December. First snow in Los Angeles.

On their third wedding anniversary, Bernadette got nagged by her mother-in-law at the hospital until 11:30 before she could leave.

Snow covered the streets. Since she had not driven, she called Nolan.

The busy tone rang a few times before his voice finally came through, cold and flat.

"What is it?"

Hearing his voice made all the anger and hurt from the night come rushing back. Bernadette's voice was hoarse as she said, "Can you come pick me up? It's snowing really hard..."

"I'm busy." Nolan cut her off, sounding bored. "If you're tired, get a cab. Don't bug me with these trifles again."

Bernadette's throat tightened. She wanted to say more, but the line went dead.

The busy tone stung her ears and her heart.

They had been in love for seven years. Married for three.

Back when they first started dating, Nolan would wait two hours outside her part-time job in the snow just to walk her back to the dorm. He would hold her close and say, "The roads are slippery when it snows. I'm scared you'll fall if I'm not here."

Now all that was just "trifles"...

The wind and snow blew harder. Bernadette pulled her down jacket tighter around herself and waited by the road for a taxi. Her fingers were numb as she scrolled through Instagram, just trying to kill time.

After she tapped "like" on a post, her thumb froze.

It was a photo from Nolan's assistant, Kenneth Feehily—and by accident, Nolan was in the shot too.

He was sitting in the deputy general manager's office at the Crowley Group, head down, reading through some files. In front of him sat a pink beverage.

"Nolan never drinks beverages like this, so who put it there?" she thought.

Bernadette wanted to zoom in to take a closer look, but the post disappeared. Just like someone wanted to hide something.

The cold wind howled and a taxi driver nearby honked twice, sounding annoyed. "You want a ride or not?"

Bernadette snapped back to reality and stiffly said, "Yes."

By the time she got home, it was already past midnight.

As soon as she walked in, she noticed the gift bag in the corner of the living room was gone.

It was the Starlight bracelet—the most popular one—that Nolan had bought. She thought it was for their third anniversary...

Bernadette was still zoning out when the door opened.

Nolan walked in. With a hand on the doorknob, he asked in surprise, "You're still up?"

"I just got back." Bernadette pushed aside her messy thoughts and asked him softly, with a bit of hope, "Don't you have anything to say to me today?"

"What?" Nolan did not even glance at her. He just pulled off his tie and walked toward the bathroom. "If you're tired, go to bed."

Bernadette stood frozen. She wanted to say something, but the bathroom door shut, shutting her out too.

He had totally forgotten their anniversary.

She let out a quiet sigh. Her heart felt empty and cold.

The next morning, Bernadette went to her studio.

She had started this architectural design studio right after graduating, and in the past two years, it had made quite a name for itself.

As soon as she stepped into the office, her assistant, Nesta Keefe, rushed over. "Bernadette, the Crowley Group said we can't just send the design draft this time. We have to compete for it with another studio."

She was fuming. "We're doing them a favor, honestly. Other people beg for our designs, and now they're making us compete? What rotten luck!"

Bernadette was surprised too when she heard that.

However, seeing how mad Nesta was, she just smiled and tried to calm her down. "I'll do it."

Even though she did not know exactly what was going on, she was sure she could beat whoever they were up against.

That afternoon, Bernadette headed over to the Crowley Group.

Right when she got out of the car at the office building, she spotted Kenneth.

She thought he was waiting for her and started walking over, but then a pink Porsche pulled up right in front of her.

Bernadette stopped in her tracks and watched as Kenneth hurried over to open the car door. Then, a young girl stepped out.

She could not help asking, "Who's this?"

Kenneth seemed to notice her just then. His face shifted for a second, but he still introduced her. "Bernadette, this is Ms. Jessica Mallins, daughter of the Mallins Group's chairman. She's also the rep for Arcobaleno Studio."

Arcobaleno Studio was their rival for this project.

Bernadette looked at the girl. She looked so young and her big, bright eyes were full of energy.

She looked like a fresh grad, honestly.

When the girl saw her, she smiled sweetly and reached out her hand. "Hi, Ms. Connery. You can just call me Jessica."

Jessica Mallins...

Daughter of the Mallins Group's chairman...

Bernadette reached out to shake her hand politely, but then her eyes caught something.

Peeking out from under Jessica's short sleeve was a bracelet—the familiar Starlight bracelet.

Bernadette's breath caught for a second.

Jessica noticed where she was looking and smiled. "This was a gift from my boyfriend for our second anniversary."

"She has a boyfriend."

Bernadette's tight heart loosened up right away, and she quietly laughed at herself for overthinking it.

Nolan was not the only one who could buy that bracelet, anyway.

She let out a small sigh and held Jessica's hand. "Your boyfriend's got a good memory."

She could not help but sigh inside.

Nolan used to remember every special date too, and he would always surprise her with roses or a necklace.

Yet, as time passed, those sweet things faded away.

Jessica blinked at her. "Guys remember what they really care about."

Bernadette froze for a moment. By the time she snapped out of it, Jessica had already pulled her hand back and walked off.

Bernadette frowned and followed her into the building.

Upstairs, Jessica got whisked away by a manager.

It was just Bernadette and Kenneth left outside the office. Kenneth called out, "Bernadette."

He lowered his head, hesitating for a bit before mumbling, "A colleague asked me out for drinks last night."

Bernadette paused and looked at him. He seemed like he was hiding something, but she did not say anything and just walked into Nolan's office.

