After my best friend became the kept woman of a mysterious billionaire, she had seven abortions within just six months.
My eyes burned red with anger as I scolded her.
“He won’t even marry you, and you’re still throwing yourself at him? What are you doing, Luna?!”
She looked at me steadily for a moment and shook her head.
“You don’t understand. He’s different. He has his reasons.”
I really wanted to pry open her head and see what was inside.
I snatched her phone away, but the moment I glanced at the pinned chat at the top, my heart froze.
The profile picture there was painfully familiar.
It belonged to my husband—Adrian.
…
The words I wanted to say got stuck in my throat. Forcing a strained smile, I said softly,
“Luna… you’ve been deceived.
He already has a wife.”
But Luna frowned in confusion as she took the phone back.
“How could that be? Look—his social media is full of photos of me. And all these people who liked them are his relatives and friends. I’ve met them before. They all call me .”
In an instant, my hands and feet turned ice-cold.
I tapped into those profiles one by one.
They were indeed Adrian’s relatives and friends—more complete than the list I had.
So the account I had added all these years… was only his secondary account?
Luna kept chatting happily.
“Oh, by the way, I’m not really getting an abortion this time. Let me tell you a secret—but you can’t tell anyone.”
Her eyes sparkled, her cheeks flushed as she leaned close to my ear and whispered,
“He’s just too clingy… and way too strong in bed. I honestly can’t handle it. So I lied and told him I was coming for an abortion.
That way I can rest for a whole month. Otherwise I might actually die in bed.”
“Yesterday I refused to let him touch me, and he even cried.”
I couldn’t hear anything anymore.
A loud ringing roared in my ears.
Yesterday… Adrian had come home for the first time in three months.
All night long, he took me again and again—rough and relentless.
I endured the pain and cooperated, naively believing he was under too much pressure and needed comfort from the woman he loved.
But it turned out the woman outside had refused him.
So he came home to vent his desires on me.
Adrian and I had been married for five years, yet no one knew.
Because he once told me,
“The Fu family’s internal conflict isn’t settled yet. It’s safer if you stay by my side as my lover. Our marriage certificate must never be exposed.”
I believed him.
Obediently, I locked the marriage certificate deep inside the safe and told everyone I simply had a boyfriend.
Looking at the happiness shining on Luna’s face, I trembled as I asked the question.
“What ‘reason’ does he have for not marrying you?”
Luna pouted slightly.
“He said his grandmother passed away. According to family rules, he has to observe mourning for three years.”
But soon she smiled again.
“This is the last month! He already proposed to me.”
My vision went dark.
My nails dug deeply into my palms.
The sharp pain barely kept me sane.
Adrian’s grandmother was not dead.
And one month later…
would be the anniversary of my daughter’s death.
When Luna’s number was called, her phone rang.
It was Adrian.
His voice was gentle in a way I had never heard before.
“Stop messing around. I bought you a gift.”
Luna snorted proudly.
“I’m not believing a word from you, old man! I’m not marrying you!”
With a loud , colorful ribbons suddenly rained down from the sky.
Above us, a helicopter unfurled a massive banner:
“Luna, will you marry me?”
Patients and doctors around us smiled as they handed Luna bright red roses one after another.
Soon she was completely surrounded by a sea of flowers.
She was so moved she couldn’t speak.
Tears shimmered in her eyes as she clutched her phone and nodded frantically.
“Yes! I will! I will!”
I don’t even remember how I left the hospital.
In my hand was still the rose Luna had stuffed into my arms—a rose she called “true love.”
“Elena, you saw that, right?” she said with a bright smile. “He really loves me. I hope you’ll find a man who truly loves you someday too.”
Then she added casually,
“As for that boyfriend of yours… it’s been so many years and he still hasn’t proposed. Just break up with him.”
I closed my eyes, my nose stinging.
When Adrian and I got married, the Fu family had just finished a brutal internal struggle, so everything was done quietly and simply.
I had pouted and begged for just one rose.
But Adrian said it wasn’t the right time.
