Chapter 2

"She's not trying to put out the fire, is she, Caleb?"

"She's not an idiot."

As soon as Caleb finished speaking, I dashed into the building.

"What! Is she out of her mind? Caleb, she's trying so hard to please you that she would even sacrifice her life for it!"

Of course, I didn't notice Caleb's movements as Hannah's voice rang out.

In that instant, he had a panicked and helpless expression on his face. He reached out as if to grab my wrist, but he missed it.

…

With all my might, I kicked down the door of the building.

There weren't many things in the building, so I immediately spotted the sandalwood bead bracelet that was tossed in through the window.

Fortunately, it was a small fire, so the fire hadn't reached that spot yet.

I walked over and picked up the bracelet.

I held it against my clothes and gave it a light rub.

Hannah's voice rang out at the door.

"Caleb, if I'm not mistaken, she's the woman you've been keeping by your side, right? That bracelet was a gift from her, wasn't it? She must've sensed danger when I stepped into your life. She's risking her life to gain sympathy from you! She's such a calculative woman…"

I smiled a little.

As long as the bracelet wasn't ruined, I didn't care about what anyone said.

This was a bracelet I had obtained with painstaking effort. I wouldn't allow it to be mercilessly burned just like that.

But just as I was turning around to leave, the chandelier on the ceiling swayed and came crashing down. It hit my arm and left a long gash in its wake.

Enduring the pain, I gritted my teeth and slowly made my way outside.

When I came out, Caleb's expression froze.

Then, he shouted angrily at me.

"Why would you risk your life for that stupid bracelet?"

I didn't say anything, but Hannah spoke up instead.

"She's trying to make you stay, Caleb. I can see that you two are in a complicated relationship. Maybe you should reconsider marrying me."

Hannah spoke nonchalantly and gave Caleb a teasing glance.

Caleb closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, he let out a loud sigh.

He seemed to be convincing himself to make a decision.

"She's nothing but a toy to me, and one that's quite worthless among many, too. I've been thinking of abandoning her, anyway. She can't possibly compare to you."

With that, he put his arms around Hannah, who was standing beside him. Then, he walked downstairs.

When they walked past me, he said coldly, "If you're thinking of pleasing me again, just don't. Take those stupid beads with you and get out of my life."

With that, he left with Hannah in his arms.

I stood where I was. I was stunned.

The siren sounds came closer. Several firefighters dashed onto the balcony in their equipment.

I had no idea how I made it back to my room.

The sky began to darken, but I didn't turn on the lights. I sat in the darkness for a very long time.

…

I had known Caleb since I was five.

When he had followed his dad to the orphanage to pick a beneficiary to fund, I had just been tricked into living at the orphanage by my aunt.

I used to sit in a corner and cry while hugging a short-legged teddy bear in my arms.

When Caleb had caught sight of me, he had asked his dad to pick me as the beneficiary who would receive their funds for education.

Back then, he had said that my eyes were as pretty as the stars.

From elementary school to high school, I had followed Caleb around. I had even applied for the same college as him even though my results far surpassed the minimum admission requirements.

Even after graduation, I had agreed to his request and stayed by his side as his lover for seven years.

I never slept a wink that night. At daybreak, I received a call from my best friend.

As it turned out, Caleb had asked the Public Relations Department to release a statement clearing up the scandals about us.

A video was attached to the statement. It was a video of Caleb being interviewed by journalists.