Chapter 2

After that, David took Ella and Hannah to the restaurant.

I went upstairs to treat my wounds. When I took off my high heels, my ankles were swollen and red.

My heels were covered in blisters, some of which had burst and were oozing blood.

When the iodine touched the wounds, I couldn't help but suck in a breath. It really hurt.

I never liked high heels, but David did, especially watching me wear them.

Over the years, I forced myself to wear them just to please him.

Even though my feet were constantly bleeding, I endured it willingly.

Looking back now, I realize how foolish I was.

After treating my wounds, I slipped on some comfortable slippers and threw the high heels into the trash.

Compared to the painful high heels, I much preferred the comfort of slippers.

This time, I wasn't going to cater to anyone. I wanted to live for myself.

With that thought in mind, I quickly took out my phone and sent a message to a major company that had been showing interest in me.

I wrote: [I've agreed to the collaboration.]

The reply came instantly: [Victoria, you've finally made up your mind. Set the reporting date. We'll be ready whenever you are.]

This big company was the leading enterprise in Larkhaven, and their CEO had always been impressed by my business skills and design ability. He often extended offers to me, and their salary and benefits were very attractive.

But I turned them all down.

It was because David needed me. Most of the company's operations depended on me, and all their new products relied on my design blueprints.

I gave up my future, willingly staying by David's side, working like a dog for him.

But once the company grew stronger, he kicked me to the curb without a second thought.

It was then that I realized that true feelings didn't always get reciprocated.

When it came to the matter with my daughter, I forgave him because of what he had once done for me.

But this time, I didn't owe him anything. We were completely done.

Thinking of this, I replied to the company: [I'll report tomorrow.]

With that, I bought the earliest flight for tomorrow and began packing my bags.

As I was packing, I realized I couldn't even fill a suitcase with my things.

The closet was full of David's suits and ties, while my clothes consisted of a few faded and worn-out skirts.

The only thing of value was the gold bracelet he had given me.

Although it was an old style from more than a decade ago, I treasured it.

It was a gift from David, bought with his first earnings.

Back then, in his twenties, he smiled brightly as he put the bracelet on me, promising he would love me forever and saying that one day, when he had money, he would buy me a whole collection of jewelry.

But once he did have money, he never bought me anything nice again.

On our seventh anniversary, I couldn't help but ask him for a set of jewelry.

He got angry, scolding me for being wasteful and not understanding how hard he worked to make money.

After that, to correct my spending habits, he set a strict budget for me. Any expense over two hundred dollars had to be approved by the finance department.

The man I once loved suddenly became a stranger.

When did everything change? Maybe it was when Ella appeared.

Once Ella showed up, David's heart quietly drifted away.

He restricted every penny I spent down to the cent.

But when it came to Ella, he was generous.

When Ella said, "I want this," he didn't hesitate to buy her a diamond necklace worth millions.

He was always very clear about the boundaries between us, never allowing me to interact with him too much at the office. But with Ella, he let her casually call him David.

Not only that, he even took Ella out to eat and watch movies during work hours...

As I was thinking, the bracelet slipped from my hand and fell to the floor.

I picked it up and saw that the surface was scratched, revealing black marks inside.

The bracelet was fake.

I couldn't help but laugh.

This relationship was a mistake from the start, yet I foolishly held on for all these years!

At least now, it wasn't too late to wake up.

I threw the bracelet into the trash and cut up all the photos I had with David.

Just then, my phone rang.

It was an Instagram update from Ella.

In the photo, David was holding Hannah, allowing her oil-covered hands to rub all over his expensive suit while looking at her with doting eyes.

Ella was leaning against him, smiling as she fed him a steak covered in her saliva, and he ate it without a hint of disgust.

It was so ironic.

He had always been a clean freak. Once, when our daughter had made him coffee and accidentally spilled it on his leather shoes, he yelled at her for an hour and locked her in the basement all day, not letting her eat or drink anything.

That was when her health started to decline, making her weak and prone to illness.

And when I once mistakenly drank from his cup, he smashed it in front of me, glaring at me with disgust.

"How disgusting!"

But he only had a problem with our hygiene. He found both my daughter and me disgusting.

I let out a cold laugh and gave a like.

That only made my resolve to leave stronger, so I quickened my pace.

Once I finished, I went to bed and went to sleep.

I hadn't been asleep long when I was woken up by a knock on the door.

I didn't even have to guess. It was David.

David hated the trouble of entering the passcode, so he had gotten into the habit of asking me to open the door for him.

Before, he never even needed to knock. All he had to do was shout, and I would run to open the door for him.

But now, I just turned over and continued sleeping.

I was just about to drift into sleep when, the next second, David angrily kicked the door open, flipped the light on with a loud snap, and shouted, "Victoria, are you deaf? You're clearly awake, why didn't you get up to open the door for me!"