He promised that when all the hidden enemies were gone, he would give me an entire field of flowers.
And now…
The very first flower I ever received from him
was part of the romance he created for another woman.
When I pushed open the door, Adrian was sitting on the sofa reading through some documents.
Seeing me return, he opened his arms as he always did, waiting for me to throw myself into his embrace. But the moment he noticed the rose in my hand, his expression changed.
“What’s that?”
Instinctively, I tried to hide it, but he grabbed my wrist tightly.
“Next month is Lily’s death anniversary, and you’re buying such bright flowers?” His voice was cold with anger. “Elena, do you even have a heart?”
Suddenly, I laughed.
When our daughter had just been born, she and I were kidnapped by our enemies.
On the edge of a cliff, I had been blindfolded, Lily’s cries echoing beside me.
The kidnappers forced Adrian to kill himself.
To keep him from being controlled, I jumped off the cliff with Lily in my arms.
Even though I held her above the water with all my strength in the sea, she still died from infection.
From that moment on, our child became a forbidden topic in this house.
And yet now, while preparing for our daughter’s memorial day, he was also proposing to another woman.
I gently placed the rose on the table.
“A friend of mine got proposed to. She gave this to me as a gift.”
I raised my eyes, unable to hide the faint hope in them.
“After Lily’s memorial day… let’s go on a trip. We could take our daughter with us, let her see the world.
”
Adrian refused without hesitation.
“No.”
Perhaps realizing his tone was too harsh, he softened his voice.
“I’ve just taken full control of the Fu Group. I can’t leave for too long. When things stabilize, I’ll go with you.”
“Then the day after tomorrow, will you go with me to—”
“Enough!”
Adrian ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Disappointment filled his eyes as he looked at me.
“Why are you always so selfish, only thinking about yourself? On your daughter’s memorial day, aren’t you even a little sad as her mother?”
He turned and walked away, leaving me collapsed on the floor.
On my phone was the date Luna had just sent me:
[May 13th. Babe, you must come to my wedding!]
Lily’s death anniversary was May 12th.
He couldn’t even wait one single day.
The day before, he would be a loving father mourning his daughter.
The day after, he would become the husband of the woman he loved.
Adrian—
The selfish one is you.
Taking a deep breath, I gathered a stack of documents and knocked on the study door.
“Come in.”
When Adrian saw it was me, he sighed and pulled me into his arms, his voice low and tired.
“I didn’t mean to yell at you. Lily’s anniversary is coming up… it’s just been hard for me. You understand me better than anyone, right?”
I closed my eyes.
My tears slid down my cheeks and fell onto his neck.
Wiping them away forcefully, I handed him the documents.
“These just arrived. Something you bought—you need to sign for it.
”
Without even looking, Adrian signed his name.
I stared at the tip of his pen.
With every stroke he wrote, my heart felt like it was being sliced open.
Adrian didn’t know that among those papers was our divorce agreement.
After leaving the study, I immediately gave the divorce papers and our marriage certificate to my lawyer.
Then I went out to buy clothes for my daughter’s memorial day.
While waiting, a woman’s voice suddenly rang out nearby.
“Oh my god, why did you buy so many red dresses for me? I told you already, I’m wearing a white wedding gown!”
It was Luna.
I turned around.
Adrian had his arms wrapped around her waist, spinning her around playfully. The moment his eyes met mine, his steps faltered.
“Oh!” Luna gasped in surprise, stamping her foot lightly.
When she saw me, her eyes immediately lit up.
“Elena! You’re here too!”
I didn’t speak.
I simply looked at Adrian quietly.
I thought I might see panic in his eyes, or at least a trace of guilt.
But there was nothing.
His gaze was as cold as if he were looking at a stranger.
“Hello.”
Luna suddenly slapped her forehead.
“Oh right! I haven’t introduced you two yet!”
She beamed happily.
“This is my absolute best friend. From now on, you have to listen to both of us!”
Then she blinked playfully and introduced Adrian.
