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My fiancé locked me up while I was dying—to protect his assistant. Seven years of love meant nothing to him. He knew about my deadly allergy, still chose her, and called me “dramatic” for almost dying. That was the moment I disappeared from his life without a goodbye. Dorothy Serrano and Gabriel Bradley had been in a long-distance relationship for three years, separated by over 2,000 kilometers—only for it to fall apart in an instant. Everyone around them knew how deeply Gabriel loved Dorothy. As an architect at the peak of his career, he lived a life scheduled down to the minute. Even so, the mileage on his black SUV racked up well over 100,000 kilometers in just three years. He would drive six hundred kilometers through a torrential storm just to have dinner with her—even if it was hours out of his way. Soaked to the bone, he handed her reheated soup with a smile, saying that just seeing her made all his exhaustion disappear. He showered her with constant surprises, from spontaneous daily doodles to an award-winning architectural masterpiece dedicated entirely to her. If Dorothy said she liked something, no matter how difficult to get, he would make it happen. Once, he hiked a remote mountain and stayed up all night to photograph a single night-blooming flower for her. Their devotion got them through the hardest years of his startup, and they were on the verge of a happily-ever-after. That day, having cleared her entire schedule, Dorothy flew home early just to see him. She hurried to the private room at the club where he was, and from outside, she heard his friends praising him as one of the rare, truly devoted men. Unexpectedly, he denied it, stubbing out his cigarette. His words struck like a blow, leaving a deep sting. The room went dead silent in an instant. After a long pause, someone forced an awkward laugh to smooth things over. "Gabe, you're drunk, aren't you? Back then, you stood in the snow all night just to win Dora over. These past few years, you've been traveling nonstop between two cities. Everyone calls you the model couple. There's no way the spark just vanished like that." "I don't know," Gabriel replied, exhaustion heavy in his tone. He, usually so confident, slouched back against the couch, looking exhausted. "These past few years... they've really worn me down. "I love seeing her. I really do. But the drive is just soul-crushing. Driving that same stretch of highway over and over again... it's lonely. And the gifts? It's exhausting. I spend so much energy worrying if they're too tacky or if they suit her." The hands that had once drawn countless blueprints now toyed with a lighter. He kept his gaze lowered as he continued, "I haven't fallen out of love. But this love is slowly eroding under the weight of the mundane." His friends stayed silent, exchanged glances, then tactfully shifted the topic. Outside the door, Dorothy's heart broke. A night meant for celebrating his award was ruined. Dorothy staggered out of the hallway, her mind spinning. A ridiculous thought struck her—if she'd stuck to her original plan and returned tomorrow, would she have avoided all this? She could have stayed wrapped in the illusion of his devotion, pretending nothing had changed. Unfortunately, life didn't come with second chances or "what-ifs." She wandered to the street corner in a daze when her phone suddenly vibrated. She looked up. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, she saw Gabriel standing on the balcony with his phone in hand, frowning as he searched around. Her chest tightened. She instinctively slipped into the shadow behind a billboard, staring at her phone for a long time before finally answering with trembling fingers. Gabriel's voice sounded urgent. "Dora, I just saw your location. Are you back? Where are you? Did you come to find me?" As that familiar voice crackled through the line, she felt a sharp prick of tears she couldn't hold back. She had a million questions burning in her throat, but when she spoke, all that came out was a lie. Her voice trembled despite her best efforts. "My flight was changed last minute. I think I'll head back first... When will you be back?" At that, his furrowed brow relaxed, his tone softening. "I'll be right back—" Before he could finish, a girl in a cream-colored down jacket dashed out. She slipped and slammed straight into Gabriel's arms. Dorothy saw him instinctively cover the phone's microphone. A hint of amusement shone in his eyes as he steadied the clumsy girl. He smoothly changed his story. "I need to entertain an investor. I'll probably be back late, so don't wait up." The girl's flushed face seared itself into Dorothy's sad eyes. In that instant, her world fell apart. ###Chapter 2 The girl's name was Kaylyn