Chapter 2
The moment Emilia heard Kelly’s words, she couldn’t contain herself.
“You’ve finally come to your senses, huh? It’s about time. You’re just the daughter of a housekeeper. How could you possibly be good enough for Hugh, the heir to Johnston Group? Where are you? Get over here, so we can sign this thing.”
She sent Kelly the address without wasting any time.
A wry smile crossed Kelly’s face as she looked at it. Then, she hailed a cab.
When she arrived at the café, Emilia grilled her with questions. Kelly answered every one of them. Once done, Emilia looked satisfied as she slid the agreement across the table.
“It’s all here, in black and white. There’s no turning back once you sign. After you sign, I’ll transfer half the payment to your account. You’ll get the rest the day you leave. And you need to swear that once you take it, you’ll never show your face to Hugh again. Understand?”
Kelly’s eyelashes fluttered as she stared at the jaw-dropping amount on the paper. She’d never see him again—not in this life or the next.
Without a second thought, she picked up the pen and signed her name in one clean stroke.
Emilia finally eased up.
She retrieved the agreement, got to her feet, and gave one last instruction. “You’ve got two weeks. Whether you change your name or leave the country is up to you. Just make sure Hugh never sees you again.”
“I understand, Mrs. Johnston. You have my word.”
After watching Emilia walk off, Kelly headed home.
Making sure Hugh never saw her again was the easy part. The Johnstons had been tied to the military and government for generations, so no one in the family’s last three generations was allowed to leave the country due to their background.
All Kelly had to do was move overseas. That way, Hugh would have no chance of finding her.
She spent half the night looking into different countries before settling on Atheland. After making her decision, she checked the time on her phone, only to find a new Instagram notification.
She tapped it open and found Natalie’s latest post. It was a collage of nine photos—three selfies with a bouquet of roses on the top row, three shots of her marriage certificates in the middle, and three pictures of two hands clasped together at the bottom.
Kelly knew Hugh wanted to keep their marriage a secret, so there was no way he’d given Natalie the green light to post anything. But she did it anyway and made sure only Kelly could see it. No doubt, Natalie was showing off.
Kelly liked the post.
She had just closed the app when a message from Hugh popped up. “I’ve got a business trip, Kel. I’ll be gone for a few days.”
Kelly replied with a simple “Okay” and went to freshen up.
…
The next morning, Kelly got up early to handle her temporary residence paperwork, paying extra to have it rushed.
The clerk assured her it would be ready in half a month, and Kelly felt a weight lift off her shoulders.
Back in the car, she checked Instagram again. Natalie had posted something new. This time, half of Hugh was in the frame, their hands intertwined as they looked at possible homes before finally choosing a villa in Bayview Estates.
Just like the day before, Kelly tapped the heart icon.
…
On the third day, Kelly went to her office and handed in her resignation.
She came home with her things, only to find another post from Natalie. She was wearing a wedding dress, a diamond ring sparkling on her left hand.
Kelly hit “like” as usual and curled up under the covers.
…
On the fourth day, Kelly woke up to even more updates on Natalie’s feed. This time, the camera focused on a framed wedding photo in a room.
She stared at it for a long while, then shook herself out of the daze and hit the like button again. After that, she did her makeup and went out to meet her close friends to say her goodbyes.
That evening, Kelly came back with a few boxes and started tossing out everything related to Hugh. She threw away every gift he had given her, their matching toothbrushes and mugs, and all the photos they’d taken together.
By the time she finished, it was already well past midnight. Just as she was about to switch off the lights, Hugh appeared out of nowhere.
He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw how empty the place looked, his brow furrowing. “Why does it look like so much of our stuff is gone?”
“I got tired of them, so I threw them out. We can always get new things,” Kelly said.
Hugh nodded and tossed his jacket onto the couch. Then, his eyes landed on something on the table.
“You quit your job?” He paused, then glanced at the papers on the coffee table. “And why are you looking at your residency papers?”
“I was burned out, so I quit. The residency stuff is because I’ve got some paperwork to handle,” Kelly said, slipping the documents into her bag.
She was completely unbothered by it. So, Hugh just let it go.
He pulled her into his arms, his voice soft. “I’ve been swamped the past few days and haven’t had time for you. Your birthday’s coming up in two days. Let me take you to the auction tomorrow and pick out a gift.”
Kelly had no objections.
…
The next day, as soon as Hugh and Kelly took their seats at the auction, Kelly spotted Natalie. Natalie strolled over confidently and took a seat next to Hugh.
For the rest of the evening, Hugh kept his attention on Kelly, talking only to her. He didn’t glance at Natalie once. When the auction ended, he took Kelly’s hand and led her downstairs without hesitation.
Before heading home, Kelly stopped by the restroom. On her way out, she spotted a group of guys blocking Natalie in the stairwell, making fun of her without holding back.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Ms. Ashworth. You turned your back on Hugh after all he did for you, and now look at you. Karma’s a real bitch, huh?”
“I heard your dad’s marrying you off to some old geezer on his deathbed. But hey, you’ve still got that pretty face. Why not come with us instead? We’ll make sure you—”
The guy didn’t get to finish.
Hugh was already coming down the stairs, his face twisted in anger. He stomped down, kicking each of those sleazy guys.