“This is that old man I told you about. But he’s not really that old—he’s thirty this year, only five years older than me. Since you ran into each other, why don’t we have dinner together? You two can officially get to know each other.”
I lifted my lips into a faint smile.
“Sure.”
Adrian’s cold gaze instantly locked onto me, heavy with warning.
I pretended not to notice and let Luna hook her arm through mine as she pulled me outside.
At the dinner table, Luna looked at me with concern.
“Elena, you’ve been smiling less lately. I told you before, that boyfriend of yours is no good. You should break up with him already.”
She nudged Adrian with her elbow.
“Don’t you have a lot of single friends? Introduce one to Elena and make her boyfriend jealous.”
Adrian’s voice turned cold.
“She doesn’t need that.”
I lifted my head and met his icy stare.
“Then thank you, brother-in-law.”
The moment those two words left my mouth, Adrian’s face darkened instantly.
Luna, however, was excited.
“Oh! Victor would be perfect. I’ll call him right now and ask.”
Before Adrian could stop her, Victor picked up.
“Sister-in-law, did Adrian make you angry again?”
Luna covered her mouth and giggled.
“I’m actually introducing someone to you.”
Adrian’s hand clenched tightly.
I took the phone and spoke first.
“Hello, Mr. Gu. I’m the woman Luna is introducing to you. My name is Elena. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Sis… sis… sister-in-law?”
Victor froze in shock.
He stammered for a long time before hanging up the phone.
Luna held the phone awkwardly, laughing.
“He’s a little rude sometimes. Don’t worry, I’ll introduce someone even better to you.”
Adrian finally relaxed slightly and quickly changed the subject.
After dinner, Luna wanted to walk me out.
But Adrian suddenly pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply.
She became dizzy from the kiss, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Meeting Adrian’s warning gaze, I wisely got into my car and drove home.
The moment I stepped inside, a furious man grabbed my arm and slammed me against the wall.
His voice burned with anger.
“Why did you agree to it? Are you that desperate to find another man? Don’t forget—we’re married.
That’s cheating!”
I froze for a moment, then laughed softly.
The laughter grew louder and louder, turning desperate and almost hysterical.
My madness made Adrian’s heart tighten.
An inexplicable sense of dread gripped him.
“Adrian,” I said hoarsely, “so you do know this is called cheating?”
“You knew Luna was my best friend. So why did it have to be her?”
“How could you do this to me—”
All the emotions I had suppressed finally exploded.
I collapsed onto my knees, crying uncontrollably.
“Why are you treating me like this, Adrian? People who betray sincere love deserve to swallow ten thousand needles. I hate you—I hate you!”
Adrian tugged impatiently at his tie.
“She doesn’t know anything. And we’re already married. I’m just giving her a wedding. You’re my legal wife.”
“We’ve already wronged her enough. Are you really going to keep holding on to this?”
“You have the marriage certificate and the title of Mrs. Fu. She has my love and a wedding ceremony.”
“That’s fair.”
I opened my mouth—
but realized I had lost my voice.
Facing a man like this, I had nothing left to say.
Just then, my phone rang.
It was a message from Luna.
“Elena… I think he might be cheating.”
A call request popped up immediately afterward.
The moment I answered, Luna burst into loud sobs.
“Elena, you were right! He’s a complete jerk! Do you know what I found? A long strand of hair on his clothes! He must be cheating. And that woman even has pink hair!”
I lifted my head and met Adrian’s gaze.
I saw nothing but impatience in his eyes.
That strand of hair… was mine.
Holding the phone tightly, tears slipped down before I could even speak.
“Luna…”
Hearing the choking sound in my voice, she immediately became anxious.
“Elena, what’s wrong? Did your boyfriend bully you again? Don’t worry, I’m coming to your place right now!”
I stared at the ended call, tears streaming down my face.
How could I possibly tell her the truth?
Luna was my best friend. No matter what happened, she was always the first to care about me.
A tangled hatred grew wildly in my chest like creeping vines.
Adrian knew the address I told people was my home.
