The Backup Plan's Escape

I always knew Liam was just using me as a shield. He used my "poverty" to confess his love, and I played along. He used my "poverty" for his dates, and I stood watch. Then, high school ended. His poor, struggling first love went abroad to pursue her dreams. And I officially became Liam’s "placeholder" girlfriend. He told me outright: when she comes back, I step down. So I waited. And waited. I went from his girlfriend to his fiancée, and almost from his fiancée to his wife. Finally. Right before the wedding. Liam flew halfway across the world and brought her back. I slipped off the engagement ring and let out a long sigh of relief. Before I left, I even thoughtfully closed the door for them. 01 When I heard Liam had chartered a private jet overnight to bring her back, I wasn't surprised. After all, it was Sarah Jenkins. When my best friend heard the news, she was furious: "You guys were about to get married! Has he lost his mind?!" No, he hadn't. Sarah Jenkins was currently one of the hottest rising fashion designers in the industry. And it was an open secret that she was Liam Vance, CEO of the Vance Group’s, first love. Reporters had even asked her about it directly. Sarah had replied: "Regardless of who someone's first love is, I got to where I am today through my own hard work." "Please focus less on tabloid gossip and more on my designs." But just last week, Sarah was hit with a massive plagiarism scandal. A stunning, star-studded dress she claimed as her own design. Turned out to be stolen from an unknown indie designer. The scandal blew up. Sarah posted a dramatic update on her social media: [Are you all trying to drive me to my death?] That morning, Liam had been glued to his phone through breakfast. He was supposed to attend a crucial contract signing with a new supplier that day. He had casually agreed to give the contract to my dad’s company. But because Liam didn't show up, the VP seized the opportunity and gave the contract to his own relative instead. My dad was so furious he called me ten times to scream at me. I tried calling Liam, but he didn't answer. By the third attempt, his phone was turned off. When I finally saw Liam again, it was 11:00 PM. He told me to come to one of his vacant luxury properties. I had never been to this specific house before. As soon as I walked through the front doors, I saw the courtyard was filled with pink roses. The exact flowers Liam used to give Sarah. The sports car stuffed with pink roses—that was the extravagant scene from the day Liam had originally confessed his love to her. The interior decor wasn't Liam’s usual pretentious, ultra-modern, minimalist style either. Thinking about it, it was exactly Sarah's taste. Approaching the master bedroom, I heard a woman crying softly. The scene inside was pretty much exactly what I had imagined. A pale-faced woman was sitting on the edge of the bed, crying beautifully, a bandage wrapped around her wrist. A tall man stood beside the bed, looking utterly lost and helpless. His usually immaculate, custom-tailored suit was wrinkled. The only thing keeping him looking somewhat put-together was a face that rivaled a runway model's. I didn't understand why Liam had called me here. Courier services exist for a reason. He turned and looked at me, his eyes seemingly lighting up. I knew that look all too well. It was the exact same look he gave me back in high school when he and Sarah were secretly dating in the woods behind the school and almost got caught by the principal. "Sarah gets embarrassed easily. You take the blame for her." Whenever he didn't know what gift to buy Sarah, or when he somehow made her angry and didn't know how to fix it, he would give me that exact look, expecting me to come up with a solution. I usually couldn't come up with any good ideas. In the end, Sarah would usually just kick both of us out. She would yell at Liam, saying he only had his stupid money, and she'd call me his pathetic little lapdog. I would just roll my eyes and say, "Sidekick, sidekick. Lapdog sounds so ugly." Liam would laugh at that. But in the end, Sarah always accepted Liam's money anyway. Sarah dreamed of being a fashion designer. Back in high school, for a birthday gift Liam gave her, she had to work three months of part-time jobs just to buy him something of similar value in return. Unlike me, who took his gifts faster than a cheetah and constantly hoped some extra cash would slip through his fingers. Later, Sarah bombed her SATs. She ran up to the school roof, threatening to jump. Liam cried and begged her to come down, promising he would make her dreams come true. He sent her abroad. The Vance family was incredibly wealthy. While not the absolute top 1%, they were still far beyond ordinary rich. Behind his family's back, Liam tapped into the trust fund he gained access to when he turned eighteen. He spent millions to get Sarah into a prestigious design school in Paris. Honestly, I