Chapter 2

I couldn't help but recall our past.

Declan was hard to care for. He would rather go hungry than eat cheap takeout with me.

So, to take good care of him, I would buy groceries at the farmers' market every day after work and cook for him.

I wouldn’t let him eat bargain food; I always got the best organic vegetables.

At first, my cooking wasn't great, and he'd barely eat a few bites.

Seeing this pained me, so I learned his preferences and honed my cooking skills.

During meals, I’d always give him the food he liked first.

Back then, seeing him eat just one more bite made me so happy.

Now, as I looked down at the fruit platter shattered on the ground.

In this upscale club, this ordinary fruit platter cost 1888, which was five months of my living expenses.

I had to deliver hundreds of orders and make countless crafts to earn that.

Looking at his expensive attire, every piece costly.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but sigh:

"Declan, you really went through a lot to deceive me, huh."

Faced with my sarcasm, Declan had no words, only shamefully lowering his head.

As we were at an impasse, a delicate hand climbed onto Declan's shoulder, whining:

"Declan, who's this? Why are you talking so long?"

Both Declan and I froze.

Declan instinctively straightened up.

I felt a chilling coldness from head to toe.

I knew that woman's face all too well.

Celeste! How could it be her?!

Celeste clearly recognized me too.

Unlike my embarrassment, she boldly walked up and kissed Declan's cheek.

As she kissed him, Declan froze, not rejecting her closeness.

Celeste intimately clung to Declan's arm, looking at me with amusement.

"Emma, long time no see."

"I never thought I'd see you in such a sorry state. Tsk tsk tsk, even looking at you feels dirty, hahaha."

Then she looked at the frozen Declan, her pale fingers caressing his neck.

Her voice was filled with pride:

"Declan listens to me the most. As long as I say east, he'll never go west."

"Last year, Declan chased me and confessed. I casually said if he could make you spend a million on him, playing you like a fool, I'd be with him."

"I never thought he'd actually do it, even pretending to be mute, hahaha."

Saying this, Celeste looked at me mockingly.

"Emma, you really do pity every mute person, hahaha."

"No matter how many years pass, your fake compassion is still so annoying!"

Hearing Celeste's words, my face turned pale.

I clenched my fists, my heart aching.

Even in a warm private room, I felt only cold and pain.

Celeste's face was twisted with the same delight as when she used to bully me.

She still hated me, hated me so much that even after Jasper had been gone for so long, she had to find someone to impersonate him to deceive me.

Tears fell as I looked at the dazed Declan, shaking my head in despair.

He's not him, no matter how much he looks like him, he's not him.

My heart turned cold, as if I lost all strength, and I turned to leave.