Blevins. She was the newest assistant at Gabriel's studio. At first, whenever Gabriel mentioned her to Dorothy, it was nothing but complaints. He said she was clumsy, couldn't even tell one kind of model glue from another, and only knew how to get in the way. Later, when Gabriel was with Dorothy, enjoying an exhibition, he spent the entire night replying to Kaylyn's messages, walking her through revisions to a rendering. After he finally put his phone away, he smiled and told Dorothy that Kaylyn might be slow, but her determination was interesting. Dorothy stared at the coffee in her hand, already cold, and asked softly if he could focus on being with her. The smile on Gabriel's face faded. After a brief silence, he agreed flatly. After that, whenever Dorothy brought Kaylyn up again, Gabriel would brush it off as an HR matter and say he no longer got involved. It was obvious he was lying. The sleet stung Dorothy's face as she made her way back to the apartment, her coat soaked and clinging to her skin. She entered the door code. It was the date Gabriel had won his first major architecture award. The lock clicked open. He had never changed it. The floor heating was on full blast. Dorothy walked straight to the massive display cabinet in the study. She stood there for a long time, staring, until her heart felt like it was being crushed in someone's fist, and tears fell without warning. At the center of the cabinet sat a meticulously crafted miniature building. It was the house they had promised they would live in together someday. Beside it were thick stacks of high-speed rail tickets and toll receipts. Every stub had a handwritten date and mood from Gabriel. There were 732 of them. He had once posted a photo of this cabinet online with the caption "medals." He said that once he collected a thousand tickets, the house would be finished too. That was when he would propose, keep her by his side, and never let her drift around again. Dorothy's heartbeat grew heavier by the second as she remembered her lonely battles all these years. To establish herself in the exhibition scene and become worthy of him, she practically lived in galleries. She turned down every social invitation and didn't care when people called her aloof. All she wanted was to achieve something and return to him sooner. During that time, exhaustion gave her severe stomach problems. She would curl up in bed in pain and still never tell him. She swallowed antacids by the handful, smiling through video calls and telling him she was fine, that she missed him. But when she finally came back, accolades in hand, reality slapped her hard across the face. It was too late. Gabriel's love, like that house that was never built, was left unfinished and abandoned. --- When Gabriel pushed the door open and saw Dorothy crouched on the floor, silently crying at the model, his expression changed. He rushed over, reaching for her in panic. "What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?" Dorothy swatted his hand away. She closed her eyes, nails digging deep into her palm, forcing herself to hold on to the last scraps of dignity. "The girl on the phone earlier was Kaylyn, right?" Those few words drained what little strength she had left. She drew in a shaky breath of cold air and asked, "It's so late. Why are you still together?" At that, she looked up and met Gabriel's deep gaze. There was no guilt there, only irritation and a chill detachment, like someone whose secret had been exposed. "Why are you picking a fight the second you get back?" Gabriel straightened and stepped back, putting distance between them. His voice turned cool. "We just happened to run into each other. She's an employee at the studio. Nothing is going on, so stop imagining things." She thought, "Just an employee? Yet she embraces you so naturally?" The words jammed in Dorothy's throat as Gabriel turned aside and pulled out a gift box and a bouquet of roses, slightly crushed. He had brought them back through the rain. Dorothy froze, bitterness and hurt tangling in her chest. Then his voice cut in again, sharp and unyielding. "Lynn is a simple girl. Don't assume the worst about people. "She works hard. She sleeps in a sleeping bag at the office just to meet deadlines. But you were whining about your legs hurting while you were overseas visiting exhibitions. "She's sensible and never brings personal emotions into work. Not like you, interrogating me the moment we meet. "We're on the same wavelength when it comes to design. On-site, she's the only one who understands what I mean right away." At last, Gabriel pressed his lips together. "Dorothy, I still love you. But if you keep imagining things like this... I'm just a normal man. I get tired too." He set the bouquet down casually on the shoe cabinet. The petals had already