The day my overseas assignment ended, I secretly flew thirteen hours back home without telling Adrian.
A few days earlier, we had just had another argument.
Adrian wanted me to stay abroad and continue developing my career, but I insisted on returning home to marry him.
Before I boarded the plane, he was still trying to persuade me over the phone.
“Elena, don’t give up your future for me.
As long as we love each other, marriage doesn’t really matter.”
After hearing that, my resolve only hardened.
The moment I landed, I rushed straight to a jewelry store to buy a diamond ring, then called my best friend to tell her about my plan to propose.
On the other end of the phone, a baby was crying nonstop. She tried to calm the child, her voice irritated and weary.
“Elena, get a grip! Five years of long distance and he still hasn’t married you.
Doesn’t that tell you he never planned to?”
“Marriage is the graveyard of love. I’m already exhausted raising a baby. I regret it every day.”
I was about to argue back when I suddenly saw her walking out of a maternity store with the baby in her arms.
“My husband’s here to pick me up. Talk later.”
She hung up in a hurry and waved toward the road ahead.
A black Mercedes pulled up.
The door opened. A man stepped out, gently taking the baby from her arms and patting the child with practiced familiarity.
Sunlight fell across the side of his face.
It made my eyes sting.
My best friend had been secretly married for two years.
And her husband—
was Adrian Cole, the man who had been my long-distance boyfriend for five years.
…
My hands trembled as I dialed Adrian’s number, my heart pounding with dread.
As long as he didn’t answer, everything I had just seen could still be a misunderstanding.
The next moment, the man holding the baby pulled out his phone.
He hesitated for a few seconds.
Then he rejected the call.
Exactly in sync with my phone.
I was standing just around the corner behind them. Their conversation carried clearly to my ears.
“Honey, you’re changing the diaper tonight. I carried Ethan all day—my arms are about to fall off.”
Vanessa had always been strong and competitive. In all the years I’d known her, this was the first time I’d heard her speak so sweetly and coquettishly.
Adrian leaned down and kissed her forehead, his voice as gentle as ever.
“You’ve worked hard, sweetheart. Go home and get some rest.”
That single word——shattered the last illusion I had been clinging to.
The ring box in my hand suddenly felt scorching hot, as if it were mocking the foolishness of the past few years.
Vanessa had kept her marriage secret for two years, never posting a single photo of her husband online.
Yet she had always been the one urging me to break up with Adrian.
Every time I brought up marriage with him, he always had an excuse.
He said he didn’t want to hold me back, that I should boldly pursue my career.
Only now did I realize what he meant by “not holding me back.”
He had already married my best friend.
And they even had a child together.
Just as their car pulled away, Adrian sent me a message.
Though the text sounded serious, the tone was unmistakably affectionate.
Five years of long distance.
He even remembered the time difference perfectly.
His lies were flawless.
On countless nights, Adrian would wake up in the middle of the night to video call me. The background was always pitch black.
I felt sorry for him losing sleep.
But he always reassured me it was nothing.
Just like always, he encouraged me to focus on my career abroad and never once complained.
Thunder suddenly cracked across the sky.
Rain began to pour down—mingling with the tears streaming down my face.
My phone rang again.
It was Vanessa.
“Elena, tomorrow is Ethan’s first birthday. You’re his godmother—don’t forget to send a red envelope!”
“We loved the gift you sent for his one-month celebration.”
Every word she said felt like another knife stabbing into my heart.
The rain continued to fall relentlessly.
Just like my tears.
Tomorrow was supposed to be my ten-year anniversary with Adrian.
I had planned to propose to him that day.
Back at the hotel, I called Adrian five more times, wanting to hear the truth from his own mouth.
To my surprise, he rejected every call.
On the sixth try, he finally answered—but this time, his voice carried a hint of impatience.
“Elena, I told you to get some rest. Whatever it is, we can talk later.
”
My throat was dry as I spoke.
“Tomorrow is our ten-year anniversary. Don’t you have anything to say about it?”
The line fell silent.
I waited.
I waited for him to admit that he had married Vanessa.
To explain why he had deceived me for so long.
But in the end, all I got was a casual excuse.
“I’m sorry, Elena. Work has been crazy lately. I completely forgot the anniversary.”
“I have to work overtime tomorrow too, so I can’t video call you.
