I Erased My Existence After You Betrayed Me

Start Reading

On his birthday, I brought a cake to Julian's private VIP lounge. Standing right outside the door, I heard his best friend ask him:

Julian, you've been with Evelyn for ten years now. Isn't it about time to put a ring on it?

Julian let out a cold scoff. Marry her? Please. She's so boring and vanilla. She's just someone to pass the time with. The future Mrs. Sterling has to be someone from my social class.

I stood there in the silent corridor. I didn't cry. I just turned around, walked away, and submitted my application to reactivate my classified black-ops file.

For the rest of his life, I would be someone he could never hope to reach.

After I left, someone spotted the cake box sitting on the floor by the door.

"Hey, Julian, Evelyn was just here. You don't think she heard what you said, do you?"

"So what if she did? She never gets mad anyway. Give her two days, and she'll come crawling back to beg for my forgiveness."

Their laughing voices faded into the distance. Inside me, something died completely.

We had known each other for ten years. I really thought I had built a home in Julian's heart. Hearing his true thoughts today made me realize I had wasted a whole decade of my life on a joke. How pathetic.

I shook my head, drove straight to the Agency headquarters that very night.

"Professor," I said, looking at the gray-haired man. "I've made my decision. Reactivate Operation Eclipse."

Professor Harrison looked up from his desk, shock written all over his face. "Evelyn, are you absolutely sure? What about your boyfriend?"

I didn't blink. "We are over. From now on, I have no attachments, no weaknesses. I am the perfect candidate for this mission. Professor, let me go."

The old man's lips trembled, his eyes turning red.

Operation Eclipse was a classified deep-cover mission that started ten years ago. Over the past decade, Professor Harrison had watched my senior colleagues leave one by one. Many never came back. I would never forget the sight of him holding their memorial flags, his old body trembling with grief.

But even while I was with Julian, I had never stopped training. My tactical skills, my physical conditioningI kept them sharp every single day. I was waiting. Waiting for the right moment. And now, my time had come.

Seeing the cold determination in my eyes, the Professor finally signed the order.

I signed the non-disclosure and non-existence agreement. Once I embarked on this mission, there was no telling how long I would survive. It could be three years, or it could be forever. But I wouldn't regret it.

By the time I slipped back into my townhouse, it was past midnight.

The sight of discarded clothes scattered on the living room floor made my chest tighten.

I stood in the entryway, listening to the muffled, suggestive noises coming from the master bedroom. My heart didn't even skip a beat.

It was time to clean up. My existence had to be completely wiped out. No traces left behind.

I burned all my personal photos. I packed my military-grade laptop into a secure case to return to the Agency. Everything was cleared out, except for the bedroom. As much as I hated to go in there, I had to be quick.

I waited patiently outside the door for the noise to stop. I took a deep breath.

Julian, you're finally getting exactly what you wanted.

When we first started dating, Julian was actually quite sweet. But his wealthy parents despised me. They thought a girl from my background wasn't good enough for the Sterling family legacy. His mother, Mrs. Sterling, thought my manners were atrocious and even hired a high-society etiquette coach to "correct" me. Back then, for Julian's sake, I endured three months of that absolute torture.

To be honest, compared to the brutal survival training I underwent at the Agency, those etiquette classes were a walk in the park. Even when the coach tried to find the tiniest flaws to humiliate me, she couldn't. So we settled into a tense, silent truce.

Well, I didn't have to play that part anymore.

I adjusted my jacket, turned the handle, and pushed the bedroom door wide open.

A sharp shriek pierced the air. The two people on the bed scrambled to pull the sheets over themselves.

Seeing it was me, Julian's face flushed with anger. "Evelyn! Have you forgotten how to knock?"

"I didn't know I had to knock to enter my own bedroom. Or maybe I should call your mother's etiquette coach to remind me of the rules?"

Hearing my calm voice, Julian actually smirked, thinking he had the upper hand. "Oh, so you're throwing a tantrum? Are you jealous?"

"You're not worth my jealousy, Julian. We're done. And take your trash with you. Get out of my house."

