Forty-eight hours later, Clara Jiang disappeared.

At least, that was what everyone believed.

The news arrived at the Lu family mansion early in the morning.

A car accident on the highway.

A woman with the same identity.

A body that could not be recognized.

A simple report.

A simple conclusion.

Clara Jiang was dead.

Alexander was in the middle of a meeting when his assistant rushed into the room.

“Mr. Lu…”

Something in the man’s expression made Alexander immediately stand.

“What happened?”

The assistant’s lips trembled.

“It’s Madam Clara.”

For several seconds, Alexander didn’t understand.

Madam Clara.

A title he had barely used.

A woman who had lived beside him for three years.

A woman who had left his house carrying two suitcases.

A woman he thought would eventually regret leaving.

“What about her?”

The assistant lowered his head.

“She passed away.”

The room became silent.

Nobody dared breathe.

Alexander stared at him.

Then suddenly laughed.

A short, cold laugh.

“Impossible.”

His assistant looked confused.

“Mr. Lu…”

“Clara wouldn’t do that.”

He said it as if he knew her better than anyone.

But the truth was…

he didn’t know her at all.

He knew the woman who waited for him.

The woman who prepared his meals.

The woman who remembered his schedule.

The woman who stayed silent when his mother criticized her.

But he didn’t know the woman who could walk away.

The woman who could erase herself from his life.

The woman who could disappear without leaving a single trace.

Three days later, Alexander attended the funeral.

The Lu family arranged everything.

Expensive flowers.

Private ceremony.

Important guests.

Everyone talked about how unfortunate it was.

How young she was.

How tragic.

Only Alexander stood silently.

Because he couldn’t cry.

Not because he wasn’t hurt.

Because he still couldn’t accept it.

At the end of the ceremony, Nora Zhou appeared.

The moment Alexander saw her, his expression changed.

Nora.

Clara’s university friend.

The person who had always protected her.

“Where is she?”

Nora looked at him.

For a long time.

Then she smiled sadly.

“Now you ask?”

Alexander’s jaw tightened.

“I need to know.”

“No.”

Her answer was immediate.

“You needed to know three years ago.”

Silence.

Nora stepped closer.

“Did you ever ask Clara what she wanted?”

Alexander didn’t answer.

“Did you ever ask why she stopped waiting for you?”

Still nothing.

“Did you ever notice that she stopped buying clothes because your mother said she wasn’t elegant enough?”

His fingers tightened.

“Did you notice she sold her jewelry because she helped your company solve a financial problem?”

“Did you notice she never spent the money she had because she thought one day she would become part of your world?”

Every sentence felt like a knife.

Because every sentence was true.

Nora took out a small envelope.

“She left this.”

Alexander stared at it.

“Why didn’t she give it to me herself?”

Nora looked at him.

“Because she already gave you three years.”

“She didn’t want to give you another minute.”

His hands shook slightly as he opened the envelope.

Inside was only one page.

No accusations.

No anger.

Only a few lines.

Alexander,

If you are reading this, it means Clara Jiang no longer exists.

Don’t look for me.

Don’t regret me.

You lost me long before I left.

I hope one day you meet someone you truly love.

And I hope you don’t realize too late that she loved you first.

That was all.

No tears.

No goodbye.

No request.

Alexander read it again.

And again.

Then he finally understood.

The woman he thought would always stay…

was the only person who had truly left.

That night, he returned to the empty mansion.

The house was exactly the same.

But everything felt different.

Her books were gone.

Her clothes were gone.

Even the small cup she used every morning was gone.

Only one thing remained.

A photograph on the shelf.

Their wedding day.

Clara was smiling.

Alexander was looking somewhere else.

For the first time, he noticed it.

She wasn’t smiling because she was happy.

She was smiling because she loved him.

And he had spent three years looking for another woman…

while the woman beside him slowly disappeared.

Then his phone rang.

Unknown number.

He almost ignored it.

But something made him answer.

A woman’s voice came through.

“Mr. Lu.”

Alexander froze.

Because he recognized that voice.

It was impossible.

“Who are you?”

A pause.

Then:

“My name is Clara Jiang.”

His breathing stopped.

The world seemed to freeze.

“That’s impossible.”

The woman laughed softly.

“No.”

“It’s just that the Clara Jiang you knew was someone you never bothered to understand.”

Alexander stood up.

“Where are you?”

Another silence.

Then she said:

“You wanted a divorce.”

“You wanted freedom.”

“Now you have it.”

A second later, the call ended.

Alexander stared at the phone.

For the first time in his life…

the heir of Beijing felt something he could not control.

Fear.

Because Clara Jiang was not dead.

She had simply disappeared.

And the woman who returned…

was no longer the wife who waited for him.