Chapter 5

Nora's POV

It was pouring when I left the gallery.

I wrapped my mother's portrait in my coat and held it tightly against my chest.

The rain quickly soaked through my clothes, and the cold seeped down my spine.

By the time I returned to my apartment, I had developed a high fever.

Wedding supplies were still scattered across the living room. Gift boxes, invitations, and decorations that were supposed to be mailed to our guests lay everywhere.

I didn't have the energy to organize them. I simply packed everything into storage boxes and pushed them against the wall.

My phone lit up.

Chloe had posted another update.

She was standing in front of one of my paintings, with Arthur beside her.

"Thank you to my angel investor for believing in me. Here's to a brand-new beginning!"

The comments were filled with congratulations from our colleagues.

I stared at the picture for a few seconds before liking the post.

Then I opened the airline's booking page and confirmed my flight to Italy for the following day.

It was the destination I'd originally planned to visit for work.

I intended to take my mother's portrait with me, leave New York behind, and start over in a new city.

After taking my medication, I eventually drifted off to sleep.

Sometime in the middle of the night, I thought I heard the front door unlocking.

Someone was moving around inside the apartment.

But my fever was so high that I couldn't even summon the strength to open my eyes.

When I woke up the next morning, my bedroom had been turned upside down.

The wardrobe doors were wide open, and documents from my desk were scattered across the floor.

My mother's portrait was gone.

So was the overseas collaboration agreement I'd kept in my drawer.

I didn't even bother cleaning up. I immediately called a cab and headed for the gallery.

Today was the official opening of the exhibition.

The gallery was brightly lit, and guests were holding champagne glasses as they gathered around Arthur and Chloe.

He was introducing her to several art sponsors.

"Chloe has tremendous potential in the art world. She helped organize this exhibition, and she'll also be taking charge of part of the gallery's operations going forward."

Chloe wore a pale gold evening gown, standing beside him with a confident smile.

I tried to enter, but the security guards stopped me at the door.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. Your name isn't on today's guest list."

I showed them my employee ID and gallery documents, explaining the situation over and over.

It took three hours before the manager finally came out and allowed me inside.

The first thing I saw was my mother's portrait.

It had been placed right in the center of the exhibition hall.

Large patches of dark liquid stained the canvas, covering my mother's face until it was almost impossible to recognize her.

I stood frozen, my hands and feet turning cold.

"Arthur, didn't you promise me you wouldn't touch this painting?"

He turned around, looking visibly irritated.

"The exhibition would look incomplete without this piece. Chloe is making her official debut today, and I don't want anything to go wrong."

Chloe approached us just then.

She glanced at the canvas and covered her mouth in feigned surprise.

"Oh my God. I accidentally spilled my drink on it earlier. I already apologized. Nora, surely you aren't going to blame me for something like this?"

I stared at the ruined paint.

This was the last thing my mother had left me.

"You knew exactly what this painting meant to me."

She didn't answer. She simply moved closer to Arthur.

He immediately stepped in front of her.

"Do you really have to make such a scene over one painting?"

The way he protected her reminded me of the day my mother died.

Back then, Arthur had held my hand and promised that I would never have to face pain alone again.

Apparently, promises only mattered when he wanted them to.

I took a deep breath.

"Give me back my collaboration agreement."

Arthur pulled the document from his inner jacket pocket.

Without even looking at it, he tore it into pieces right in front of me.

"How long are you going to keep this up? If you really intended to leave me, you wouldn't have come here looking for me."

He tossed the torn papers into the trash.

"Go home. We'll postpone the wedding for three days. Once you've calmed down, we'll buy a new ring."

I didn't bother explaining anything else.

After the security guards escorted me out, I took out my phone and canceled my original flight to Italy.

I changed my destination to Switzerland.

Since Arthur had already destroyed my original plans, I'd go somewhere he couldn't find me.

Half an hour later, he sent me another message.

"I'll take you ring shopping tonight. Stop making a fuss."

By then, I was already on a plane bound for Switzerland.