Chapter 7

"It's nothing," Ana said, her eyes red as she stared out the window. Countless fireworks exploded in the sky, dazzling and bewildering. Anna remembered Isabella's earlier words—that Jonathan would set off fireworks all over the city for her tonight.

Seeing Anna gazing at the fireworks in a daze, Jonathan's eyes softened with affection. "Do you like them? I'll prepare an even grander display for you, even more magnificent than this. How about that?" He held her tightly, speaking softly to comfort her.

Anna smiled, but it was a bitter smile, tinged with tears. "Jonathan, I don't like things that others have already used," she said. "Whether it's fireworks, or people."

Jonathan knew she was referring to the fireworks, but his heart still skipped a beat. He felt suddenly flustered. After a moment of silence, he tightened his arms around her. "I'll prepare other surprises for you. I won't let you remember another woman."

Anna remained silent, quietly gazing into the distance.

For the next several days, Jonathan continued his mysterious comings and goings, always busy and secretive. Even the servants noticed something was amiss, jokingly saying, "Madam, Mr. Jonathan must be secretly preparing a surprise for you!" "Yes," another chimed in, "Mr. Jonathan truly dotes on you. He just ordered custom jewelry, and now he's preparing more surprises. One after another, it's never-ending!"

Anna listened expressionlessly, offering no reaction.

Then one day, Jonathan mysteriously took her hand and said, "Anna, I'm taking you somewhere." Just as Anna was about to speak, her phone vibrated. It was a message from Isabella: "Anna, who's more important to him now? You or me?"

The next second, Jonathan's phone also vibrated. Anna glanced at it and saw a screen showing Isabella had sent Jonathan a photo of her legs in black stockings, followed by a playful message: "Don't want to wait long—"

Jonathan's eyes darkened, and he swallowed hard. After a few seconds, he put his phone away. "Anna, there's a problem with a project, and I have to deal with it urgently," he said. "How about I take you to see the surprise next time?"

She looked quietly into his eyes, then smiled. That smile made Jonathan uneasy. The next second, she stepped out of the car without a word. After only a moment's hesitation, Jonathan quickly drove off, not stopping for her.

Hours later, Isabella sent a picture of a trash bin full of torn candy wrappers. "[Anna,] you lost again. You said I was still a pengnaut [presumably a misspelling of 'pennant' or similar word, implying she won a competition], but look how inattentive he is. Just how much does he love me?"

Isabella's tone was smug. Anna stared at the pictures but remained silent. She had already decided to leave. These things no longer had the power to hurt her.

In the following days, Jonathan didn't return. Anna didn't ask about him, but Isabella's messages never stopped. Sometimes they were photos of cut fruit, sometimes pictures of luxury goods, sometimes meals Jonathan had cooked himself—everything meant to show how much he loved Isabella. Anna didn't reply. Instead, she busied herself clearing out everything in the house connected to her. If she was going to disappear, she was going to disappear completely.