He immediately got into his car, intending to intercept Luna on the road and explain everything to her.
As I watched his Maybach drive away, a desperate madness flickered in my eyes.
I got into my car and followed closely behind.
The moment he lowered his head to check his phone, I slammed my foot on the accelerator and rammed straight into him.
But his reaction was too fast.
Not only did he dodge my attack, his car struck mine instead.
The violent impact slammed my forehead against the steering wheel. Blood instantly poured down.
Through the crimson blur in my vision, I saw him storming toward me.
The moment he yanked open the car door, his expression froze.
“Elena? Why is it you?”
At that moment, someone nearby shouted in alarm.
“Quick! Help! There’s someone injured in this car too!”
Adrian turned his head.
His pupils shrank violently.
“Luna!”
He threw me aside without hesitation and rushed toward Luna, grabbing her hand with a panicked expression.
He carried her into the ambulance, urging the medical staff to hurry.
I silently watched the frantic fear on his face.
My heart shattered into pieces.
Only after the ambulance left did darkness swallow my vision.
I lost consciousness completely.
When I woke up, the first thing I saw was Adrian’s furious gaze.
“So you really can’t tolerate us, can you?” he snapped. “Did you have to kill Luna before you’d be satisfied? She’s your best friend, and you could still do something like that!”
My voice was hoarse.
“How is she?”
“Stop pretending!” He suddenly grabbed my throat. “Elena Song, when you do something wrong, you pay the price.”
He shoved me violently onto the bed.
Then he waved his hand, and several police officers walked in.
“Keep her locked up for at least a month,” he said coldly. “Until… May 13th.”
“No!”
My entire body trembled.
“I’ll admit my mistake—I’ll accept punishment! But May 12th is Lily’s death anniversary! Adrian, you can’t be this heartless!”
No matter how desperately I begged, I was still forced into detention.
The following month felt like a nightmare.
On the day of my daughter’s memorial, I knelt on the ground crying, begging them to let me out—even if it meant going to prison afterward.
No one paid me any attention.
It wasn’t until the next day that Adrian finally came to pick me up.
I walked toward him blankly.
The joy in his eyes had not yet faded.
“Now that you know you were wrong, don’t be so willful in the future. Luna is fine. Tomorrow we’re going on our honeymoon. Just stay home and behave.”
Behave.
I repeated the word silently in my mind.
What could I possibly do now that wasn’t obedient?
The moment we got home, Adrian left again impatiently.
I noticed the entire courtyard was still covered in red decorations.
Remnants of their wedding.
The housekeeper approached me with a solemn expression.
“Madam… there’s something I must tell you. Please don’t get too upset.”
“What is it?”
“Yesterday, on the young lady’s memorial day… a master said it wasn’t appropriate to have joyous events. So Mr. Fu… had the young lady’s grave dug up…”
My breath stopped.
“And he scattered her ashes into the sea.”
A deafening roar filled my ears.
At that moment, I could no longer lie to myself.
Blood suddenly sprayed from my mouth.
Like a madwoman, I ran out of the house toward my child’s grave.
Cars on the road swerved wildly to avoid my crazed figure.
I ran toward the ocean.
I just wanted to embrace my child one last time.
Then—
a speeding car slammed straight into me.
Amid the screech of brakes, my body flew into the air before crashing violently into the sea.
As I sank beneath the waves, the seawater washed away my tears.
This time…
it was truly over.
At the exact moment Elena fell into the sea, the red string bracelet on Adrian’s wrist suddenly snapped.
The peachwood beads scattered across the wedding’s red carpet, rolling in every direction.
Years ago, he and Elena had climbed Mount Tai together and prayed for it at the temple of the Matchmaker God.
An old Taoist priest had told them that the red string bound together the fate of lovers across three lifetimes and would protect them from ever being separated.
The moment it broke, Adrian’s heart suddenly sank.
It felt as if an invisible hand had clenched around it.
A dull pain spread through his chest, making it hard to breathe, his fingertips tingling with numbness.