had always suspected Sarah only got close to Liam for his money. But then again. So did I. Lapdogs do it for free. Sidekicks charge an appearance fee. 02 That year, when the truth came out about what Liam did with his trust fund. His grandfather beat him until he was black and blue, and then forced him into an arranged marriage. Old Mr. Vance declared: "The girl you marry will be from a family of equal standing!" But Liam refused to marry anyone other than Sarah. So, he came up with a terrible idea. He brought me back to his strict grandfather's traditional estate and orchestrated a scene where the maids "caught" us exploring the mysteries of youth. He had dragged me toward the bed in a frantic rush. It scared the hell out of me. At the time, I had just turned eighteen. I was dizzy with the moment, actually foolishly believing he liked me. A few minutes later, the bedroom door was slammed open. Seeing a massive crowd of people standing outside the door, my face drained of color in terror. I frantically pulled the blanket up to cover myself. The humiliation and shame of that moment nearly drowned me. But it was nothing compared to what Liam said next. He announced proudly: "Chloe is my girlfriend! She's the daughter of the Harper family!" "She initiated it! She took my shirt off for me!" I have always been smart. If I wasn't smart, I wouldn't have been the only illegitimate child my father ever brought into the Harper household. I instantly understood Liam's little trick. He was using me as a human shield. Not only that, but he was using my "scandalous" behavior to highlight how pure and virtuous Sarah was by comparison. He was basically telling his family: Look, this is the kind of girl from an 'equal standing' family you want me to marry. Barely eighteen, and she's already doing things like this in the elder's house. Sure enough. The moment we were alone. He stated matter-of-factly: "Chloe, you know who I really love." "When Sarah comes back, you leave. Don't worry, I won't treat you badly financially." A young girl's dignity isn't worth much. But his love for Sarah was worth a fortune. So, I traded my dignity for a very large sum of money. I nodded. Liam was very satisfied, sighing: "I knew you were obedient. Easy to deal with." So now, it was time for him to "deal" with me. 03 No wonder. No wonder Liam had randomly transferred half a million dollars to me this morning. I actually thought he was giving it to me for our "dating" anniversary. The day after tomorrow marked five years since we "started dating." I felt incredibly guilty after receiving the half a million. Because I hadn't prepared a single thing for him, and I certainly wasn't going to transfer money back to him. It wasn't that I didn't want to spend money on him. It was mainly because he didn't need it. And, obviously, I was cheap. So, I had carefully selected a high-end French restaurant. I booked the entire place. I even planned to play a slideshow. I had several major projects on my plate at the time, so I had stayed up all night to put the slideshow together. I had just finished it and sent it to the restaurant right before Liam called me over here. The slideshow documented all the little moments of our last five years. Going to college together. I answered roll call for him while he slept on the desk next to me. When the professor questioned me, I shamelessly said: "I'm his future wife. We are one entity, so me answering for him is the same thing." The whole lecture hall had erupted in cheers. Traveling together. He loved extreme sports: skydiving, black-diamond snowboarding. His rich trust-fund friends valued their lives too much to join him, so I was the only one willing to risk my neck to keep him company. Afterward, my legs would be shaking so badly I almost collapsed. When the world was spinning, he pulled me into his arms. Moving in together. We watched TV together, went grocery shopping together, cooked together... Well, I cooked, and he ate. Liam hated having maids around, and he didn't like hiring cleaning services either. I don't know when it started, but he eventually started volunteering to wash the dishes. The memories ended there. I was just wondering if I could still get a refund from that French restaurant for tomorrow night. Liam frowned at me: "What took you so long?" Having not slept for two days straight, I was feeling a bit dizzy and seeing spots. Sarah looked up at me. "Are you... Chloe?" I smiled and greeted her. She wiped her tears and said: "I'm sorry you had to see me looking like such a mess." "I'm sorry to trouble you, but Liam said you're really good at taking care of people..." I looked at Liam. Liam said naturally: "You take care of her." "She hasn't eaten in two days. Make her something to eat. And her clothes are too thin, go buy her a change of clothes..." As Liam rattled off his demands, I just kept nodding, nodding, nodding. I said: "Yes, sir. No problem. Received. I'm on it right