Nolan was standing there, carefully reading over a design draft.

Bernadette spotted the Arcobaleno Studio logo at the top.

The design was nothing special—sloppy in places and pretty immature overall.

"How did something like that even make it onto Nolan's desk? Shouldn't the Crowley Group have tossed it in the first round?" she wondered.

Nolan looked up and put the draft down. "What are you doing here?"

"Dropping off our design."

She pulled her gaze away and set the folder with the design drafts on Nolan's desk.

Nolan opened it up and flipped through it. "Next time, just have the assistant bring it over."

His tone was all business, not one extra word.

Bernadette did not know what to say for a second.

She pressed her lips together, and then out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something stuck to the corner of Nolan's desk.

A tiny cartoon cat sticker. It was cute, bright, and really out of place on his spotless, black-and-white desk.

Her heart jumped and she asked right away, "What's this?"

Nolan glanced at it calmly. "Nothing."

His voice was flat like he could not even be bothered to make something up.

Bernadette's chest tightened. "Since when do you like this stuff?"

Nolan finally lifted his eyes from the draft and looked at her. His gaze was cold. "At work, we're just business partners."

Bernadette's face went pale. She wanted to say something, but right then, the door swung open.

"Mr. Colfield, I changed that part you said you weren't happy with last time..."

It was Jessica. She froze when she saw Bernadette and asked Nolan in a small voice, "Did I come in at a bad time?"

Nolan looked at Jessica. "Wait outside first."

His voice dropped when he said it, and there was a softness in that cold tone.

Bernadette's heart sank. She saw Jessica blink and smile. "Okay, have my drink as a treat."

She put a pink drink on the desk.

Pink. The same kind.

Bernadette felt a chill run down her spine. Then, she asked stiffly, "You've never drunk this before."

Nolan paused for a second, then said, "I tried it and it's fine. If there's nothing else, you can go."

Bernadette stared at him, and for a moment, it felt like the blood in her veins turned to sharp, cutting pieces of ice.

When she stepped out the door and reached the elevator, Kenneth caught up with her. "Bernadette, are you okay?"

Bernadette looked at him blankly. Her gut told her something was up between Nolan and Jessica.

Kenneth had been with Nolan for seven years, so he would know. If she pushed him, she would get the truth.

But when she opened her mouth, all she said—hoarse and soft—was, "I'm fine. It's nothing."

She rode the elevator down alone.

She stared at the red numbers dropping, feeling like her heart was sinking along with them, getting heavier and emptier at the same time.

Her eyes turned red.

For two years, she had wondered if Nolan was seeing someone else.

All those extra "late nights at work," coming home past midnight with that faint perfume smell...

She used to tell herself she was just overthinking it. Yet, in the end, she was not wrong at all.

The next morning, Bernadette showed up at the office early.

As soon as she stepped in, Nesta ran up to her, panic all over her face.

"Bernadette! The Crowley Group sent our design draft back this morning!

"They're saying we copied someone else's work!"

"Copied someone else's work?"

Bernadette's heart gave a hard thump. When she looked at the comparison photo the Crowley Group sent, she almost laughed—it was ridiculous.

There was nothing similar in that picture except the basic structure. If that counted as copying, then the whole architecture world was guilty.

She called Nolan right away and said straight out, "I didn't plagiarize."

Nolan did not argue. He just said calmly, "The project team decided to go with Jessica's design."

Just like that, every word Bernadette wanted to say got stuck in her throat.

She wanted to ask, "Did the team really choose Jessica, or did you?"

Her throat tightened. The question burned on the tip of her tongue, but she could not get it out.

Her eyes landed on the crystal tape measure on her desk—the one Nolan gave her once. She closed her eyes, then asked quietly, "Do you believe me?"

"You've made enough money these past few years."

His tone on the other end was flat and calm. There was not a shred of warmth in it.

Bernadette froze for a second before she got what he really meant.

Back when Nolan was just starting out, he worked closely with her studio. All the prices for those projects were way lower than the market.

Yet, in his eyes, all that was just her cashing in on him.

It felt like someone stabbed her right in the chest, and the blood that spilled was ice cold.

***

Even though the deal with the Crowley Group was over, Nesta was thrilled. She was still laughing as if nothing had happened.

That evening, Bernadette got a call from the hospital saying that Nolan's mother was being discharged today.

When she got downstairs, she saw Nolan's car waiting.

"Get in."

Bernadette looked at his cold face, her feelings all tangled up.

The car drove straight to the hospital. Then, Bernadette went upstairs to help Annalisa Heenan pack her things.

Right when she was about to leave, she noticed the trash can in the ward. It was stuffed with unopened gifts Nolan's grandmother had sent from Pennsylvania.

Her heart squeezed tight. She quietly picked them out of the trash and tucked them into her bag.

Annalisa walked faster than her. The second she got in the car, she sat herself in the front seat and gave Bernadette a look through the rearview mirror.

She started complaining to Nolan in Los Angeles accent. "Your grandfather always liked your older brother best. Now he's about to get engaged to the Naughton Group's heiress, so of course he's the general manager and you're stuck as deputy!

"I don't know what you were thinking when you married this woman. She's useless."

Nolan was an illegitimate child.

After his father passed, the chairman of the Colfield Group sent both grandsons into the company to fight for the inheritance.

