Chapter 3

We survived the hardest two years and finally paid off all the debts.

The company finally started showing signs of improvement.

I tentatively brought it up. "We should get married."

But he froze for a moment, then smiled and ruffled my hair.

"What's the rush? Now's not the right time. Wait a little longer. Once I've saved enough money to get you the most dazzling wedding ring and throw you a wedding of the century, then you can marry me in style."

He leaned down to kiss me, to soothe me.

"Don't worry. You're the only one who'll ever be my wife. It's not like I'm going anywhere."

After that, his social engagements visibly increased.

And a new secretary appeared by his side.

Monica began infiltrating every corner of Adrian's life.

By the time I realized something was wrong, it was already too late.

I fought with him countless times.

I gave him two choices: either fire Monica,

or marry me.

He stayed silent and chose neither.

The disappointment in my heart kept accumulating.

When I got pregnant for the first time, our cold war was at its worst.

During pregnancy, I threw up violently, my legs swelled badly, and I'd wake up at night with cramps.

He rarely came home.

I toughed it out alone.

He knew I loved the ocean.

As usual, he booked a five-day, five-night luxury cruise for my birthday.

But on the deck, I saw Monica, smiling and radiant.

On the second day of the trip, the cruise ship had a sinking accident.

Terrified crowds surged toward the lifeboats.

Holding my heavy belly, I was panicked and helpless.

He'd paid a premium for two spots on a lifeboat. He'd just climbed aboard and immediately reached out to help me.

But Monica rushed out in a panic, crying and pushing me aside.

"Adrian, she's pregnant-the rescue crew will definitely prioritize getting her on the next boat! But what about me..."

Adrian actually hesitated.

The crowd jostled violently.

Something fell from above. I slipped, and instantly the seawater swallowed me.

"Emma!"

When I woke up, agonizing pain radiated from my lower body.

The doctor told me the baby was dead. A boy.

I only looked at him once before tears poured out uncontrollably-his features looked so much like Adrian's.

Halfway through the cruise, I stumbled out of bed.

I opened the urn I'd brought from home.

"Baby," I said softly to the churning waves, "Mommy is so sorry."

"Is it okay if Mommy leaves you here?" My tears blurred my vision.

I scattered the ashes across the ocean surface.

After losing the baby, I became more and more silent.

Whether Adrian spoke sweetly or exploded in rage, I couldn't even be bothered to lift my eyelids in response.

He couldn't take it anymore.

He threw himself at my bedside, his eyes red as he roared.

"What do you want from me so you'll forgive me? Tell me!"

After that, he came home almost every night, forcibly sharing the bed with me.

I didn't resist, but I didn't respond either.

I got pregnant again.

Looking at the pregnancy test results, I felt a faint stirring in my heart.

I hoped the child could come back to me.

Adrian finally agreed to promise he would cut things off with Monica completely.

His schedule became more regular. Occasionally, he'd bring home a bouquet of lilies to help me sleep.

At night, he would wrap his arms around my increasingly heavy waist from behind.

Maybe this child's arrival really could change something.

But not long after, I found a pair of stockings in Adrian's suit pocket that didn't belong to me.

They still carried Monica's body heat, like a slap across my face.

I went to the company in a daze.

Through the glass, I saw Monica-the one Adrian said he'd already fired.

Her workstation was right across from Adrian's, with a large bouquet of lilies on her desk.

When she saw me, she wasn't surprised at all. She even provocatively raised her left ring finger, showing off her ring.

I grabbed everything within reach and smashed it wildly at that glaring scene!

Adrian rushed out, his face ashen with fury. In his rage, he raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face.

"Who let you in here? This is the office! If you want to make a scene, go home and do it there!"

I covered my face, looking at the disgust in his eyes.

How did we get to this point?

After the scandal broke, the stock price plummeted. The board was in chaos.

Adrian ordered me to immediately clear Monica's name.

"Issue a statement saying everything was your delusional imagination from a mental breakdown! Otherwise-" his threatening gaze slid toward my swollen belly.

"I want to see your clarification statement before I leave the country. Monica's been in a bad mood lately. I'm taking her to Iceland to relax-she's always loved the Northern Lights there."

The last place I went was the cemetery.

Today was the anniversary of my mother's death.

I gently pressed my cheek against the gravestone and whispered, "Mom, I came to see you."

I lit the paper money I'd brought.

Then I took out the sunflower painting and gently placed it in the fire.

Finally, there was a stack of Adrian's photos.

My fingertips brushed over that familiar yet strange face in the photos as his features twisted and warped in the flames.

Everything burned.

I burned what my mother had left me.

I burned the last trace of my feelings for him.

After losing that baby, I truly had no one left.

I unlocked my phone. A tidal wave of hatred flooded the screen.

There was nothing left in this world to stay for.

I slowly drew out the dagger I'd prepared.

I pressed its edge to the inside of my left wrist.

I pushed down hard.

Bright red blood gushed out, trickling down my pale wrist and dripping onto the cold stone base of the gravestone.

Then, a familiar ringtone cut through the silence.