now." My obedient, compliant response suddenly left Liam speechless. I was taking notes on my phone. When I heard silence, I looked up at him, confused. "Is that all? Li... Mr. Vance." I almost slipped up and called him by his first name. Calling him "Liam" was something he had specifically told me to do back when we were putting on the act for his grandfather. There were too many occasions where we had to pretend. He specifically allowed me to use that name, and I eventually just got used to it. But now that Sarah was back, if I kept calling him that and she got jealous, Liam would absolutely destroy me. Liam's gaze was heavy. Seeing that he seemed to be finished, I turned to walk out. Liam suddenly shouted: "Chloe, stop right there!" He startled me. I turned back to him, putting on my best sycophantic smile: "Mr. Vance, do you have any other orders?" Liam's expression looked awful. He seemed to grind out every single word through his teeth: "Do you not have anything you want to ask me?" Ask what? Liam glared at me. He was so angry his cheeks were slightly puffed out, his jawline clenched tight. He looked like a very handsome toad. I thought about it for a second, then asked: "What is Ms. Jenkins's clothing size?" Actually, I could tell by looking at her. She was probably a size Small. She was even thinner than she was in high school. I don't know if she was trying to fit the aesthetic of the European fashion scene, or if she just hadn't been living well these past few years. Or maybe both. Unlike me. I ate well, slept well, and was a solid two sizes bigger than I was back then. I'm 5'3" and weigh about 130 pounds. When my friends told me to lose weight, I told them this is what prosperity looks like. I grew up poor; I like looking like I have money now. If I lost weight and hired male models, it would just be a waste of good money on them. Liam laughed. But it was a dark, menacing laugh. He said: "Chloe, you are unbelievable." "Hey! Thank you, Mr. Vance!" 04 I bought several sets of luxury designer clothes. From underwear to outerwear, head to toe, I got everything. I also called the French restaurant. When they told me the fifty-thousand-dollar deposit was non-refundable, I almost had a heart attack. I tried to negotiate with them: "Can I just get half back?" "I'm sorry, ma'am, but no." I said: "Then how about this: I'm not coming tomorrow night, but you can just cook the food and deliver it to me right now." "Make whatever, but make sure it's good." "The address is in the Eastside Estates..." After handling the food and clothes, I double-checked to see if I missed anything. And I did find a glaring omission. A full belly leads to other desires. I went online and ordered some 0.01mm ultra-thin protection. I guessed the size. Smallest available. Hopefully, it fits. If it didn't, he couldn't blame me. It's not like Liam ever showed me. When I got back to the villa, Sarah seemed to have cried herself to sleep. Her eyes were closed, her hand gripping Liam's sleeve tightly. Liam was in the exact same position he had been in when I left. He had just stayed by her side, barely moving an inch. When I pushed the door open, Liam was leaning down, about to steal a kiss from Sarah. Wait. Couldn't he wait until she woke up? Was he really that desperate? It scared me so much I almost walked in backward. I quickly shut my mouth tight. After thinking about it, I quietly placed the "essentials" on the floor inside the bedroom. Then, I gently pulled the door shut. Before leaving, I sent Liam a text: [Mr. Vance, I left the clothes and food in the living room.] [You can come out and get them when you guys are finished.] While typing that message, I couldn't help but see our previous texts. It was a message Liam had sent me while he was at work. He was complaining to me about the old executives on the board of his company. Then he whined and asked me to go bungee jumping with him, said he was going to take me to Nice to see the ocean the day after tomorrow, and that we were going to Switzerland to ski at the end of the year to de-stress from work. Perhaps because the future is so uncertain. People always love to make plans for it. I had replied with one word: [Received]. He had gotten annoyed and sent a sticker of an angry kitten. I searched for a long time before finding a sticker of someone petting a kitten's head to send back. Afraid he was actually mad, I added: [What do you want for dinner?] But calculating the time, he probably saw the news about Sarah right around then, and he never replied. An abruptly ended conversation seemed to be the perfect announcement for an impending breakup. It started my freshman year of high school and ended the second year after I graduated college. I couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic. Liam was overbearing, childish, selfish, and stupid. But there was no denying he wasn't a bad guy, and he was very generous. At his engagement banquet. He had a bit to