Standing in the bridal suite, surrounded by festive red decorations, a strange sense of panic rose within him.
He didn’t even notice Luna holding onto his arm.
“Adrian, what are you staring at?” Luna shook his arm, her eyes curved with a smile. “Why didn’t Elena come? I sent her an invitation. She’s my best friend—how could she miss my wedding?”
Adrian snapped back to reality.
The image of Elena in the detention center flashed across his mind—her face pale as paper, her eye sockets sunken, lips cracked, her body so thin it looked like it might collapse at any moment.
The way she looked at him had been empty, completely devoid of light.
That image pierced his heart unexpectedly.
He swallowed, suppressing the strange feeling, and gently rubbed Luna’s hair.
“Maybe something came up. She’ll come once she’s done.”
“How could that be?” Luna frowned, worry filling her face. “Elena would never act like this. Something must have happened. I’m going to look for her.”
She was about to leave when Adrian grabbed her and pulled her tightly into his arms.
“Tonight is our wedding night,” he said firmly. “Nothing is more important than you.”
His voice carried a tone that allowed no argument.
Lowering his head, he kissed her lips, swallowing the rest of her words.
Unable to resist his tenderness, Luna quickly softened and forgot about looking for Elena.
The red wedding candles burned through the entire night, casting a warm glow over the intimate room.
The next morning, Luna woke up to the shaking of an airplane.
Outside the window was a vast ocean of clouds.
A faint fragrance of perfume filled the cabin.
Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and realized they were already on a honeymoon flight to the Maldives.
Her eyes instantly reddened as she pushed Adrian.
“Why didn’t you tell me? I haven’t even found Elena yet!”
Adrian was prepared.
He wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, his tone gentle and indulgent.
“She sent me a message yesterday. Something urgent happened in her family, so she had to rush back to her hometown overnight.
She left in such a hurry she didn’t have time to tell you.”
Luna still looked doubtful.
“Then why didn’t she answer when I called her?”
Adrian took out his phone and played a voice message for her.
The soft voice sounded exactly like Elena’s.
It had been created using AI.
“Luna, I’m sorry. Something urgent happened at home, so I can’t attend your wedding. I wish you and Adrian a happy marriage and a lifetime together.
I’ll bring you a gift when I come back.”
The voice was so convincing that Luna’s suspicion disappeared instantly.
She mumbled a few words about Elena needing to take care of herself and stopped asking questions.
In the private space of the cabin, Adrian’s gentleness wrapped around her once again.
After another passionate moment, Luna grew sleepy and fell asleep against his shoulder.
Only when her breathing became steady did the warmth disappear from Adrian’s face.
What replaced it was a heavy shadow.
He took out another phone—his private one—and sent a message to his assistant:
Find Elena Song immediately. Alive or dead, I want to know.
His fingers paused as he opened their chat window.
The last message there was still the one he had sent her, telling her to stay home and behave.
The conversation box was empty.
There was not a single reply from her.
Just like her love over the past five years—
only giving, never receiving.
He assumed she was just angry.
Angry that he married Luna.
Angry that he had locked her in detention.
Angry that he hadn’t allowed her to visit their daughter’s grave.
After all, during their five years of marriage, she had always been obedient.
Whatever he said, she believed.
Whatever he asked, she did.
This time, she was probably just throwing a little tantrum.
Once her anger faded, she would naturally come back.
The assistant’s reply came quickly.
Mr. Fu, we’ve searched everywhere Miss Song might have gone. We still haven’t found her.
Adrian frowned deeply.
The unease in his heart grew heavier.
Keep looking. She must be hiding somewhere nearby.
He sent Elena a message, his tone still carrying his usual authority and impatience.
Elena Song, stop causing trouble. Come back and apologize to Luna.
I won’t hold this against you.
The message disappeared into silence.
There was no reply.
Over the next half month, Adrian traveled around the world with Luna.
The beaches of the Maldives.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The snowy mountains of Switzerland.
Their figures appeared everywhere.