wilted and drooped. They looked exactly like their love at that moment, battered and full of holes. ###Chapter 3 Dorothy had never been the type to lose control. She was a curator by profession, trained to stay calm, measured, and in command. Yet that night, in her dreams, she turned into someone unrecognizable, screaming at Gabriel like a woman possessed. "When you said you were tired, I offered to give up my projects and come back for you. You were the one who shut me down. You said I shouldn't ruin my future for love, and that I didn't trust you! "You blame me for being far away, but this was the future we planned together. You said we'd meet again at the top. I promised you I'd be back within three years, for good. "I felt you pulling away. I asked why. You hid behind 'work pressure,' shut me out, then turned around and stayed up all night talking to someone else!" In the dream, she screamed until her throat burned. When she woke, she was drenched in cold sweat. The ending, just like reality, was a mess. The next morning, Dorothy woke with a splitting headache and ran straight into Gabriel's probing gaze. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Seeing how pale she looked, he softened first. "Stop this," he said gently. "Let's just make up, alright?" He was wearing a perfectly tailored gray coat, still the refined man she'd fallen for years ago. He bent down and casually picked up her slippers for her. That small, familiar gesture used to make her heart flutter, but now it only left a bitter taste. "Kaylyn and I really are just boss and employee," he added. "If you don't believe me, come to the studio with me today and see for yourself." "Alright," Dorothy replied without hesitation. After a pause, her voice dropped, light as smoke. "I actually have something to tell you, too." The night before, she had contacted an exhibition center in Belgium and accepted a two-year residency position. Her flight was in a week. It wasn't a tantrum. She had simply figured things out. What Gabriel said last night had nailed their past shut like a coffin. She still had her pride. If love were tainted, she would rather shatter the whole glass. Going to the studio was just her way of giving these three years a clear ending. The drive passed in silence. As soon as they parked downstairs, Gabriel's phone rang. From the other end came a girl's trembling voice, clearly on the verge of tears. Whatever she said made his expression change. He unbuckled his seatbelt and said there was an emergency at a construction site, telling Dorothy to go upstairs and wait. Before Dorothy could even say she didn't have an access card, the car door slammed shut. All she was left with was his hurried retreating figure. The underground parking lot felt hollow. Cold wind swept fallen leaves across the concrete. The studio had expanded, and Dorothy wandered for a while before finding the elevator. When she reached the office floor and was about to look for the reception desk, voices drifted out from the pantry. A group of interns was chatting excitedly. "I told you! All Lynn did was cry because she forgot to save a render, and Mr. Bradley rushed over without a second thought!" Dorothy stopped dead in her tracks. So this was the so-called "emergency," urgent enough to dump his just-returned fiancée alone in the underground parking lot. "I swear, Mr. Bradley treats Lynn like his own kid. He makes her coffee and teaches her drafting step by step. That look in his eyes is something else. Even the client asked if they should expect wedding favors anytime soon!" A new intern whispered, "But doesn't Mr. Bradley have a fiancée?" Someone scoffed. "That untouchable big-shot curator? They barely see each other once a year. How could she compare to Lynn, who's with him every day? One pout from Lynn and Mr. Bradley loses his mind." Dorothy stood frozen, and cold crept up from her feet. The self-mocking smile she almost managed was never fully formed. When she turned around, she saw Gabriel and Kaylyn standing at the far end of the hallway. The dark gray coat draped over Kaylyn's shoulders stabbed Dorothy's eyes. She recognized it instantly. She had scrimped for two months to buy it as Gabriel's birthday gift. He once said he couldn't bear to wear it, that he was saving it for important occasions. So that was another lie. Over these three years, how many lies had he told her? Kaylyn's eyes were red, like a startled rabbit's. Gabriel was bent toward her, gently wiping her tears, his voice impossibly soft. "Don't cry. If the data's gone, we'll just rerun it. I'm here. Nothing's going to fall apart." Being comforted like that by an industry heavyweight, Kaylyn smiled through her tears. She tugged on his sleeve and asked in a sweet, curious tone, "Can you tell me who that fierce woman