Finn left without looking back, leaving Aoife staring at his departing figure.
“Finn, can you please look back at me? I’m about to leave, and I won’t be coming back, really… I won’t be coming back.”
She knew she could live without him; her life would just be missing one person, and that wouldn’t be so bad, especially considering how poorly he treated her.
Perhaps leaving him was the best choice after all.
Aoife tried to convince herself to let go of that person, but the painful throbbing in her heart told her she couldn’t.
The leftover dishes on the table; if it were anyone else, they might have left them there, but Aoife collected each one, washed them all, disinfected and put them away in the cupboard.
After finishing this task, she washed the clothes Finn had taken off the night before, and cleaned the house inside and out.
By the time she was done, it was already past noon, yet she didn’t feel hungry at all. As she packed her things, she decided to take back everything she had brought with her when she arrived; she didn’t want anything Finn had given her.
Looking at the old luggage, it seemed pitiful; there weren’t many clothes inside, just books and a few notebooks.
She picked up the luggage and placed it by the bedroom door, then took a red dress from the wardrobe, removing the white dress she was wearing. She intended to simply put it down, but she couldn’t help looking at it in her hands.
Hardly anyone had been kind to her in her life. Weak people, given a piece of candy, were afraid of being overwhelmed by its sweetness.
There were no free lunches in life, and if something wasn’t yours, it would never be yours. How could someone who loves you bear to see you sad?
Tears started falling again, and Aoife wiped them away.
To Finn, she wasn’t even considered a replacement.
What was she then? Probably just a casually traded commodity.
Reflecting on her life, Aoife felt small and pitiful, like an ant among ants. She lived her days routinely, powerless, as if a single finger could crush her.
She wished she had never met Finn; although she would still be a weak ant, she could at least be free.
Dressed in the red dress, Aoife sat numbly on the edge of the bed, watching as the sky gradually darkened. She finally got up to go to the dressing room, staring at Elisa’s photo as she applied makeup, meticulously lining her eyes and painting her lips with lipstick.
After finishing her makeup, she looked more like Elisa. Staring at herself in the mirror, she could hardly recognize who she was anymore.
She tried to force a smile, remembering Finn’s words to her.
“You have to smile like this to look like her.”
Some people want you to smile just to make you happy, while others want you to smile to find something else in you.
Aoife belonged to the sadly latter category.
At eight o’clock, the driver Finn had arranged arrived on time. Aoife, wearing high heels, descended the stairs with a timely smile on her lips, exuding a confident radiance that was so “bright and self-assured.”
She looked beautiful at that moment, but it wasn’t truly her.
“Miss Powell, please get in the car.” The driver stood still, observing her for a moment before she approached, opening the door respectfully.
Aoife got into the car, and as the driver closed the door and drove off, he glanced at her in the rearview mirror.
Today, Aoife seemed different, as if she had transformed into someone else. Even though she had a smile on her face, it seemed like she was crying; the sadness emanating from her filled the entire car, and the driver opened the window to let in some fresh air.
As the streetlights illuminated the dark night, Aoife, looking outside, couldn’t see the light.
“Miss Powell, do you have any message for Mr. Snearl? I can relay it for you.” The driver understood that they might not meet again after this trip.
Her once bright eyes were now dark and muffled by the wind as she softly uttered, “Things sent out can’t be retrieved.”
Her voice was light and faint, blending with the wind, making it hard for the driver to hear clearly. “What did you say?”
“Please tell him that I’m leaving, and I won’t be coming back.”
Maybe Finn didn’t even care if she could come back.
But what if… what if Finn suddenly remembered her kindness because he couldn’t get used to her absence?
Aoife felt like an empty shell, mechanically moving her lips and repeating the words, “I won’t be coming back, things sent out can’t be retrieved.”
It would take some time to reach the hotel. Aoife took out her phone and, for the first time, searched for the name “Elisa.”
The brief narrative summarized this woman’s life in just a few dozen words.
The darling daughter of the Powell family inherited the Shen Group at eighteen, becoming the wealthiest woman in Bankshire. At twenty-three, the Powell family fell from grace, and Bankshire no longer heard of the Powell family. At twenty-seven, Elisa tragically died in a fire, having previously donated to many orphanages and engaged in various charitable causes.
Elisa Island was an amusement park built in her name by her ex-husband.
Despite being such a kind person, fate had not been kind to her.
In the picture, Elisa wore a red dress, young and confident, with a smile that captivated many. She was simply stunning even in just a photograph, leaving many in awe.
She was a mere substitute for such an outstanding Elisa. How could a substitute be compared to the original? Looking it up was just an invitation for humiliation.
Elisa was so exceptional; it was no wonder why so many people admired her. Aoife too admired Elisa.
But if everyone loved Elisa, who loved Aoife?
Arriving at the entrance of the international hotel, the driver handed the room key to Aoife, letting her go in on her own.
Taking the key, she didn’t even know how she managed to enter. Inside, the receptionist noticed her key and escorted her to her room.
Alive but seemingly blind, walking in darkness, Aoife felt like she was about to be devoured by something.
The staff’s attitude was respectful enough, and even though Aoife was just a temporary addition to the acting industry, she had learned to read expressions and didn’t miss the slight disdain in the receptionist’s eyes.
That look revealed what she was perceived as. However, it didn’t matter; she was a substitute, a commodity, a prey willingly offered, destined to sell herself through her body.
Not only did others look down on her, but Aoife couldn’t even respect herself.
Pushing the door with the room key, she entered her room for the first time. The luxurious atmosphere made her feel uneasy, awkwardly sitting on the sofa without looking at the computer, just staring out the floor-to-ceiling window at the neon lights.
The room was soundproofed, and she couldn’t hear any noise from outside.
After nearly forty minutes of waiting, there was a subtle movement at the door. Aoife felt like sitting on pins and needles, her back tingling as she turned to see a figure pushing the door from the outside.