Chapter 2 Love That Replaced Itself

I had watched that familiar face change—from timid and fragile to someone who could stand on her own.

Sadie had been my nanny since she was very young. Back then, she was small, thin, and barely spoke. My mother said she was there to take care of me, but looking back now, it felt more like I had been the one taking care of her.

I used to tease her on purpose, dragging her out to play, just to see her blush in bashfulness. Whenever I told her she was the prettiest, she would stomp her foot and deny it, stumbling over her words. "Y-You look good too… Really handsome."

Once, she stayed up all night learning from other girls and folded an entire jar of paper stars for me. When she gave it to me, she was so shy she could barely meet my eyes, softly asking me not to fall for anyone else.

She would always stand behind me, murmuring under her breath, "Ian… my Ian."

She was like my little shadow. Aside from me, hardly anyone else could get her to do anything.

When I was 16, I was kidnapped by enemies.

The abandoned warehouse collapsed with a deafening crash. I remembered hearing people say there was no saving me.

But Sadie came.

Dragging her injured leg behind her, she dug through the rubble with her bare hands until she pulled me out. She collapsed into my arms, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.

After that, she disappeared for a month. She had been hospitalized in the ICU, and her leg had nearly been lost.

The day she woke up, I pulled her into my arms, my eyes burning red. But she only smiled and said, "Don't cry. You won't look good with swollen eyes."

I kissed her. That same night, she grabbed my sleeve and demanded that I take responsibility. And just like that, we started dating in secret.

My mother tried again and again to stop us, but Sadie would rather be driven out than break up with me. In the end, people in our circle started calling her the embodiment of unwavering love. For over a decade after that, our story was still talked about.

Later, when my mother fell gravely ill and was on the verge of death, Sadie took care of her day and night, barely getting rest herself.

With red-rimmed eyes, she kneeled beside my mother's hospital bed and swore, "I truly love Ian, ma'am. If you allow us to be together, I'll take care of him for the rest of my life. I'll make him happy. You have my word."

Before my mother passed, she reached out and gently touched Sadie's head. Sadie clutched her hand in return.

"Sadie… I only have this one child. Don't… hurt him. He… has no one else left."

Sadie swore on her life that she would belong only to me, that she would love only me for the rest of her life. I felt for her, so I willingly handed the company over for her to manage.

At the time, she truly proved herself.

After taking over, she never rested. She pulled in clients, secured investments, and expanded the business relentlessly. In the shortest time possible, she turned Corbett Co. into something powerful and thriving.

By the end of that year, she put on a wedding dress and proposed to me herself.

We had a wedding that captured everyone's attention.

When she turned back to look at me, her eyes were already red with emotion. She stumbled into my arms, her voice trembling. "Thank you for giving me a home. In this lifetime, we won't abandon each other. No matter what."

We built a happy little home together.

Not wanting to wear myself out, Sadie hired a housekeeper to help take care of things.

And that man was Finn Walker.

He came from the countryside, strong-built and tan-skinned. He was not educated, but he worked hard and did everything he could.

Sadie had spent a considerable amount to bring him in. I laughed at her for being foolish, but she rose on her toes and kissed me. "As long as it helps ease your burden, I'm willing to give anything. Just don't leave me."

Finn was diligent, but his good intentions often caused trouble. He would "tidy up" and throw away my old belongings, break expensive bottles while organizing the wine cabinet, or accidentally delete important files after shutting down Sadie's computer.

Sadie was so frustrated she tried to fire him more than once. I talked her out of it, insisting that he stay because I thought he had nowhere else to go.

She would often grumble that I did not care about her enough, but still treated Finn kindly out of respect for me. And somehow, he stayed. Then, little by little, he took over everything that used to be mine.

And somehow, I became the outsider.