Chapter 3

With a dull boom, dazzling fireworks exploded across the night sky, shattering into millions of starlights before slowly falling away. The shifting light painted Victor’s profile in flickers of brightness and shadow, like something out of a dream.

He wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder as he murmured, “Do you like it? I prepared this just for you.”

I stared at the brilliant yet fleeting display, and an uncontrollable sadness hit me. This grand beauty felt just like the time I had with Victor; it was gorgeous but destined to disappear.

As the fireworks neared their end, in the fading light, I caught sight of a familiar figure on the distant pier—Sophia. She stood there alone, the sea breeze lifting her long dress, like a mermaid princess waiting for her prince to save her.

Almost at the same moment, I felt Victor’s phone vibrate lightly in his pocket. He glanced at it quickly, a flicker of unease crossing his face before he masked it. Then, he left a gentle kiss on my forehead.

“I need to handle something urgent. I’ll have someone pick you up,” he said. “Be good. Be safe on the road.”

With that, he turned and left without hesitation. I followed from a distance and watched as Sophia got into Victor’s Maserati. I immediately flagged down a taxi and told the driver to follow them closely.

Under the dim streetlights, I saw something that made my blood run cold. Sophia was bent over between Victor’s legs, her head moving rhythmically. Victor’s eyes were half-closed. One hand rested on the steering wheel, while the other pressed against the back of her head, guiding her slowly.

The taxi driver let out a low whistle. At the sound, Sophia froze, and Victor, distracted, jerked the wheel. The Maserati swerved like a wild beast out of control and slammed straight into the taxi.

“Bang!”

My forehead crashed hard into the seat in front of me. Warm liquid instantly flooded my vision. Through the haze of blood, I saw Victor carrying Sophia in his arms. His face was dark as he issued orders to his bodyguards.

“That annoying fly has been following me, and now it has scared my little swan,” he sneered. “Go teach them a small lesson. Leave the car to me.”

Without that, he carried Sophia into the bodyguards’ vehicle. The engine roared, and just like that, Victor sped away, leaving me behind in a mess of shattered glass and wreckage.

As two large bodyguards began walking toward the taxi, I fought through the dizziness and said to the driver, “Idiot, don’t just sit there. Drive!”

The driver snapped out of it, slammed on the gas, and sped away, taking me straight to the hospital. I registered myself, got the wound cleaned, and received three stitches on my forehead. The doctor said it would likely leave a scar.

On my way out, as I passed by a hospital room, I heard Sophia’s voice, sweet and soft.

“The woman you were watching the fireworks with earlier… is she really just your subordinate?”

Something pulled me closer. I stopped by the door and looked through the small gap. Victor was sitting by the hospital bed, gently stroking Sophia’s face with his thumb.

“Yes,” he said with a smile. “She handles certain things that aren’t meant to be seen. Did you like the fireworks tonight? I originally wanted to keep it as a surprise. It was a rehearsal for our wedding.”

So that was it. Not a single firework in that sky had been meant for me.

Sophia pouted playfully and then smiled again before the two of them leaned into each other and kissed. I couldn’t watch anymore, so I staggered back and left, returning home alone. In the darkness, the estate loomed like a massive beast lying in wait, opening its jaws and swallowing me whole.

I didn’t turn on the lights. I let myself fall onto the couch in the living room. Amidst the darkness, my phone screen suddenly lit up with a new message from Sophia.