Annalisa had never liked Bernadette as her background was no help to Nolan. So, she would say stuff like this so many times.

Bernadette sat quietly in the back seat, staring at Nolan's silent face in the mirror. Her heart just sank, bit by bit.

In the past, when his mom talked like this, Nolan would argue back for her. Yet, over time, he just got used to it.

Little by little, Nolan's silence turned into a silent agreement in Annalisa's eyes. The worse her words got, the more he just let her talk.

And now, Bernadette could not even tell if his silence meant he felt trapped—or if he actually agreed.

After dropping Annalisa off at her villa, Nolan turned the car around to head back.

Bernadette leaned her head on the window and watched the snow swirl outside. Out of nowhere, she asked, "Do you regret marrying me?"

Nolan did not say a word.

The silence in the car felt heavy.

Bernadette felt cold all over like the heater could not reach her heart at all.

She curled in on herself, and after what felt like forever, she finally heard Nolan's voice. "We're already married. Questions like that don't matter anymore."

Bernadette's eyes stung with tears and her voice came out raw. "Stop the car."

Nolan pulled over. The second he did, she got out. The wind slapped her face with snowflakes, sharp and freezing.

There was a hint of snow caught in Nolan's dark brows when he rolled the windows down, but his eyes were colder than the snow.

"What are you throwing a fit for now?"

Bernadette just shook her head. Her throat felt so tight she could barely speak.

Nolan frowned, looking annoyed. He gave her one last glance, then stepped on the gas and drove away.

Bernadette stood there in the snow for a long time before she forced herself to swallow all the hurt. She looked up and saw a giant ad screen at the intersection—it was showing an ad for the Starlight bracelet.

It said every bracelet had its own unique code carved on the little stars.

Bernadette stared at those words, lost in thought. Somehow, she found herself inside the jewelry store.

She asked the clerk to look up the code on the bracelet Nolan bought.

It was 1314.

When Bernadette heard that number, it felt like her whole body turned to ice.

Jessica's bracelet had the same number.

Jessica's voice echoed in her ears. "This was a gift from my boyfriend for our second anniversary."

Bernadette just stood there, frozen for a long time, before she finally drifted out of the store like she was sleepwalking.

The snow had stopped, but the wind still cut right through her.

She walked home for over half an hour in that freezing wind. When she got back, Nolan was already asleep.

Moonlight fell on his face, casting sharp and cold shadows over his eyes and brows.

Bernadette stood by the bed and stared at him for a long time. It hit her how much he had changed in ten years. That young guy in a school uniform she had fallen for was long gone.

It felt like a hole ripped open in her chest, letting all the cold wind rush in and shake her to the bone. She called out in a shaky voice, "Nolan..."

After she said that, nothing else came.

Ten years ago, she would have thrown a tantrum, dragged him up from the bed, and asked him if he still loved her.

Now, she could not do it.

Because she was scared the answer would be no.

She did not sleep at all that night. The next morning, she went to the studio early.

"Bernadette, the Crowley Group—" Nesta stopped mid-sentence when she saw how worn out Bernadette looked. "Bernadette, what happened to you? You look terrible."

Bernadette just shook her head. There was no way to explain her messed-up love life, and she did not want to be someone's joke.

So she just asked, "What about the Crowley Group?"

Nesta snapped out of it and said, "The Crowley Group's general manager is here to see you. He's in the reception room."

"General manager?

"That was Nolan's half-brother—Declan Colfield."

Bernadette walked into the reception room curiously and saw Declan standing there, casually checking out the studio's trophy wall.

He was handsome too, with eyes a lot like Nolan's, but with a bit more playfulness in his smile.

She got straight to the point. "Mr. Colfield, what do you want to talk about? The Crowley Group's deal with the Svola Studio is over."

She had been married to Nolan for three years and had barely seen this guy a handful of times.

Declan raised an eyebrow. "That's Nolan and the Svola Studio. I'm here for myself.

"I don't think you know, but this whole bid is actually for Mallins Group's new project. Nolan and I each run one project team..."

He stopped, locked eyes with Bernadette, and said, "So you should know just how important those design drafts are for this bid."

Bernadette froze. The Mallins Group's projects were huge as they were some of the biggest commissions in the whole real estate scene. Whether Nolan or Declan came out on top could depend on this one project.

She stayed quiet for a second, then asked, "If it's that important, why come to me?"

"I've seen your design draft. It's good, and it really fits Mallins Group's vibe."

Declan paused on purpose, a teasing smile playing on his lips. "And I heard there's something going on between Nolan and Mr. Mallins' daughter. How could this show go on without you in the mix?"

He said it so casually, like her mess with Nolan was just some soap opera for him to watch.

Bernadette frowned, ready to tell him to get lost.

However, Declan held out his hand and waved it slowly in front of her. "Eight hundred thousand."

All her anger caught in her throat. As she looked at his hand, she swallowed what she wanted to say initially and said, "Deal."

Who could say no to that kind of money? And deep down, she did not want Nolan and Jessica to get what they wanted so easily.

Word that the Svola Studio was working with Declan spread like wildfire.

When Bernadette got home, she found Nolan sitting on the sofa. His face was dark and his eyes were cold.

"When did you meet Declan?"

Bernadette shut the door like nothing was wrong. "He came to me this morning."

Nolan's tone left no room for debate. "End it."

Bernadette paused. "Why?"

Nolan suddenly stood up, his cold eyes flashing with anger. "Don't you know how many women he's got out there?"