Next year, I’ll definitely fly over to see you.”
Even now…
he still refused to tell the truth.
I didn’t question him further.
Instead, I deleted the application I had submitted to transfer back home.
Then I wrote a new one.
Adrian Cole—
there will be no for us.
I contacted an old high school classmate and managed to get the address of Ethan’s first birthday banquet.
Over the phone, she sounded surprised.
“Elena, how did you and Adrian even break up? We all thought the two of you would end up getting married. No one expected that in the end he’d be with Vanessa…”
I could only force a bitter smile.
Because even I didn’t know when exactly Adrian and I had broken up.
Or when the two of them had gotten married.
One was the best friend who had once sworn she would stand by my side for life.
The other was my first love, the man I had dated for ten years.
Years ago, when I had doubts about whether our long-distance relationship could survive the distance, Adrian had held me and promised with unwavering certainty:
“Elena, I’ll wait for you to come back. In this lifetime, I will only ever love you.”
I believed in his love for me.
I simply couldn’t understand—
when had he started to change?
My classmate kept talking, her words growing more and more piercing, like needles stabbing into my heart.
“Come to think of it, it’s strange. Back in school, the two of them could barely stand each other. Who would have thought they’d end up so in love…”
As she spoke, she sent me Vanessa’s social media account.
We had followed each other on every platform before, yet I had never seen this account.
The pinned post was a short looping video.
A man’s large hand gripped a woman’s pale wrist tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
The caption read:
“Sleeping with the boy I loved in my youth—no regrets in this life.”
The post had over a hundred thousand likes.
The comment section was filled with blessings.
Only I noticed the date it had been posted.
That day, Adrian and I had had a terrible fight over something trivial.
I had spent the entire day calling him.
But he had disappeared.
His phone was turned off.
Vanessa had taken the initiative to reassure me:
“Adrian went to a bar to drink. Don’t worry.”
Two days later, Adrian flew abroad to see me.
For someone as proud as him, he actually lowered his head and apologized first.
His eyes were red as he kissed me again and again, whispering hundreds of apologies.
Now I finally understood.
The reason Adrian suddenly came to see me that day…
wasn’t because he wanted to make peace.
It was because after sleeping with Vanessa,
he felt guilty.
The second pinned post was a censored marriage certificate.
But I recognized Adrian’s outline immediately.
The caption read:
“A shotgun wedding. Thank heaven for bringing us together!”
At that time, it hadn’t even been three months since my miscarriage.
I had blamed myself endlessly, believing that my busy work schedule had caused me to lose the baby.
And that I might never have another child again.
My mental state deteriorated day by day.
Eventually, I started taking antidepressants.
Over video calls, Adrian comforted me.
“Elena, it’s not your fault. We’ll have children again someday.”
Vanessa even took leave from work and flew to my side to take care of me.
Just like before, she wrapped her arms around me and whispered gently:
“Elena, everything will get better.”
During that time, they were unbelievably kind to me.
They absorbed all of my pain without complaint.
Only now did I realize—
it had all come from guilt.
I collapsed to my knees on the floor, clutching my chest.
The pain was so intense that it turned numb.
Vanessa and I had been best friends since childhood.
From kindergarten to high school, we had never been apart.
When we were sixteen, Adrian pursued me with a passion that shook the whole school.
I was the model student.
He was the rebellious troublemaker.
When Vanessa found out we were together, she strongly opposed the relationship and constantly targeted Adrian.
Eventually she made a bet with him.
If Adrian could rank within the top one hundred students in our grade, she would stop interfering with our relationship.
Adrian studied like his life depended on it.
Two months later, he really did make it into the top hundred.
When he walked toward me holding his report card, I leapt straight into his arms with joy.
He wrapped his arms around me tightly and shot Vanessa a challenging glance.
Vanessa’s expression instantly turned ugly.
She couldn’t say a single word.
Back then, I never noticed the disappointment and unwillingness hidden in her eyes.
After graduating from university, Adrian decided to start his own business.
But he didn’t have enough capital.
Without telling him, I secretly took out a loan of five hundred thousand dollars and asked Vanessa to invest it in his company under her name.
Vanessa scolded me for being foolish.
But in the end, she still handed the money to Adrian.
From that moment on, the way Adrian looked at Vanessa changed.