was, the one who called you last night?" Gabriel went silent. It was only a few seconds, but to Dorothy, it felt like a century passing. Finally, she heard his low voice. He said, "She's just an old friend. We're not close." ###Chapter 4 Dorothy thought, "Not close." Those two words landed like a blunt blow to her temple. Her ears rang, her vision swayed, and it felt as if something inside her chest had been knocked out of place. She suddenly tugged at the corner of her mouth and laughed. She thought, "Right. We're not close. I'm just a 'stranger' who stayed with him from obscurity to fame and poured an entire youth into him. Nothing more." Kaylyn, on the other hand, looked thrilled. The joy in her wide, almond-shaped eyes was impossible to hide, mixed with that unmistakable shyness of a girl nursing a crush. She rose onto her toes, driven by youthful impulsiveness and heat, and leaned toward Gabriel. Dorothy stood in the shadowed end of the hallway and saw everything clearly. Gabriel didn't need to step back. All it would have taken was the slightest turn of his head to avoid crossing that line. But he didn't move. The girl's soft lips brushed past the sharp line of his jaw. The moment was intimate, like an invisible net snapping tight around Dorothy's throat, squeezing the air from her lungs. She didn't know how she wandered out of the office building. It was only when her phone rang that she came back to herself. Gabriel's voice sounded on the line, oddly hoarse. "Did you get home? You didn't see anything earlier downstairs, right?" "Are you afraid I saw something?" Dorothy asked softly. Tears slid down her cheeks and into the corners of her mouth, salty and bitter, just like the past three years of her life. She didn't understand. If he felt guilty, why allow Kaylyn to cross boundaries in broad daylight? "Of course not," Gabriel said, seemingly relieved. In his haste, he failed to hear the lifeless calm in her voice and instead forced a light tone. "Come back up then. Didn't you say you had something to talk about?" "No." The white breath she exhaled vanished instantly into the cold air. Dorothy stared at the dull gray sky and murmured, "It doesn't seem important to you anymore anyway." Before he could question her in confusion, she ended the call. --- It turned out that she only took a few hours to end a seven-year relationship. The limited-edition art books, the matching drafting pens, and the entire wall of architectural models all went into three large storage boxes. The rare volumes she had once treasured and carried across continents were now filled out in donation forms without hesitation. After the movers left, Dorothy opened the display cabinet in the study. The glass was spotless. Even on her busiest days, this was a place she cleaned herself. Her hands trembled as she took out the stack of train tickets and sketches. The first was from early winter three years ago. Gabriel had just founded his studio and was broke. To save money, he took the cheapest slow train to see her, spent the entire night on a hard seat, and got off with swollen legs. Still, he hugged her and said that crossing mountains and rivers was worth it just to see her once. The tenth was from the spring equinox that year. She had been overwhelmed with a curatorial proposal. Gabriel turned down a major contract and rushed over overnight to keep her company through an all-nighter, filling the back of a draft sheet with chibi sketches of her just to make her smile. The 450th was taken last New Year's Eve. He was supervising a construction site, while she was in another city for an exhibition. In the video, fireworks filled the sky behind him as he held up a drawing with the words "miss you" written across it, grinning like an idiot. The 700th... Memories flickered past like a spinning reel. Only then did Dorothy realize how vividly she remembered every detail. Seven years had long since fused into her flesh and blood, wrapped around her bones. Tearing it out now made her whole body shake with pain. The ticket stubs and sketches that marked her past went into the shredder. The machine hummed as it worked, like it was chewing through her heart. As she stared at the pile of shredded scraps, she could still make out faint traces of words. Over 2,000 kilometers separated Boston and Miami, always keeping them apart. A huge hollow opened up in Dorothy's chest. Her throat felt stuffed with waterlogged cotton. She wanted to cry, but not a single sound would come out. She thought, "Gabriel, it's finally over now." ###Chapter 5 "Is he out of his mind?" After hearing everything, her best friend, Sophia Parker, slammed her wineglass onto the bar so hard the liquor splashed over her hand. Then she pulled Dorothy into a tight hug, eyes red with anger. "Dora, don't cry. He isn't