In the end, I swallowed the words I wanted to say and replied, “Okay.”
…
The next day, I finally dialed my mentor, George Landon’s, number for the first time and told him, “I’m willing to join the rocket program.”
It was a classified national project. Joining meant vanishing from the public eye for the rest of my life. I had never agreed before because I couldn’t let go of Andreas.
But that day, I finally understood completely that no matter how hard I tried, Andreas would never fall in love with me. It would be better to just let him go.
George told me, “I’ve transferred two million dollars to your account. You’ve got two weeks to settle everything. After that, someone will come pick you up.”
I rushed back to campus, and Andreas had just arrived as well. He sat in his car, with a strong brow line, sharp nose, and gold-rimmed glasses that framed a pair of cold, deep eyes.
When I looked up and met his gaze, my heart felt like ants were gnawing at it again. The next second, I lowered my head.
“Get in,” he said.
I quietly opened the back door and sat down without a word. Neither of us said anything after that, and the truth was, we never had much to talk about in the first place. Back then, I’d try to share every little thing with him—funny stories, weird thoughts, and whatever came to mind.
He never snapped at me, but his silence was always his answer. But this time, he broke the silence himself, saying, “Happy birthday.”
Confused, I checked my phone and realized that he was right. It was indeed my birthday, and he actually remembered.
I looked up. In the rearview mirror, his gaze was still cold, completely devoid of emotion. I got the message loud and clear. This wasn’t about me—it was just basic courtesy, not because he cared about me.
“Thank you,” I said softly.
And with that, we fell back into silence for the entire ride.
When we arrived at my house, I finally understood that he had come to celebrate Elaine’s birthday.
Elaine and I were switched at birth, and she lived as part of the Wilde family for over ten years. It wasn’t until high school that I was found and brought back. Even so, Elaine continued to live here as the Wilde family’s precious daughter.
After getting out of the car, Andreas strode forward with his long legs.
To celebrate Elaine’s birthday, the Wilde family had even trimmed the flowers outside the mansion into the shape of the words “Happy Birthday” for her.
I checked my phone, and still, no one had sent me a single message. After all these years, I thought I had gotten used to this kind of differential treatment. But seeing it again with my own eyes, my heart couldn’t help but ache.
I comforted myself, thinking that it didn’t matter since I was leaving anyway. Joining the rocket program meant cutting ties with the outside world forever.
Before coming here, I’d already asked my lawyer to draft the paperwork to sever all family relations. I reached into my bag and touched the documents. Then, I took a deep breath and followed behind Andreas.
