Astrid was completely sober now. A single lamp cast a faint light across the room. In that dim glow, she slowly slid her hand over Damien's chest, dressed in a delicate camisole.

"Mr. Thornwell—"

Before she could finish speaking, Damien abruptly shoved her hand away. "Stop bothering me." 

His cold, biting tone left Astrid momentarily speechless.

Meanwhile, Damien's phone kept repeating the same monotonous message. "Sorry, the number you have dialed is unavailable…"

He'd lost track of how many times he'd called, but no one answered.

"No, no, this can't be. Nora's just angry. She didn't mean it," he muttered frantically as he rose to his feet. "That's it. I'm going home. Everything will be fine once I'm there."

With that thought, Damien slipped on his shoes and slammed the door behind him, leaving Astrid's desperate shouts unanswered. He raced through the streets, ignoring every red

Just as Hilda was about to leave, Damien intercepted her at the office door, breathless. "Did Nora resign?" he asked.

Hilda gave him a puzzled look. "Wait… you didn't know? She was absolutely determined to quit today. She even made it clear that it had nothing to do with you and said she'd talk to you when the time was right."

The news hit Damien like a shockwave. He stood there, stunned and speechless.

His mind was instantly flooded with memories of me, with countless times I'd hesitated, just about to say something. But he had always been distracted by Astrid.

Even earlier that day, he'd defended her without a second thought, never once giving me the chance to speak to him alone. His focus had always been on her.

Suddenly, he grabbed Hilda by the shoulders, desperation creeping into his voice. "Do you know where she went?"

Without missing a beat, Hilda shrugged off his grip. "She

After submitting my resignation to Hilda, I returned to my desk to wrap up the last of my tasks.

Audrey Winslow, the colleague who would be taking over my responsibilities, had always been on good terms with me. When she heard the news, her disappointment was evident. She asked, "Nora, are you seriously quitting?

"I swear, I'm going to be stuck watching those two lovebirds show off their relationship every single day!"

Following her gaze, I saw Damien explaining a case to Astrid.

Astrid looked visibly annoyed after Damien's reprimand. Trying to ease the tension, he pulled out a Corvella bracelet and handed it to her. Her eyes immediately lit up as she slipped it onto her wrist.

When Damien's gaze met mine, he jumped to his feet, clearly taken aback.

"Nora, nothing is going on between Mr. Thornwell and me. It's just a plain bracelet!" Astrid's denial immediately drew everyone's attention, their eyes shifting between her and me.

After five years together, Damien had never once given me anything expensive. Just like him, everyone assumed I was a country bumpkin who didn't know the first thing about luxury goods. They all felt sorry for me.

Audrey stood by my side, her eyes burning with indignation on my behalf. "You're still his girlfriend, right? They're totally making a fool out of you!"

I squeezed her hand and shook my head, silently asking her to calm down. Turning to Astrid, I said, "That bracelet is beautiful. It really suits you."

When I didn't get upset, Astrid cautiously continued, "Nora, it's really nothing more than an ordinary bracelet. Please don't be mad."

A wave of confusion washed over me. I didn't see a point in getting angry. After all, I had plenty of bracelets like that back home in Pemberly.

Damien stood up, his brow furrowing. "Nora, please don't make a scene," he said sharply.

I sighed and shook my head. "I'm honestly not upset. You should stop assuming things about me."

My calm demeanor seemed to catch him off guard. He let out a cold snort. "You had better mean that."

Without saying another word, he pulled Astrid down to sit beside him.

Audrey couldn't help but ask, "Are you really just going to let them off that easily?"

I shrugged and turned back to my files. "That's right. As far as I'm concerned, my relationship with him is already over." After 52 failed wedding attempts, I had nothing left to give. 

Later that evening, Damien unexpectedly showed up at my desk, offering to help me pack.

"Come on," he said. "I've got us a reservation at The Gilded Fork for 8:00 pm. If we head out now, we'll make it just in time."