worth a single tear." "I'm not crying," Dorothy said softly. Whatever was left of her heart felt numb. Sophia, on the other hand, drank like she was trying to drown someone else's rage. "Where does Gabriel get the nerve to think you can't live without him? Do you know who you are? The most untouchable beauty in the circle. A top-tier curator with real talent. You should disappear to Belgium and let him lose his mind looking for you. You didn't tell him about the residency, right?" By the time she finished ranting, she had collapsed face-first onto the counter, completely out cold. Dorothy sighed, called Sophia's boyfriend to pick her up, and paid the bill herself. She had just turned to leave when she ran straight into Gabriel's business partner, Marvin Hammond. His face lit up. He grabbed her arm. "Hey, Dora. What a coincidence. Come on. Gabe's drunk out of his mind. You've got to talk to him." Before she could refuse, she was dragged into the largest private room. The air inside was thick with smoke and laughter. "Lynn lost again! It's a dare this time. Kiss any guy in the room. Hurry up!" Kaylyn was wrapped in an oversized men's suit jacket, eyes glistening as she swayed over to Gabriel. Her voice was soft and pleading. "Mr. Bradley, save me. Please?" His tie was loose, his shirt unbuttoned at the collar, and his eyes were unfocused. "What?" By the time he realized what was happening, he frowned and tried to push her away. But her flushed face was already near his, one cool hand tracing slow circles over his chest. His gaze darkened. His throat bobbed, and under the haze of alcohol, he actually lowered his head and kissed her. His back was to the door, so he never saw the light die completely in Dorothy's eyes. Kaylyn, on the other hand, did see her. When the kiss finally ended, she shot Dorothy a provocative glance and silently mouthed two words. "Old hag." Dorothy's voice cut through the room like ice. "Let go of me." Marvin froze, embarrassed, trying to explain. But Kaylyn had already picked up a glass and walked over. She smiled sweetly. "Mr. Bradley, your kiss is really intense. I almost couldn't breathe. Ms. Serrano, you're so generous. You wouldn't mind, right?" "Mind that you're young and already rushing to be a mistress?" Dorothy said coldly. The smile slid off Kaylyn's face. Her voice shot up. "The real mistress is the one he doesn't love. You're almost 30. Who are you putting on airs for? You really think you're some kind of artist?" She sized Dorothy up, sneering. "No wonder Mr. Bradley thinks you're boring. I heard the exhibition you curated is up for an award? Who knows how many old men on the judging panel you slept with to get it?" The slap landed before the last word fully left her mouth. The room fell silent. Kaylyn's head snapped to the side. She covered her face, screaming, "How dare you hit me!" "Why wouldn't I?" Dorothy said, eyes sharp as knives. "Watch your mouth. Don't project your filth onto other people." The noise finally drew attention from the couch. Reeking of alcohol, Gabriel rubbed his temples and looked up. ###Chapter 6 The moment Gabriel's eyes landed on Dorothy, he froze. Then he saw the swelling on Kaylyn's face, bright red against pale skin. The alcohol drained from him instantly, replaced by a surge of anger. In front of everyone, he strode over and pulled Kaylyn behind him, his voice sharp with fury. "Dorothy, have you lost your mind? "What did Lynn ever do to you? Why did you hit her in front of all these people? Where's your sense of decency?" The man who once swore he would protect her for life now stood like a shield in front of another woman, pouring all his instinctive tenderness and bias in someone else's direction. Dorothy laughed—a short, hollow sound. "She was asking for it. Is that a good enough reason?" She lifted her chin and met his gaze without backing down. "Gabriel, you see how she looks at you. You're not blind. So tell me, what about you? You kissed her right in front of me. Don't tell me you haven't already fallen for her." "What nonsense are you talking about?" His eyes flickered. His confidence faltered for a split second. "That's enough. We'll talk about this at home." "So you can put on a love story with Kaylyn here, but I'm not allowed to tell the truth?" Dorothy scoffed, grief pooling coldly in her eyes. Gabriel stiffened. He hadn't expected her to see that scene. Guilt surged, and instinctively, he reached for her hand, about to explain that it was just a stupid drinking game penalty. But Kaylyn tugged at his sleeve from behind him, voice trembling. "Mr. Bradley..." And just like that, he hesitated. "Let's talk about it at home, okay?" he said softly. "There's nothing left to talk about." Dorothy flung his hand away so hard her own palm went numb. She turned and walked