The door closed with a quiet click.
The moment Colton was gone, Hannah sank onto the cold floor as every bit of strength seemed to leave her body.
From the very beginning, she had understood that there was never going to be a future for her and Colton.
He was the CEO of Harrison Group, a man who had been born into a life of wealth and influence that most people could only imagine.
As for her, she had never been anything more than a replacement, someone who happened to resemble his first love.
It was time for her to stop living in that illusion.
The best thing she could do was leave with her pride, quietly step out of his life, and sincerely wish him happiness.
But why did her heart still hurt this much?
The following day, Hannah gathered herself and got ready to meet Valerie.
"Ms. Mitchell, I expect you to personally handle every detail of my wedding and my gown. The most influential people in the city will be attending. There can't be a single mistake," Valerie said with a polished smile. The enormous diamond on her finger sparkled under the light.
Hannah pressed her nails into her palms as bitterness filled her mouth. "Of course," she replied calmly. "That's my responsibility."
"Colton already told me not to worry about the budget. He wants everything to be the very best," Valerie continued with an unmistakably triumphant smile. "A man like him deserves nothing less. Naturally, our wedding will be the biggest event of the year."
At that moment, Lucy walked over and placed Hannah's portfolio of design sketches in front of Valerie.
Valerie casually flipped through the sketches Hannah had created after countless sleepless nights. She treated them as though they were worth nothing.
She threw the sketches onto the floor one after the other. "This one's tacky. This one doesn't stand out at all. And this one... it's awful."
Hannah silently watched the drawings she had refined night after night. Every design reflected her passion for her work, yet they were tossed aside as if they were worthless. Her hands slowly tightened into fists.
She realized Valerie had never come here to choose a wedding dress, but to humiliate her.
Without warning, Valerie stopped turning the pages. Her eyes settled on the last sketch at the bottom of the stack.
In the lower right corner was a bold, unmistakable signature—Colton Harrison.
That sketch was the one Hannah treasured more than any other.
She still remembered the day she had drawn that gown. Colton had walked up behind her, slipped his arms around her waist, and gently guided her hand as they added a few delicate roses to the back of the design together. He had told her that roses suited her and that she looked the most beautiful among them.
"I want this one," Valerie declared, and a calculating smile appeared in her eyes.
"Not that one," Hannah said firmly, her voice strained. "You can't have that design. A friend made it for me, and it means a great deal to me."
"It means a great deal?" Valerie let out a mocking laugh. "But that's the only design I want. I'm not interested in any of the others. If you refuse, you'll be the reason the wedding gets delayed. Are you prepared to take responsibility for that?"
Hannah's fingers began to shake. Her eyes settled on the sketch that carried Colton's signature, and everything about it suddenly felt painfully ironic. Colton was about to marry someone else. There was no reason for her to keep holding on to it anymore.
"Alright." Hannah pressed her lips together before turning to Lucy. "Please take Ms. Clarke's measurements."
After Hannah escorted Valerie outside, a familiar black car quietly pulled up along the curb.
Hannah recognized it immediately. It was Colton's car. Her heart tightened, and she quickly turned her face away. She couldn't bring herself to look at him.
As the car slowly drove away, it felt as though it had taken the last of her strength with it.
Late that night, Colton returned to the villa and opened the front door.
Instead of being greeted by the warm lights and Hannah's familiar presence, complete silence filled the house.
Out of habit, he glanced toward the entryway. Her shoes were gone.
He walked into the bedroom and pushed the door open. Half of the closet stood empty. Her clothes were gone. Her belongings had disappeared. Even her scent that once lingered in the room had faded away. It was as if she had never lived there at all.
A heavy frustration he had never experienced before gripped his chest. He took out his phone and dialed the number he had memorized long ago.
However, she had blocked his number.
A cold laugh escaped him without the slightest trace of amusement as Hannah's words from the previous day echoed in his mind. Every night she spent with him, she had been thinking about another man.
Hannah really had a lot of nerve.
The quiet hum of a car faded outside the villa. Soon after, the crisp sound of high heels echoed across the marble floor. A moment later, Colton's mother, Edith Harrison, walked inside.
She looked around the now empty villa, and a pleased smile appeared on her face. "Looks like she's taken everything with her. At least that little schemer knew when to leave. Colton, we'll renovate this place. After the wedding, you and Valerie can live here."
Colton reached up and loosened his tie. His jaw remained tense. "Not this villa. Find another place."
"Can't let go of her yet?" Edith's expression became much more serious. "The Clarke family is our strongest ally right now. Your father is already planning to bring that illegitimate son of his into the company. If you refuse this marriage, your father will hand your shares over to him. Are you really willing to throw away your future for a woman?"
Colton remained standing in the shadows without saying a word. After a long silence, a quiet, bitter laugh escaped him.
He remembered Hannah softly calling his name in the darkness. He remembered the look of complete concentration on her face whenever she sat down to draw. Those familiar memories stirred something restless deep inside him.
Even so, they meant nothing compared to everything that was at stake.
"You're overthinking this, Mother." Colton turned around, and his voice returned to its usual calm indifference. "Hannah was only a distraction. Nothing more. I never intended to be serious with her. The wedding will go on as planned. Just make sure you're there."
