Chapter 2

I shoved Brandon away when he tried to grab me. "Get lost."

Under everyone's astonished gazes, I didn't hesitate to jump into the storm drain.

Instantly, the sewage reached my waist, and a wave of sickening stench hit me.

Around me, gasps and jeers erupted, but I heard nothing, cared for nothing.

Chloe's piercing laughter echoed from upstairs. "Hahaha, look at that crazy woman! Jumping into a sewer for a useless old bracelet, it's hilarious!"

Brandon frowned and yelled at me, "It's just a useless old bracelet, do you have to be so dramatic?"

Useless old bracelet?

It was the only thing my grandmother had left me!

And his beloved Chloe had thrown it away like garbage!

I frantically fumbled in the murky water, enduring the scorching sun overhead. I searched for nearly half an hour in that sewage.

Finally, I felt the outline of the bracelet, only to find it broken into three pieces.

Clutching the fractured bracelet in my hand, I slowly climbed out of the storm drain.

The onlookers, covering their noses, parted to make way.

Brandon's voice drifted from the villa steps, sharp with contempt and anger.

That face, which once made my heart race, was now twisted into a mask of cruel unfamiliarity.

"Amelia! If you dare to walk away now, we're over."

I looked down at the broken jade, my voice eerily calm.

"We were over a long time ago."

Chloe walked over in her high heels, intimately hooked her arm through Brandon's, and jingled another gold bracelet on her wrist.

"Brandon, why waste words on trash like her? She doesn't even deserve to be mentioned by you. Should I throw this one down too, so she can perform another sewer dive?"

Brandon suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"Amelia, watching you work your butt off like an idiot to support me these past two years? It was the greatest joy of my life. Don't think for a second I'd ever like a cheap-looking woman like you. Can't even do your makeup, you're an embarrassment to be seen with."

My body trembled, my vision blurred by tears, yet my voice emerged as cold as ice.

"It's over!"

I watched Brandon's expression shift from panic to something darker.

"Who do you think you are?" he demanded. "For two years you lived under my roof. You're nothing without me. Do you really think you can just leave?"

I let out a cold, hard laugh.

"Your roof? Your food?" I stared directly into his eyes. "Brandon, tell me the truth. Who paid for everything these past two years? Who worked three jobs to fund your startups?"

Chloe kept her distance, wrinkling her nose and covering it with her hand.

"Oh, those gifts Brandon bought you, those fancy restaurants he took you to-that all costs money! And now you just want to walk away!"

Those so-called "gifts" were all bought with my hard-earned money.

And those "fancy restaurants" Brandon wanted to go to? I always paid the bill.

I turned towards the door, emphasizing again.

"It's over!"

Without another glance at them, I turned and walked away decisively.

How could I have been so blind as to fall for such an animal?

Half an hour later, a black Maybach pulled up by the curb.