off, heels striking the floor with finality. Behind her came his hurried footsteps and Kaylyn's tearful voice. "Mr. Bradley, my face hurts so much..." Dorothy never looked back. She walked out of the bar alone, streetlights stretching her shadow long and solitary across the pavement. --- She returned to the apartment at top speed. The suitcase was already by the door. She grabbed her bag and headed out. Gabriel drove like hell to catch up. He burst in without even changing his shoes, breathing unevenly as he fumbled a velvet box from his pocket. He opened it and tried to slip the diamond ring onto her finger. "Dora, I promised you. After your exhibition, we were supposed to get married. I've been a jerk lately, I know. But I never wanted to replace you. Let's get married. Let's do it right from now on. Okay?" The diamond flashed under the lights. The setting followed architectural lines he had designed himself. The urgency in his eyes was real, as if for a moment, he had returned to the boy who loved her with everything he had. But the cold touch against her skin snapped Dorothy awake. She stepped back, pulled the ring off without hesitation, and threw it across the room. "Gabriel, you still haven't answered my question. What exactly is Kaylyn to you?" The ring hit the floor with a sharp sound, rolling away. Somewhere in the impact, the diamond seemed to loosen. Gabriel was taken aback for a split second, then his embarrassment turned into fury. He snapped, "Dorothy, how long are you going to keep this up?" His face darkened, jaw clenched. "Why are you obsessing over her? Why won't you let this go?" His voice turned cold, every word deliberate. "I'll be clear with you! Kaylyn isn't just an assistant. I'm grooming her to be an independent designer. On the next project, she'll be the lead, so stop being unreasonable." Then he delivered the final blow. "Dorothy, get this straight. These past few years, you've relied on me more than I've relied on you. If you leave me, you know how hard it'll be to survive in this industry on your own." "I relied on you?" Dorothy cut him off with a laugh full of disdain. Watching his brows draw tighter, she curved her lips, eyes sharp with irony. "Gabriel, you were once the most important person in my life. But I got where I am because of my work and my ability, not because I stood in the shadow of some famous architect! Why would I be unable to live without you?" His breath caught. How could Dorothy leave him? That was impossible. She had to be saying this out of spite. Before he could argue back, the phone in the entryway lit up. It was a high-speed rail departure reminder. Gabriel's pupils shrank. He lunged and reached for her phone... ###Chapter 7 "Mr. Bradley, are you home?" Kaylyn's timid voice suddenly floated through the room, soft and trembling like a startled kitten. Dorothy turned around in disbelief. Kaylyn stood at the door, fingers flying over the keypad as she entered the anniversary password with practiced ease. The door opened smoothly. The movement was effortless, familiar. Clearly, this wasn't her first time coming in. The absurdity almost made Dorothy laugh. This was her home. A place she and Gabriel had built piece by piece. It was her private space. "Why are you here?" Gabriel froze as well. His hand, which had been reaching for Dorothy's phone, stopped midair. His attention shifted instantly to Kaylyn. Kaylyn sniffed, eyes red, then bowed. Her voice shook as she sobbed. "I came to apologize. Ms. Serrano, I'm really sorry! "What happened at the bar was just a stupid drinking game. Everyone had too much to drink. I thought a light kiss didn't mean anything. I didn't realize you'd be so upset..." She held out a handmade clay ornament, delicately shaped and painted. "I made this myself. It means 'a lifetime together.' You and Mr. Bradley are perfect for each other. I wish you two happiness forever!" Every word landed exactly where it should. Kaylyn sounded humble, sincere, and almost pitiful. Compared to Dorothy's cold resolve earlier, Gabriel's irritation deepened without him realizing it. Kaylyn hurried over, murmuring, "Please forgive me, Ms. Serrano," and tried to press the sticky clay ornament into Dorothy's hands without hesitation. The sickly sweetness made Dorothy's stomach churn. She instinctively shifted aside, lifting her hand slightly to block it. But Kaylyn reacted as if she had been shoved with brute force. "Ah!" she cried out and stumbled backward dramatically. Her lower back slammed hard into the sharp corner of the still-open display cabinet. The dull thud echoed through the room. Tears spilled instantly as she gasped, "It hurts..." Her sobbing grew louder, full of grievance. "Ms. Serrano, you already hit me earlier. I even came to apologize. Why would you push me