Chapter 3

I suppressed my disgust and rolled my eyes at Connor.

“When did Mr. Connor Gregory fall so low? Can’t you even give your lover a proper gift, and instead dig up a secondhand dress from someone else’s closet?”

Rachel instantly lost her composure.

“What lover? What secondhand dress? Stop being so snide!

“Connor loves me. That dress was given to me by him.”

That dress was one I had designed especially for Connor to wear with me to a party celebrating his first project.

Now, he had put it on Rachel with his own hands.

Connor’s expression darkened as he looked at me.

“It’s just a dress. Why make such a fuss?

“You designed it for my female companion in the first place. Rachel is coming to our house tomorrow, so isn’t it normal for her to wear it?”

I could hardly follow his twisted logic. It was almost amusing how shameless some people could be.

When I didn’t reply, Connor mistook my silence for backing down. His expression grew smug.

“From now on, you and Rachel are both my women. Naturally, there’s no need to draw lines over whose dresses or jewelry belong to whom.

“You brought your luggage here because you’re planning to move in with me, right? Perfect. Let’s take this as a start. It’ll help tone down that jealousy of yours.”

For the first time, the man before me felt like a stranger.

He had once been the light in my life, the one who lifted me up when I was at my lowest.

But somewhere along the way, he had turned into a shameless b*stard who refused to listen.

Word by word, I retorted, “Since when was I your woman?

“Didn’t I make myself clear at the engagement party? The one I’m marrying is Liam Gregory.”

Connor shook his head and gave a helpless smile.

“Helen, be realistic. Do you really think someone like you can convince my uncle—the man who has never dated anyone—to get married?

“All this fuss over a cheap dress? The last ring I gave you could buy thousands of dresses. You were the one who didn’t want it!”

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became.

Sensing her chance to paint me as “unreasonable,” Rachel put on an innocent look and leaned tearfully against Connor’s chest.

“Connor, don’t be angry. Don’t fight with my sister because of me. I don’t deserve this dress. Let’s just give it back to her.”

I had no interest in their farce. Tossing the old belongings I had packed from home onto the floor, I swept my gaze over the two of them, my expression calm.

“Forget it. Since you like hand-me-downs so much, keep wearing them.

“As for me… I don’t like secondhand clothes, or the used man who makes me sick.”

My words hit Connor like a blow. The man who had been glaring at me just moments ago froze in place.

In my past life, I had argued with him, even quarreled with him, but I had never once looked at him with the same contempt I would show trash.

He suddenly tore open the suitcase I had thrown down. Inside were all the things he had once given me.

Only then did he finally realize—I truly no longer cared.

“Helen, you—”

He started to speak, but I was already walking away without turning back.

He wanted to chase after me, but Rachel clung to him.

“Connor, what’s wrong? Don’t leave me behind.”

Too prideful to admit defeat, Connor immediately masked his insecurity.

“What could possibly be wrong with me? Let Helen dream for a couple more days. Once she sets foot in the Gregory family’s mansion tomorrow, she’ll have plenty to cry about.”

Yet, for some reason, when his eyes fell again on the dress Rachel was wearing, it suddenly looked out of place.

His voice softened, his expression dark and unreadable.

“Rachel, don’t wear this dress anymore. I’ll buy you a new one.”

…

I didn’t want to see that shameless couple for another second.

But the thought of my carefully designed dress being desecrated still left me feeling wronged.

On the way home, Connor kept calling, which only made me more annoyed. I turned off my phone.

Even though my mind told me I had let go, the anger burning in my chest refused to fade.