He always said Vanessa was his lucky star.
Whenever they argued afterward, he was always the one to give in.
To repay the loan as soon as possible, I volunteered for an overseas assignment in Africa.
The conditions there were harsh.
But the salary was the highest.
The day I left the country, I clung to Adrian at the airport, crying so hard I could barely breathe.
He forcefully pried my fingers off one by one and pushed me toward the boarding gate.
During those five years abroad, I thought about Adrian every single day.
Yet he always told me:
“Elena, focus on your career. Don’t give up such a bright future because of me.”
We argued about it more than once.
At times, I had a faint suspicion that he didn’t actually want me to come back.
But whenever we fought, I would turn to Vanessa for comfort.
She would always say:
“Elena, stop being so love-obsessed. He never intended to marry you!”
I thought she was protecting me.
Little did I know—
she was simply clearing away the final obstacle.
Suddenly, a notification popped up on my phone.
My transfer application had been approved.
My supervisor asked me to report to my new post as soon as possible.
I replied with a brief acknowledgment and booked a flight to Europe.
The next morning, I received two messages.
From Adrian:
“Happy tenth anniversary. I’ve sent your gift by air freight. Make sure to sign for it.
”
From Vanessa:
“Today is Ethan’s first birthday. Don’t forget to send the red envelope!”
I didn’t reply.
Instead, I set both chats to Do Not Disturb.
That evening, I arrived early at the birthday banquet using the address my classmate had given me.
When I saw the signboard outside the hall that read:
“Congratulations to Adrian Cole and Vanessa Shaw on the birth of their beloved son.”
My fists tightened instinctively.
My phone suddenly started vibrating nonstop.
Adrian was calling.
“Elena, why haven’t you replied to my messages all day? Stop being stubborn. I’ve been really busy lately. I’ll make it up to you next anniversary.”
I lifted my head—
and saw Adrian standing there in a suit.
“Adrian,” I said calmly, “I’m at your son’s first birthday party.”
In the next second, he whipped around.
His phone slipped from his hand and smashed onto the floor.
Vanessa saw me too.
Her reaction was even stronger than Adrian’s.
Her hand trembled, and she almost dropped the baby.
“Elena… weren’t you abroad…?”
The next moment—
a sharp slap echoed throughout the entire banquet hall.
Vanessa screamed, clutching her cheek.
The baby in her arms burst into loud cries.
The noisy hall instantly fell silent.
Just as I raised my hand for a second slap, my wrist was suddenly grabbed tightly by Adrian.
“Elena Moore, if you’re angry, take it out on me. Don’t touch them!”
Vanessa grabbed Adrian’s arm and sobbed.
“Adrian… I’m the one who wronged Elena…”
Adrian wrapped his arms around her, his eyes full of concern.
“You did nothing wrong. I’m the one at fault.”
He turned to me and lowered his voice.
“Elena… I’m sorry. Vanessa’s pregnancy was an accident, but I have to take responsibility for her and the child.
”
“I’m the only son in my family. I can’t leave my parents without descendants. You can’t have children… so this child must be kept.”
Through her tears, Vanessa spoke softly.
“Elena, can you really bear to let Adrian’s family line end with him?”
They both knew perfectly well that this was the deepest wound in my heart.
Yet they spoke about it so casually.
Adrian stepped forward and grasped my hand, almost pleading.
“Elena, our marriage was only to give the child a legal identity. Once the child grows up a little, we’ll divorce.”
“Just wait for me a few more years. I promise I’ll give you the most magnificent wedding.”
At that moment, Mrs. Cole stormed in furiously.
She pointed at my nose and spat in my face.
“Elena Moore, you still have the nerve to come back?!”
“Back then we told you to return and marry Adrian, but you insisted on staying abroad.
Your job mattered more than having children!”
“My poor unborn grandson died because of you!”
“And now that Adrian finally has a son, you dare come here and make trouble? You can’t even give birth yourself yet blame others. Thank heaven my son never married you!”
She grabbed Vanessa’s hand and announced loudly to everyone present:
“I only recognize Vanessa as my daughter-in-law! If you ever want to marry into the Cole family, it’ll be over my dead body!”
Even Adrian’s expression changed when he heard this.
The relatives around us immediately began to criticize me, their words vicious and cruel.