She was stunned for a second, and then his words sank in like a knife in her chest.

She spat the words back, tasting blood.

"Do you think everyone's like you, Nolan?"

She did not get how he could stand there, acting righteous, when he had been sneaking around with Jessica for two years.

"You..."

Nolan's face changed on the spot.

Bernadette just laughed out loud.

"The pink drink. The Starlight bracelet. The sticker. How many sweet little secrets do you and Jessica have that I'm not supposed to see? Did you really think I love you so much I'd never notice? Or did you think I'm just too stupid to see you flaunting it in my face?"

Seeing her broken, twisted smile, something in Nolan's chest tightened. Immediately, he reached for her wrist.

"Calm down."

Bernadette yanked her arm away.

Some things you can swallow down, hide deep inside, and keep the happy mask on—but she could not do it anymore.

"Do you remember what you promised me when we got married?" Bernadette asked.

She did not wait for him to answer. "You promised that if you ever stopped loving me, you'd tell me.

"It's just a divorce, Nolan. Did you think I wouldn't say yes?"

The word divorce made Nolan panic. He grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry. I was wrong. Please, don't be mad."

Bernadette's lashes trembled and hot tears spilled before she could stop them.

***

That night, Nolan held her tight. "I'll break up with her."

His hug was so warm—warmer than anything she had felt from him in years.

However, her heart just felt cold. She shut her eyes, too tired to say a word.

For the next few days, Nolan really seemed to cut things off with Jessica. He did not work late anymore and would come home early.

Then, on the seventh day, Jessica showed up at the Svola Studio.

Her eyes were red. The first thing out of her mouth was, "Please... Please give Nolan back to me."

Reception room.

Bernadette locked the door behind her and poured Jessica a glass of water.

Jessica just looked at her, eyes wet with tears. "He hasn't come to see me for a week. I guess you said something."

Bernadette did not say a word.

She was the wife while Jessica was the other woman. Back when she married Nolan three years ago, she never thought the mistress would one day show up like this, so calm, so sure of herself.

"Ms. Connery, how much do you really know about us?" Jessica asked.

Bernadette stayed silent, so Jessica pulled her phone from her bag, opened her photo album, and pushed it in front of her.

Bernadette just stood there, stunned. That album was filled with photo after photo of Nolan and Jessica—from sandy beaches to barren deserts, from deep jungles to wide open seas.

"We were together 739 days. We took 370 photos, went to 21 cities, and he told me he loved me 78 times."

Jessica flipped through the photos slowly, showing each one to Bernadette.

Bernadette's eyes burned as she stared at Nolan in those shots.

She knew that look—the way Nolan's eyes softened when he was in love. It was the same look he had when he first chased her down at seventeen.

Jessica watched her face, then suddenly smiled and pulled up a photo full-screen.

Bernadette's head buzzed and her mind went blank for a second.

It was a picture of Nolan and Jessica in bed.

"That was our first night together. Two years ago. He held me and said he'd love me forever."

She went on like she was just chatting about the weather. "Nolan's actually really romantic. He held me tight on the cable car and sat with me for hours to watch the sunset at Mt. Baldy. He said 'I love you' everywhere we went—Castaic Lake, Iceland..."

She paused, and narrowed her eyes, that soft smile twisting cruelly. "Sometimes I hate you for taking up that spot by his side. But sometimes? I pity you. You've been married for three years. Does he even still say 'I love you' to you?"

It felt like someone was carving Bernadette's chest open with a dull knife. She was shaking so hard she could barely stand. Then, she shot to her feet, voice raw. "Get out."

Jessica did not even fight back. She just stood, gave her that same smile, and left.

"You can keep living off Nolan's so-called responsibility, but I'm not going to lose."

She said that as she walked away with her head high, heels clicking.

Bernadette clenched her teeth and leaned on the door for support.

When she finally looked up, she saw Nesta standing there in shock, and Declan next to him, looking like he had seen this coming all along.

Nesta stammered, "That's Arcobaleno Studio's rep just now..."

Declan cut Nesta off at just the right moment.

"I came to talk about fixing the first draft. Let's go inside."

When the door of the meeting room closed, all the curious, pitying stares were shut out too.

Bernadette sank onto the sofa, all her strength gone, and covered her eyes with her hand. "Thanks."

She really did not want her messy marriage bleeding into work.

She hated that she had just become a laughingstock.

"I hope whatever's going on at home doesn't mess with your work."

Declan spread the drawings out on the table and pointed at the red marks. "These parts need work. Jessica's Mr. Mallins' daughter, so your design has to blow hers out of the water if you want to win this."

Bernadette took a slow breath. "Got it."

Declan nodded, glanced at her flushed face, and asked in a low voice, "Are you sick?"

Bernadette touched her cheek and it felt hot. "It's fine. Just a mild fever."

Declan looked at her for a second, then just said, "Take care of yourself."

***

Bernadette stayed up working until 11, fixing the draft until she was finally happy with it.

She had planned to just go straight home, but as soon as she stood up, her head spun a little. She pushed through it and made her way downstairs. The moment a snowflake touched her face, Bernadette snapped back to her senses—only then did she notice it was snowing outside.

She tilted her head back and suddenly felt like she was back in her freshman year.

She had a fever then too, and Nolan had skipped class to carry her all the way to the hospital.

