Chapter 1

"Miss Vance, are you sure you want to erase all your identity records? Once erased, it will be as if you never existed, and no one will be able to find you."

Clara paused for a moment before nodding resolutely. "Yes, that's exactly what I want. I don't want anyone to find me."

There was a hint of surprise on the other end of the line, but the response came quickly. "Understood, Miss Vance. The process will take about two weeks to complete. Please wait patiently."

After ending the call, Clara set her phone down and booked a flight to Maris, scheduled to depart in exactly two weeks.

Across the room, the television was replaying a press conference held by the Vanguard Corporation.

A week ago, Julian Vanguard, CEO of Vanguard Corporation, had unveiled a masterpiece of jewelry crafted from the world’s most exquisite diamonds and gemstones. He named it "Clara" in his wife’s honor—a bold declaration of his unwavering love for her broadcast to the entire world.

As soon as the piece was introduced, it went viral, dominating trending topics across all platforms. The buzz showed no signs of fading, and the internet remained ablaze with discussions about their fairytale romance.

Following the press conference footage, the broadcast shifted to clips of reporters interviewing people on the street.

"Excuse me, sir, do you know about Mr. and Mrs. Vanguard's legendary love story?"

A woman in a floral dress answered enthusiastically, her face full of envy. "Who doesn’t? Just recently, Mr. Vanguard even published a memoir entirely dedicated to Mrs. Vanguard.

"In it, he mentioned how much she loved cherries, so he planted an entire orchard of cherry trees around their villa! I told my husband to learn from him, and he just said, 'That kind of man is one in a million. I could never compete.' Honestly, it’s enough to drive you mad with jealousy!"

The reporter moved on to interview more passersby.

A young university student stood in front of the microphone, clutching her hands to her chest with a dreamy expression. "Their love story is like a romance novel brought to life! Mr. Vanguard is the ultimate husband. Four years ago, Mrs. Vanguard faced kidney failure and was in desperate need of a transplant.

"When it turned out Mr. Vanguard was a compatible donor, he ignored everyone’s objections and went straight to the operating table that very day to save her. He said she was his life, and if she couldn’t live, he wouldn’t either. How could there be such a perfect man?"

The reporter interviewed countless people, and every single one expressed deep admiration for Julian and Clara’s love story.

The news replayed over and over on the screen, but Clara merely curled her lips in a self-mocking smile.

She had always attracted attention, and from a young age, she had been surrounded by admirers. Yet, having grown up with divorced parents, Clara held no illusions about love.

She rejected every confession with the same line: "Sorry, I’m not interested in dating, and I care even less about romance."

That was until she met Julian.

Unlike everyone else, he pursued her relentlessly for three years. No matter how many times she turned him down, he only became more determined.

Once, just to win a necklace she liked, he entered a life-threatening street race, nearly losing his life in the process. That was the moment he finally broke through her walls.

After they got together, his devotion never waned. Instead, he showered her with everything he could offer, gradually melting her guarded heart.

Even when it came to proposing, he didn’t stop at just once. He asked fifty-two times before she finally took a leap of faith and agreed to marry him.

On the day of his final proposal, Clara had gazed at the ring on her finger with tears glistening in her eyes. "Julian, I will do my best to be your wife," she had told him. "Through life and death, wealth and poverty, I will never abandon you.

"But there’s one thing you must remember. I will never tolerate lies. If you ever deceive me, I will disappear from your world forever."

Those beautiful memories had now been shattered by a cruel reality, reduced to nothing but illusions.

Three months ago, she discovered that Julian had secretly been seeing another woman. He spent his days with Clara and his nights with her, his heart long since divided between two women.

It was the painful truth of the old saying: those who love passionately often burn out quickly.

Clara let out a bitter laugh, switched off the television, and printed out the divorce papers she had prepared long ago. Picking up a pen, she carefully signed her name, stroke by deliberate stroke.

As fate would have it, her words from the past had come true. She would keep her promise and disappear from his world forever.

After signing the papers, Clara placed them into an elegant gift box and wrapped it carefully.

An hour later, Julian stepped through the front door.

Before he could even take off his shoes, he rushed toward her, pulling her into his arms as he gently apologized. "I’m sorry, Clare. I had to pick up the jewelry today, which is why I was late and missed our wedding anniversary. Please don’t be upset, okay?"

He produced the box containing the "Clara" necklace, offering it to soothe her.

The collar of his black shirt was slightly open, the top button left undone. As he leaned down, the skin beneath his collar revealed faint kiss marks and scratches that stabbed sharply into Clara’s heart.

Had he really gone to pick up the jewelry, or had he spent the evening with Sylvia Thorne? Most likely, he had just come straight from her bed.

Julian, completely oblivious to her inner turmoil, lovingly placed the necklace around her neck. The dazzling light from the jewels accentuated her delicate features, making her look even more radiant.

"You look stunning, Clare," he said sincerely, his eyes filled with admiration.

But there was no joy in Clara’s expression. Her eyes were red as she handed him the wrapped gift box containing the divorce papers. "This is for you."

Julian looked at her, puzzled. "What’s this?"

Clara’s lips curled faintly. "A gift. You prepared something for our anniversary, so it’s only fitting that I give you something in return."

Julian’s eyes lit up with delight. He held the box like a treasure and eagerly moved to open it.

But Clara stopped him. "Open it in two weeks."

"Why?" he asked, a little confused.

Clara spoke each word slowly and deliberately. "Because this gift will have more meaning if you open it in two weeks."

Julian paused for a moment, then nodded without pressing the issue.

Instead, he gently took her hand and pressed a soft kiss to it.

"Whatever my darling says goes. Your husband will wait for this surprise."

With that, he grabbed a sticky note, carefully wrote a single line on it, and solemnly attached it to the gift box.

"Open in two weeks."

Clara watched him quietly, her thoughts heavy. *Julian, I just hope that when the time comes, you’ll truly see it as a surprise.*