“A hen that can’t lay eggs still has the nerve to come cause a scene?”
“She couldn’t even keep her own child alive. No wonder Adrian dumped her.”
“The Cole family has only one son in three generations. She can’t have children herself but won’t let others have them.
How vicious!”
…
My face turned pale and my body swayed.
In my third year abroad, I had become pregnant.
The Cole family urged me to return immediately and register our marriage.
But the company was in the middle of a critical project, and I simply couldn’t leave.
Adrian supported my decision to stay and work, convincing his family to wait.
But during a field inspection, an explosion occurred at the construction site.
I survived by sheer luck.
But the baby didn’t.
After learning that it would be extremely difficult for me to conceive again, Adrian comforted me with red eyes and said he would never blame me.
Yet every time I woke up in the middle of the night, I could see the sorrow in his expression.
Mrs. Cole would cry and curse over the phone:
“Elena Moore, give my grandson back to me! How can someone be so selfish and irresponsible?”
Her words haunted me like a curse.
For two years, they tormented me until I fell into depression.
Now, the insults crashed down like a tidal wave.
Through blurred tears, I looked at Adrian.
But he avoided my gaze.
“Elena… you should go back first. I’ll talk to my mother later.”
When I left, it was in utter humiliation.
No one blamed Adrian for betraying me.
Everyone only accused me of making a scene.
My phone suddenly chimed.
A message from Vanessa appeared.
Elena, please… meet me tomorrow.
The tears I had been holding back for so long—
finally fell.
Vanessa asked to meet me at her house.
After a whole night spent calming myself down, my voice was unusually steady.
“Vanessa… why?”
She gently patted the sleeping baby in her arms. A faint smile curved her lips, but her eyes were cold.
“Elena, I love Adrian.
I’ve never fought you for anything before… but when it comes to him, I will never let go.”
“The night you two had that huge fight, Adrian got completely drunk. I put on your pajamas… and he mistook me for you.”
I slammed my hand hard against the table.
“Vanessa, how could you be so shameless?”
Her smile only widened.
“But he didn’t push me away afterward either. Adrian and I… we didn’t sleep together just once.
He’s a man, after all.”
“You’ve been long-distance for years. The number of times you’ve slept with him probably isn’t even as many as mine.”
“Adrian said… you’re boring.”
I couldn’t hold back any longer.
I grabbed her hair and yanked.
Vanessa screamed and staggered backward, one arm protecting the crying baby while the other clawed at me wildly.
Just then the door burst open.
Adrian rushed inside and shoved me away.
“Elena Moore! Have you lost your mind?!”
I lost my balance and crashed headfirst into the cold wall.
A dull thud echoed.
Blood instantly burst from the wound, splattering across the white wall.
Adrian’s eyes were fixed only on the frightened baby. He picked Ethan up and tried to calm him.
Only when the blood spread to his feet did Adrian finally look down.
Seeing me lying on the floor covered in blood, his pupils shrank.
He hurriedly called an ambulance.
When I woke up again, two days had passed.
Adrian sat beside my hospital bed, his eyes red and swollen.
He held my hand, his voice hoarse.
“Elena… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push you. I was just too worried about the baby.”
Vanessa stood nearby crying as well.
“Elena, thank goodness you’re awake. These past two days terrified us.”
“Adrian and I have already discussed it.
When Ethan turns five, we’ll get a divorce. Please don’t be angry anymore, okay?”
Looking at their “sincere concern,” I suddenly felt exhausted.
Five days later, Adrian personally discharged me from the hospital and drove me to the airport.
When I stepped out of the car, he suddenly pulled me into an embrace.
“Elena, once I finish the work on my hands, I’ll come see you next month.”
“Vanessa was the one who invested in me back then.
Without that money, my company wouldn’t exist today. And now she’s given birth to my child.”
“Marrying her was my responsibility… but the person I love most has always been you.”
His sudden confession stirred nothing inside me.
I pushed him away and walked straight into the terminal without hesitation.
He tried to grab my hand, but airport security blocked him at the gate.
Adrian still didn’t know—
the destination of my flight was Europe.
I had already applied for a permanent overseas assignment.
I was never coming back.
After seeing me off, Adrian felt strangely empty.
Over the past five years, he had sent me away many times.
But never once had he felt this unwilling to let me go.
