Chapter 3

The second year of spring arrived.

Ella got engaged.

The news was announced by her assistant during a weekly meeting. "Miss Hawke’s engagement ceremony with Mr. Lucas Winter is scheduled for April 15th, to be held at the estate."

There was a brief moment of applause in the office. Ella nodded expressionlessly, as if confirming a mundane business arrangement.

I stood in the corner, holding the security protocol schedule.

The engagement ceremony. I was in charge of security. This meant I had to stand in the corner, watching her exchange rings with another man.

This was my "first abandonment." It wasn't that she left me—she never belonged to me. It was that at this momentous occasion, she chose to have someone else stand by her side, while I had to stand exactly where I was, doing my job.

Two weeks before the ceremony, I began to notice subtle changes in Ella. She tried on at least ten dresses, standing before the mirror for a long time each time, tilting her head to inspect herself. She changed her hairstyle, bought new jewelry, and even started wearing a new perfume—floral and fruity, sugary sweet.

It was prepared for Lucas.

One afternoon, I brushed past her in the corridor. That sweet scent drifted over, and I instinctively held my breath.

Not because I disliked it. It just wasn't her. In my impression, she was the smell of soap—faint, distant.

This sweet scent felt like she was saying: I am willing to change for you.

April 15th. The estate was brightly lit.

Guests arrived one after another—politicians, businessmen, socialites, and faces I had only seen in headlines. A band played, and the champagne tower glinted with golden light.

I wore a black suit, standing by a pillar in the ballroom. This position offered the best view, covering the entire venue without blocking anyone’s path.

My place—the background.

At 8:00 PM sharp, Ella appeared at the top of the stairs, arm-in-arm with Lucas.

She wore a gown of deep crimson; her hair was piled up, and the diamond necklace on her collarbone sparkled blindingly under the lights. Lucas wore a custom black suit with a white flower pinned to his chest.

They exchanged rings in front of everyone.

Ella smiled. It wasn't that standard smile she gave clients, nor the polite nod to subordinates. It was a smile where her eyes truly held light, her lips curving in an uncontrollable arc.

That smile—I had never seen it before.

I touched my suit pocket. Inside was a small square box.

It contained a silver jasmine brooch. I’d bought it two months ago, scouring every antique shop in Houston to find it. I had intended to give it to her today—not publicly, but privately, after the ceremony.

To tell her: Happy Birthday. Her birthday was at the end of April; I just wanted to be early.

But it seemed she wouldn't be lacking gifts.

I gripped the small box in my palm, the silver petals pressing against my skin.

Midway through the banquet, Lucas received a call. His expression shifted; he pulled Ella into a corner and whispered something. Ella’s expression changed too.

She walked toward me.

"Kane, Lucas's friend in Mexico has been detained; he needs to go handle it. I’m going with him."

"Are you sure?" I asked. My duty required me to follow her.

"You stay here," she said. "Keep an eye on things. I’m afraid someone might pull something while I’m away."

It was a rational arrangement. But I knew it wasn't the real reason.

The real reason was that she didn't want me to see her with Lucas. That part of her life was her private domain, and she didn't welcome outsiders.

"All right," I said.

She peered at me as if wanting to say something, but in the end, she said nothing. She turned and walked away.

The sound of her heels hitting the marble was sharp and unsteady, unlike her usual rhythmic pace.

She boarded the private jet with Lucas.

As the plane took off, guests in the ballroom were still clinking glasses. The band played tune after tune, and no one noticed the leads had disappeared.

I stood on the balcony, watching the plane’s tail lights vanish into the clouds.

The night wind was cold. I took out the small box and opened it. The silver jasmine emitted a cold white light under the moonlight.

Beside the terrace was a lake. The artificial lake behind the estate, about three meters deep.

I held the brooch for a long time.

It wasn't that I couldn't bear to throw it away. I was wondering how I would answer if she asked about it when she returned.

She wouldn't ask.

I tossed the brooch into the lake.

No sound. Ripples spread across the water, the moonlight shattered, and then everything returned to calm. The ripples widened, finally vanishing into the darkness.

As if nothing had happened.

The next day, I applied for a task. Not a company task—one I found myself.

Panama, risk assessment. The client was a mining company; someone was threatening sabotage. Risk level—high.

"Are you sure?" my supervisor asked, giving me a look.

"Sure."

I didn't tell Ella. She was still in Mexico with Lucas. I just left a note on her schedule: "Temporary mission, expected one week."