Chapter 3

My breath hitched, and my fingers clenched until my knuckles turned white. Even though I knew better than to hope, my defenses crumbled in that moment.

Seeing my reaction, Grace raised an eyebrow smugly. “Sadie, I came to see you because you’ve been with Isaac longer than anyone else. But so what? Do you really think you’re that special to him?

“Sure, he's good to you.” She said dismissively, “But he’s good to me too. And from what I’ve heard, he was generous and gentle with all his ex-lovers as well. Some people are just born without a heart. Because they don’t truly care, they can afford to treat everyone the same. You’re only fooling yourself because you’ve been by his side the longest.”

Suddenly, I found the whole situation ironic.

“If I’m really that insignificant to him, why did you come all the way here to see me? You’re acting awfully eager to stake your claim, Grace. It sounds like you’re the insecure one.”

Her expression immediately stiffened. “I just… I just don’t want you clinging to him, not knowing your place!”

“Don’t worry.” I cut her off coldly. “If Isaac truly intends to marry you… I’ll cut ties with him completely. There’ll be no lingering attachments.”

I paused before lifting my eyes to meet hers. “Now that you’ve heard what you wanted, you should be satisfied. You’re not welcome here. Please leave.”

Not long after Grace left, Isaac returned. This had been the month he’d come back most often. However, I no longer had the energy to love him, and nothing he did could stir my heart anymore.

He walked over without saying a word and bent down, pulling both me and the blanket wrapped around me into his arms.

“Were you good today? Did you miss me?”

My body stiffened. Unlike before, I didn’t wrap my arms around him.

My gaze drifted to his right hand. The matching engagement ring he shared with Grace wasn’t on his ring finger. Instead, there was a faint but unmistakable indentation where the ring had been.

I let out a silent, bitter laugh. Whether he wore it or took it off didn’t matter because the fact that he had another woman was reality. To me, this pathetic attempt to hide it meant nothing.

Isaac leaned closer, intending to kiss me, but I turned my face away and avoided his lips.

“Isaac, I'm tired.”

He seemed startled for a moment before tightening his embrace.

“Then get some rest,” he said indulgently. “I’m staying tonight. I’ll keep you company.”

“Don’t come back,” I interrupted him.

The air between us tensed, and his body stiffened. Slowly, he released me and placed both hands on my shoulders, forcing me to look at him.

“What do you mean?” His eyes locked onto mine, his voice growing colder. “Sadie, are you saying you don’t want me coming back to see you?”

I met his gaze without flinching. “What would be the point? Isaac, there are so many people you need to keep company with. Can you really manage them all?”

“So you're jealous?” He sounded relieved yet angrier.

His fingers closed around my chin and added, “Sadie, how many times have I told you? Those women are part of business networking. I can't avoid it. Sometimes I have to keep up appearances. Can you be a little more reasonable?”

So that was how he saw it. To him, my resentment and resistance were all just me being unreasonable.

My gaze moved past him and landed on the coffee table. A white porcelain vase sat there, empty. The bouquet of jasmine flowers was gone. I'd thrown it in the trash.

Isaac followed my line of sight. The moment he noticed the empty vase, his expression changed.

“Where are the flowers?” His voice rose sharply.

“I threw them away,” I replied indifferently.

“Sadie!” He suddenly grabbed my wrist, anger burning in his eyes. “What exactly are you trying to do? Can’t you stop causing trouble for once?”

“I don't want your flowers.”

I yanked my hand free, a red mark showing immediately around my wrist. However, I felt no pain; only a cold numbness.

“Isaac, don’t send them anymore. I think they're filthy.”

“What did you say?”

As if that comment had struck him hard, the anger on his face froze.

“I said, your gifts are filthy,” I repeated.

“Fine. Fine!” He laughed bitterly, his anger having reached its limit, and a vein pulsed at his temple.

“Sadie, you’ve got some nerve. Since you don’t appreciate anything I do, and since you think I'm filthy…” His voice turned icy as he continued, “Then don’t ever beg me to come back again.”

With that, he turned and walked away. A deafening sound echoed through the house as he slammed the front door behind him.

Silence filled the living room once more. I remained sitting on the couch in the same position. As I stared at the closed door, my face remained expressionless. This time, there were no tears or heartbreak. All I felt was empty.