She still remembered that the snow that day was heavier than tonight, and Nolan's hair had turned white with it.

When she looked up, he would just smile at her through wet lashes and tell her not to be scared.

"How did he change so fast?"

One moment he was that boy with snow in his hair. Now she was here, like this.

Being sick always makes people weaker.

Bernadette's thoughts were a mess. Before she knew it, her fingers were dialing Nolan's number.

The busy tone beeped twice and then the line connected. On the other end were no words, just the sound of breathing.

Bernadette's voice came out raw. "Nolan, I think I have a fever."

"Oh, but he's busy right now."

It was Jessica's voice. "Want me to call you an ambulance?"

Like a bolt out of nowhere, Bernadette's mind just went blank.

The person on the other end let out a cold laugh and hung up, leaving her standing there in the snow, stunned.

It took ages for her to snap out of it. She called back, but no one picked up.

So she just stood there, calling again and again.

The icy wind blew so hard her eyes turned red and numb, but all she heard was that endless busy tone.

It felt like her heart had been ripped wide open, and the wind just kept slicing through it like a knife.

She stared at the falling snow, her thoughts spinning out—one moment she was a teenager, the next she was stuck in yesterday.

However, no matter how far her mind drifted, what she kept seeing were those photos of Nolan and Jessica.

He was lying to her again.

Bernadette tried to take a step, but her knees buckled and she fell right into the snow.

When she woke up, she was already in the hospital.

A nurse was swapping out her IV bag. "You had a 39-degree fever last night. Your assistant brought you in. You can go home once this drip's done."

Bernadette shut her eyes. "Thanks."

She reached for her phone on the table. There were 38 missed calls, but only one text from Nolan. "On a business trip."

She froze, then noticed Jessica had tagged her in a post.

It was a picture of Nolan wearing an apron in the kitchen. The caption, bright and smug, said, "Day 740 together and he finally cooked his first meal for me."

The color drained from Bernadette's face.

She remembered the first time Nolan cooked for her. She had teased him about it and asked if he had done it for anyone else.

Nolan had laughed and said that he would only cook for his wife.

***

Her tears hit her phone screen, blooming into little wet spots.

Bernadette stared at Jessica's post for a long time, then called Nolan again.

He picked up right away, his tone the same as ever. "What's wrong?"

Bernadette's voice cracked. "Nolan, I miss my grandparents."

He was quiet for a second before saying, "I'll go back with you in a few days. I'm on a business trip right now."

"Liar," Bernadette thought.

Bernadette hung up, and the wind caught her tears, turning her face wet and salty.

The nurse came over to change her IV and gave her a strange look. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere else?"

Bernadette just shook her head.

As soon as the nurse left, she pulled out the needle herself and got ready to leave.

However, as soon as she turned the corner out of the ER, she froze in her tracks.

Down the hall, Nolan and Jessica were standing together outside the obstetrics and gynecology department.

For a second, Bernadette thought she must be hallucinating.

However, Nolan and Jessica spotted her too.

From where she stood, she could not make out Nolan's expression.

Yet, she could see Jessica's smirk clear as day.

Jessica's hand brushed over her belly tauntingly. Then, those words from before—"I'm not going to lose."—slammed back into Bernadette's mind.

She took a step toward Nolan like she was sleepwalking.

However, he turned his back on her. Just turned and led Jessica through the door, without a glance.

Bernadette stood frozen, the cold crawling right into her bones.

In the end, she really did lose. Badly.

When she got home, her eyes were blank. She just sat on the couch for who knows how long until she heard the key turning in the lock.

Then, Nolan silently sat down beside her.

In that suffocating stillness, Bernadette's voice came out rough and cracked, "We've been together ten years."

She had survived three years of heartache and seven years of restlessness, but in the end, it all fell apart right at their ten-year promise.

Nolan said nothing.

"I thought we'd grow old together..." Her voice broke. The words just would not come out.

That promise on their wedding day was to stay together forever.

She laughed at herself and asked, "Why? What does she have that I don't?"

To her surprise, Nolan actually answered, "Her last name is Mallins."

Her mind went blank, and just like that, ten years vanished into thin air.

Nolan's face stayed calm. "That's all."

Bernadette let out a shaky laugh.

Suddenly, all the things Annalisa used to say made cruel, perfect sense. It felt like someone was slicing her heart into pieces and she could not even breathe from the pain.

After what felt like forever, she looked right at him and said, "Nolan, I'm not the type to cling to you."

Their eyes met, yet hers were cold and clear. "I hope you get what you want.

"Let's get a divorce."

Nolan looked back at her and said, "Fine, but you're leaving with nothing."

Bernadette looked at Nolan like she could not believe what she was hearing, her eyes going red.

"After ten years together, are we really ending it like it never happened?"

"You don't have to leave," Nolan said.

"I promise you she won't show up again. We'll go back to how we were."

Bernadette's eyes widened—she could not believe these words were actually coming out of his mouth.

"I can't do that."

Her voice was shaky. She turned, went into the bedroom, and came back with their documents. "We're going to the courthouse tomorrow morning."

Nolan's face turned cold when he saw the documents. "Sometimes I really wonder if you even have a heart."

"A heart?"

He had already torn it to pieces long ago—there was nothing left.

Bernadette gave a sad little laugh, did not bother arguing, and just walked out.

***

The divorce papers were done so fast that it felt unreal.

It took them seven years from dating to marriage, and only seconds to end it.

