Chapter 1
“Five million dollars. You leave the country within a week, and never see my son again.”
Mrs. Morris sat across from Lina, her perfectly made–up face wearing a look of open disdain.§
If this had happened in the past, Lina would’ve probably argued through tears. “I’m not with him for the money!” she would have said.”
Now, she just nodded, her voice steady. “Alright.”
Mrs. Morris froze for a second, then smirked. “At least you know your place.” She practically spat out those words, making it painfully clear just how far apart she thought Lina and Bruno were.
Lina kept her head down, didn’t say a word, took the check, and walked out.
By the time she got back to the house, the sky was already dark. The mansion was so huge that she still got lost in its endless hallways. Everything felt strange–except for the photo on the coffee table. In that picture, Bruno’s arm was wrapped around her waist, his eyes on her full of warmth, the kind that could melt even the coldest winter.
She traced the photo with her fingertips, and suddenly, that rainy night three years ago came back to her.
She’d found Bruno at the mouth of an alley, bloodied and dazed.
“Who are you?” she’d asked, unsure if he could even hear her.
… I don’t remember,” he’d murmured, rain and blood dripping from his hair. He looked so lost.”
So she took him home.
Back then, home was just a cramped thirty–square–meter apartment, old and falling apart. The paint was peeling, the pipes leaked, and in winter they needed three blankets just to stay warm.}
But that tiny, rundown place was where their love started. They only had each other.}
He waited hours outside her office just to walk her home. When she was having cramps every month, he’d stay up the whole night, rubbing her stomach until she fell asleep. He secretly worked five jobs just to get her a necklace she’d looked at three times but never dared to buy.
The only thing she couldn’t handle was how clingy he got in bed. She’d blush and beg him to be gentle, and he’d nibble her ear and laugh, “Baby, I just love you too much.“}
The year they were happiest, he even dragged her to a tattoo shop and got her name inked on his collarbone. The tattoo artist asked if he was scared of the pain, and he just smiled at her. “Pain’s a good thing. That way, I’ll never forget the one I love most.“}
She’d thought things would stay that way forever, but then he remembered who he was.
And just like that, she learned the truth. He wasn’t some poor guy down on his luck. He was the heir to the Morris family–one of the wealthiest families in the city, with half the financial world at his fingertips. He’d only ended up lost on the streets because a rival set him up, leading to the accident and his amnesia.
Once he got his memories back, Bruno brought her to a mansion so big the bathroom was ten times the size of her old apartment.
And Bruno changed.
He wore tailored suits with names she couldn’t even pronounce, watches that cost more than she’d make in a lifetime, closed million–dollar deals, and sometimes didn’t come home for days.
She kept lying to herself that he was just busy.}
Until that day, when every gossip site splashed his photo with Kylie Hudson, the Hudson family’s heiress.
In the photos, Bruno was holding the car door for Kylie, both of them smiling at each other like they shared a secret. They looked perfect together.”
All the comments said the same thing: “A perfect match.” “Made for each other.”
That night, Lina sat by the window and stared at the moon until morning. She finally accepted the truth.
The Bruno who’d brave snowstorms just to pick her up from work, who worked himself to the bone to get her a necklace, who’d tattooed her name on his skin–he disappeared the day he remembered who he was.}
Now, there was a gap between them that money couldn’t fix.
He lived among the clouds; she was stuck in the mud.
They were never meant to touch anyway. Someone like him was always destined for someone just as bright as he was.
So really, what was the point of holding on? It was time to let go. Time to set him free, and herself, too.”
That night, the mansion was as empty as ever. Bruno didn’t come home.
For once, Lina didn’t wait up. She went to bed early, and when the sun rose, she went straight to the visa office.
09:52
Chapter 1
She paid for expedited service. Her passport and visa would be ready in a week.
By the time Lina walked out of the visa center, it was already noon. She picked a random restaurant and went in for lunch.