As his gaze fell on my bare wrist, he paused, clearly caught off guard. A flicker of panic crossed his face. "What happened to the bracelet I gave you?" he asked.

"I was worried I'd break it, so I took it off and left it at home."

He let out a sigh of relief, a faint smile forming on his face. "You used to wear it every day. What made you start being more careful with it now?"

Before I could come up with an excuse, Astrid rushed over and stopped beside us. "Mr. Thornwell, I'm done packing my things!"

Damien's focus shifted to her immediately. He gave a nod and gestured toward the car.

I watched as she headed straight for the front passenger seat.

Throughout our five years together, I had never once sat in that seat. Damien always said it was meant for his future wife, and that it would belong to me only after we were married.

Meeting Astrid's provocative glance, I lowered my eyes in silence. By then, my heart felt utterly numb.

At the restaurant, Damien and Astrid sat side by side, ordering their meals without sparing me a single glance.

I embraced the quiet, resting my head on my hand as I stared out the window. Tomorrow would probably be the last time I saw this view.

The dishes arrived soon after. To my surprise, Damien peeled a shrimp and placed it on my plate. "The shrimp here is really good," he said.

I looked up and caught his gentle smile. In a moment like this, I hadn't expected him to still care.

Astrid couldn't help but jump in. "I'm the one who recommended this place to Mr. Thornwell! Last time we came, he polished off three whole plates!"

Damien's cheeks turned red with embarrassment. "You didn't have to say that in front of Ms. Lennox…"

Astrid chuckled, covering her grin with her hand, her eyes sheepishly meeting mine. "Sorry, Nora. I hope this little slip doesn't affect how you think of Mr. Thornwell."

They laughed together, completely ignoring me.

I looked down at the shrimp on my plate, feeling my appetite vanish. After forcing down a bite, I pushed the plate away without taking another bite. "I'm not a fan. You can have it."

Their playful teasing finally quieted. "Are you upset?" Damien asked gently.

I shook my head. "No. The shrimp's too fishy. I'm just not used to it." It was just like them—off-putting and impossible to swallow.

After dinner, Damien took the drunken Astrid home, leaving me to close the door behind them.

The moment they were gone, I called a taxi and headed straight for the airport.

Damien kept messaging me on WhatsApp, already planning our next wedding. Maybe it was guilt, but this time, he insisted on managing everything on his own.

"Trust me. It's really happening this time. No one's going to get in the way."

"Okay," I typed back, my face blank. But deep inside, I knew the truth. Like all the others before it, this wedding was destined to be canceled once again.

Just moments before boarding the plane, another message from him came through.

"Astrid drank too much, and her stomach's acting up. I won't be coming home tonight. Take care of yourself."

A quiet, bitter laugh escaped me. I'd been expecting this.

"Fine. Stay at her place, then. I've already moved out. There's nothing left between us anymore.

"Goodbye forever, Damien."

After texting him that, I blocked and removed his contact.

As the plane lifted off, I stared out the window, watching Aberton's shimmering lights dissolve into the darkness below.

On the other side of the screen, Damien sat frozen, utterly caught off guard.

Astrid was completely sober now. A single lamp cast a faint light across the room. In that dim glow, she slowly slid her hand over Damien's chest, dressed in a delicate camisole.

"Mr. Thornwell—"

Before she could finish speaking, Damien abruptly shoved her hand away. "Stop bothering me." 

His cold, biting tone left Astrid momentarily speechless.

Meanwhile, Damien's phone kept repeating the same monotonous message. "Sorry, the number you have dialed is unavailable…"

He'd lost track of how many times he'd called, but no one answered.

"No, no, this can't be. Nora's just angry. She didn't mean it," he muttered frantically as he rose to his feet. "That's it. I'm going home. Everything will be fine once I'm there."

With that thought, Damien slipped on his shoes and slammed the door behind him, leaving Astrid's desperate shouts unanswered. He raced through the streets, ignoring every red light as he hurried home.

When he finally stepped inside, darkness greeted him.

I had always fear

Chapter 4