Chapter 3

I stood in front of Cole's house, clutching the spare key I'd held for seven years.

I knew this house inside and out. From the foyer to the living room to the stair railing I'd polished countless times. Every corner held our memories—or what I thought were our memories.

It was eleven PM, and Cole's car wasn't in the garage.

The key turned in the lock with that familiar click, and I slipped inside quietly. The living room was pitch black, moonlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting mottled shadows across the floor.

I headed straight upstairs to his study. If Cole was plotting something, the evidence would be there. He always kept important documents locked in that mahogany desk drawer, password my birthday—at least it used to be.

The study door was ajar. I pushed it open, using my phone's flashlight to find the desk lamp switch. Warm light flooded the room, and my eyes were immediately drawn to documents scattered across the desk.

The papers weren't put away—they were just spread across the surface, as if their owner had just stepped out. I moved closer, and my heart nearly stopped.

"White & Gold Wedding Planning Company"—the logo was printed on a folder cover.

My hands trembled as I opened the folder. Inside was a detailed wedding plan, from floral arrangements to menu selections, from guest seating charts to honeymoon itineraries. Every detail was planned to perfection.

Groom: Cole Matthews

Bride: Blaire Watson

Wedding Date: June 15, 2024. Three months from now.

'Three months from now.' I repeated the date in my mind. In just three months, they were getting married. And here I was, worried like an idiot about what was wrong with our relationship.

I continued flipping through the pages and saw something even more shocking. On the guest list, I spotted the CEO of Meridian Group, my company's biggest competitor, along with several business people I recognized. At the back of the folder, I found a draft of a business cooperation agreement.

The content made my blood run cold: Blaire's company would partner with Meridian Group to acquire the core clients and projects of my design company, "Harper Designs."

'This has been planned all along.' I realized this wasn't just emotional betrayal—this was a carefully orchestrated business trap. They didn't just want my heart; they wanted my career too.

"You shouldn't be seeing this."

A familiar voice came from behind me. I turned to see Patricia standing in the doorway, wearing a silk robe, her expression unreadable.

'Cole's mother, Patricia.' The woman I'd called "Mom" for the past three years, the woman who'd taught me her secret recipe for apple pie, who'd held me when I cried about work stress. Now she stood there like a stranger.

"Patricia." My voice sounded strangely calm. "What is the meaning of this?"

She entered the room, avoiding my gaze. "Harper, you're a good girl, but Cole doesn't need a good girl."

"Seven years, Patricia. Seven whole years I considered you family." I was still holding the wedding plan. "You knew about all this, didn't you? You knew from the beginning."

Patricia sat on the edge of the sofa, hands folded in her lap. "As Cole's mother, I had to think about what's best for him. He needed to learn how to love a woman, how to manage a relationship. You helped him do that, Harper. You taught him patience, consideration, even how to sweet-talk."

"So what am I? Practice material?" My voice began to shake—not from fear, but from anger. "Seven years of relationship was just training to you people?"

"You don't understand," Patricia stood up, trying to approach me, but I stepped back. "Cole's marriage can't be an impulsive decision. He needs a wife who's his equal, a partner who can help his career. Blaire, she—"

"She has what?" I interrupted. "Money? Status? Or is she prettier, more accomplished than me?"

"She understands the rules," Patricia said quietly. "The rules of business marriages. And you, you're too naive, Harper. You think love is enough."

The sound of keys opening the front door came from downstairs, followed by familiar laughter. Cole was back, and he wasn't alone.

Patricia's face went pale. "Harper, you can still leave now. Go out the back door, I can—"

"No." I put the wedding plan back on the desk. "I want to hear it from his mouth."

Footsteps echoed on the stairs, accompanied by Blaire's silvery laughter. "...tomorrow we can go try on wedding dresses, the designer at that shop said—" Her voice cut off abruptly, apparently seeing the light from the study.

Cole appeared in the doorway. He saw Patricia first, then me, and finally the scattered documents on the desk. His expression shifted from confusion to understanding, then to a coldness I'd never seen before.

"Finally figured out the truth?" He entered the room, his tone terrifyingly calm. "I thought you'd discover it sooner."

Blaire followed behind him. When she saw me, a smile spread across her face.

"Harper," her voice was sweet and melodious, "what a surprise to see you here."

I looked at her—this flawless woman. She was indeed beautiful, beautiful like a doll.

"You've known about my existence all along, haven't you?" I looked directly into her eyes.

"Of course," she laughed lightly. "Cole and I don't have secrets. Honestly, I should thank you."

"Thank me?"

"For training Cole so well," she moved to Cole's side, naturally linking her arm through his. "Now he's mine. A perfect boyfriend who knows how to please women, how to create romance. All those skills—he practiced them with you."

I felt nauseated. "So I really was just practice material."

Cole finally spoke, his voice devoid of any guilt or unease. "What did you think those promises were? You believed a businessman's words? Harper, you're so smart—how could you be so stupid when it comes to love?"

"Seven years, Cole. Seven years." My voice trembled. "Those birthday gifts, those trips, those nights when you said you loved me—"

"They were all real," he interrupted. "In those moments, I did feel pleasant. Just like you feel pleasant when working with an intern, but you wouldn't marry an intern, would you?"

My palm struck his face hard. The sharp slap echoed through the room, Cole's head turning slightly to one side, a red handprint instantly appearing on his cheek.

He slowly turned back to look at me, his eyes holding no anger, only disgust. "That's very ugly of you, Harper."

Blaire let out a contemptuous laugh from the side. "Wow, how savage."

I looked at the three of them. Cole, the man I'd loved for seven years; Blaire, the perfect woman who would become his wife; Patricia, Cole's mother—the woman I'd once considered my own mother. They stood there, looking at me like I was some clueless clown.

"I'm leaving." I said, my voice surprisingly calm.

"Harper—" Patricia tried to say something, but I was already turning toward the door.

"Oh, by the way," Cole said behind me, "leave the key."

I pulled the key from my pocket and placed it on the small table by the door. That key that had been with me for seven years now seemed so foreign.

I walked down the stairs, each step like saying goodbye to an era.

Just as I was about to reach the front door, I heard Cole say to Blaire: "Proceed as planned. Her company will be yours soon."