Chapter 15

I watched Brian slump down slowly, propping himself up on the table. All the strength seemed to have drained from his body, and exhaustion and confusion practically spilled from his eyes. I knew—for five years, he’d lived in guilt over Lily Bennett and indifference toward me. Now, the truth was like a sharp blade, piercing the illusion he’d created for himself—those so-called “debts” were nothing but an elaborate hoax woven by Lily Bennett.

He stared at me blankly. In his eyes, I saw shock, helplessness, and even a fleeting trace of pain. “Are you happy now? Satisfied?” His voice trembled faintly, as if accusing me, yet also comforting himself.

“At least I did what I wanted to do. It wasn’t for nothing.” I stood up, picked up my bag, and didn’t look at him again as I turned to leave. I’d already wasted enough time acting in their farce.

“Sophia Reed!” Brian called out urgently behind me. I paused, my hand tightening around the strap of my bag. I could picture his expression now—probably a mix of panic and reluctance. But what did it matter? The rift between us was far too deep to be mended with a simple plea to stay. In the end, I didn’t look back or say a word. I walked straight out of this banquet hall that was supposed to witness “happiness” but had become a laughingstock.

Sitting in Justin Cole’s car, I stared at the street scenes speeding by outside the window, saying nothing. Brian had asked if I was “happy,” but Lily’s humiliation that day was nowhere near enough to make up for the five years of torment I’d endured. How could the wrongs of being misunderstood, the days of being treated coldly, and the indignity of being a “substitute” just vanish because this farce had ended?

A tear slipped quietly down my cheek and disappeared into my collar. It wasn’t that I wasn’t happy—it was that I felt more regret than anything else. Regret that the marriage I’d once cherished with all my heart had turned out to be a complete fraud. Regret that I’d wasted five years of my life only to end up covered in scars. But no matter how much I regretted it, this journey was over. I would never walk down this road again.

When the car stopped downstairs, I was still in a daze. Justin didn’t rush me; he just watched me quietly. After a long time, I snapped out of it and turned to him, “I want to go to bed.” He leaned in, lifted my chin, and asked gently, “Let me check on you first.” Then he lowered his head and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him back with a hint of furious release—as if trying to melt all the emotions I’d bottled up over the years into that kiss.

Later, I found out that Brian had gone home that day and locked himself in for a long time. He’d called his lawyer and demanded the return of everything he’d given Lily Bennett and her mother over the years—except for the house he’d given Dorothy Bennett five years earlier. Maybe that was his last bit of ridiculous “kindness,” or perhaps his final compromise with this absurd past.

He’d also gone to the 200-square-meter apartment where Lily and her mother lived—a place he’d arranged for them over the years to “make up for his guilt.” He’d unlocked the door with his fingerprint, but didn’t see anyone in the living room. Instead, he heard Lily and Dorothy talking outside the master bedroom. Dorothy was still complaining to her daughter about faking her suicide and ruining her own good life, but Lily had replied nonchalantly, “She was the one who saved Brian Locke back then, but he always thought it was me! This secret will never be exposed! I still won!”

Justin had found out about this through a private detective later. When I heard it, I didn’t feel much—even found it a bit ridiculous. Lily was still obsessed with “winning” until the very end, but she didn’t realize that from the moment she’d chosen to build everything on lies, she’d already lost completely.

As for Brian—what must he have felt when he learned the truth about the “life-saving favor”? Probably an even heavier blow than finding out Lily had faked her death. But none of that mattered to me anymore. I’d already stepped out of that dark ###Chapter and started a new life. They would have to bear the consequences of their choices.

Those lost five years had been like a long, terrible nightmare. Now that I’d woken up, the sun was shining brightly. Finally, I could move forward toward my own future, unburdened by the past.