Chapter 3

After the call ended, Bruce didn't say anything more in the end. He turned and left the house.

My hands paused over the things I was packing.

I looked up at the breakfast on the table.

Maybe he'd bought it for Desiree Fox, and just picked up a portion for me on the way.

Or maybe he'd bought it for me, and grabbed some for Desiree too.

After all, it was from the place I loved most.

But it didn't matter now.

Muriel arrived at the house soon after, with people to help.

Once everything was loaded into the car, I got into Muriel's passenger seat.

Muriel turned and glanced at me.

"You're just leaving like this?"

I didn't answer. I only watched the rearview mirror.

Watched the home I'd lived in for five years grow smaller and smaller.

Until it became a tiny black dot, and finally disappeared from my sight completely.

When I didn't answer, Muriel sighed.

"I already had people clean out that apartment overnight."

"Rest up for a few days. Nothing major's happening at the company right now."

I pulled my eyes back and shook my head.

"Just take me to the office. I still have some things to finish."

"I don't have that much time to mourn someone who isn't worth it."

After stopping by my own company for a file, I headed over to Bruce's.

Same as always, I walked straight into his office.

His secretarial team all knew me, so of course no one stopped me.

But when I walked in, Bruce wasn't there. There was only a woman with long hair falling loose down her back.

She was sitting in Bruce's chair, sprawled out completely at ease.

I'd never seen her before, but I knew.

She was the reason Bruce had called off our engagement.

Desiree clearly recognized me too.

After all, not just anyone could come and go freely from Bruce's office.

She stood up and walked slowly toward me.

"Bruce is in a meeting. I'm waiting for him here."

"You're Miss Summers, right? I hear you and Bruce were supposed to get married tomorrow."

"That's really too bad. Otherwise you'd be home right now, getting ready to be a bride."

I ignored her and walked straight to the couch off to the side and sat down.

When I didn't answer, Desiree wasn't the least bit rattled.

"Who's this act for? From your face, I'd say you already know who I am."

"Such a shame, Miss Summers. See, the moment I come back, your place belongs to me."

"Five years with him, and you don't even rate a chance to compete with me. How dull."

I glanced down at the time on my watch.

"Sorry, Miss Fox. I have no intention of competing with you."

"A man like that, take him if you want him. I don't care for him."

Desiree wasn't angry in the slightest. She actually laughed out loud, probably thinking I was putting on a brave front.

"Ha, I actually like your attitude, Miss Summers. Let me tell you another secret, then."

"Bruce went after you in the first place because my father looked down on him for being an upstart with no real foundation."

"Bruce told me himself. The Summers Group had gone bankrupt, you'd lost both your parents. Coming to you at that moment was his best chance to break into high society."

Seeing that I didn't move, she kept going on her own.

"See, if it weren't for me, you and he would never have even met. Everything he did, he did for me."

"You didn't actually think he'd really marry you, did you?"

"No, no, no. He only wanted to force me back into the country. He wanted to make me angry."

I lowered my eyes, and felt the last shred of reluctance I held for Bruce vanish for good.

Of course I'd always known why he got together with me back then. After all, I'd wanted something out of it too.

But I'd thought that at least when he proposed to me, he meant it.

Now I could see it was only two people using each other, nothing more.

Just then the office door was pushed open, and Bruce's delighted voice rang out.

"What are you doing here?"