Part 2The Illusion of Love: Waking Up from a Five-Year Dream

That night, Liam acted exactly the same as always.

We were like a couple strictly adhering to the formalities of marriage. He praised the dinner I made with the enthusiasm of completing a routine task, then got into bed, turned his back to me, and started looking at his phone.

A king-size bed isn't that big, but with our backs to each other, it felt like there was a vast, uncrossable chasm between us.

I suddenly remembered the day he proposed to me.

He thought I was crying tears of joy, but he didn't know that at that moment, my heart was filled with nothing but sorrow.

He and Sarah Davis were together for a full seven years, from seventeen to twenty-four. They shared the best years of their lives, watching each other grow from awkward teenagers into adults.

After graduating from college, Sarah wanted to pursue a master's degree abroad and got an offer from her dream university in London.

But Liam's father was severely ill at the time, and he was required to take over the family business and stay in the US.

Long-distance relationships rarely have good endings. They tried to make it work at first, but the distance and time difference bred countless problems, leaving them with less and less time to communicate.

Coupled with the fact that Liam had just taken over the company and was working himself to the bone every day, Sarah, alone in a foreign country, realized that whenever she needed him, he was never there.

The arguments grew more frequent. Finally, during a fight a year later, the conflict completely exploded, and Sarah impulsively broke up with him.

Things could have been salvaged then. But both of them were used to being the best in their circles, proud and stubborn, and neither was willing to bow their head.

Liam's father had just passed away, and he was consumed by grief, unable to deal with the breakup properly.

In the end, they drifted further and further apart.

But I knew he never let go of Sarah in his heart.

Actually, when he proposed to me, I knew he didn't love me.

He was just overwhelmed and confused, wanting to find someone to get the whole marriage thing over with. I happened to be the best candidate on paper, so he carelessly chose me.

I understood all of this.

But the saddest part was that even knowing all this, when he casually presented a ring his secretary had bought to propose, I still couldn't resist saying yes.

I cried so much that day I couldn't even wipe the tears away fast enough. He thought I was crying from happiness, but in reality, I was just heartbroken.

Heartbroken because I knew he didn't love me.

But I could only love him.