"Henrik!

" The voice of Ernest, icy and unwelcoming, cut through the air., Yet, at that moment, it felt incredibly comforting to me. I wanted to scream out for his help, but I didn't. I held back., Because I knew, the more desperately I sought his help, the easier it would be for Henrik to manipulate Ernest., Henrik smirked, placing his phone on the desk stand, and then casually picked up his wine glass.

"Ernest, your girl here is quite a catch - adorable and beautiful, very nice.

"

"She's not my girl anymore,

" came Ernest's cold reply., His words were true, but they slashed through my heart like a blade.,

"Is that so? Seems like my information was a bit outdated,

" Henrik tsk-tsked.,

"If you have nothing else, I'm going to hang up,

" Ernest's words were like ice, freezing my heart., Even though I knew he didn't love me anymore, facing my situation being held by Henrik, he shouldn't have been so indifferent, not offering even a word for me., And here I was, worried about becoming a leverage for Henrik to use against Ernest. Turns out, it was just my foolish, wishful thinking.,

"Hold on,

" Henrik said, and suddenly, gravity pulled me down, and I found myself collapsing into his arms, directly facing Ernest through the video., He was wearing a black shirt, with a gold tie clip that was both elegant and distinguished., He looked at me, his gaze piercing through the screen and my heart., But aside from looking, his face and eyes showed no change, as if I, held in Henrik's arms, was nothing more than a stranger unrelated to him.

"Ernest, since this little lady is no longer associated with you, I guess I'll take her,

" Henrik said, leaning his face towards mine., Instinctively, I tried to dodge, but Henrik's hand was already expecting it, gripping my neck., He didn't actually touch me, but the almost-touch felt like a venomous snake flicking its tongue at me., I knew he was putting on a show for Ernest, trying to confirm if Ernest and I really had nothing to do with each other anymore., I too wanted to see Ernest's reaction, but then I heard him say,

"Henrik, do whatever you want, it's not of my concern.

", As soon as Ernest finished speaking,, the phone screen shook, and then he disappeared from view, followed by a clear, female voice,

"Ernest, you promised to spend the day with me, why are you on the phone again?” , And then, a woman with neat, short hair appeared on the screen., It was Yolande! I had seen her photos before - a stunning and impressive woman., J, If it had been any other woman, I might have thought Ernest was just going through the motions for a family-arranged marriage. But Yolande? Even I was dazzled and drawn in by her brilliance, not to mention Ernest. ,

"Sorry, my fiancé has promised me his time today. If you have any issues, please find another time,

" with that, the video call ended., Staring at the blank screen, I felt as if the world had also plunged into darkness., I knew Ernest better than anyone. He valued his time greatly. During our time together, he never put everything aside just to be with me., In my understanding, he was always busy, and being with me required him to make time., But now, he was willing to put aside important matters for another woman., Without comparison, there would be no hurt. The pride I once had in Ernest's affection for me was now shattered by Yolande's simple statement., Dumbfounded, I stared at the, screen, seeing my defeated, reflection, and suddenly realized that, my love affair with Ernest was nothing but a joke I was too proud to see through. en FindNovel, Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.