Chapter 2

Madeline and Timothy had grown up together in the same neighborhood. They could be considered childhood friends.

She had started liking him as soon as she'd hit puberty. However, he only ever treated her as the younger sibling he never had, who just lived next to him.

When she learned that Timothy harbored no feelings for her, Madeline decided to hide her affection for him. She was worried that they wouldn't even be able to stay friends if she confessed to him.

After entering high school, there was a long queue of teenage girls waiting in line to confess to Timothy and hoping to get together with him because he was cold, brooding, and mysterious.

Fortunately for Madeline, Timothy was just as cold as his reputation and didn't think any of the girls at school were good enough for him. He left a trail of broken hearts wherever he went.

As they grew older, Timothy furthered his studies abroad while Madeline went to a local college. When he finally called to catch up with her, she'd then learned that he had found himself a girlfriend while studying overseas.

That was the first time Madeline experienced heartbreak. She had wanted to buy a plane ticket and fly over immediately to confront Timothy, but her parents stopped her.

When Timothy returned home, he'd come back alone. And as soon as Madeline learned that he'd broken up with his girlfriend, she could feel her heart coming back to life again. It was like she was finally able to breathe once more. She felt lighter than she'd ever been.

After having suppressed her feelings for him for such a long time, she didn't bother hiding her feelings for him anymore. She never stopped showering him with her love ever since he came back.

She did everything she could to stage coincidences and find excuses to meet him more often. She kept worrying about his well-being and often prepared breakfast for him. But that was just the beginning—she also wrote him a love letter, expressing her love and adoration for him, and telling him that she'd never once thought of giving up on him.

Her efforts eventually paid off. With how diligently she pursued Timothy, he finally agreed to get together with her a year later.

After confirming their relationship, Timothy didn't let Madeline tell anyone that they were dating. He said that it just wasn't the right time to announce it and worried that both their parents would get awkward with each other if they knew.

Madeline had felt upset about it at first. However, Timothy took great care of her and paid attention even to the smallest details about her. Gradually, Madeline forgot about it and thought of herself as the luckiest woman in the world.

Half a year ago, however, when Madeline borrowed Timothy's laptop for work, she unintentionally clicked on the wrong folder and found hundreds of photos of the same woman in it.

Was that woman Timothy's ex-girlfriend? Or worse, his side chick?

Madeline didn't know how to put her emotions into words at that time. She felt both angry and upset. However, after crying about it for a while, she decided to pretend it never happened and continued lying to herself to keep up with her facade of being the luckiest woman alive.

Still, she couldn't truly be at peace with her life as her suspicion grew. A few months ago, a model had suddenly gained immense popularity in the entertainment circle overnight, and her name was Lacey Houston. She was appointed as the official ambassador for Bloomberg Group's wedding gown business.

Madeline had been frozen for a long time when she first saw Lacey. She felt a chill creep into her body as she shivered uncontrollably. Then, it finally dawned on her that Timothy had never once truly loved her in the three years that they'd spent together. She never had a place in his heart.

Ultimately, the woman in the photos managed to cause ripples in Madeline's otherwise peaceful life.

Lacey began attending various public events with Timothy. They were almost always seen together, and everyone assumed that she was his girlfriend. But he had never once denied the rumors, nor did he offer Madeline any explanation for his actions.

It was fairly obvious that Timothy never loved her. The answer was right there, but Madeline refused to acknowledge it. Instead, she just decided to suppress her feelings.

It wasn't until today, with the revelation of "Lovelace", that Madeline finally knew for sure that her so-called happiness was nothing more than a figment of imagination in her head.

As she gradually eased out of her thoughts, the sounds coming from the bathroom also diminished.

Madeline grabbed the remote control and turned off the TV.

It had been three years, but this was the first time she'd felt exhausted. She wanted to give up.

She didn't want to be Timothy's backup plan anymore. Even more so, she didn't want to continue waiting for a man who still only had eyes for his first love.

She would soon be leaving in a month's time. She wanted to break free from the peatland that was Timothy and leave him behind for good.