The smug grin froze on Julian's face, replaced by a cold, dangerous glare.

The girl beside him clung to his bare shoulder, giving me a smug, provocative look. "Julian, she's so scary! I'm frightened!"

Julian didn't look at her. His lips parted, spitting out a cold command: "Get out."

I turned on my heel and walked into the living room. Behind me, I heard the girl's high-pitched giggle: "She looks like a rejected puppy."

The next second, a harsh scuffle broke out, and the girl was dragged out of the bedroom and thrown into the hallway by her arm.

I watched coldly as she scrambled to gather her clothes and fled the townhouse. I felt absolutely nothing.

Julian threw on a pair of sweatpants and walked out, his chest bare. He stood over me, looking down with a patronizing sneer. "Satisfied now?"

I looked him dead in the eyes. "Pack your things and get out."

His brows furrowed. "Are you serious right now?"

"Leave. My. House."

I pointed to the suitcases stacked neatly by the front door. "See those? Those are all your belongings. Take them all. Don't leave a single sock behind."

My icy detachment finally cracked his arrogant facade. He let out a harsh, disbelieving laugh.

"Fine! Don't you dare come crying to me later!"

He stormed back into the room, got dressed in a fury, and slammed his way out. On his way out, he kicked one of the suitcases over.

"Throw it in the trash!" he yelled.

I ignored him. Once the front door slammed shut, I went into the bedroom. The air still smelled of cheap perfume and sweat.

I threw the windows wide open to let the cold night air in. Then, I gathered every single thing he had ever touched or brought into this house. I called a local junk-removal service on an app and offered the guy a $200 tip for a late-night pickup.

When the worker arrived, he looked at the piles of designer clothes and luxury bags in disbelief. "Are you sure you want to throw all this out, ma'am?"

"Yes. Throw it away, burn it, or donate it. I don't care."

The guy quickly hauled the bags away, terrified I would change my mind.

Next, I packed my own single suitcase, wiping down every surface to erase any DNA or fingerprints.

I looked around the empty living room and smiled. It was finally over.

I didn't sleep at all. I lay on the bare mattress, looking at the blank ceiling, feeling a strange sense of peace.

The next morning, I realized I still had a box of expensive jewelry and gifts Julian had given me over the years. I wanted a clean break. So, I grabbed the box and drove to his corporate headquarters.

But when I reached the executive floor, the receptionist blocked my way. "I'm so sorry, Evelyn. Mr. Sterling gave explicit orders. He's not seeing you today."

"Is he not seeing anyone, or just me?"

The receptionist looked incredibly uncomfortable. "He... he specifically said you."

Seeing the lack of emotion on my face, she tried to soften the blow. "Mr. Sterling is in a terrible mood today. Maybe try again next week? Actually, some other woman just went up to his office a few minutes ago..."

I had been to this office a hundred times when I was with Julian. The staff all knew me. As for the woman who went upshe was probably one of his many high-society admirers. Julian was rich, handsome, and always surrounded by socialites.

In the past, my heart would have broken. But today, I simply slid the heavy velvet box across the marble counter.

"Give this to Julian. Tell him everything he ever bought me is inside. We are completely, entirely done."

The receptionist's polite smile shattered. "Evelyn, you can't be serious..."

"I am. Thank you for everything."

I patted her shoulder, turned around, and walked out of the glass building into the crisp morning air. I took a deep, free breath.

Within three hours, I sold my townhouse to a quick-cash property flipper for $300,000 below market value. I didn't care about the money. I just needed it gone.

The new owner was a contractor who brought his crew in immediately.

"Are you sure you want me to completely gut this place, ma'am?" the contractor asked, looking at the high-end light fixtures.

"Yes. Rip it all out. If a man comes looking for me here later, just tell him I'm gone."

The contractor grinned. "Got it. A clean break after a breakup. Don't worry, sweetheart. If some jerk shows up, I'll give him hell and make him cry."

I smiled and nodded. I walked out to the curb where an unmarked black SUV from the Agency was already waiting. I got in, and we drove away.