That evening, calculating the time difference as usual, he eagerly called me on video.
The call was rejected.
He tried again.
This time it rang endlessly.
He switched to another phone.
Still no answer.
In the past, whenever we fought, I would refuse his calls like this.
And he would call again and again until I picked up.
Now it was his turn to experience the anxiety.
Finally he sent a message.
Elena Moore, stop being stubborn. Pick up the phone. Don’t make me worry.
I didn’t reply.
Adrian didn’t sleep the entire night.
He kept waking up to check his phone, which eventually woke Ethan.
For the first time, he didn’t immediately comfort the baby.
His eyes remained fixed on the dark phone screen.
But even after the child cried himself back to sleep—
no message came.
The next day at work, Adrian was still distracted.
In the past, no matter how busy I was, I would always reply the next day.
But this time…
nothing.
By evening, his phone had not lit up once.
For five years of long-distance love, I had never disappeared like this.
No replies.
No calls.
Completely vanished.
Adrian couldn’t stand it anymore.
He called again and again.
After more than ten rejected calls, I finally answered.
His voice sounded exhausted.
“Elena… you’ve tormented me for a whole day. Are you done being angry?”
“Can you be a little more mature? Stop making me worry like this.”
My voice was calm and cold.
“Adrian, let’s break up.”
“You’re already married with a child. Stop bothering me. I have no interest in being someone’s mistress.
”
“Elena, how could you possibly be the mistress—”
Before he could continue, I interrupted him.
“Adrian, the five hundred thousand dollars you received back then… it was actually my loan.”
“I knew your pride wouldn’t allow you to accept money from me, so I asked Vanessa to invest under her name.”
“The reason I went overseas all these years was to repay that debt as quickly as possible.”
I sent him a photo of the loan certificate with my name on it.
“You once said that when the company goes public, all investors would receive dividends.”
“Remember to transfer my share.”
Since we were breaking up, old debts had to be settled.
After saying that, I hung up.
Then I blocked Adrian on every platform.
Everything had happened too quickly.
By the time Adrian reacted, he had already been blocked.
Looking at the loan document, his eyes reddened.
All this time, Elena had carried such a huge debt without telling him.
He had always believed she went abroad for her own career.
He never imagined it was for him.
Vanessa walked over after putting the baby to sleep and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.
“Adrian, did you argue with Elena again?”
“Don’t worry. You know how she is. She’ll come back to you in a few days.”
“She broke up with me.”
Vanessa froze for a moment.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
Adrian suddenly pushed her away, his expression dark.
“Vanessa Shaw, that investment money was Elena’s. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You knew everything, yet you let her bear all of it alone!”
Vanessa’s eyes immediately filled with tears.
“Adrian… Elena asked me to keep it a secret. I tried to persuade her, but she wouldn’t listen.”
Adrian fell silent.
Then he suddenly grabbed his phone and began booking a flight.
He packed his luggage and headed straight for the airport.
Vanessa rushed forward and hugged him tightly.
“Adrian! I’m your wife! Our child is here! You’re not allowed to go!”
“You and Elena were never suitable for each other. You should have broken up long ago! I’m the one meant for you!”
Adrian shook her off impatiently and walked out of the villa with his suitcase.
Vanessa collapsed to the floor, covering her face as she burst into tears.
After landing, Adrian immediately went to my company.
The anniversary gift he had prepared for me was a custom diamond ring engraved with the initials of our names.
Unfortunately, because I had flown home earlier, I never received it.
He bought a bouquet of roses and hid the ring inside.
Making up after a fight was something he had done countless times.
All he needed to do was fly over, bring a gift, apologize sincerely, lower his pride and coax me a little.
And I would always forgive him.
Adrian waited downstairs outside the company for a long time.
Strong winds whipped sand and dust into the air.
Soon his entire body was covered in dirt.
But even after employees started leaving work—
he still didn’t see me.
Panicked, Adrian rushed into the building and grabbed an employee, asking in clumsy English where I was.
After asking several people, he finally learned the truth.
The roses slipped from his hand.
The diamond ring rolled to his feet, glinting faintly.
Adrian was dragged out of the company by security guards.
One of them threw the bouquet at his head while shouting words he couldn’t understand.
Passersby pointed at his miserable appearance and laughed openly.
