Chapter 1

The night wind cut through the air, scattering what remained of my passion and fantasies about love.

I looked at my heartbroken dad and smiled bitterly. "Dad, I lost."

Dad gently patted the back of my head, comforting me. "In five days, Peter will come and marry you."

I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes and nodded firmly. After seeing Dad off, I quietly returned to my room.

Before long, my boyfriend, Lance Hartley, opened the door and came in. Seeing me standing by the window, he wrapped his arms around me from behind. His breathing grew rapid as he kissed my neck, his hands already restlessly slipping under my clothes, caressing my skin.

Feeling his desire, I softened my body and let him do as he pleased. But he was like an insatiable, ravenous wolf, taking me again and again until I drowned in waves of sensation.

As I drifted toward sleep, he kissed my cheek, his voice barely a whisper. "Babe, why don't you go abroad to study?"

I opened my reddened eyes, struggling to control my emotions. "What about you?"

His gaze deepened as he smiled. "I'll wait for you here."

I nodded slightly, lowering my eyes to hide the disappointment in them.

He wasn't telling the truth. He wouldn't wait for me, and he would marry someone else.

I was the daughter of the richest man in the world and was constantly surrounded by countless exceptional men. Yet I fell in love with Lance, who had nothing.

I hid my identity and pursued him, staying by his side for six years to help him become the company's chairman. Everyone knew I was his girlfriend and assumed I would be the one he married.

But he abandoned me and proposed to Ella Monroe, the famous movie star.

The man who once swore that he would love me for life knelt publicly and declared his feelings for another woman, vowing he wouldn't marry anyone but her in this lifetime.

Dad confronted him and asked what puzzled him the most. "You're clearly dating Lisa. Why would you marry someone else?"

Lance's expression turned cold and disdainful.

"She's just some poor woman with no family, no connections, no influence. Sure, she stuck by me through the hard times, but she's not wife material. Besides, she's not even in Ella's league. Why would I settle for her?"

Hiding behind the door, I felt my heart break into pieces. In that moment, I finally understood he saw me as someone he could discard at any time.

When I remained silent, Lance sighed helplessly. "Don't worry, I won't let you suffer any hardships. I'll cover all your expenses abroad."

He paused, then added, "But you can't show up in front of Ella. I care about her a lot, and I won't allow anyone to come between us. Especially not you."

Even though he spoke gently, I heard the warning beneath his words. I took a deep breath and looked at him seriously before saying, "Okay."

He exhaled with relief and pulled me into a tight embrace. "I'll stay with you tonight."

But the moment those words left his mouth, his phone rang. Seeing that it was Ella calling, he immediately released me and answered the call.

"Honey, my stomach hurts so badly. Please come take me to the hospital!"

Lance jumped up anxiously, grabbed his jacket, and rushed out. He was in such a hurry that he forgot to put on his socks.

I stared at his retreating figure, feeling somewhat dazed. He really was in love with Ella.

I had known for a long time that she held a place in his heart, but I still pursued him recklessly six years ago. I wanted nothing more than to be by his side.

Back then, he was just an ordinary employee clawing his way up from the bottom, someone anyone could bully. I fiercely confronted everyone who mistreated him.

Once, one of his colleagues framed him for stealing a proposal. I fought desperately to snatch the USB drive containing the evidence, but I accidentally fell down the stairs and got a concussion. Thankfully, we found the proposal on the USB and cleared his name.

Another time, some colleagues ganged up on him. Just as one of them raised a knife to stab him, I threw myself in front of him to block it. The blade pierced my abdomen, damaging my uterus so severely that I would never be able to have children.

At the time, Lance held my blood-soaked body tearfully and promised, "Babe, I'll never let you down in this lifetime."

I thought he had fallen in love with me. After pouring all my love into him for six years, I never expected that all I would get was him saying I wasn't worthy and that I wasn't even in Ella's league.

How ridiculous!

No matter how hard I tried, I could never take Ella's place in his heart. If that was the case, there was no reason for me to keep loving him.

This was the end of the road for us.