again..." Gabriel's expression changed completely. He rushed over in a few strides and scooped Kaylyn into his arms, checking her injuries with urgency. Then he looked up at Dorothy, disappointment written clearly in his eyes. His jaw clenched as he snapped, "Dorothy, you've gone too far! "What did Lynn ever do to deserve this? Why are you taking your anger out on a young girl?" The trembling body in his arms seemed to accuse Dorothy without words. He took a sharp breath and barked, "Apologize to her!" "No." Dorothy stood straight, her posture unyielding. The reflection in her cold eyes was the image of the two of them clinging together. Her voice was sharp and icy. "First of all, I wouldn't stoop to something that cheap. Second, you and Kaylyn are crossing lines, and as your fiancée, I haven't even been given a proper explanation. "And now you want me to apologize to her? Gabriel, be honest with yourself. Stop dodging the question. Have you fallen for Kaylyn or not?" The question hit him like a blow. The anger drained from his face, replaced by sudden panic. A terrifying sense of loss crept up his spine. If he didn't answer now, he knew he might lose Dorothy for good. He couldn't allow that. But when he looked down at Kaylyn crying softly in his arms, he hesitated. His lips parted, voice uncertain. "I..." "Oh my!" Kaylyn suddenly pointed at the floor, her tearful voice laced with exaggerated shock. "Ms. Serrano, these scraps on the floor. Are these Mr. Bradley's old tickets and sketches?" Gabriel's breathing stopped, and he turned stiffly to look. ###Chapter 8 They had been so caught up in arguing that he hadn't noticed earlier. Now he finally saw it clearly. The shredder bin next to the display case was overflowing, spilling out fragments of those familiar ticket stubs. Three years of effort were destroyed. All of his hesitation and that last trace of guilt vanished the moment he saw it. What replaced it was a surge of white-hot rage. He suddenly remembered every late night on the highway over the past three years, and every lonely drive between cities. It was those ticket stubs that had carried him through the distance, proof that the separation meant something, proof that love still existed. And now, because of Dorothy's temper and willfulness, those badges of love had been shredded into scraps and reduced to trash. "Did you do this?" Gabriel asked. His voice was terrifyingly calm, but the thread of reason in his eyes had already snapped. "Yes." Dorothy didn't dodge it. "Why?" His words came fast. "Why?" Dorothy repeated. She looked at his stricken expression and suddenly laughed. "Gabriel, you're such a hypocrite. Who are you performing for? You lost your heart and don't even dare admit it. Do you really think I'm blind? If you don't love me anymore, why keep this junk around? Who was it supposed to disgust?" Heat rushed to her eyes. She bit down hard on the inside of her cheek and said each word slowly and clearly. "I think it's filthy!" "That's enough!" Gabriel's chest heaved violently. He kicked over the chair beside him. The crash echoed through the room as veins bulged at his temple. "Dorothy, you're completely unreasonable! "Go to the storage room and think about what you've done! Since you love destroying things so much, you can stay somewhere dark and learn what real filth looks like!" He waved his hand sharply. The live-in housekeeper, Madelyn Whitaker, immediately stepped forward and dragged Dorothy toward the damp, shadowy basement storage room. "Gabriel, you can't do this! This is illegal detention! Let go of me!" Dorothy struggled in disbelief. The only answer she got was the cold sight of Gabriel lifting Kaylyn into his arms and walking away without a second glance. Madelyn was strong. In the chaos, she pinched Dorothy hard at the waist and hissed in a low, vicious voice, "Stop yelling! You haven't been around these past three years. Ms. Blevins is the lady of this house now!" At the door to the storage room, Madelyn pulled out a cup of murky liquid. Without warning, she forced Dorothy's jaw open and poured it down her throat. Dorothy choked violently, coughing as she tried to spit it out. "What did you make me drink?" "It's a special calming tea Ms. Blevins prepared for you," Madelyn said coldly. She shoved Dorothy inside and locked the door. "Swallow it and get some sleep!" After the door slammed shut, darkness swallowed everything. The room had once been used to store construction debris. The air reeked of mold and dust, but Dorothy had no energy to care. She gasped for breath. Her throat burned as if it were on fire. Red welts bloomed rapidly across her skin. The itching became unbearable, followed by a crushing sense of suffocation. There was mango juice in that water. She was severely allergic to mango. "Gabriel..." Her hands