But Adrian didn’t care.
All he could think about was one thing.
I had applied for a permanent overseas assignment
.
For the first time, he felt real panic.
This time—
I was truly leaving him.
Meanwhile, I had already transferred to the branch office and was busy settling into my new work.
After finally arranging everything, I picked up my phone.
Out of habit, I almost texted Adrian.
For five years of long distance, reporting my day to him had become routine.
But when I opened the chat window—
I suddenly remembered.
We had already broken up.
I had thought I would collapse in heartbreak.
That I would cry uncontrollably and lose my appetite like during our previous fights.
But the truth was surprisingly calm.
Other than occasional heaviness in my chest—
there was nothing.
My phone suddenly vibrated.
It was Vanessa.
Her voice sounded frantic.
“Elena, have you seen Adrian? He hasn’t come home for days.
He’s not answering calls or messages. I’m really worried…”
“Elena, he must have gone to find you. Please help me persuade him to come back. Ethan keeps crying because he can’t see his father.”
Listening to her, I suddenly saw a reflection of my past self.
Back then, I had also called Vanessa in tears, begging her to help me find Adrian.
But unlike her anxiety—
my voice was calm.
“Vanessa, we’re no longer friends.
Don’t contact me again.”
Breaking up with a boyfriend of ten years was painful.
But cutting off a friendship of twenty years—
was even harder.
We had been inseparable since we were five.
Our lives had been intertwined for so long.
When I said those words, my eyes suddenly stung.
If Adrian’s betrayal broke my heart—
Vanessa’s betrayal pushed me into despair.
On the other end, Vanessa sounded stunned.
“Elena Moore, are you serious? You’re cutting ties with me for a man?”
“Elena, I already compromised! Adrian and I will divorce when Ethan turns five. Can’t you wait just five years?”
I let out a bitter laugh as tears slid down my neck.
“Vanessa, the moment you climbed into Adrian’s bed… our friendship ended.”
“I’ve already broken up with Adrian. We will never reconcile.”
“You don’t need to divorce.”
“I don’t want Adrian anymore.”
“And I don’t want you either.”
“Ela—”
Before she could finish, I hung up.
Two days later, I saw Adrian again.
London’s rainy season seemed endless.
Since I arrived, I had hardly seen a sunny day.
Adrian stood across the street from my office, holding an umbrella like a statue.
He had been coming for several days.
Every time he approached, I would quickly escape in a taxi.
But this time—
I walked straight toward him.
The moment he saw me, his eyes lit up.
“Elena! You’re finally willing to see me!”
A strong gust of wind blew his umbrella to the ground.
He didn’t even notice.
He rushed forward and hugged me tightly.
“Elena, I’m sorry. I really know I was wrong. Punish me however you want. I just don’t want to break up…”
Over the years, he had said sorry to me countless times.
I was tired of hearing it.
“Adrian, I’ve already made it clear. I won’t get back together with you.”
“Go home. Your wife and child are waiting.
”
At the mention of them, Adrian’s face turned pale.
“Elena… marrying Vanessa was unavoidable. My parents were desperate for a grandson.”
“Unavoidable?”
“Adrian, so in your eyes, a child matters more than anything, right?”
“For a child, you could secretly marry Vanessa behind my back.”
“For a child, you shoved me so hard you didn’t even care if I got hurt.”
“All these years, you avoided marriage because I can’t have children… your parents didn’t approve of me, did they?”
I wasn’t stupid.
I had long sensed his parents’ attitude toward me.
But Adrian had always promised he would handle everything.
That no one could stop us from being together.
I believed him.
And I waited.
But what I received wasn’t a wedding—
it was betrayal that cut to the bone.
When I finished speaking, I suddenly realized something.
During those five years of long distance…
I had suffered far more than I ever admitted.
To repay the five hundred thousand loan quickly, I worked day and night without rest.
To Adrian, I looked like a career-obsessed workaholic.
Sometimes when I was too busy to reply to his messages, we would argue.
But we always made up.
After I lost the baby, Adrian comforted me and said doctors could be wrong.
That we might still have children someday.
I believed he didn’t blame me.
Until one argument—
when he finally said what he truly felt.
“Elena Moore, if you hadn’t been so obsessed with work, our baby wouldn’t have died! If you can’t get pregnant again, that’s your own fault!”
