Chapter 3

My stomach churned. I rushed to the bathroom, clung to the toilet, and started retching violently.

Nothing came out except a mouthful of bitter bile.

I looked at myself in the mirror—my eyes bloodshot, my face deathly pale—and suddenly felt that the peace and happiness I'd had over the past four years were nothing more than a bubble.

It had looked so dazzling and almost too perfect to be real. But now that it had burst, there was nothing left but emptiness.

I didn't cry. My anger and shock left no room for tears.

I picked up my phone again and opened Gavin's account. I was looking for clues in the photos where no one's face was visible. However, in one photo, a half-open window offered a faint glimpse of the top of a tower outside. It was the Starwave TV Tower, Hilburg's most recognizable landmark.

In another photo, the corner of a distinctive chain coffee shop sign could be seen.

And another photo captured the lion statues at the entrance of a residential complex.

In less than half an hour, I had tracked Gavin down to the upscale gated community of Camellia Woods in Hilburg, less than two miles from a major theme park.

Without hesitation, I changed into comfortable sportswear, grabbed my car keys along with all my documents, and walked into the garage.

The moment I started the engine, I felt strangely calm and focused. I didn't want to confront them over the phone or listen to more of their lies and excuses; I had to see it for myself.

I wanted to see how the woman I had fought so hard to save and the friend I had trusted with all my life could betray me behind my back, crush my dignity, and build a happy family of their own.

My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turned white.

More than a decade of memories flashed through my mind like scenes from a movie.

When Clara was 16, her father had assaulted her until her head bled. She hid in my guest room, clutching my sleeve helplessly and whispering, "Tom, you're all I have."

At 22, when she accepted my proposal and slipped the engagement ring onto her finger, tears shimmered in her eyes. She had said, "Gavin, I'll love you with everything I have for the rest of my life."

Just last week, while she was blow-drying my hair, she smiled and said, "Honey, let's have a baby. A little boy who looks just like you."

I also recalled memories with Gavin, who had once pounded his chest in our college dorm and told me, "Tom, if anyone ever tries to mess with you, I'll beat them up!"

He was also the one who hugged me at the airport before he supposedly left the country, his eyes red with emotion, saying, "Tom, promise me you'll be happy."

Those memories blended, eventually settling on that photo of two hands clasped together in the post and that devastating line beneath it.

"She comes to see us all the time now. The three of us are so happy together."

Clara, I never knew you were this good at pretending.

I arrived at the theme park and found a place nearby to settle in, waiting for my chance.

The next morning, Gavin posted, "Good morning! Off to the theme park! Dressed my little sweetheart in the cutest bunny outfit today!"

He had taken the selfie from the passenger seat, and I immediately recognized the familiar interior of Clara's black Maybach.

I waited at the entrance of the theme park, ready to catch them when they arrived.