Chapter 1

“Miss Summers, are you sure you want to erase all your identity records? Once erased, it will be as if you never existed, and no one will be able to find you."

Adele paused for a moment before nodding resolutely. "Yes, that's exactly what I want. I want no one to find me."

There was a hint of surprise on the other end of the line, but they quickly responded, "Understood, Miss Summers. The process will take about two weeks to complete. Please wait patiently."

After hanging up the call, Adele put her phone down and booked a flight to Florin, scheduled to depart in two weeks.

At the same time, the television was replaying a press conference held by the Sterling Corporation.

A week ago, Elias Sterling, CEO of Sterling Corporation, unveiled a masterpiece of jewelry, crafted from the world’s most exquisite diamonds and gemstones. He named it “Adele” in his wife’s honor, a bold declaration of his unwavering love for her to the entire world.

As soon as the piece was introduced, it went viral, dominating trending topics across all platforms. The buzz didn’t fade, and the internet was ablaze with discussions about their "fairytale romance."

Following the press conference, the broadcast shifted to clips of reporters interviewing passersby.

"Excuse me, sir, do you know about Mr. Sterling and Mrs. Sterling's legendary love story?"

A woman in a floral dress, her face full of envy, answered enthusiastically, "Who doesn’t? Just recently, Mr. Sterling even published a memoir entirely dedicated to Mrs. Sterling.

“In it, he mentioned how she loved cherries, so he planted an entire orchard of cherry trees around their villa! I told my husband to learn from him, and he said, 'That kind of man is one in a million. I could never compete.' Honestly, it’s enough to drive you mad with jealousy!"

The reporter moved on to interview more people.

A young university student stood in front of the microphone, clutching her hands to her chest with a dreamy expression. "Their love story is like a romance novel brought to life! Mr. Sterling is the ultimate lover. Four years ago, Mrs. Sterling faced kidney failure and was in desperate need of a transplant.

“When it turned out Mr. Sterling was a compatible donor, he ignored everyone’s objections and went straight to the operating table that very day to save her. He said she was his life, and if she couldn’t live, he wouldn’t either. How could there be such a perfect man?"

The reporter interviewed countless people, and every single one of them expressed admiration for Elias and Adele’s love story.

The news replayed over and over on the screen, but Adele merely curled her lips in self-mockery.

Her face had always attracted attention, and from a young age, she was surrounded by admirers.

Yet, having grown up with divorced parents, Adele held no illusions about love.

She rejected every confession with the same line: "Sorry, I’m not interested in dating, and I care even less about romance."

That was until she met Elias.

Unlike everyone else, he pursued her relentlessly for three years. No matter how many times she turned him down, he only became more determined.

Once, just to win her a necklace she liked, he joined a life-threatening street race, nearly losing his life in the process. That was the moment he finally broke through her walls.

After they got together, his love never waned. Instead, he showered her with everything he could offer, gradually melting her guarded heart.

Even when proposing, he didn’t stop at just once—he asked fifty-two times before she finally took the leap of faith and agreed to marry him.

On the day of his final proposal, Adele gazed at the ring on her finger, tears glistening in her eyes, and said to Elias, "Elias, I will do my best to be your wife, through life and death, wealth and poverty, never abandoning you.

“But there’s one thing you must remember—I will never tolerate lies. If you ever deceive me, I will disappear from your world forever."

Those beautiful memories had now been shattered by a cruel reality, turning into nothing but illusions.

Three months ago, she discovered that Elias had secretly been seeing another woman. He spent his days with Adele and his nights with her, his heart long since divided between two women.

It was the painful truth of the saying: those who love passionately often burn out quickly.

Adele let out a bitter laugh, switched off the television, and printed out the divorce papers she had prepared long ago. Picking up the pen, she carefully signed her name, stroke by deliberate stroke.

As fate would have it, her words from the past had come true. She would keep her promise and disappear from his world forever.

After signing her name, Adele placed the divorce papers into an elegant gift box and wrapped it carefully.

An hour later, Elias stepped through the door.

Before he could even take off his shoes, he rushed toward her, pulling her into his arms as he gently apologized. "I’m sorry, Addie. I went to pick up the jewelry today, which is why I was late and missed our wedding anniversary. Please don’t be upset, okay?"

He produced the box containing the “Adele” necklace, trying to soothe her.

The collar of his black shirt was slightly open, with the top button left undone. As he leaned down, the skin beneath his collar revealed faint marks of kiss imprints and scratches that stabbed sharply into Adele’s heart.

Had he really gone to pick up the jewelry, or had he spent the evening with Evelyn Lowe? Most likely, he had just come straight from her bed.

Elias, oblivious to her turmoil, lovingly placed the necklace on her. The dazzling light from the jewels accentuated her delicate features, making her beauty even more radiant.

"You look stunning, Addie," he said sincerely, his eyes filled with admiration.

But there was no joy in Adele’s expression. Her eyes were red as she handed him the gift box containing the divorce papers. "This is for you."

Elias looked at her, puzzled. "What’s this?"

Adele’s lips curled faintly. "A gift. You prepared something for me for our anniversary, so it’s only fitting that I give you something in return."

Elias’s eyes lit up with delight. He treated the box like a treasure and eagerly moved to open it.

But Adele stopped him. "Open it in two weeks."

"Why?" he asked, a little confused.

Adele spoke each word slowly and deliberately. "Because this gift will have more meaning if you open it in two weeks."

Elias paused for a moment, then nodded without pressing further.

Instead, he gently took her hand and placed a soft kiss on it.

"Whatever my darling says goes. Your husband will wait for this surprise."

With that, he immediately grabbed a sticky note, wrote a line on it with care, and solemnly attached it to the gift box.

"Open in two weeks."

Adele watched him quietly, her thoughts heavy. “Elias, I just hope that when the time comes, you’ll truly see it as a surprise.”