Chapter 11: You Can Go Away

"Three hundred million is enough for me to start a company that's even bigger than your father's," Alexander said, his voice calm but firm. He paused, as if savoring the impact of his words. "Honestly, I never wanted to take over your father's company. But your father... he's too greedy, too foolish. He's not cut out to be a leader. No matter how much money I invested, it was clear he was a lost cause. Rather than watching the company I poured my resources into crumble under his hands, I might as well run it myself. Don't you think?"

Emily's world tilted, her heart sinking.

So, according to Alexander, she should be grateful that he was even willing to take over the Roche Group?

The bedroom door suddenly flew open with a loud bang, and her mother-in-law stormed in, seizing the opportunity to confront Emily. "So, after all this chaos, it turns out you're a fake?" she sneered. "No wonder I couldn't stand you—no matter how hard I tried! Turns out you're not Luo Aiqin, the one who was supposed to marry my son. You're just that younger sister, Emily!"

Bang!

Her mother-in-law slapped Emily across the face with force, leaving a fiery sting. "You're a liar!"

Emily pressed her hand to her burning cheek, silent. What could she say? Her mother-in-law was right. She was a liar.

But her lie had been born from love—love for Alexander.

"Luo Aiqun—no, Emily—now I get it," her mother-in-law continued, her voice dripping with contempt. "No wonder you dared to cheat on my brother so openly. You're not even the woman who was supposed to marry him. Why bother hiding it anymore?"

Before Emily could respond, Lu Qianqian strutted into the room, a malicious grin on her face. "Oh, what a show this is. What's your excuse now, Emily?" she mocked. "You've been lying from the start. You don't love my brother. You never even met him before you used your sister's ID to marry him. Don't act like you cared about him. If you just wanted his money, you could've said so!"

Emily's gaze hardened, her eyes flashing. She wasn't going to take this lying down. "I didn't cheat!" she retorted, her voice steady despite the pain.

"Who would believe you?" Lu Qianqian scoffed. "You're full of lies. Don't pretend you care about my brother. You probably just wanted his money all along. If you need a payout, I can offer you something," she added, pulling out a thick stack of cash and throwing it at Emily. "Is this enough for you?"

The money scattered across the floor, but Emily didn't even flinch. She didn't bend down to pick it up. Her gaze moved to Alexander, who stood cold and detached in the doorway. He said nothing.

She turned away and walked to the cloakroom to gather her meager belongings.

Two years of marriage, and not once had he bought her clothes, jewelry, or even remembered her birthday. Yet, she had stayed. If it were any other woman, she would have left long ago. But she had clung to the hope that she could warm his cold heart. But now she realized—she had only frozen herself in the process.

She dragged her suitcase out of the room, only to find the bedroom empty. The house felt hollow as she made her way downstairs. Lu Qianqian and her mother-in-law were there, but Alexander was nowhere to be seen. They stood by, watching her leave, their faces twisted with smug satisfaction.

She gripped the handle of her suitcase, walking toward the front door.

"Wait..." Lu Qianqian suddenly blocked her path.

Emily raised her eyes, not bothering to hide the disdain in her expression. She didn't want to engage, but Lu Qianqian wasn't finished.

Without hesitation, she yanked the suitcase from Emily's hand.

"What are you doing?" Emily asked, reaching out instinctively to take it back.

Lu Qianqian dodged easily and popped the suitcase open, pouring out everything inside without a care. "Let's see if you've taken anything that doesn't belong to you," she sneered.

Emily's stomach twisted with anger, but she didn't speak. She watched as Lu Qianqian kicked at her clothes, stomping on them with deliberate malice. The pain of being humiliated this way surged in her chest, but she stayed silent, choosing to endure it. After all, there was nothing left to defend.

Lu Qianqian smirked at the sight of Emily's pained expression. "Are you about to cry now? Go ahead. I'm done here," she said with a cold smile, stepping back. "There's nothing of value here. You can go now."

Emily squatted down, carefully gathering her clothes one by one, trying to shake off the sharp sting in her heart. As she reached for a piece of clothing at Lu Qianqian's feet, her hand was suddenly stepped on—hard—by the heel of a red stiletto.

She gasped in pain, the pressure unbearable. Her hand was already injured from before, and now this? Her breath caught in her throat as the heel dug deeper into her skin.

"Sorry, you're in my way," Lu Qianqian purred, her voice sweetly mocking. She stepped down harder, grinding the heel into Emily's hand.

"Ah..." Emily couldn't help but cry out, her body trembling with the excruciating pain. It felt like her hand had been crushed by a car.

With a satisfied smirk, Lu Qianqian stepped back and turned to head upstairs, leaving Emily hunched over in agony.

"Get out!" her mother-in-law yelled from the top of the stairs, not even sparing a glance at her. "Don't pollute my house with your presence any longer."

Butler Ma watched impassively from the side, offering no help. He didn't even help her pack her things.

By the time Emily had finally stuffed all her belongings back into the suitcase, her hand was covered in blood, the white gauze wrapped around it now soaked through. The sight of it made her dizzy, but she didn't care. She just needed to leave.

She walked out of the main house, her movements slow, dragging the weight of everything she had just endured.

For a moment, she stopped and glanced back toward the garden. She had wanted to say goodbye to Ma Yixuan, but she hesitated. Butler Ma would never approve of her saying farewell to him, so she simply turned away.

What she didn't know was that, from his study on the second floor, Alexander stood staring out the window. His eyes followed her fragile form, his gaze unreadable, though the cigarette butts scattered across the ground told a story of his restlessness.

As she walked away from the house, Emily's mind drifted back to that fateful day five years ago—the day she first met Alexander.

She was just a freshman at the time, and a director had come to her school, looking for actors for a new project. By some stroke of luck, she was chosen. It was her first acting role, and though she was cast as a minor, unimportant character with no lines, she was over the moon.

During one scene, they had to reshoot multiple times, and she became bored of waiting. So she went outside, watching others film. That's when she heard it—an unusual sound in the sky.

Looking up, she saw a drone spinning out of control, headed straight for Alexander, who was engrossed in a phone call and didn't notice the danger. Without thinking, Emily rushed forward and pushed him out of the way. The drone collided with her, slicing into her hands and neck with its sharp propellers. Blood streamed down her skin, and the pain was unbearable. But she didn't care.

She had saved him.

As he lay on the ground, confused, his phone dropped, and his eyes met hers. That one glance—those deep, intense eyes—seared themselves into her memory. She never forgot that moment, not for a single second.

When she was taken to the hospital, her gaze never left him. Even as people surrounded him, asking if he was okay, her heart beat only for him.

She knew, even then, that he was someone extraordinary. But she never imagined that her love for him would end this way.

For the next three years, she spent every free moment at the film studio, hoping to see him again. Despite her best efforts, fate seemed to be playing against her. But after she graduated from the Beijing Film Academy, she joined a production team—partly to fulfill her dream of becoming an actress, and partly, she admitted, to find him once more.

And now, here she was—standing at the end of her marriage, her heart shattered, yet somehow still longing for a man who would never love her back.