Chapter 2

Chloe pov

After I spoke, Eleanor Harrington's voice on the other end of the line was filled with undisguised excitement.

"You've finally come to your senses? That's right. A chauffeur's daughter, how could you possibly be worthy of my son, the Harrington heir? Where are you now? Come immediately to sign the agreement."

I looked at the address she quickly sent me and hailed a cab.

At the café, Eleanor pulled out a pre-drafted agreement. "Black and white, no backing out once you sign. I'll transfer half the money after you sign, and the other half once you've completely disappeared. You have to promise never to appear before Julian again in this lifetime."

I glanced at the astronomically high penalty clause in the agreement and smiled faintly. Of course, I wouldn't appear again. Because in this lifetime, and the next, I never wanted to see Julian again.

Without hesitation, I picked up the pen and swiftly signed my name.

Eleanor put away the agreement, satisfied. "I want to see your departure record within this month, Chloe. Don't play any tricks; you know what the Harringtons are capable of."

"I understand. Don't worry."

I saw Eleanor off and returned home. Making Julian never find me would be simple. The Harrington family's influence was so extensive, their core members faced unusual travel restrictions. If I immigrated, a vast distance would separate us. I researched all night, finally deciding on New Zealand.

After making my decision, I picked up my phone and saw a financial news alert on SnapChat.

【SHOCKING! Harrington Heir Julian Suspected to be with Old Flame, Mysterious Girlfriend Seraphina Surfaces.】

I tapped on it, revealing nine high-resolution photos. Three were selfies of Seraphina holding blue roses, three middle ones showed wedding preparations, and the bottom three were two pairs of hands tightly clasped. I knew that if Julian wanted to hide something, these photos would never have leaked. Seraphina must have intentionally released them to the media, flaunting them in front of me.

But I wasn't angry. I simply clicked 'like' on the news story.

As I exited, I received a message from Julian.

"Chloe, I have to go to another city for a few days. I won't be back."

I replied with a casual "Okay" and put my phone down to get ready for bed.

On Monday, I woke up early to handle the immigration procedures. I printed all the necessary documents and even applied for expedited processing. After getting into the car, I scrolled through a new alert.

【EXCLUSIVE! Julian Spotted with Mysterious Girlfriend Seraphina at Cloudscape Villa Estate, Suspected to Be Living Together!】

In the accompanying photo, Julian's profile was clearly visible. Like yesterday, I clicked 'like' again. Although I tried hard to appear calm, my heart still ached terribly. It's okay, a new life is about to begin.

The next day, I went to the company and handed in my resignation.

When I got home, the news alerts showed Seraphina already wearing a custom-made wedding gown, a massive diamond ring sparkling on her ring finger. I continued to 'like' the posts, then buried myself under my duvet.

The following days brought new, increasingly dramatic alerts. This time, even more exciting: cameras aimed directly at newly hung wedding photos in the marital home. I liked those as usual, then put on makeup and went out for a farewell dinner with friends.

That evening, I dragged home several large boxes and purged everything related to Julian. The gifts he gave me, our couple's trinkets, our shared photos… Nothing remained. Everything went into the community donation bin.

I was just about to rest after finishing, when Julian suddenly returned. He saw the mostly empty room and was clearly displeased.

"Why are so many things missing from the house?"

"I got tired of them, so I threw them out."

Julian casually pulled off his tie, his gaze sweeping over the half-empty room before landing on the suitcase nearby.

"Where are your things?" he asked, then noticed the airline tag on the suitcase. "Are you planning a long trip?"

"You resigned?"

I remained silent. Then he spotted my passport on the coffee table.

"Why did you suddenly take out your passport?"

"Work's been too exhausting; I want to take a break. My passport's just about to expire, so I'm going to renew my visa." I quickly explained, then stuffed my passport into my bag, fearing he'd ask more questions.

Julian didn't give my explanation another thought. He simply pulled me into his arms, his voice tender. "I've neglected you these past few days. It's your birthday soon. Tomorrow, I'll take you to a charity gala, and we can pick out some jewelry you like?"

I didn't refuse.