drink and proudly declared: "Chloe, I'll allow you to stay by my side forever." For a while, I genuinely thought we were actually going to get married. Looking at it now, I had definitely misunderstood. The cold, hard numbers in my bank account were the only things that truly warmed my heart. I took off the engagement ring I had been wearing and gently placed it on the living room table. Funny how things work out. I told the French restaurant they didn't need to follow my custom menu, just to make whatever. But they kept the cake I had ordered. Written on it was— [Liam, Happy 5th Anniversary!] My engagement ring was left right next to the cake. 05 Liam's lips stopped inches away from Sarah's face. For some reason, he suddenly didn't want to kiss her anymore. Even though the person he had thought about for years was right in front of his eyes. Liam thought it was because he respected Sarah. Sarah was no longer the poor student she used to be. For the past four years, Liam had flown to her for every single one of her birthdays. To celebrate with her, to introduce her to resources. But nothing had ever happened between them. Back then, Sarah explicitly told him she wasn't coming back to the US, and she didn't want to hold him back. Liam stubbornly replied: "Who's waiting for you? I'm already with Chloe!" Sarah had smiled and said: "With her by your side, I can rest easy." "She's your lapdog. She'll definitely take good care of you." "Liam, even though we can't be together, I want you to be happy more than anyone else in the world." Liam's anger instantly evaporated. This was the most tragic, yet beautiful, form of love, wasn't it? Even though they couldn't be together, they still held the number one spot in each other's hearts. Sarah was meant to soar. He had to let her fly free. Sarah was like a rose Liam had cultivated with his own hands. She had fought so hard to grow out of the mud, and she deserved to bloom brilliantly for the whole world to see. He couldn't trap her by his side. He should only be the rain that waters her when she needs him. That was the philosophy he had gradually come to accept. He only needed a greedy, materialistic woman like Chloe by his side. He couldn't give her his heart, but he could give her marriage, money, and status. That's how high-society marriages worked anyway. Just like the anniversary transfer he sent her a few days ago. His friend had suggested he transfer $520,000 (a romantic number in Chinese internet slang), but he thought that was too cheesy and unnecessary. Chloe, who normally wouldn't even be fit to tie Sarah's shoes, should be satisfied with what she got. Thinking of Chloe, Liam felt an inexplicable surge of annoyance. Even though his relationship with Sarah was completely platonic, was Chloe really not jealous at all? No. Chloe must be angry. That's why she deliberately called him "Mr. Vance." His friends always teased him about how submissive Chloe was. "Liam really knows how to train a wife. Unlike my tiger wife at home. If I so much as glance at another woman, she blows up." "When Sarah finally comes back, I bet Chloe wouldn't even mind being the side piece, right?" "Side piece? I'd say she's more like a loyal maid. If Liam hooks up with someone, she'd probably be the one handing him the condom!" Liam never argued with them. Because that's exactly how it was. Just then. Liam saw the notification on his phone. It was Chloe letting him know she had come and gone. He casually glanced toward the bedroom door. Liam shot up, staring in disbelief, and walked over to pick up the small box on the floor. He squeezed the box until it deformed. Chloe had even prepared this for him. This was exactly the scenario his friends had joked about. But when it actually happened, Liam suddenly felt incredibly angry. A suffocating, irritable emotion filled his chest. Sarah woke up and saw the box in Liam's hand. While she blushed, a flash of triumph crossed her eyes. "Liam, please don't do this." "I texted you to take me away, it didn't mean anything else. I'm so sorry if I gave you the wrong impression..." But before she could finish, she watched Liam throw the small box into the trash can. Sarah's expression stiffened. Liam said: "Do I look like that kind of animal to you?" Sarah quietly let out a sigh of relief. So, Liam hadn't lost feelings for her. He just cherished her too much. Liam continued: "Besides, you still have to go back to Europe to build your career. How could I possibly get in the way of that?" Sarah's face turned ugly for a fraction of a second. She tested the waters: "What if... I wasn't planning on going back..." Before she could finish, Liam interrupted her: "Don't lie to me. Don't I know you? You're someone who chases their dreams. You're not like those women who only care about getting married and having babies." Sarah swallowed the words she was about to say. Liam brought out the clothes Chloe had bought. Sarah looked at the clothes with a