Chapter 2

My body trembled slightly from my racing heart, but I forced my face to stay calm and looked at the smiling woman in front of me.

“So your wedding anniversary is coming up soon? What perfect timing, our studio has a promotion right now, and we can shoot anytime.”

I handed over the promotional brochure.

The woman took it curiously and flipped through it, her eyes lighting up: “Oh my God, these are so gorgeous!”

She kept talking to the man on the phone, her voice sweet and sticky.

“Babe, hurry over, this studio takes such pretty photos, so let’s do the shoot now.”

In less than ten minutes, the front door was pushed open.

I looked up, and that familiar figure appeared right in front of me.

A perfectly tailored suit, noble and sharp features.

It was my boyfriend, Julian Hayes.

My heart felt like it had been gripped by an invisible hand, and a dull pain spread through my limbs as my breathing froze.

Our eyes met, panic flashed through his eyes, and then he became calm, as if I were a stranger.

When the woman saw him, she wrapped her arms around his arm affectionately.

Julian pulled her into his arms in return and lowered his head to kiss her forehead, the gesture tender and intimate.

“Babe, I like several photo sets, so can we shoot all of them today?”

The woman acted spoiled, happiness filling her eyes.

He rubbed her hair indulgently: “Of course, my little princess can shoot whatever she wants.”

Eight years of love shattered in front of me like a ridiculous joke.

There was rarely such intimacy between us, and there were mostly arguments.

Back then, he lost the pocket watch his mother had left him and panicked so badly that he did not know what to do.

I went out to look for it, and it rained heavily that day, so I was soaked from head to toe, my feet rubbed raw with blisters, and I even spent money asking people to help keep an eye out.

After I finally found it, all I got was his scolding.

“Why were you running around in such heavy rain? If you get sick, we’ll have to spend money again!”

Actually, I did not mind, because at least the keepsake had been found.

But now, seeing the scene in front of me, some words rose to my lips, only to be swallowed down.

The woman turned her head to look at me and sized me up.

“Let’s go, do a good job, and don’t waste our time.”

I forced the corners of my mouth up and walked into the elevator with them.

In the cramped space, the woman was still flipping through the album with great interest.

The light above our heads went out with a snap, and the elevator instantly fell into darkness.

Before I had time to adjust to the dark, a sudden force shoved me from the side.

My body staggered backward, and the back of my head hit the wall hard.

Before I could recover from the headache, a piercing pain shot up from the top of my foot.

It was the woman’s thin heel grinding into my foot.

I bit my lower lip and forced back the cry of pain stuck in my throat.

She threw herself into Julian’s arms, her voice trembling: “I’m so scared, it suddenly went dark, and I nearly died of fright.”

He soothed her in a low voice: “Don’t be scared, it’ll be fine in a moment.”

After only a short while, the lights came back on.

The woman frowned, her face full of impatience: “Using such cheap equipment is seriously tacky.”

After she said that, Julian took her hand and walked out of the elevator.

I had them register first, and I saw the woman’s name clearly, Chloe Bennett.

My heart sank, because she was the daughter of the Bennett Group.

She was very excited and tried on three or four wedding dresses in a row, standing on tiptoe and spinning in front of her husband.

She acted spoiled and said she wanted to buy all the sample photos.

Julian’s eyes were full of indulgence and tenderness.

“Beautiful, my wife looks beautiful in anything.”

“Chloe, if I don’t spend my money on you, who else would I spend it on, so we’ll buy a few more later.”

I looked down at the faded hoodie I was wearing.

I had once brought up wanting to buy a new dress, and Julian had looked impatient.

“If your clothes can still be worn, don’t buy more, and don’t be so vain.”