Luna laughed freely like a spoiled child, clinging to him constantly.
Their days were sweet like honey, as if all the happiness in the world had gathered around them.
But Adrian often drifted into absentmindedness.
When he tasted a piece of tiramisu, he remembered Elena. It had been her favorite dessert. Every time she made it, she would sprinkle cocoa powder on top because he liked it.
When he saw a swing by the seaside, he remembered Elena again. Before they got married, she always dragged him to the park to swing, saying she hoped they could sway like that forever.
At night, when he woke up, Luna’s soft breathing would be beside him.
Yet what he saw in his mind was Elena’s quiet profile.
For five years, she had always waited for him to come home.
The light in the house had always been left on for him.
All those small details he had ignored…
All the tenderness he had taken for granted…
Now they resurfaced in his mind with painful clarity.
Like needles, stabbing his heart again and again.
He sent Elena several more messages.
At first they were commands.
Then accusations.
And eventually, a hint of panic slipped through.
Elena Song, where are you? Reply when you see this.
But the messages remained unread.
His assistant still had no news.
Adrian completely lost the mood for sightseeing.
The unease in his chest spread like a rising tide.
He decided to end the honeymoon early and personally return to search for Elena.
Even if she really was throwing a tantrum…
Even if she screamed at him hysterically…
He would accept it.
As long as she was still alive.
As long as she was still there.
But before he could tell Luna about the decision, her phone suddenly displayed a news notification.
The headline was bright red and painfully striking:
“Wife of Fu Group CEO Adrian Fu Falls Into the Sea and Dies. Body Confirmed Recovered.
”
Luna’s face turned pale instantly.
Her hand trembled as she held the phone.
She suddenly turned to Adrian, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief, her voice shaking.
“Adrian… what does this mean?”
“Mrs. Fu? Have you been married before? Did you lie to me?”
Her questions exploded in the cabin like thunder.
Adrian’s face also turned deathly pale.
He snatched the phone from her hand and stared at the news headline, his pupils shrinking sharply, his fingertips going cold.
Elena… was dead?
How could that be?
She had always been so obedient, so devoted to him. How could she simply die like that?
Seeing his lost expression, Luna instantly understood.
Tears streamed down her face as she cried out.
“You lied to me! You were married all along! You said you were observing mourning for three years! You said I was the only one! All of it was a lie!”
Adrian finally came back to himself.
Suppressing the storm raging inside him, he reached out to hold her, his voice flustered.
“Luna, listen to me. Things aren’t what you think—”
But he didn’t dare answer her question directly.
He didn’t dare tell her that Elena was his legal wife.
That she was the woman he had hidden for five years—the true Mrs. Fu, whose marriage certificate he had locked away in a safe.
Luna saw the evasiveness in his eyes.
Her heart turned cold.
She shoved him away and cried,
“I’m going back to the country! I’m going to find Elena! I need to know the truth!”
The plane made an emergency return.
During the turbulent flight, Adrian sat in silence.
Images of Elena kept flashing through his mind.
The girl he first met, smiling with bright eyes.
The gentle, considerate wife she became after their marriage.
And finally the hollow, numb figure he had seen in the detention center.
It felt as if a piece of his heart had been carved out.
The pain made it hard to breathe.
Even breathing tasted like blood.
After returning home, Luna immediately tried calling Elena and sending messages.
No one answered.
No one replied.
She searched like a madwoman.
Every place they had ever visited together.
Every person who knew Elena.
But there was no trace of her.
Until she opened the news again.
The reporter’s description of Mrs. Fu slowly overlapped with Elena.
A tiny tear-shaped mole at the corner of her eye.
A faint scar on her left wrist—the mark from when she was cut by broken glass while saving Luna years ago.
Luna’s mind went completely blank.
Elena…
Elena was Adrian’s wife.
The Mrs. Fu he had hidden for five years.
She had always thought Elena was just a pitiful woman stuck in a long relationship without a proposal.
But she never imagined that the pitiful woman
had been betrayed by both her best friend
and the man she loved most.