Nolan did not say a word the whole time. When Bernadette got in the car, he just said coldly, "Don't regret it."

She did not look back. She just stepped on the gas and drove off.

In the rearview mirror, Nolan got smaller and smaller until he was gone.

For ten years, he had taken up almost her whole life—and now it was really over.

She looked away, and the tears finally fell.

She pulled over to calm herself and was about to call her grandparents, but Nesta's name popped up first.

"Bernadette, check the internet. Something's happened!"

Bernadette froze. She opened Twitter quickly and the top trending topic slapped her in the face. "The Svola Studio's Plagiarism"

In just ten minutes, thousands of people were cursing them out.

"They are such a big studio but they are stealing designs?"

"So the Crowley Group ditched them because they copied others!"

Something like that happening in the construction industry would not get this much public attention—unless someone was pushing it behind the scenes.

Nesta sounded a bit panicked on the phone, "Now a few partners are saying our reputation is ruined and they might pull out."

Bernadette rubbed her forehead and said, "Just calm them down for now."

Then she clicked on the trending topic and froze.

The so-called "comparison image" was actually the draft she had sent the Crowley Group herself.

She had drawn that by hand. Only she and Nolan had the original.

A chill ran down her spine and she immediately called Nolan.

"We were husband and wife, do you really have to push things this far?" Bernadette gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stay calm.

She had expected that Nolan would not back down easily, but she had not thought that he would stoop this low.

Nolan stayed silent for a while. "Come home. I can help you shut this down."

Bernadette felt her heart go cold. There was nothing left to say between them.

She hung up, took a deep breath, and started typing her own post.

First, she circled the basic framework in both "comparison" pictures, then explained each point to prove there was no plagiarism.

Next, she posted photos of her awards.

She had the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, and even the top prize in domestic architecture—the Frazer Award.

She had won them all, plus a mountain of other prizes.

In the end, she wrote two clear statements.

"Every part of the so-called 'plagiarized' image is based on public structural prototypes, so it's not plagiarism. And I don't need to plagiarize.

"The design not being chosen was due to the Crowley Group's internal issues, not because of the Svola Studio."

Then she paid the platform to pin her clarification statement to the top of the trending list.

Anyone in the industry would know whether she was lying. As for netizens just there for drama, she did not care anymore.

Her only goal was to let the right people see the truth.

She thought that would be the end of it, but when she woke up the next morning, her phone was flooded with over 30 nasty texts from Jessica, each text nastier than the last.

"Are you insane, buying yourself to the top of the trending list?

"Answer me! Are you playing dead now?

"Oh, so you won't let me live in peace? Then don't even dream of having peace yourself!"

***

Bernadette frowned, opened Twitter, and saw the plagiarism post had been taken down.

However, the new number one trending search was "The Crowley Deputy General Manager's Affair With the Representative from Arcobaleno Studio".

How did it end up like this?

Bernadette just couldn't believe it, she watched all the events from start to finish.

After she posted on Twitter yesterday, netizens immediately noticed something was off.

"Didn't expect Svola Studio to be so awesome, no need to copy then."

"Arcobaleno Studio was a newly established company, so how could it step on Svola Studio to get chosen by the Crowley Group? It was really strange."

Right after that, some netizens started digging and found photos of Jessica and Nolan together, even photos of Bernadette and Nolan at the courthouse getting divorced, and photos of Jessica and Nolan at the obstetrics and gynecology department...

During a time Bernadette didn't know about, public opinion turned upside down.

Bernadette didn't expect it to set off this kind of chain reaction, but by the time things got to this point, it didn't really have much to do with her anymore.

She got in touch with the moving company and went back to the Colfield's villa to pack her stuff.

Who knew, as soon as I opened the door, I saw Nolan standing in the living room, frowning.

At this point, there wasn't much left to say between them.

Bernadette wanted to ignore him and pack her things. As soon as she walked in, she heard Nolan ask, "Why did you have to drag Jessica into our business?"

Bernadette paused, just feeling it was ridiculous: "Wasn't she just asking for it herself?"

Jessica was a homewrecker herself, so what did it have to do with her if people looked down on her?

"She was still pregnant, you know how much she suffered for this?"

Nolan looked totally confused, "How did you get so cold-blooded?"

Bernadette froze.

She took a deep breath, pushed down the pain inside, and said in a low voice, "You're the one who changed."

Indifference and cheating, the one who broke all the beautiful illusions was never her.

The two left on bad terms.

The next day, Bernadette went to the Crowley Group to deliver the manuscript.

Who knew, as soon as I got out of the elevator, I ran right into Jessica.

She blocked Bernadette with her tear-stained eyes: "Are you happy now?"

Bernadette didn't want to get involved with her, but Jessica grabbed her arm and said fiercely, "Bernadette, I won't let you get away with this."

Bernadette didn't react, and her hand got pushed by Jessica.

In an instant, there was a scream, "Ah—", and Jessica fell straight to the ground following her hand!

Jessica started wailing, "My stomach hurts..."

In an instant, everyone's eyes turned this way.

Nolan rushed over quickly.

Jessica saw him and felt even more sorry: "I just said a few words, then she pushed me, Nolan my stomach really hurt..."

"It was her putting on a show herself..." Bernadette explained right away.

"That's enough!"

Nolan cut her off coldly, looking at her with disgust: "You just had to mess with her, didn't you?"

