Chapter 2

2

The man on the other end paused before letting out a startled gasp.

"Kira, my child, are you truly ready to let go of Trenton?"

I let out a bitter smile. Everyone believed I was helplessly, hopelessly in love with him.

Up until this afternoon, even I thought I could hold on, until I saw him kissing Elena in that lounge.

I nodded toward the empty air. "The woman he loves has returned. It is time for me to step aside."

Elder Hayes let out a heavy, regretful sigh.

"My promise stands forever. I'll have Benson arrange everything immediately."

"Are you completely certain you want to wipe your identity and vanish entirely?"

I took a brief breath. "I'm certain. Thank you for everything, Grandpa Hayes."

We finalized the plan. I would leave the country right after my stage play performance in three days.

By the time I returned to the villa after hanging up, it was already eight in the evening.

I gazed at the living room walls, covered in oil paintings Trenton had created for me over the years.

A wave of sorrow hit me. I used to think these portraits were proof of his love.

In reality, he only painted me because my silhouette on stage mirrored Elena's so perfectly.

I instructed the housekeeper to take down every single canvas, tear them apart, and throw them in the trash.

When I opened my phone to check tomorrow's schedule, my social feed had blown up.

Trenton had posted a photo of himself with Elena, tagging her directly.

The caption read: "After all the twists and turns, the right person finally came home."

The comment section was filled with congratulations from mutual friends, alongside nasty jabs aimed at me.

Everyone was waiting to watch me break down, laughing that I was finally being tossed aside.

What they didn't know was that our entire relationship had been nothing more than a formal contract.

When I was fifteen, my father, who worked as a driver, died saving Elder Hayes's life in a car crash.

Left an orphan, I was taken in by the Hayes family and grew up alongside Trenton.

Everyone whispered that I had struck gold, leveraging my father's death to latch onto high society.

Years later, when a group of spoiled rich heirs trapped me in a warehouse fire, Trenton risked his life to pull me out.

He even stood in front of everyone and declared fiercely:

"Kira is my sister. Anyone who touches her answers to the Hayes family!"

His right hand was severely injured during the rescue, leaving him unable to hold a paintbrush for a long time.

From that moment on, I fell hopelessly in love with him.

So when Elder Hayes approached me years later with a fake relationship contract, I agreed without hesitation.

Elena Caldwell was the pampered heiress of the Caldwell family, a prodigy ballerina.

She was Trenton's childhood sweetheart, his match in social status and prestige.

When she left the country to chase her dreams abroad, Trenton pulled every string to keep her, but failed.

Elena ruthlessly dumped him and quickly flaunted a new boyfriend overseas.

Devastated, Trenton spiraled into alcohol abuse and reckless street racing, nearly destroying himself.

To repay the Hayes family's kindness, and out of my own hidden feelings, I stepped in and pursued him.

I abandoned my theater major and forced myself to learn ballet from scratch.

Soon, everyone in high society knew there was a woman utterly obsessed with Trenton Hayes.

Trenton slowly grew used to my devotion and silently accepted my presence.

In moments of intimacy, he loved to stroke the beauty mark near my eye, whispering his longing.

Yet the moment he sobered up in public, he treated me with icy indifference.

"Know your place," he would remind me coldly. "You will never be anything more than Elena's substitute."

His friends sneered at me behind my back, mocking me for climbing into his bed as a cheap replacement.

I didn't care. For five years, I lied to myself.

I believed that if I gave him enough warmth, I would eventually melt his frozen heart.

The illusion shattered the day Elena returned. Trenton instantly cut off all my acting resources.

He personally handed every theater role and sponsorship back to Elena on a silver platter.

Overnight, I was pushed into a corner, virtually blacklisted in the entertainment circle.

Only then did I truly understand the lethal power of a man's first love.

Fortunately, Elder Hayes had promised that whenever I wanted to walk away, he would grant me complete freedom.

I quietly began packing the few belongings I had in the villa.

Close to midnight, the sound of keys jiggling came from the front door.

I looked up, meeting Trenton's drunken gaze as he stumbled inside.