Chapter 8

Elena didn't hear from Blake until the day she was discharged from the hospital. "Elle, how are you feeling? When I saw Kade jump into the sea, I knew you'd be fine, so I went to save Ms. Sadberry instead. "She's so grateful that she even invited me on a business trip. If I do well, we can buy a house sooner. Just wait for me to come back." Elena stared at the blatant lies on her screen and then calmly typed a single word: "Okay." Blake's reply came instantly. "Don't worry, I'll make it back in time for our two-year anniversary. I have a gift for you. True love is rare, and I know how good you've been to me." Elena froze for a moment. So, the day she left would also mark two years since she and Blake got together. But their relationship had been a lie from the very beginning. He was already with someone else. What anniversary was there left to celebrate? For the first time, she realized that she no longer understood Blake. But it didn't matter anyway. She no longer wanted to. After everything that had happened on the yacht, and now with Gabriella taking Blake on a "business trip", the entire office had picked up on something being off. Sympathetic whispers about Elena spread everywhere. Yet, Elena remained calm at the center of the storm. She was focused only on wrapping up her final tasks. Seeing the situation, her manager didn't want to push her. "Elena, if you're not feeling well, someone else can take over this project." Elena didn't plan to abandon her work. "Switching the person-in-charge now would be a hassle. I'll finish it on time." Her manager's eyes flickered with both approval and regret. "You're incredibly capable. I wanted to promote you long ago, but the higher-ups kept rejecting it. I hope you'll go far in your next job." During her two years at Sadberry Group, Elena's outstanding performance had once left her wondering why she never advanced. But now, it was clear exactly who had been blocking her promotion. She had spent two years giving everything, only to be utterly betrayed. Every day leading up to her departure, Gabriella continued to flaunt her happiness with Blake. While they checked into a luxury hotel costing tens of thousands per night, Elena was packing her things in their cramped, run-down rental apartment. Yet, as she looked around, she realized there was nothing worth taking. Back then, she and Blake had lived frugally, cutting back on everything to save for a house. Their home had been filled with discounted, second-rate items. So there was nothing of real value. Well, it was quite like their relationship. Cheap, disposable, and not worth holding onto. While Gabriella and Blake were out choosing custom-made couple's rings, Elena took a trip to St. Helena's Chapel. There was a time when she and Blake had walked up the hill together, hand in hand, their hearts full of love. At the chapel's gates, they had fastened a love lock to the iron fence, vowing to stay together forever. But now, for the first time, Elena noticed a small detail she had overlooked before. Etched onto their lock, in the faint strokes of a marker, Blake had drawn a tiny star. The person he had always dreamed of spending forever with was never her. It had always been Gabriella. That liar. Elena unclipped the lock, tossed it into the trash, and walked away without looking back. That was exactly where it belonged. … On the day of her departure, Gabriella posted yet another grand display of affection as she arrived at the airport. It was a certificate, printed in elegant gold-embossed lettering—Blake had spent tens of millions to buy her the naming rights to a real star. What an extravagant gift. Elena then thought about the gift she had left for Blake. There was a stack of cheap fake star certificates, along with printed screenshots of Gabriella's endless flaunting on social media, all neatly placed on the table in their tiny apartment. Elena blocked them both with no hesitation, powered off her phone, and boarded her flight to Mastrium.