Bernadette froze on the spot.

Her throat felt like it was being choked, and she just stared blankly as Nolan picked up Jessica and ran downstairs.

Everyone's eyes were on her.

Confused, contemptuous... it was like a silent curse, even making her, the one involved, wonder if she was really that unforgivable.

Bernadette put out the article and left in a hurry.

Who knew, as soon as she walked out of the building, a bunch of reporters rushed over like crazy and surrounded her completely.

"Ms. Connery, did you push Jessica because you were jealous?"

"Ms. Connery, there were rumors that you hired trolls to smear Jessica..."

There was a buzzing in Bernadette's ears. She lowered her head, wanting to leave, but suddenly a voice came from the crowd: "Jessica started streaming!"

Bernadette froze for a second, and someone next to her immediately pulled out their phone.

On the livestream screen, Jessica was sitting on the hospital bed in a patient gown, looking pale and pitiful.

Her eyes were red as she showed the camera the photo of Bernadette pushing her today.

"Bernadette, I knew you hated me for taking Nolan, but the kid was innocent. Did you know that when you pushed me today, you almost hurt a little life? You were really too vicious!"

She said it, and it seemed like she couldn't take the hurt anymore, so she started to cry.

Bernadette looked at the screen. The angle of that photo was really weird, and it didn't show Jessica grabbing her hand at all.

It was like the camera had already been set up in advance.

The reporters nearby all looked sympathetic, and the cameras were almost right in Bernadette's face.

In the livestream, Jessica choked up and cried again, "And you said I cheated on you with Nolan..."

She took out a few more photos, and they were clearly pictures of Bernadette and Declan going in and out of restaurants and office buildings together.

Bernadette snapped to attention and saw Jessica say firmly.

"Wasn't it you who cheated with Nolan's brother Declan first?!"

Jessica finished speaking and cried as she turned off the livestream.

Bernadette looked at the dark screen and just felt cold all over. The reporters around her crowded together, and their questions were so noisy she couldn't make out what they were saying.

It wasn't until the office building sent security that she was rescued.

And sure enough, the internet blew up.

"Oh my, it turned around! It actually turned around!"

"She cheated herself, so why should anyone else stay loyal for her? That's funny. I supported Mr. Nolan going after true love!"

"You guys only cared about who cheated. Didn't anyone think it was gross that Bernadette went after a pregnant woman?"

Jessica set up quite a show, not only cleared her own name, but also posted some travel photos with Nolan on Twitter, and some people were even calling it sweet.

Looking at Bernadette, her studio was surrounded by reporters, she couldn't go to the studio, and even when she went downstairs, she saw someone had spray-painted the word "disgusting" on her car!

Bernadette looked at the bright red letters on the car and just felt really tired.

She wanted to call someone to tow the car for a wash, but as soon as she took out her phone, it got slapped out of her hand.

Bernadette turned around in shock and saw a few strange, fierce-looking underage girls standing in front of her.

"Bad woman! Jessica was so pitiful, and you actually pushed her!"

"Why aren't you dead yet? How do you still have the nerve to live in this world?"

They looked angry and spoke harshly, even saying they wanted to fight.

Bernadette just couldn't believe it.

She never thought Jessica actually incited minors to go against her.

Back then, even if she fought back, the law would still protect minors.

Bernadette was almost out of options. Just then, a car horn suddenly blared behind her. She turned her head and saw a car's headlights flashing really bright.

Those girls saw someone coming and ran off right away.

Bernadette finally saw who it was—it was Declan.

She let out a sigh of relief and picked up her phone, still a bit shaken.

But a hand was even faster than her and picked it up, handing the phone to her.

Bernadette took it and gave a wry smile, asking Declan, "Why are you here?"

"The last picture had some issues, so I took you to fix it, but then I thought you probably couldn't go out, so I came to pick you up."

Declan sounded relaxed, but when he looked at Bernadette's car covered in paint, his eyes were full of ice.

"Looks like my gut was right, I'd better stick with my car."

***

Declan looked pretty laid-back, but he wasn't sloppy when it came to serious stuff. As soon as he got to the office, he called the team for a meeting, sorted everything out with a solution, and got things done crazy fast.

As the meeting was about to end, someone suddenly said, "Wait a second."

Bernadette looked up and saw the person who was talking staring right at her.

My heart suddenly skipped a beat, and sure enough, I heard that person say, "I suggest we change the designer. This time the impact was huge. I'm afraid the Mallins Group will..."

Bernadette clenched her hands and was about to speak, but Declan spoke first: "Her design is fine, she's fine too, just mind your own business, I'll handle everything else."

Bernadette looked at his indifferent face, and her heart suddenly trembled.

It was already evening when the design draft was finished. Declan had something to do and left early, so he left her the car keys and told her to drive his car back.

Bernadette came to the parking lot with the key, and she actually ran into Nolan.

Nolan glanced at the keys in her hand, and his eyes instantly turned deep.

Turns out Jessica was right, Bernadette and Declan actually had something going on a long time ago, and he didn't even believe it before!

His cold eyes swept over Bernadette's face: "You divorced me just to be Declan's lover? That's really low, but too bad you picked the wrong guy."

Maybe pain had an adjustment period too, and now Bernadette was actually numb to the hurt Nolan gave her.

She asked softly, "So did you make the right choice? Was power really that important to you?"

Nolan's face suddenly darkened.

"Power, huh..."