shook as she fumbled for her phone. Cold sweat soaked through her back. The call rang for a long time before it was answered. His voice was icy. "Have you figured it out? Apologize to Lynn, or don't even think about coming out." "Kaylyn had someone force me to drink mango..." Dorothy collapsed to the floor. Her breathing sounded like a broken bellows. "Help me. I'm dying..." He didn't believe her. His impatience was obvious. "You'll really say anything just to get me to come back, won't you? Stop smearing Lynn's kindness." Before the call disconnected, Dorothy heard Kaylyn's soft, sweet voice through the receiver. "Mr. Bradley, I just finished showering. The tie on my robe seems stuck. Can you help me?" The line went dead. Dorothy's fingers loosened. Her phone slipped from her hand and hit the floor. As consciousness faded, the boy in her memory, the one who used to panic over the smallest scrape she got, shattered completely. As her pupils drifted out of focus, a single tear slid down in silence. ###Chapter 9 The smell of disinfectant was sharp and cold. As an ER nurse changed the IV bag, she muttered, "You're awake? You're lucky to be alive. You're allergic to mango, and you still drank juice that concentrated? When they brought you in, we couldn't even get a blood pressure reading. If it had been ten minutes later, no one could've saved you!" Dorothy felt like she'd been run over by a truck. She managed a weak, bitter smile. Her gaze slid past the nurse and landed on Gabriel, who had just walked into the room. The light in her eyes died instantly. Gabriel slowed his steps. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke, his tone edged with blame, "If you were feeling unwell, you should've called emergency services directly. Not put on some dramatic act over the phone with me." "It was Kaylyn who ordered Madelyn to do it," Dorothy said, meeting his eyes calmly. Her voice was hoarse. "I know," Gabriel said, unexpectedly nodding. "But she didn't do it on purpose. She said you were emotionally worked up, and she just wanted you to drink some juice to cool off. She had no idea you were allergic to mango. She meant well and messed up. "I've already punished her." Dorothy didn't look away. "How?" He frowned. "I docked half a month of her internship pay." Dorothy had expected favoritism. She hadn't expected something this deranged. "Half a month's pay?" she said with a mocking laugh. The red welts from the allergic reaction were still stark on her neck. "Gabriel, I stopped her once, and you demanded I kneel and apologize. She ordered someone to poison me, and I almost died in that storage room! In your eyes, a human life is worth only a few thousand dollars? "Gabriel, is that punishment, or is it a reward?" "You were at fault first," Gabriel said, his gaze stripped of emotion, cold and appraising. "Lynn is innocent. She's always wanted to get along with you. You kept pushing her. I trust her. She's a simple girl. How could she intentionally hurt someone? This was your own physical issue. Don't be so dramatic. "I'll say it again. Once you're better, apologize to Lynn. Then we'll put this behind us." Dorothy refused. So for the next several days, she lay alone in the hospital, with no one by her side. The next time she saw anything about Gabriel was on Kaylyn's social feed. In a nine-photo grid, the girl showed off a fresh manicure, her arm hooked through the sleeve of a man's crisp black trench coat. The caption read, "He heard I was wronged, so he brought me out on a site visit. Actually, it's more like a little getaway." The background was a famous historic town. In the photos, they walked side by side under misty-covered walkways. They shared dinner on the terrace of a boutique inn like a perfect couple. It was as if the official girlfriend lying sick in a hospital bed didn't exist. By the time their trip ended and they prepared to return, Dorothy had already completed her discharge paperwork. She stood at the international departures gate, her suitcase beside her. The airport announcement chimed. A text from Gabriel came through. "I'll be back tomorrow. We need to talk." Maybe he wanted to make peace, or maybe he wanted to pressure her into apologizing again. But Dorothy didn't care anymore. She opened her phone and sent everything she had gathered over the past few days to Gabriel's work email. There were recordings of Kaylyn bribing Madelyn, security footage showing her two-faced behavior, and evidence of her plagiarism and idea theft in the design world. She copied every partner at the firm. Then Dorothy took out her SIM card, snapped it in half, and dropped it into the nearby recycling bin. She thought, "Gabriel, this is where it ends for us. I never want to see you again."

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