### Chapter 5
Watching him put on his desperate act of protecting me, I felt not a thing.
“I'm going upstairs.”
I didn't wait for Dick to answer. I walked straight into the bathroom and splashed cold water over my face, again and again.
Seven years of love, turned to ash. I would have nothing left to hold on to.
Dick followed me up, wrapping his arms around me from behind：“I already set her straight. She's young, she doesn't know any better. Don't let her ruin your mood.”
“There's a new Japanese place on the west side, your favorite kind. Let me go pick something up. Be good and wait for me, okay?”
Listening to him lie, I felt only calm：“Go ahead.”
Dick pressed a careless kiss to my cheek and left in a hurry.
The moment he was out the door, my phone lit up.
I answered. A low, rich voice came through the receiver.
“Ready for me? My bride-to-be. Four days, and I'm coming to get you myself.” It was Adrian Sterling.
I nodded softly：“Okay. Four days.”
I hung up, lay back on the bed, and fell into an exhausted sleep.
When I opened my eyes again, Dick was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching me. His gaze was deep, searching.
“Emily, why did you change your phone password?”
“Felt like it.”
I sat up, my tone flat.
My password had been his birthday for seven years. I changed it the day I found out he was cheating.
Dick frowned, his scrutinizing gaze lingering on my face for a long time. In the end he just sighed and pulled me into his arms.
“I'm sorry. I've been neglecting you lately.” His voice was tender, the way it used to be. “Something urgent came up at the company. I need to travel for four days. Once this is done, I'll take you on that trip. You've always wanted to see the Pampas, right? We'll go riding. How does that sound?”
I lowered my eyes. I couldn't stand the false affection in them anymore.
I managed a thin smile：“Sure.”
I watched his silhouette disappear through the door and knew that we would probably never see each other again.
That afternoon, Tania sent me an ultrasound photo and a villa purchase contract.
“You slapped me once, and he bought me a villa. Said he's giving me a real home. Said he'll never let anyone hurt me again.”
The provocation barely registered. I started packing. After throwing out everything he'd ever given me, all I had left filled a single suitcase.
On the morning of the fourth day, I wheeled that suitcase out of the villa and all its memories.
I used to play piano on the terrace while Dick listened in the breeze, his eyes full of tenderness.
We used to kiss in the yard at sunset, our shadows stretching long across the grass, as though that single moment could last a lifetime.
But a lifetime is too long. He couldn't give it, and I couldn't afford to want it.
The front gate was right ahead when Tania sent another video.
A Prague dusk. White doves scattering across the square. Dick on one knee, holding out a pigeon-egg diamond ring.
“He proposed to me yesterday! Surprised? Even I didn't see it coming.”
“He said he'll give me and our son his name. Next time you see him, you'll be the one getting thrown out. Today's our wedding, actually. So be smart and get lost on your own—don't humiliate yourself!”
I typed back fast：“Then I'm truly happy for you.”
Message sent. Number blocked.
A black Rolls-Royce was parked at the curb. A striking man stepped out, took my hand, and guided me into the car.
His fingertips tilted my chin up, and he smiled, bold and unyielding：“This time, I'm not letting you run.”
The car pulled away. At the intersection, a lavish wedding motorcade approached from the opposite direction.
I glanced over without thinking. In the open-top wedding car, Dick sat in a white suit, smiling as he kissed Tania on the lips.
He lifted his head from the kiss, and his eyes met mine without warning. His pupils contracted instantly, and every trace of color drained from his face.
The two cars passed each other and were gone.
That was when my phone rang.