troubled expression. Liam took one look at the brand and instantly understood. He sent Chloe a text: [Sarah doesn't like the design philosophy of this brand. She won't wear their clothes. Go buy another set.] Liam then took Sarah out to the dining area. Looking at the table full of lavish French cuisine, Sarah frowned again. Liam sent another text to Chloe: [Sarah doesn't eat heavy food that makes you gain weight. She just got back from abroad and doesn't want Western food either. Go to that authentic local spot I like, get some takeout, and bring it over.] Sarah said, sounding incredibly understanding: "It's fine. I can eat this." Liam looked at Sarah's pale face, his eyes full of pity. He thought for a moment, then sent another text to Chloe: [Sarah's not feeling well. I'm taking her out to clear her head. Just to the mountains nearby. We'll be back before our anniversary.] The person who usually replied instantly sent nothing back. Annoyed, Liam called Chloe. The phone was turned off. Had she... blocked him? Suddenly. He saw the cake on the dining table. The words on the cake made him freeze. Why did she just leave the anniversary cake here like this? A diamond caught the light and sparkled. And then, Liam saw the ring sitting next to the cake. 06 The weather was beautiful today. Perfect for traveling. Perfect for moving. Having collected my five-million-dollar severance package, I moved out with lightning speed. I guaranteed Sarah wouldn't see my face when she woke up. I booked an executive suite at a five-star hotel and fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow. Before sleeping, I even posted a melodramatic update on social media, announcing my breakup with Liam. When I woke up. I realized my phone had died and shut off. When I turned it back on, the notification chimes didn't stop for a solid minute. Liam had sent me a ton of messages and left several missed calls. I skimmed through them. [Chloe, what is this supposed to mean? Throwing a tantrum now?] [Are you mad because I made you take care of Sarah?] [When I got there, Sarah was lying in the bathtub with a slashed wrist! Do you have any empathy at all?] He also sent a picture. The engagement ring I left behind had been thrown into the trash can. Along with the 5th-anniversary cake. ... My eyes landed on the very last message— [If you're so tough, then don't ever come back!] Oh. Okay. So he was telling me not to come back. I felt completely justified in not returning Liam's calls. But soon enough, I saw a new update from Liam on social media. The scandal surrounding Sarah's plagiarism had blown up internationally and reached the US. The indie designer she had plagiarized, despite going by the pseudonym Sirius, was actually American. And he had just returned to the States. A blurry paparazzi photo from the airport circulated online. Black hair, green eyes, 6'2", devastatingly handsome. The photo was quickly scrubbed from the internet, suggesting his background was quite powerful. Right in the middle of this storm. Liam posted an update: [Ants always love to see the swan suffer.] The comments were almost entirely mocking, with a few hardcore shippers mixed in. But mostly, it was just normal internet users. Sirius also posted an update: [The blind man plucked the moon from the sky, but didn't know how to cherish it.] [So, I'm back to chase the moon again.] It was cryptic. No one really understood it. Some speculated it had nothing to do with the plagiarism scandal. After all, he wasn't even the one who made the original post providing irrefutable proof of Sarah's plagiarism. This post sounded more like an ambitious declaration of intent to steal someone's girl. [Did the poster return to the US to pursue someone he likes?] The creator liked that comment. Immediately after, someone discovered that this account had posted a location tag a long time ago. It was the exact same high school Sarah attended. Someone suspected: [The poster is so forgiving... could the person he's pursuing be Sarah?] The shippers had a field day for the first time: [The Poster: I did all of this just so you would finally notice me!] [We've been hating on this plagiarist for so long, and it turns out it was just a twisted lovers' quarrel?] The comment section was a chaotic mess. But Sirius never reappeared to clarify anything. Sarah, who had been hiding like a turtle in its shell for days, suddenly popped her head out. She posted: [You cannot force love. Trying to scoop the moon's reflection from the water will only push the real moon further away.] Suddenly, a bunch of accounts sprang up, all pushing the same narrative: The "moon" Sirius was talking about was Sarah. That dress was designed specifically for Sarah. Sirius was using the wrong method to pursue Sarah, using the false plagiarism accusation to get her attention. And so on. Meanwhile. In the hotel lobby. Someone suddenly called out to me—

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