Her wedding
had become Elena’s funeral.
Her honeymoon
had become Elena’s final road.
Just as Luna collapsed on the ground, crying uncontrollably, a lawyer approached her.
He handed her a document.
It was Elena’s will.
Luna’s hands trembled as she opened it.
The contents shattered her completely.
Elena had left almost everything she owned—her houses, savings, stocks—
to Luna.
Not a single word mentioned Adrian.
At the very end of the will, there was only one sentence:
“Luna, may you always remain innocent and always be loved. Don’t end up like me.”
Those few words felt like a knife stabbing into Luna’s heart.
Clutching the will, she cried until her voice broke.
“Elena… I’m sorry… Elena, I was wrong…”
Meanwhile, Adrian stood inside the funeral home.
Looking at the cold black-and-white photograph, he finally believed it.
Elena was truly gone.
In the photograph, her eyes were gentle, a faint smile on her lips.
She looked just like she did when he first met her.
The lawyer handed him Elena’s final letter.
There wasn’t a single word written for him.
The entire letter was filled with instructions about Luna.
Telling the lawyer to help Luna manage the inheritance.
Telling Luna to take care of herself.
Warning her not to be deceived by anyone.
Adrian clenched the letter in his hands.
His knuckles turned white, the paper crumpling under his grip.
Five years of marriage.
He had given her a marriage certificate locked inside a safe.
A hidden identity that could never be revealed.
Endless grievances and betrayal.
And in the end, she didn’t even leave a single word of hatred for him.
It was as if he had never existed in her life.
Nothing was more painful than being completely ignored.
Regret flooded him like an overwhelming tide.
He couldn’t breathe.
He remembered Lily’s memorial day.
To hold a wedding, he had dug up their daughter’s grave
and scattered her ashes into the sea.
He remembered Elena kneeling in the detention center, begging him to let her go worship their daughter.
He had refused her without mercy.
He remembered the moment her car crashed toward his.
The despair and madness in her eyes.
Yet all he had noticed was Luna’s injury.
He was the most selfish man of all.
The worst of them all.
Leaning against the cold wall, Adrian slowly slid down to the floor.
Tears streamed down his face.
A low, broken sob escaped his throat, like a wounded beast.
“Elena… I’m sorry…”
“Elena… I was wrong…”
“Elena… please come back…”
But no matter how much he cried,
no matter how much he begged,
the woman in the photograph would never answer him again.
At that moment, the doors burst open.
Luna rushed in.
When she saw Adrian, her eyes burned red like an enraged lion.
She rushed forward and began hitting and cursing him.
“Adrian, you bastard! You killed Elena! You deserve to die!”
Her fists landed on him again and again.
They were light, almost weak.
But the pain in his heart was far worse.
He didn’t dodge.
He didn’t resist.
He simply let her hit him.
“Elena loved you so much! How could you treat her like that?” Luna cried, slapping him hard across the face.
The sound echoed sharply through the funeral hall.
“You lied to me, and you destroyed her. I will never forgive you for the rest of my life!”
Adrian’s cheek burned with pain.
But he still looked at her, his voice hoarse.
“Luna… I know I was wrong. Could you…”
He wanted to beg her.
Beg her to help him.
Beg her to find Elena with him—even if it was just a lie to comfort himself.
But before he could finish speaking, another slap struck his face.
“Don’t call my name. It’s filthy coming from you.”
Luna glared at him with hatred.
“Listen carefully, Adrian. I don’t believe Elena is dead. She’s too good to disappear like this. I will keep searching for her—until I find her.
”
With that, she turned and walked away.
Without a single trace of hesitation.
That departure lasted five years.
For five years, Luna gave up all her wealth and luxury, traveling across the world in search of Elena.
Adrian searched as well.
He used every connection and resource he had, yet he still found nothing.
He lived in endless regret and torment. The Fu Group fell into chaos under his management.
No other woman ever appeared by his side again.
A new red string was always tied around his wrist.
But no red string could ever bind the woman who had once loved him.
