Chapter 3

I didn’t know where to start my new life.

Once upon a time, everything about me revolved around Sharon.

After some thought, I bought a ticket to the city where my best friend Liam lived.

When Liam learned I was coming to Riverdale, he rushed to the airport to pick me up without hesitation.

In the car, I lit a cigarette, feeling dejected.

Liam noticed something was off and, after a moment, asked, “What’s wrong? This isn’t like you. Didn’t you quit smoking?”

“What’s going on between you and your girlfriend?” he asked, hitting the nail on the head.

I replied calmly, “We broke up.”

“Oh,” he laughed. “No big deal, man. Pull yourself together.”

Then he took me to his apartment and said, “You can stay here for now. If it doesn’t feel right, you can move out when you find a place.”

I nodded in appreciation.

Liam continued, “What do you want to do about work? Start over, or...”

I glanced at the ten million balance in my bank account and said, “Let’s start over.”

During college, I had majored in Finance.

I loved everything related to numbers—stocks, investments, trading...

As for that balance, it was the money I earned by calculating the appreciation of real estate values.

The third anniversary of my relationship with Sharon coincided with the twentieth day since her mother had been admitted to the ICU.

I cooked a large feast and inserted my bank card, containing all my assets, into a cake.

I wanted to tell Sharon that I could bring her happiness and that she shouldn’t lose faith in life because of her mother’s hospitalization.

But Sharon didn’t come home.

She forgot our anniversary and only called me at 8 PM, coldly saying, “I have something to do tonight and can’t leave. I won’t be back.”

Before I could respond, she hung up.

Looking back, maybe it was because Simon had returned to China.

I smiled bitterly.

Just then, my phone vibrated.

It was a reminder from the monitoring system I had installed at home.

"Master, a stranger's face has been detected."

I paused for a moment, but out of concern for Sharon's safety, I clicked on the screen.

After all, Sharon lives alone now, and it would be dangerous if a criminal broke in.

Fortunately, Sharon was safe.

But the funny thing was, the stranger’s face on the screen was Simon's.

I froze, watching the two of them enter the room together, looking affectionate.