Three days had passed before Sullivan finally returned to the villa with a rare smile on his face. Isabel was recovering smoothly, and the project that kept him busy for so long turned out to be a huge success the moment it was launched.

He had finally broken into the upper echelon of society through his own efforts. He was no longer the broke student who had to sell himself to pay for his grandmother's medical bills.

In his pocket, he had a card that contained the first sum of profit he received from the project. He planned on returning the money to Madeleine when he saw her. Once he cleared the debt he owed her, he would be able to hold his head up high in front of her, too.

However, when Sullivan opened the door, he was greeted with an empty villa that was completely silent. In the past, Madeleine would always wait in the living room for him, but this time, she was nowhere to be se

The Emersons claimed Madeleine's body to have it cremated, but Sullivan ended up stealing the ashes while it was being transported back to them.

Initially, the Emersons confronted Sullivan about it, but he refused to return the ashes. Each time the argument occurred, he would silence them by saying, "You'll have to take the ashes over my dead body!"

He moved out of the villa he once shared with Madeleine, but as he was clearing the house, he realized that many of the belongings that were related to their relationship had gone missing. He linked that discovery to her strange behavior in recent weeks and came to a conclusion.

Although the police determined that Madeleine had accidentally fallen off the yacht and ended up drowning in the sea, Sullivan adamantly believed that her death wasn't an accident. It had been planned from the start.

That explained why she rejected having sex with

The next morning, just as Sullivan was leaving, Madeleine called out to him, "Tomorrow's our fifth anniversary. I booked us a yacht. Come and see the sunset with me."

In Sullivan's eyes, she had always been the type to act on a whim. He hoped she wasn't going to do anything strange this time. After humming curtly in acknowledgment, he left the house.

Perhaps the hopefulness Madeleine felt made the day fly by.

…

At last, it was the day she was going to fake her death. She carefully got ready before heading to the yacht with Sullivan.

The views were excellent. The lingering light of the sunset basked the sea and the yacht in hues of gold. The warm light also seemed to make Madeleine glow. Set against the gorgeous backdrop, she looked like a painting come to life.

As Sullivan took this all in, his eyes flickered strangely.

Yet, at the very next moment, a ringing sound broke the rare peace between them. 

When Madeleine turned back to look at Sullivan, he was already on the phone discussing work with someone. She knew that in just a few hours, the project he had been working on would officially be released on the market. Once it did, it would become an overwhelming success.

This was a turning point in his life—and hers as well.

"Sullivan, what are you going to do once you're rich?" Madeleine asked.

Sullivan, whose call had ended, responded to her unusual question by saying curtly, "I'll do what I want to do."

He remained fairly expressionless, as if he had merely answered off the top of his head. 

However, staring at his stoic face, one that never revealed even the slightest bit of affection toward her, she couldn't help but think to herself, "Once you're rich, the first thing you'll probably do is get away from me. But this time, you won't need to do it yourself, Sullivan."

The staff began serving dinner out on the deck. Soon, the table was filled with a delectable feast. By now, the sun had half set. Madeleine and Sullivan sat at the table across from each other.

Despite how mouthwatering the food looked, Madeleine had no appetite. Although Sullivan was looking at her, he remained as silent as he always was.

However, he was startled when his phone started ringing again, breaking the silence. He saw Isabel's name on the screen, and after a brief pause, he took the call.

Immediately, Isabel's tearful voice came through the speaker. Both Madeleine and Sullivan heard her clearly.

"I just got into a car accident, Sully. Can you come by the hospital?"

Brows furrowing, Sullivan turned to Madeleine. 

She set down her cutlery and said, "I heard her. Do you want to go?"

"Isabel needs me now. We can celebrate our anniversary anytime," Sullivan replied without hesitation.

Madeleine looked at him calmly without saying anything, and for some reason, the sight of that made his heart pound. Even as a child, he had always been able to keep his cool no matter what. It was the first time he felt as if he was starting to lose control.

Thus, he made the rare move of promising, "I'll make it up to you next time."

Then, he grabbed his phone and left.

Madeleine watched as he hurried off the yacht. She didn't try to stop him. After much time had passed, she murmured, "There won't be a next time, Sullivan."

She stayed on the yacht and enjoyed the rest of the sunset alone. As the final traces of sunlight disappeared behind the horizon, the lights on the yacht slowly came on. Someone came onboard the yacht and approached Madeleine.

"Everything's ready, Ms. Emerson."

Keeping her eyes fixed on the distance, Madeleine asked, "How will I die?"

"You'll trip and fall into the sea. The news will be released one hour later, and your body will be found after being in the sea for three days so that the police can confirm your death."

Madeleine nodded in response. She had no objections to the plan. 

Once everything was ready, she disembarked from the yacht and took one last look at the city. Then, she put on the cap and mask she had prepared, destroyed her phone, and headed straight for the airport.

"Sullivan, this time, I'll personally deliver you to your female protagonist while I, the antagonist, disappear from your world for good!"

Three days had passed before Sullivan finally returned to the villa with a rare smile on his face. Isabel was recovering smoothly, and the project that kept him busy for so long turned out to be a huge success the moment it was launched.

He had finally broken into the upper echelon of society through his own efforts. He was no longer the broke student who had to sell himself to pay for his grandmother's medical bills.

In his pocket, he had a card that contained the first sum of profit he received from the project. He planned on returning the money to Madeleine when he saw her. Once he cleared the debt he owed her, he would be able to hold his head up high in front of her, too.

However, when Sullivan opened the door, he was greeted with an empty villa that was completely silent. In the past, Madeleine would always wait in the living room for him, but this time, she was nowhere to be seen.

A strange feeling developed inside of him. For some reason, his heart felt a little empty. Reca

Chapter 10