Chapter 2
The muffled groans of the man and the woman’s prolonged moans penetrated the silence, while Aurelia stood outside like a hollow shell, so numb she couldn’t even feel the tears streaming down her face.
The sounds of intimacy persisted throughout the night. At dawn, Nolan finally opened the door and fixed her with an icy stare.
“Clean this room.”
She surveyed the “battlefield” littered with discarded condoms, her heart constricting painfully, but she remained silent, merely nodding in acquiescence.
Evangeline emerged from the bathroom bearing visible evidence of the night’s passion across her skin.
Noticing the scene, she hesitated momentarily before taking Nolan’s arm and pleading, “Nolan, it’s ancient history now. Just let Aurelia go.”
Nolan’s lips curled into a smile that never warmed his eyes. “She wants money. I pay her to work for me. It’s a straightforward transaction–how is that not letting her go?”
He then turned and embraced Evangeline, his tone softening noticeably.
“Don’t worry. Before our wedding, I’ll ensure she vanishes completely.”
In the days that followed, wherever Nolan and Evangeline went, Aurelia was forced to accompany them.
When drinks were offered, he made her consume them in his place until she was disoriented, repeatedly vomiting in the restroom, yet he refused to let her stop.
During meals, he commanded her to serve Evangeline as though she were household staff–peeling prawns, deboning fish, wiping Evangeline’s hands, even escorting her to the ladies‘ room.
Meanwhile, he lavished affection on Evangeline in full view of everyone present.
After each social engagement, he would impassively extract a stack of bills from the car and hurl them forcefully at Aurelia.
“Your compensation for today.”
In the face of such deliberate humiliation, she never betrayed any reaction. She would wordlessly bend down to collect the sullied money, carefully tucking it into her handbag.
Indeed, she needed the funds. Once she had accumulated enough, she could disappear entirely from his
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world
The sky hurtel would leave no trace behind–not a fragment of bone, not a scrap of flesh. It would be as if Aurella Thorne had never existed in this world at all.
For Evangeline’s birthday, Nolan orchestrated an extravagant celebration is devotion to Evangeline was
evident to even casual observers.
Every decorative element had been selected according to Evangeline’s preferences, Word had spread that the roses alone–one million blooms adorning the entire venue–had cost a small fortune.
The gown Evangeline wore that evening had been designed by Nolan’s mother herself, intended for her future daughter in law.
They made their entrance arm in arm, immediately commanding the attention of every guest.
Nolan remained as strikingly handsome and distinguished as ever, though the woman at his side was no longer Aurelia,
She couldn’t help but recall their own engagement ceremony.
It had been equally magnificent and grand. Their friends and family had witnessed his profound love for her as they walked hand in hand happly.
He had placed his ancestral ring upon her finger, declaring that wearing his ring meant she was his, from that moment forward, and they would never be separated.
The sound of hushed conversations interrupted her reminiscence.
“What could have possibly been going through Aurelia Thorne’s mind? She and Nolan were childhood sweethearts, and he cherished her beyond measure, treating her like the most precious thing on earth. Yet she deliberately killed his mother with her car.”
“I know! Everyone in the city witnessed how deeply Nolan loved her. It’s incomprehensible what drove
her to such an act.”
“If not for that tragedy, they’d likely have a child by now.”
“It’s pointless to talk about it. How could anyone understand the mindset of such a venomous woman? Her current circumstances are nothing less than she deserves.”
“Absolutely. A woman like that deserves whatever punishment she gets!
”
Aurelia absorbed the malicious remarks surrounding her without the slightest change in expression.
As they wished, she would soon be dead.
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Chapter 2
After the celebration concluded, Nolan lingered to bid farewell to the guests while Aurelia and Evangeline waited by the lakeside near the entrance.
This marked their first moment alone together since Aurelia’s release. Following a protracted silence, Evangeline finally spoke.
“Aurelia, there’s something you should know. I’ve always been deeply in love with Nolan. My feelings for him began even before you two became involved.”
“Back then, when your relationship blossomed, I resigned myself to losing him and prepared to wish you both well. But why did you betray him so cruelly?”
“Can you even comprehend how profoundly Nolan has suffered these past years? I’ve worked tirelessly to restore his peace of mind–so why must you reappear now, disturbing the equilibrium we’ve
established?”
Aurelia regarded the woman before her, stunned by the revelation that her closest friend had harbored secret feelings for her fiancé throughout those years.
Yet she hadn’t reappeared in their lives with any intention of causing disruption.
A person bearing the guilt of “killing” his mother–a dying person, no less–was in no position to fight for anything.
“Evangeline, I’ll be gone soon enough.”
Evangeline assessed her coldly, the gleam in her eyes clearly betraying her disbelief.
Without warning, she removed the ring from her finger and hurled it forcefully into the lake’s depths.
“Aurelia, you just threw my ring into the water. You should retrieve it for me, shouldn’t you?”