Nothing hurt more than that sentence.
That was the first time I asked for a breakup.
And that same night—
Adrian went drinking.
And slept with Vanessa.
While I was drowning in guilt for losing our child…
they registered their marriage.
And soon welcomed their son.
I had sworn not to cry.
But memories flooded back, and tears still fell.
Seeing me cry, Adrian panicked and tried to wipe my tears.
“Elena, I’m a bastard. I’ll divorce Vanessa right away. Please give me another chance.”
“You know how I feel about you. I only love you. Vanessa was just a mistake…”
I slapped his hand away in disgust and pushed him into the rain.
“Adrian, stop pretending to be devoted.
It only makes me sick.”
“You said it was a mistake once. Then what about after that?”
“Vanessa admitted you slept together many times. Yet you don’t even dare admit it?”
“I didn’t!” he insisted desperately.
“She’s lying to provoke you! It only happened once, then she got pregnant. You can investigate if you want—”
He pulled out his phone, trying to show evidence.
I shoved it back into his chest.
“It doesn’t matter anymore.
”
“We’ve already broken up.”
Whether it was once or a hundred times—
betrayal was betrayal.
“Today is the last time we meet. Don’t come find me again.”
“Otherwise your wife will keep calling me crying.”
I hailed a taxi and left without looking back.
Adrian stood there helplessly in the rain.
A few days later, my bank account suddenly received several million dollars.
More than the dividend I was originally owed.
Adrian was trying to compensate me.
But a dead heart…
can never be revived.
About a week later, I heard from a classmate that Adrian and Vanessa were fighting over a divorce.
That night, Mrs. Cole called me.
Her insults were just as vicious as ever.
“Elena Moore, you shameless woman! You’re encouraging Adrian to divorce Vanessa!”
“As long as I’m alive, you’ll never marry my son!”
Ever since I went abroad for work, her attitude toward me had grown colder.
She accused me of caring only about money and not about family.
For five years, every time I visited their home, she found faults with everything I did.
I had endured it all quietly for Adrian’s sake.
But now—
I didn’t have to.
“Mrs. Cole, you allowed your son to cheat and even marry the mistress openly. Between us, who exactly has no shame?”
“And don’t worry—I have absolutely no intention of marrying Adrian.
”
“Having a mother-in-law like you would be the worst luck in ten lifetimes.”
She was stunned into silence.
Before she could start yelling again, I hung up and blocked her number.
But soon after—
Vanessa appeared.
She had brought the baby all the way to London and was waiting outside my office.
She looked much thinner than before, her face pale.
“Elena… please help me persuade Adrian.”
“The baby is only one year old.
He needs his father.”
“For the sake of our friendship all these years… please help me.”
In my memory, Vanessa had always been the strong one.
This was the first time I had seen her so fragile.
But my gaze remained cold.
“Vanessa, I’ve already broken up with Adrian. Whether he divorces you or not has nothing to do with me.”
“Our friendship is over.”
“I won’t help you.”
The baby in her arms began crying loudly.
Vanessa suddenly grabbed my clothes and dropped to her knees.
“Elena… I really love Adrian. I don’t want to divorce him…”
Looking at her, I felt only absurdity.
Back when I first started dating Adrian, she had said to me:
“Don’t be love-brained. A man isn’t everything. You come first.”
Yet now—
she was kneeling for a man.
Throwing away her dignity and pride.
I pulled her hands away slowly.
“Vanessa… the way you look now makes me despise you.
”
Just then—
Adrian rushed over.
He yanked Vanessa up from the ground and slapped her.
“Didn’t I warn you not to bother Elena?!”
“Get back in the car!”
Bodyguards shoved Vanessa and the crying baby into the vehicle.
Adrian stayed behind for a moment.
“I’m sorry, Elena. I’ll take her away immediately.”
He looked at me cautiously.
“Elena… when I finish the divorce, can we start over?”
“I’ll settle everything. The child can stay with my parents.
”
I shook my head firmly.
“Adrian, we will never get back together.”
“Go take care of your family. Stop embarrassing yourself here.”
Before he could say anything else, I raised my hand to stop a taxi.
As the car drove away, I looked at them one last time—
and said goodbye to the past forever.
London was still raining.
But in my heart,
the sky had finally cleared.
END