When Professor Harrison saw me at the hangar, he gasped. "Just one suitcase?"

"Yes. Only the essentials. I left the past behind, Professor. I know there's no turning back once we start."

The Professor personally escorted me to the military transport plane. Before boarding, I took out my phone, snapped the SIM card in half, and tossed it into a disposal bin. My new encrypted number would only be known to the Professor and my handler.

I deleted every social media account, every email address. I was stepping onto that plane with a completely fabricated identity, ready to start a new life under the shadows.

Ten years later.

In my tenth year deep undercover abroad, I successfully intercepted a critical piece of intelligence from a hostile syndicate, foiling their plot. But I took a bullet in the shoulder during the extraction.

Because of my highly classified status, I couldn't return to the US for treatment. I had to stay in a secure, covert hospital in Europe.

On the day I was discharged, I ran into a ghost from my past in the lobby.

The woman stopped dead in her tracks, staring at me. "Evelyn? Is that you?!"

Ten years. I couldn't believe she recognized me. But I kept my face entirely blank.

"I think you have the wrong person. Excuse me."

As I tried to walk past her, she grabbed my arm. "Don't play dumb! Julian has been searching the entire world for you for the last ten years. I've seen your picture a thousand times. I know it's you!"

I looked at her, letting out a polite, slightly amused chuckle. "Look, I get that seeing another Asian face in a foreign country makes you want to connect, but I am really not who you think I am. Look closely."

I stood perfectly still, letting her inspect my face.

After a few tense seconds, her confidence crumbled. She looked confused, then deeply embarrassed.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry. You look incredibly similar, but... your eyes, your voice... they're different."

"No worries. It happens," I said with a polite nod, then walked away.

The moment I turned the corner, I took a stealth photo of her with my watch camera and transmitted it to our tech team.

I wasn't operating alone. Anyone who had ever been associated with my past life who suddenly appeared near me had to be thoroughly vetted.

Ten years ago, Julian had kicked her out of our apartment. Her name was Chloe. She must have obsessed over my face ever since.

Hearing Julian's name again caused a tiny ripple in my chest, but I suppressed it instantly.

The mission was in its final, most critical phase. The slightest mistake could destroy ten years of work. I couldn't afford to be distracted.

Before going deep undercover, I had undergone subtle facial reconstructive surgery and vocal chord therapy. There was no way she could truly identify me.

Back at my safehouse, my secure tablet buzzed. The report on Chloe came inshe was simply visiting a sick relative in the hospital. Her background check was clean.

I let out a breath. Good. If she had been a threat, I would have had to neutralize her myself.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, came before the safety of my country.

I spent the next week recovering at home.

With no missions and no interruptions, it was the most peaceful week I had experienced in a decade.

For the past ten years, the hardest part wasn't the danger. It was the crushing, endless loneliness. But I had adapted to the dark. Being alone in my own world wasn't so bad anymore.

A week later, my partner moved into the safehouse to assist with my recovery. To the outside world, we were a married couple.

The entire neighborhood was a secured zone under our surveillance.

"Once this operation wraps up, the Agency is pulling you back to Langley," my partner said as he prepped dinner. "Your new civilian identity is already set. They won't suspect a thing."

I stared out the window, deep in thought. "Don't let your guard down. The syndicate isn't stupid."

"I know."

But just as we were preparing our final extraction plan, the house across the street got new tenants.

I was taking out the trash when the front door of the opposite house opened. I didn't have time to hide. I ran straight into him.

And standing right next to him was Chloe.

The moment she saw me, her face lit up. "Julian, look! I told you they looked exactly the same! If I didn't know better, I'd think they were identical twins!"

In that split second, my fists clenched inside my jacket pockets. I regretted not having her quietly dealt with last week.

Julian was dressed in a sharp, casual suit. He looked older, his face etched with a complex mix of shock and longing. He took a sudden, desperate step toward me.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

But before he could reach me, a strong arm wrapped around my waist from behind, pulling me into a warm, familiar embrace.

"Hey, sweetheart. I'm home."