Chapter 4

Carter's POV

I didn't actually start panicking until the third day.

When I went back to our penthouse, I found the door code had been changed. The property manager told me that Miss Vance had authorized her lawyer to liquidate her half of the property, and all her personal belongings had been moved out in the middle of the night.

I stood at the door, holding a box of the tiramisu Chloe used to love.

In the past, as long as I swallowed my pride and bought her some sweets, Chloe would always forgive me. She might complain a little, but she would still open the door, hang up my coat, and ask if I wanted some water.

But this time, there were no lights on behind the door. No one was waiting.

I called a mutual friend, who hesitated before speaking. "Carter, you really messed up this time. Chloe's family handled all the wedding cancellations. They didn't even ask the Sterlings for a dime. They've been more than decent."

I demanded coldly, "Where is she?"

"I don't know. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

The line went dead.

I sat back in my car, my chest feeling incredibly tight. Iris called me again, crying that she had no appetite and wanted some crème brûlée from the bakery uptown.

I didn't answer.

Iris quickly sent a barrage of texts, asking if I blamed her, saying that if it weren't for her, Chloe wouldn't have left, and that the baby was kicking and she was so scared.

Looking at the word "baby," my head throbbed painfully.

It wasn't that I didn't want to take responsibility.

That night at the college reunion, everyone had drunk too much. Iris had leaned on my shoulder and cried, saying she had never been loved, asking if I could just stay with her for a bit. I remembered pushing her away, but I also remembered losing consciousness. When I woke up, Iris was curled up next to me. She told me it was fine, just a one-night stand, and that we should both just forget about it.

I believed her.

Or rather, I wanted to believe her.

Because as long as I kept Iris in the "friend" box, I didn't have to admit how dirty I had been.

But now that Chloe was gone, that excuse had lost all its magic.

That evening, Robert called me back to the family estate.

The Vance family lawyer was sitting in the living room.

He handed over the termination of engagement documents, his tone perfectly polite. "Miss Vance's stance is clear. There was no marriage certificate filed, so this is not a divorce. She has covered all wedding expenses. As for the gifts from the Sterling family during the engagement, she has cataloged them. They will be returned to you."

Victoria slammed her hand on the table. "What is she trying to do? Is she trying to run off with another man?"

The lawyer looked up. "Mrs. Sterling, please watch your words. Miss Vance is currently single. Who she associates with is none of Mr. Sterling's business."

I stared at the documents, my fingertips turning white. "Tell her to come talk to me herself."

The lawyer capped his pen. "She does not wish to see you."

I let out a dry laugh that didn't reach my eyes. "Fine. She's hiding. Let's see how long she can play this game."

After the lawyer left, Victoria was still cursing the Vance family for being heartless.

But my eyes were glued to the cataloged list. Chloe had left so cleanly.

The engagement necklace. The bracelet my mother gave her. The designer bags I bought her on a whim. Even a single pair of cufflinks was itemized and returned.

She didn't keep a single thing. She didn't want any memories. It was like she was clearing out a rental apartment she never intended to return to.

"She used to love these things," I whispered.

Victoria didn't hear me. "What?"

I didn't answer.

Chloe used to take photos of every single gift I gave her. She would be overjoyed for days over a bracelet that didn't even fit her style. It wasn't about the price tag. She just valued the thought behind them.

And now, she was returning all that care in a neatly printed list.

For the first time, I felt like the girl who used to run to me with open arms was truly gone.

Robert was calmer than Victoria, but he was stressed.

After the Vance Group pulled their joint venture, several of our ongoing projects fell into limbo. The partners didn't outright reject us, they just said they needed to "wait and see." But in business, everyone knows what "wait and see" actually means.

Robert glared at me. "What are your actual plans for Iris?"

I couldn't answer.

Before, I thought the baby could be taken care of quietly, the wedding could go on, and Chloe would just accept it. Now, seeing those things laid out, it all felt like a joke.

Robert sneered. "You always bragged about how logical you are. How did you fail to calculate the most basic consequences of your actions?"