A Face Like the Past, a Heart No Longer Mine

1 I paid a fortune to buy Damian Vance at a private auction. He set three rules for me: an unlimited Amex black card, cleaning up every mess he made without question, and never asking about his personal life. He would only leave with me if I agreed. Everyone thought he was insane, but I simply nodded and said, “Just take good care of that face.” For three years, I spent over a hundred million dollars on him. People called me crazy for a pretty face, but I didn’t care. The day my father died, Damian crashed his race car. As I rushed to handle it, I overheard his friends joking at the door. “Damn, Damian, you’ve got the ice queen trained like a puppy. Marrying her should be easy.” Once her old man’s gone, you marry her and the family fortune is yours, right?” They laughed cruelly. Then Damian’s cool voice came from the center of the group: “Her? Marry me? As if.” The door swung open. Under their stunned stares, I walked calmly to Damian, ignoring the unease in his eyes. I carefully wiped a smudge of dirt from his forehead and sighed in relief. “As long as the face is okay.” … Damian jerked his head away, annoyed. “It was nothing. God, Seraphina, can you be any more annoying?” Sensing the tension, his friends tried to smooth things over, subtly trying to figure out if I’d heard their conversation. Damian watched me, a hint of nervousness in his eyes. Looking at that face, still so anxious, I couldn’t bring myself to be cruel. I shook my head. Just as he was breathing a sigh of relief, there was a commotion at the door. It was Isla, Damian’s childhood friend. He shot to his feet, his voice softer than I had ever heard it. “What are you doing here? I told you it was nothing. You didn’t have to come all the way out here in this storm.” Isla clutched her umbrella, her eyes filling with tears the moment she saw the scrapes on Damian. “I was so worried about you. And the thunder is so loud, I was scared…” Damian’s heart melted. He gently wiped her tears away. “It’s getting late. I’ll take you home, tuck you in.” With that, they gathered their things to leave. I just watched silently, ignoring the awkward looks from the others. Just as he’d demanded when I bought him. I would not ask about his personal life. Before he left, Damian turned to me without a hint of shame. “My car’s wrecked. I’m taking yours. Figure out your own way home.” Then he carefully draped his jacket over Isla’s shoulders and walked out with his arm around her. It never once crossed his mind what I was supposed to do, alone, in the pouring rain. “Sera, Damian, he…” one of his friends started, stammering. “Don’t bother explaining,” I cut him off. In Damian’s heart, I would never measure up to Isla. What little patience and tenderness he possessed were all reserved for her. I had accepted it long ago. No matter how much this man’s face resembled his, he would never be him. But just to be able to see that face I longed for day and night, I was willing to endure it. I called my driver to pick me up and take me to the funeral home to handle my father’s arrangements. It was past midnight when I finally got home. The living room light was on, which was a surprise. Normally, he would have been asleep hours ago. Damian saw my exhausted face and frowned. “What took you so long?” “I had things to do,” I said flatly. He scoffed, clearly not believing me. “Do you ever get tired of this act?” “So I spent some time with Isla. She’s just a young woman, worried about me, and she came all the way out in a storm to check on me. She’s timid.” “What’s wrong with me taking her home?” He completely ignored the fact that I had also dropped everything, in the middle of the night, to rush to his side. I rubbed my temples, not wanting to argue. Seeing this, Damian stepped forward and tilted my chin up. He leaned in to kiss me, as if bestowing a great favor. I turned my head away. His face darkened. “That’s enough. What’s the attitude for?” “My father died. I’m not in the mood.” Damian froze. I didn’t wait for his reaction. I turned and went into the bedroom. Sometime later, Damian slipped into bed beside me, smelling of soap and steam from the shower. He gently took my hand. “I didn’t know.” I didn’t answer. He continued, as if talking to himself. “By the way, Isla’s birthday is coming up. I saw this emerald and diamond necklace in a magazine the other day, it was beautiful.” “I asked about it. It’s an antique, not for sale.” “I remember you have one just like it in your jewelry box. You never wear it anyway. Why not give it to Isla? It would make her happy.” My headache intensified. My voice was ice. “That was my mother’s wedding gift from my grandmother. I will not give it away.” The hand holding mine went rigid. It was the first time I had ever refused him. He clenched his jaw, let go of my hand, and got out of bed. He dressed and stormed out, slamming the door so hard the walls shook. I didn’t move. I just rolled over and fell into a heavy sleep.

