Chapter 2

2

At the airport, I ran into Lynda.

During our freshman year, we had competed against each other in an intercollegiate debate tournament, so she recognized me instantly.

"What's wrong, Nolan?" she asked gently.

Maybe I desperately needed someone to confide in, or maybe Lynda just seemed like a safe listener. Either way, I poured my heart out and told her everything about my parents.

Lynda's expression darkened with genuine distaste.

"Both of your parents were wrong," she said firmly. "If I ever fall in love or get married, I will never, ever betray my partner."

That was the first time we ever talked about commitment.

Over the next three years, my parents dragged out their bitter divorce battle.

My mother eventually secured half the marital assets, finally bringing their ugly divorce to an end.

Both of my parents told me, "Nolan, if it weren't for you, I would have walked away years ago."

They claimed everything was for my sake, yet the moment I started college, they completely abandoned me.

No one knew how I survived those three dark years. I even fell into a severe bout of depression.

My friends gradually drifted away. Only Lynda and Lucas stayed by my side.

They pulled me through the bleakest chapter of my life.

Lynda especially―her campus was right next to mine, and she visited me almost every day.

On the day my parents' divorce was finalized, Lynda confessed her feelings to me.

"Nolan Rivers, I love you," she declared. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I promise I will never betray you."

"Will you be with me?"

She was so passionate and sincere back then. To me, she felt like the brightest light in the world.

So, I said yes. After graduation, we tied the knot.

Our social backgrounds were worlds apart. Upon graduation, she took over her family's empire, transforming from an heiress into a powerful CEO, while I remained a humble concept artist at an animation studio.

Plenty of people tried to stop our marriage, but Lynda stood her ground against everyone.

The most heated confrontation came when her parents delivered an ultimatum: "If you insist on marrying Nolan, consider yourself cut off from this family!"

"Fine by me," Lynda answered without hesitation, grabbing my hand and storming out.

I felt immense guilt back then. I wanted to break up because I didn't want her to ruin her ties with her family over me.

Yet Lynda had gripped my hands tightly and said, "Nolan, if I don't spend the rest of my days with you, my life has no meaning at all."

She loved me so fiercely back then, tearing down every prejudice her family threw at us.

Throughout our five years of marriage, we were deeply in love.

Lynda made me believe that true love genuinely existed, and that marital bliss could last forever.

Because she had once mentioned wanting that priceless necklace, I spent months tracking down the original master jeweler.

Nobody knew how long I spent begging him to teach me his rare craft.

Nobody knew how many sleepless nights I endured just to recreate that flawless piece to the exact scale.

It was supposed to be our fifth-anniversary gift, but now, it served only as a grim monument to our farewell.