Chapter 4

Damon’s figure cast a long shadow under the dim streetlights. A tiny red glow flickered between his fingers, and several cigarette butts lay scattered on the ground.

This place—I’d been here just yesterday. It was Chloe’s apartment building.

He looked up at a lit window, his gaze fixed, unblinking.

Following his line of sight, a slender silhouette appeared vaguely through the curtains, like soft gauze fluttering in the wind.

He looked like a man from a movie, utterly consumed by love, just standing there, watching her silently from a distance.

Something inside me was slowly crumbling.

I sat in my car all night.

It wasn’t until the sky began to lighten that Chloe emerged from the building.

She looked well-rested, and a startled expression crossed her face when she saw Damon.

The man, who had been looking so dejected, seemed to get a jolt of excitement.

He smiled, said a few words, and then stepped closer—she retreated slightly, but her cheeks flushed. Then, they got into the car together.

I remained seated, feeling a thin thread wrapped around my heart, tightening until I could barely breathe.

When Damon pursued me years ago, he was just like this—a smile on his lips, approaching step by step, giving no chance to escape.

That aloof, arrogant rich boy act, when he was chasing someone… it was impossible to resist.

Only this time, the leading lady in his eyes wasn’t me.

I followed them to the company building.

From a distance, I watched them walk to the entrance, instinctively putting a little space between them.

Damon walked ahead, acknowledging greetings from colleagues, then nonchalantly waved to Chloe a short distance away.

Drawing envious stares from everyone around, she stepped into his exclusive elevator. In that moment, it was as if she was telling everyone: *she* was special, treated differently.

The scene stung my eyes. I sat in my car, trying to calm my emotions, until Maria called. Lily had woken up and was looking for me everywhere.

I rushed home. The moment I walked in, Lily lunged at me, wrapping her arms around my neck, and my nose burned with unshed tears.

She sat on my lap, swinging her legs, chattering away about the fun she’d had last night.

“I even saw Aunt Chloe yesterday! She dressed up as a little bunny and played with me for a long time.”

My breath hitched. So that’s why he suddenly decided to take Lily to that place that day—it was to be with Chloe.

It was surprisingly easy to find out about Chloe.

Her university, her humble family background, her job application process, her past part-time job at an amusement park… even her Ins account.

When I clicked on her Ins, I saw a familiar sight—a photo of Lily and Chloe, faces pressed together.

The string that had been tightly wound in my heart finally snapped.

The reflection in the photo faintly showed Damon’s tall, strong silhouette; he was crouching nearby, diligently taking their picture.

It was as if *they* were the truly happy family of three.

Scrolling through her Ins posts, it was clear Chloe was genuinely infatuated.

The warm brown sugar water Damon sent her when she was on her period; the image of him spending the night in her hospital room when she was sick on a business trip; even small trinkets she’d accidentally lost, he carefully kept them all…

For some reason, a strong wave of nausea suddenly washed over me.

Tears blurred my makeup, and the mirror showed a disheveled, haggard face. I looked pathetic.

All this time, I’d believed that as long as I pretended not to care about other women, this superficial happiness could last forever.

But in reality, someone who puts themselves in such a humble position in a relationship can never truly be happy.