turned around and was just going to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

The shout cracked through the room, sharp with suspicion and surprise.

Ivy stopped and turned around.

Caesar stood a few meters away, face dark.

Florence was holding his arm tightly. When she saw Ivy turning around, she shrank behind him like she was scared.

But Ivy caught the spark in her eyes, like she was watching a performance.

Ivy opened her mouth, but Caesar cut her off. His voice was cold and impatient, like her plans were his to decide. "Good timing. Saves me from telling you later. There's an overseas auction at the end of the month. I'm taking Florence."

He glanced at Florence, his tone softening.

"She hasn't seen much of what this world has to offer, so I'll take her along to widen her horizons. You've been to those events too many times, and you're probably tired of them. So, don't go this time."

Ivy was stunned.

Just a week ago, he had his arms around her from behind in the study, his chin resting on the top of her head as he flipped through the auction catalog. He had even tapped a pink diamond and said, "This suits you. I'll use it for the hundredth proposal."

He had forgotten that fast.

Ivy looked at his distant face. Everything she wanted to say jammed in her throat.

She simply nodded, showing that she heard him.

"Wait." Caesar's tone was hoarse, and the way he talked to her sounded more like an order than anything else. "We'll leave together. The car's outside."

The familiar black Bentley waited at the curb. Out of habit, Ivy reached for the front passenger door.

Caesar's movement obviously slowed, and his brows furrowed.

"Caesar!" Florence cried, pointing at the bright pink Hello Kitty sticker on the back of the passenger seat, the one that used to mark that spot as hers. "Look, it's still here!"

Her voice was sweet, with a hint of showing off.

Ivy's hand froze in midair. She stared at the childish sticker, how it screamed against the car's calm luxury. It felt like something was gripping her heart. Heat surged into her nose and eyes.

She had sat in that seat for almost a decade.

Caesar glanced at Ivy, looking uneasy for a moment. However, his voice left no space for argument. "Florence gets carsick, and sitting in the back makes her uncomfortable. Just bear with it for a while and sit in the back."

Bear with it.

The words landed like numb pain spreading through her chest.

Ivy said nothing. She only nodded, pulled her hand back, and opened the rear door.

The inside was unrecognizable.

Pink wool cushions. A sweet, dizzying scent hanging in the air. The seat pocket, crammed with Florence's snacks.

Every trace of Ivy had been erased, replaced by another girl's bright, irritating taste.

The Bentley slipped into traffic.

From the front, their quiet conversation carried back to her.

"Is it cold in Northvia right now?"

"It is. I brought you that white mink coat. It'll be just nice."

"You're the best! Then we have to stay somewhere where we can see the snowy mountains."

"Alright. Whatever you want."

Each line was a knife, stabbing deeper and deeper into her heart.

Ivy turned her head and fixed her eyes on the streets sliding past the window, her nails cutting into her palm.

In her heartache, the present seemed to blur into the past.

Years ago, it had been this same car. The first time Caesar took her abroad, he had pointed excitedly at the unfamiliar scenery. He held her hand tight and shoved the plane tickets, hotel details, and itinerary into her hands.

"We'll go wherever you want in the future, side by side."

Back then, Ivy had been the only one in his eyes.

Screech!

Bang!

A brutal impact smashed into the car from the rear.

The world spun. A howl swallowed everything.

The Bentley lost control, spun, and slid sideways before stopping.

Ivy was trapped in the mangled back seat. Pain tore through her. She couldn't move, and every breath intensified the pain in her chest. Dense scent of blood flooded her nose, thick and metallic.

From the front came groans and frantic movement.

Then Caesar's voice, raw and shaking with fear.

"Florence? Florence! Answer me! Where are you? Don't be afraid, don't be afraid! Look at me, I'm here! An ambulance! Yes, call an ambulance!"

He had forgotten.

Someone was still in the back.

Ivy Rivers was still there.

With what little strength she had left, Ivy shoved herself through the gap at the crushed door, inch by inch, fighting the ripping pain through her body.

Blood blurred half her vision. Each movement dragged her closer to a blackout.

She finally broke free and collapsed onto the cold, rough road, gulping air, her whole body shaking.

She forced her head up.

The bright sunlight swamped her vision.

Caesar had Florence in his arms, moving carefully, like she was the most precious, fragile thing in the world. Stumbling, panicking, he ran to the ambulance that had just pulled up.

He didn't look back once at the car, almost nothing but twisted metal now.

He didn't remember that there was someone in the back seat.

Ivy lay sprawled on the road, face smeared with blood and dust. She stared as the ambulance doors slammed shut, cutting off those two figures. The siren rose as it sped away.

Warm blood slid down her forehead and dripped onto the road.