At last, in the summer of the fifth year, Luna found Elena.
It was in a quiet seaside country somewhere in Southeast Asia.
In a small town by the ocean stood a tiny flower shop.
Inside the shop was Elena.
She wore a simple dress, standing among the flowers, carefully trimming a rose.
Her features were still gentle.
But the light that once lived in her eyes was gone.
So were the ties that had once bound her to others.
She had lost her memory.
She no longer remembered Adrian.
She no longer remembered Lily.
She no longer remembered Luna.
All she knew was that her name was Frost, and she was the owner of this flower shop.
Yet when Luna stepped into the shop and softly called out,
“Elena…”
Something strange happened.
Elena’s eyes suddenly reddened.
Tears slipped down her face without warning.
She looked at Luna with confusion and unfamiliarity.
Yet she couldn’t stop herself from wanting to get closer.
Like a lost child, she gently reached out and held onto the corner of Luna’s clothes.
Luna’s tears burst out instantly.
Suppressing the pain in her heart, she pulled Elena into a gentle embrace.
“My name is Luna,” she said softly.
“I’m your friend. From now on… I’ll stay with you.”
She never told Elena about the past.
Instead, she stayed in the little town.
They ran the flower shop together.
They watched the sea together.
They walked through the quiet streets every evening.
Little by little, they got to know each other again.
Little by little, they became best friends once more.
Although Elena had lost her memories, she gradually grew dependent on Luna.
As long as Luna was nearby, Elena felt safe.
But this peaceful life did not last forever.
Adrian eventually found the place.
Standing outside the flower shop, he saw Elena inside.
His eyes instantly turned red.
Five years.
After five years, he had finally found her.
He rushed inside, reaching out as if to embrace her.
“Elena… I found you. Come home with me, okay?”
But Elena was frightened by his sudden movement.
She instinctively hid behind Luna, clutching Luna’s arm tightly.
Her eyes were full of fear.
Luna immediately stepped in front of her.
Her gaze turned cold, forming a wall between Adrian and Elena.
“Adrian. Get out.”
“Luna… let me talk to Elena. I know I was wrong. I want to make it up to her.”
Seeing Elena’s fearful expression felt like a knife twisting inside his chest.
His voice softened.
“Make it up to her?” Luna laughed coldly.
“With what?”
“Can you make up for five years of suffering?”
“Can you make up for the child she lost?”
“Can you make up for the life she almost lost?”
“Adrian… you don’t deserve it.”
She turned back and gently held Elena’s hand, calming her.
Then she looked at Adrian again, her voice firm.
“She’s called Frost now. She’s not your Elena anymore.”
“In her world, Adrian Fu no longer exists.”
“You should leave.”
“And never come back to disturb her again.”
Although Elena didn’t understand what had happened, she could feel Luna protecting her.
She peeked out from behind Luna and looked at Adrian.
Her gaze was distant and unfamiliar.
That distant look was the final straw.
Adrian knew it then.
He had lost her forever.
He stood there for a long time, staring at Elena.
Finally, he turned around and walked away.
Step by step.
His figure looked lonely and defeated.
No one knew that on his way back, Adrian was involved in a car accident.
The out-of-control truck that crashed into him was like the wave that had swallowed Elena years ago.
It devoured him completely.
His will was almost identical to Elena’s.
All of his wealth was left to Elena and Luna.
But he would never have the chance to see them live the happy life he had never given her.
The small seaside town remained quiet.
Elena and Luna stayed in that little flower shop by the sea.
Watching the tides rise and fall.
Watching flowers bloom and fade.
Sometimes Elena would remember small fragments of the past.
But she no longer felt sadness.
Because Luna was beside her.
They became each other’s support.
With the inheritance left behind by Adrian and Elena, they traveled the world.
Tasting food from every corner.
Seeing landscapes from every land.
They never entangled themselves with bad people again.
They never betrayed themselves again.
Under the warm sunlight, they stood side by side.
Bright and free.
Just like the lives they had always deserved.
END
