It was a relief that I could speak calmly without any wavering, even though my heart was beating so fast.
I didn't know why it was so hard for me to breathe when I talked to Hugo earlier.
My face remained expressionless the entire time we spoke, but my heart felt like it was going to explode.
I looked fine on the outside, but my body trembled silently inside. Did Hugo use his pheromone to dominate me?
I don't know anything about pheromones because there's nothing like that in my world.
I need to learn more about it later. I didn't know why my body trembled at that time, and for now, I could only guess it was Hugo trying to dominate me with his pheromone—because he is my Alpha.
My heart is heavy right now, and I know it won't be easy to step back from someone you love.
I could never leave my boss before in my past life. When you love someone, you give him your whole heart, and when you break up, it's not as easy as you think.
You choose him as the final port where your feelings will rest. You pick him as the last place to stay, but you never know if he thinks the same way about you or not.
The real Lea and I were both foolish to think that our man would be our final destination, while they only saw us as their shadow partners.
We were fools. We believed one day he would love us. But in reality, that hope will never come true.
You can't force someone to love you, so you can only hope that someday he will realize your existence. But what will you do if he never turns back or even notices you?
You will only live in endless suffering. I don't want to experience that again.
I already went through it once, so I'm not foolish enough to choose the same path again.
No one believed I lived in pain because everyone thought my boss gave me everything.
After I became my boss's shadow girlfriend—or as everyone called me, his mistress—even though my boss and I were never married.
My boss started giving me luxurious things that noble girls would like.
He bought me a villa near our company, which was not cheap at all. Our company was downtown, and all houses there were expensive.
He also gave me dresses from famous brands. I didn't know why he bought me things I wouldn't wear on regular occasions.
He even gave me a luxurious bag and jewelry. He bought me an expensive car.
A regular girl like me couldn't afford such things. I never used any of his gifts when I went outside.
Because I understood my position as a shadow girlfriend, those things weren't mine at all.
I only used his presents when I went to work or attended ceremonies with him.
To him, I was just a piece of jewelry he liked to show off.
My boss never saw me as a human being; he treated me like a pet under his protection.
He never knew that I didn't live in the villa he gave me except when he came to pick me up.
I would wake up earlier than usual to arrive at the house he gave me and act like I really lived there.
My rented house was far from downtown, so I needed to wake up early for work or ceremonies with him.
He never cared about me, so he never knew whether I lived in the house or not. He didn't even know where my rented house was.
My boss didn't only give me a huge salary, but also an unlimited black credit card—used only by the rich.
I never used it and left it at the mansion he bought for me. He thought giving me everything a noble girl likes would make me happy.
But he never knew that I didn't need any of it—I only wanted his heart, something I'd never have even in death.
I had already planned to run away from my boss to another city.
When I attended our last banquet, I had already decided to run after I got back to my rented house.
But before I could leave the country, I died in his arms instead. I never touched the huge payment he gave me.
I left everything that wasn't mine in the mansion he gave me as a gift.
I only took the salary I earned as his secretary because I wasn't a call girl he could buy.
I left everything he gave me and had already moved out of my rented house.
I relocated to a city far away from Apple City, hoping we'd never meet again.
In the end, I wasn't successful in running away from him.
I even got punished for trying—by transmigrating into a novel and becoming the wife of a man who has the same name as my boss.
At least, I was far away from my boss. Hugo in this world is not the same Hugo from my past life.
I won't get hurt by his harsh words because I don't love this world's Hugo at all.
I will say goodbye to the past and welcome the future. I won't think about my boss anymore.
My dissatisfaction with this world won't make me return to the previous one.
The real Lea has a family, but everyone dislikes her—except her mother, Marina.
I'm relieved because I was an orphan in the other world, so I don't know what it's like to have a complete family.
The real Lea never talked to her family, except her mother. She never shared her feelings with her mother about her fiancé.
I'm lucky, in a way, because I don't know how to face a family as an orphan. I don't want anyone to notice that something is off with me.
I'm not the original Lea, and I can't act like her either. I only have her memories—I don't know her personality at all.
I walked away from the private room, but my heart was still pounding.
I was anxious, but it wasn't my feeling. It was Lea's.
The real Lea was afraid that Hugo would leave her after the way she acted earlier.
I shook my head and said, "Lea, I know it's hard for you, and it's hard for me too. Leaving someone you love is not easy.
People always say, 'If you're not happy, then leave.' But no one tells you how hard it is to run away from someone you love."
The real Lea's feelings toward Hugo are deep, so even though her soul is gone, her emotions remain in my heart.
My heart felt heavy, burdened by so much weight. I shook my head helplessly and tried to speak to Lea within my soul.
Even though she's dead, her feelings are still inside me.
I took a deep breath and said to her in my mind, "I know it's not easy to move on, but how long will you wait for him to love you? I don't want to hurt you, but he'll never love you—not even in death.
I know, because I've lived through it myself. I'm tired of waiting for something that's not clear.
My heart, body, and soul are all exhausted. I'll live for myself from now on. Loving yourself more is important now.
He gave you pain in return for your sincere heart. Do you think he's worthy of your love, Lea? If he's truly your destiny, he'll be with you in the end."
I hurried out of the private room because I didn't want to be alone with Hugo.
Being near him only reminded me of my boss. I didn't want to recall the past that only tormented me.
I believe Hugo won't ever chase after me, because I'm not as important as Nia, his beloved first love.
As I ran away, I saw Hera Redrich and her omega partner, Rika Aria. Hera is Hugo's older sister, and she dotes on her brother obsessively.