Third Person's POV
Talia hated the sterile smell of hospitals, so Starlet moved her to a private care facility.
Talia also didn’t like being around people, so even after ten years of being with Aldrich, Starlet never once mentioned her.
That’s why, when she heard her sister didn’t have much time left, the idea of taking her place became her escape plan.
Emerging from the water, she stood in front of the mirror. Slowly, her own pale face blurred, merging with her sister’s.
A soft, almost peaceful smile spread across her lips. Once she was gone, it wouldn’t matter where she went or what she did—Aldrich would never be able to find her again.
She would disappear from his life forever.
That night, after booking a flight overseas for two weeks later, she slept more soundly than she had in months.
The next morning, after breakfast, she began clearing out everything that reminded her of Aldrich.
The gifts he had given her, the surprises he had planned, the photo albums filled with memories. Seven or eight full boxes of love and nostalgia, all of it thrown away, one piece at a time, until nothing was left.
Just as she was hauling the last box outside, a sleek, limited-edition Tesla pulled up to the curb.
Hearing the sound, Starlet instinctively turned around—only to lock eyes with Aldrich. His usual sharp, arrogant gaze met hers, but he wasn’t alone.
A woman draped herself over his arm, her makeup flawless, her outfit seductive. They stood together in the open, making no effort to hide. Even after seeing her, neither of them flinched.
Starlet knew exactly what Aldrich was thinking.
He assumed that because she loved him, she would forgive everything he did while he was "lost" in his amnesia.
But no matter how deep a love ran, it would run dry eventually.
And Starlet had never been the kind of person to tolerate betrayal. Deception, infidelity—those were the things she despised most in life.
Especially when the woman in his arms was the one person she hated more than anyone.
Her grip on the box tightened as she stared at Eileen Malone, the ringleader of her high school tormentors.
From the moment she stepped onto campus, Eileen and her group had made her their target. Every cruel trick, every vicious prank—they had all been inflicted on her.
For years, her body was never free of bruises. She had tried to fight back once, but it only made things worse.
The final straw came when a classmate casually complimented her looks. That was all it took for Eileen to snap. She and her lackeys cornered Starlet in the bathroom, holding scissors and a lighter, ready to burn her hair and scar her face forever.
Panicked, she had no choice but to jump out the window.
Luckily, she survived, but the price was a deep, jagged scar on her right cheek.
Eileen’s wealthy family had thrown a hundred thousand bucks at her to keep her quiet. And for Talia’s sake, she took it. But when she watched her abuser walk away unscathed, boarding a plane to study abroad, she had never felt so much hate.
And Aldrich knew all of this. He knew Eileen was her nightmare. He knew she still woke up screaming from those memories.
Yet here he was—parading around with her like it was nothing.
The weight of all the lies and betrayal crashed down on her, filling her with disgust.
She didn’t want to waste another second on these two. Without hesitation, she lifted the last box and threw it into the trash.
Out of the corner of his eye, Aldrich saw what she was throwing away. His expression darkened, and in an instant, he stepped forward, his voice tense.
“Why are you throwing all of this away? Don’t you remember—I gave you all of this—”
Starlet cut him off with a smirk, her tone laced with mockery.
“I thought you lost your memory? How do you still remember these things?”
The moment the words left her lips, Aldrich’s heart sank.
For the first time, he realized his mistake.
His throat went dry, and he quickly cleared it, forcing a smirk in an attempt to mask his slip-up.