2 I drove to my father’s funeral. The moment I got in the car, I saw them on the passenger seat: a pair of lace panties, stained and discarded. The only person who had driven this car recently was Damian, when he took Isla home. Time was short. I took another car. The guests were beginning to arrive when Damian finally showed up, with Isla on his arm. “Isla wasn’t feeling well this morning. Sorry we’re late.” I lowered my eyes. “Take your seats.” Perhaps the room was a bit warm, because Isla took off her trench coat. In an instant, she became the center of attention. Underneath, she was wearing a brilliant, fiery red dress. Noticing the stares, Isla shrank behind Damian. “What’s wrong?” she whimpered. “Why is everyone looking at me?” She clutched his sleeve, and he immediately wrapped her in a protective embrace, murmuring comforting words. That was it. My famous patience finally snapped. “Either take that dress off, or get the hell out,” I said, my eyes like chips of ice. “Wearing bright red to my father’s funeral. You have some nerve, Miss Pearce.” The guests fell silent, watching the scene unfold. Isla looked as though she’d been mortally wounded. She bit her lip, her eyes turning red. “Fine, I’ll go!” She turned and ran. Damian shot me a dark, furious glare, snatched Isla’s coat from her chair, and chased after her. I squeezed my eyes shut, taking several deep breaths. “My apologies. Please, let’s continue.” Everyone snapped back to reality, pretending nothing had happened. I sank into my seat, defeated. I could already imagine the gossip that would spread after this. A bitter sting filled my nose. If only he were here. After the funeral, Damian returned. His clothes were more disheveled than when he had left. He stormed up to me, his voice thick with anger. “Was it really necessary to humiliate Isla like that in front of everyone over something so small?” “She’s a young woman, she doesn’t know any better. Why did you have to attack her?” “Is this because I went to comfort her the other night? That was days ago! Are you still holding onto that?” His accusations were so relentless that a bitter laugh escaped me. Normally, I would have pretended not to see, not to care. But not today. “This is my father’s funeral,” I said with biting sarcasm. “Who exactly is causing the scene here?” He faltered, his gaze shifting away. After a moment, he offered a condescending compromise. “Fine. I’ll talk to her about it later. You have no right to lecture her.” “Isla fell when she ran out. You own that private hospital downtown. Get them to prepare the best suite for her.” “And arrange a full set of check-ups. Then we’ll consider this matter closed.” Without a second thought, I refused. “Impossible.” I might clean up his messes, but I wouldn’t indulge this. “You’re becoming more and more unreasonable.” Damian ripped off his tie and threw it on the ground before storming off. When I got home that night, I found Isla sitting at the dining table, in my seat. In front of her was a bowl of the nourishing soup my private chef prepared for me. Seeing me, Isla’s voice was sickly sweet. “Oh, Sera, you’re back! Damian said Wang’s soup is the best for recovery. It’s just what I need.” “You should have a bowl too.” I glanced at her and walked past without a word. Damian intercepted me, draping an arm over my shoulder. His tone was uncharacteristically gentle. “I’ve thought about it. If you don’t want her at the hospital, fine. We have a family doctor here anyway. Isla can just stay with us.” “She likes your master bedroom, the one that gets the morning sun. You should let her have it. It will be good for her recovery.” Damian was certain I wouldn’t refuse him again. After all, for years, whatever he wanted, he got. Even a limited-edition supercar worth tens of millions, I would buy for him without blinking, filling an entire garage.

3 Without waiting for my answer, Damian pulled me to the dining table. He pushed a small dish of shredded bamboo shoots in front of me. “That dish you like, from the little place across town. I bought it for you. Eat up.” I stared at the dish. It wasn’t me who liked it. It was him. After his accident, it became my favorite dish too. I picked up my chopsticks and took a bite. It still tasted the same. Seeing me cooperate, Damian’s expression softened. A flash of jealousy crossed Isla’s eyes. She placed a piece of braised pork heart in my bowl. Then she gasped in mock horror. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Sera! I forgot your father’s heart condition…” “I’m always so clumsy. Please don’t be angry.” She shot a helpless look at Damian. He ruffled her hair, his expression doting. “It’s okay. I’m here.” Then he looked at me, his tone flat. “Isla is young. Don’t hold it against her.” With that, he rolled up his sleeves and began expertly peeling shrimp for her. On his wrist, I saw a small hair tie that belonged to Isla. Watching them, I lost my appetite completely. I put down my chopsticks. Seeing that I was “done,” Damian spoke again. “Isla’s lease is up. You should get her an apartment to tide her over.” “That large penthouse you have downtown would be perfect. It’s beautifully furnished, and it would be convenient for her to look for a job.” The penthouse he was talking about was the one I had prepared as our marital home. He had designed the interior himself, all in my favorite style. I found it almost funny. My lack of boundaries with him had spoiled him rotten. He thought I would keep bending for him, time and time again. But when it came to anything related to him, I couldn’t let it go. “Damian, are you asking me to support your mistress too?” I asked, my voice dangerously calm. Isla shot to her feet, her face a mask of humiliation. “Sera, I know you’ve always been bothered by my relationship with Damian, but we’re innocent!” She turned to Damian, her eyes welling with tears. “I’m the one causing trouble. I’m sorry, Damian. I’ll leave right now.” Damian grabbed her arm, his voice turning to ice as he looked at me. “Apologize to Isla.” I let out a short, sharp laugh. “Did I say something wrong?” “Or was that pair of panties in the passenger seat of my car not yours?” Isla gasped, her face flushing a deep red. She shook her head. “You’ve really misunderstood. I was ovulating that day, and it was so uncomfortable. Damian just… used his hand to help me.” “We’ve been close since we were kids. It’s not a big deal.” Damian pulled her into his arms, patting her back soothingly. “You don’t have to explain. She’s always suspicious about everything.” He looked at me, his eyes cold. “Do you really think acting like this will make me pay more attention to you?” “There’s a limit to these tantrums. I’ll spend more time with you later, isn’t that enough?” “Isla can’t handle being upset.” “If you keep this up, I’m moving out with Isla.” I heard the unspoken threat. He was blackmailing me. Usually, whenever Damian said that, I would immediately back down, no matter what the issue was. I would give in to his demands until he was satisfied. Only then would he magnanimously “forgive” me. But this time, my attention was completely captured by the phone that had just vibrated in my hand. It was a text message. From a number I knew by heart, a number I thought was lost to the world forever. 【Sera, wait for me.】 Four simple words. I just stared at my phone, frozen.