In the silence, a clear, sweet voice suddenly came.

Bernadette glanced over and saw Jessica open the car door, walk up and grab Nolan's arm, then look at her smugly: "Does power matter or not? You'll know when it's on top of you."

She froze, but the phone in her bag started ringing.

As soon as the call connected, Nesta's anxious voice came through.

"Bernadette, something's wrong!"

You could hear a pin drop in the parking lot late at night, and the voice came through the mic loud and clear.

"The partners suddenly pulled all their funding and even wanted us to pay compensation! The employees also suddenly handed in their resignation letters. They'd rather break their contracts than stay!"

In the microphone, Nesta's voice kept trembling.

In front of Bernadette, Jessica leaned weakly against Nolan and said, "I didn't want to go against you, you forced me. But if you leave this city now and never come back, I won't go after you anymore."

Bernadette looked at Nolan in silence.

Nolan just said to Jessica coldly, "Let's go."

***

This crisis was deadly. Bernadette contacted all the partners, and the answers she got were all like We don't dare to offend the Mallins Group.

Nesta gritted her teeth, but Bernadette didn't say a word and quietly approved all the employees' resignation requests.

What happened at Svola Studio? Everyone online was cheering for it.

Only Nesta just wouldn't leave, still replying online sentence by sentence.

The last day I moved out of the studio, Declan took some time to help.

"You just gave up like that?"

He sat in the empty reception room, staring hard at Bernadette.

Bernadette shook her head: "At the beginning, this studio was set up just for Nolan."

She did everything she could to help Nolan get a foothold at the Colfield Group, but all she got in return was Nolan saying, "You've made enough money, haven't you?"

"I used to put too much energy into Nolan, now it's time to focus on myself again."

Declan looked at her for a while and took out an invitation: "Mr. Mallins is having a welcome-back dinner the day after tomorrow before he returns home. They call it a dinner, but actually it's to announce the final decision on the project. After all, it's Jessica's turf. I won't mind if you don't go, but..."

He put the invitation on the table: "You were the designer on my team, I wanted you to be there."

Bernadette's eyes paused for a moment on the letter's complicated patterns and said, "Don't worry, I'll go."

Things weren't settled yet, and in the end, who the donkey would end up with was still unknown.

She wasn't someone who got beaten by reality, and Jessica couldn't beat her either.

***

As a big shot in the construction industry, Dario Mallins's welcome dinner was of course fancy, and people in the business even paid a lot just to get an invitation and show their faces.

Bernadette and Declan had just arrived at the entrance of the venue, and they had already caught a lot of people's attention.

"I thought she wouldn't come."

"The studio already went under, so why are you still here? Here to embarrass yourself?"

"Poor Declan, just because she was going to lose to Nolan."

The noisy chatter didn't stop, Nesta frowned, and she got mad right away.

Bernadette gently grabbed her wrist, and they weren't here to argue today.

As soon as she walked into the room, Bernadette looked up and saw a group of people gathered around Nolan and Jessica.

Bernadette had met those people, they were all Svola Studio's former partners.

Jessica saw her too and walked over here confidently. She wore a fancy dress today, with the hem trailing on the ground, just like she was the main character today.

She tilted her chin up at Bernadette: "I thought you wouldn't come. After all, you probably didn't get the invitation, right."

Then she looked at Declan and said as if she just realized something, "Oh, I forgot, you and Declan are really close. How could he not bring you?"

Nolan's face instantly fell when he heard that.

Declan's eyes turned cold and he was about to speak, but Bernadette spoke first: "You didn't learn any of Mr. Mallins's manners or skills, but you sure picked up how to throw your weight around."

Jessica's face suddenly changed. She snorted and said, "You think you're worthy to talk about my dad?"

She looked at Bernadette with her nose in the air and said, "Today I'll show you what is a class you'll never be able to cross!"

And right at that moment, the banquet officially started.

The lights in the hall suddenly went out, and the lights on the main stage came on all of a sudden.

With everyone watching, Dario walked to the center of the stage. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and had sharp features. As soon as he spoke, that intimidating vibe of someone in power came with him.

"The Mallins Group headquarters was far overseas, and this time coming back to develop, the first partner company was definitely a long-term collaborator."

"After careful consideration, the project finally decided to work with the Crowley Group."

There was thunderous applause from the audience, Nolan's lips curled up a bit, looking every bit like a winner.

Bernadette just silently looked at the stage.

Dario raised his hand to quiet the applause and said, "Besides the partnership, I have someone very important to introduce to everyone, and that's my daughter."

Declan's eyes darkened, but he still smiled and comforted Bernadette, "You didn't lose."

Nesta covered her ears in pain: "It's over, Jessica's gonna get so full of herself she'll explode, huh? Maybe we should just go."

Bernadette just looked at the stage calmly: "Don't be afraid."

"The Mallins Group's business had always been overseas. I wanted her to go abroad and learn to manage the company right after graduation, but unfortunately, she's really stubborn and insisted on starting her own studio here. I looked at all her design drafts—they were excellent."

"Now I was back in America, and she took over the business here. Now it was time for everyone to get to know her."

Dario looked over the crowd, and everyone looked at Jessica, their eyes full of admiration.

Jessica smiled brightly, and everyone made way. Jessica walked forward with her head held high.

Just as he was about to put his foot down, Dario slowly reached out to Bernadette.

"Bernadette, come to Daddy."