When the Heart Breaks, There's No Turning Back

After sobbing quietly for a long time, Avery Miller unwittingly fell asleep, her body curled up, knees hugged to her chest. Her disheveled hair draped over one shoulder, framing her tear-streaked, pale face. The fragility in her slender, delicate shoulders and her lean, frail back was heartbreakingly evident.

Ethan Montgomery entered just to take a quick look. His thin lips pressed tightly together, he gazed at her with his deep eyes, full of concern for her vulnerable state. 

Gently, Ethan Montgomery straightened her out and covered her with a blanket before quietly exiting the room.

Avery was awakened by hunger. She hadn't eaten a single bite the entire previous day.

Outside the room, near the grid bookshelf, the tantalizing aroma of food drifted in, tempting her stomach and seducing her appetite. Her stomach embarrassingly growled in response.

It seemed someone outside heard the noise. A sweet voice called out, "Ms. Miller, if you're awake, please come out and eat. The CEO mentioned you haven't eaten anything all day. I've specially brought this meal from Emerald Tower for you."

Blushing, Avery Miller covered her warm face with her hands. 

Someone was outside – how mortifying!

The female secretary placed the food on the table, "Ms. Miller, I'll leave you to eat. Enjoy it while it's hot; it won't taste as good when it cools down." With these words, and the click-clack of her high heels, she walked out.

Avery Miller threw back the covers, feeling much less pain than before. 

Her clothes from the floor were gone, leaving her with nothing to wear.A flush of panic crossed her face – how would she go out without clothes?

Glancing around, she noticed a wardrobe at the foot of the bed. 

Avery Miller walked over barefoot, opened it, and found no clothes of her own, but several new outfits in her size.

Were they bought for her by him, or were they another woman's? 

Avery Miller ran her fingers over the ladies' clothes, all from the latest season and likely very expensive. 

The wardrobe was also full of his suits, still brandishing their brand-new tags.

Holding a women's suit in her hands, she wondered if it was really bought for her? 

Or was it just prepared for some other woman?

There was no clear emotion in her water-like eyes – neither joy nor gloom. 

Avery Miller lips curved in a slight, indifferent smile. 

Why should she care about that devil's intentions? 

He had torn her clothes to shreds, it was only right for her to wear one of his, even though these clothes were worth more than ten times her own.

Avery Miller selected a brown patterned long skirt with a wide hem, creating a layered and dimensional look. 

She paired it with a two-centimeter-wide brown leather belt, accentuating her already slender waist. 

Her outfit was completed with a light pink camisole and a denim shawl jacket, a combination that was stylish without being ostentatious and perfectly suited her taste.

After dressing, Avery planned to leave the place while the devil, Ethan Montgomery, was away. 

It was crucial to escape quickly!

As Avery approached the grid bookshelf to leave, the sight of delicious food on the table halted her. 

Touching her flat stomach, she realized she hadn't eaten in a day and a half. 

With no money on Avery and the prospect of remaining hungry outside, she found herself salivating at the sight of the food. 

Avery eyes sparkled with hunger as she decided to eat first.

she needed strength to run away!

Avery sat in Ethan Montgomery's leather swivel chair, her delicate hands pulling the meal towards her, eating voraciously. 

She filled her mouth with food as if she hadn't eaten in centuries, gradually filling her stomach. The satisfying fullness almost brought her to tears. 

This meal was a luxury, and she didn't know when she would eat next.

With her father in jail and her mother's suicide, all her family's assets were confiscated. 

A young woman, who had never graduated from college and had lived a life of extravagance without knowing the value of saving money, now faced an uncertain and potentially harsh future.

Overwhelmed by sadness, she felt powerless to change her fate. 

Sniffling, Avery swallowed the food mixed with her tears, not wasting a single morsel. 

This way, perhaps she could sustain herself for a day or two more.

After eating her fill, Avery Miller put on oversized sunglasses, which made her face appear even smaller. 

Her long hair casually cascaded down her back, partially hiding her profile. 

Avery left the remains of her meal unattended on the desk, a messy contrast to the otherwise tidy office space.

With a sense of satisfaction, she thought, "Let him see this and be infuriated!" Avery twirled around, her hair swinging, and opened the door to leave. 

She wouldn't foolishly wait for the devil to torment her. She was determined to escape, to get as far away from this place and that person as possible.

Avery Miller, evading everyone's gaze, stealthily slipped out of the Yangdu Hotel like a thief. 

Only when she stood outside, in a spot hidden from view, did she breathe a sigh of relief. 

But then, Avery realized that many had seen her escape, yet none had stopped her. 

They just looked at Avery strangely. 

Was her escape really that awkward?

Avery dismissed the thought. Perhaps the powerful CEO wouldn't care about a girl like her, sold by her father and bearing a life of hardship. 

With his wealth and good looks, women must flock around him. A million dollars was probably just the cost of a few outfits to people like him.

Avery looked down at her clothes, feeling a wave of sadness. 

After all, she had paid a steep price, sacrificing something incredibly precious to her…

Sniffling, she forced back her tears, patted her slightly warm cheeks, and decided not to dwell on unhappy thoughts. 

Life must go on, right? 

"You can do this, Avery Miller," she encouraged herself.

But what direction should she take next?

Wandering aimlessly, Avery Miller eventually stopped, her eyes brimming with tears, the rims red, as she gazed at the familiar front door of her home, unable to step forward.

"Avery…"

A familiar voice called from behind. Avery turned and saw the last person she ever wanted to encounter.

"What are you doing here? Have you come to mock me? Haven't you done enough harm? What right do you have to stand in front of me?"

"Avery, I…" Emily Davis's weak voice faded under Avery Miller's fiery glare. She lowered her head, her beautiful eyes filled with tears, her pale, gaunt face betraying her restless days. "I'm sorry, I didn't know it would turn out like this."

"Heh, such pretty words, 'you didn't know it would be like this'," Avery Miller said with a bitter laugh, unable to hold back her tears any longer. 

Avery yelled at her, "You didn't know? Didn't you know that being 'the other woman', being a mistress, is morally wrong?" 

"Didn't you know your actions would shatter my family, destroy lives? You claim ignorance, but you knew enough to manipulate those who trusted you, to revel in the enjoyment of others' downfall, didn't you? Is that it, Emily?" 

"You say you're sorry, yet you're carrying my father's child. You caused him to end up in prison, and my mother to die a terrible death. Are you happy now? Do you feel accomplished?" 

"Emily Davis, you've destroyed a family, you've ruined my life, do you understand that? I hate you, Emily Davis, I hate you!"

After her outburst, Avery's voice broke into uncontrollable sobbing, her once strong face now drenched in tears. 

So fragile, like a delicate glass, easily shattered.

Emily Davis stood there, head bowed, one hand on her belly and the other covering her nose, sobbing silently.