Chapter 3

After leaving the Miller family estate, I took the city bus to the west-side commercial street. With a criminal record, erased educational credentials, and a physical disability, my only option was to find a part-time job at a small restaurant to sustain myself for the next ten days. It's ironic, really. When I was brought back to the Miller family at fifteen, they gave me a thousand dollars as living expenses during the first month. But soon after, they began comparing me to Mona and found me lacking. They stopped paying me any attention, despite being their biological daughter. From then on, I had to work and study to cover my tuition and living expenses on my own.

At 11:30 that night, after washing the last dish, I stepped out of the restaurant alone. That's when I saw Hale step out of a Rolls-Royce Phantom and walk toward me.

"Lyanne, why did you take so long to come out?" he asked.

I hadn't even answered when Hale grabbed my hand and led me to the car. He opened the door, and on the seat was a beautifully crafted strawberry cake.

"Lyanne, happy birthday," he said.

I froze on the spot. The Brown family and the Miller family had been close friends and neighbors for years. Hale and I had been engaged since childhood, even though I'd gone missing at the age of two and wasn't found until I was fifteen. I still remember the first moment I saw him when I returned to the Miller family. He had been standing in the sunlight, wearing a white shirt, glowing like something out of a dream. The butler introduced him to me as Hale.

During the five years I spent with the Miller family, Hale was the only one who didn't look down on me. He stood up for me when others bullied me. He gave me gifts during holidays. He was the only person who treated me kindly. His kindness made me fall hopelessly in love with him. I saw him as my savior, my anchor. I even donated a kidney to save him when he was injured by a rival company. But in the end, it was Hale who orchestrated my seven years in prison.

"Lyanne, what's wrong? Did you think I forgot your birthday?" Hale's voice snapped me back to reality.

I responded calmly, "Thank you."

Hale reached into the back seat and retrieved an exquisitely wrapped gift box. "Open it," he said.

Inside was a custom-made red wedding dress. "Do you remember when you were little, you said you wanted to wear a red wedding dress when you married me? I had it made in advance. Do you like it?" he asked in a gentle voice.

In this world, only Hale would think to give me a red wedding dress. My throat felt bitter as I murmured, "Hale... you're mistaken. I don't like wedding dresses, and I don't like red."

The director of the orphanage once told me that I had been found outside a bridal shop. I was wearing an expensive red dress at the time. As I grew older, I would often linger outside bridal shops or wear red clothes, hoping my parents might find me.

Hale froze for a moment and, just like he used to seven years ago, reached out to ruffle my hair. "I'm sorry. I got it wrong. I'll have a new one made immediately. Come on, let's go to a restaurant and celebrate your birthday."

On the drive back, a light drizzle began to fall. Hale held my hand tightly the entire way. "Lyanne, you're even thinner than you were seven years ago. And your leg—"

Before he could finish, his phone rang. I glanced at the screen and saw the name "Mona." Hale picked up the call, and whatever was said on the other end made his expression turn panicked. He quickly ordered the driver, "Turn around. Head to the Miller family estate."

The car sped back to the Miller family home. Hale was furiously texting Mona the entire way. When we arrived, I saw Mona standing on the rooftop of the villa, dressed in a long white gown. Her face was pale as she murmured, "Dad, Mom, Chloe, Hale... Lyanne is back. It's time for me to step aside. Goodbye."

With that, she jumped.