He eagerly opened the gift box, his eyes locked on me, brimming with anticipation.
My emotions surged and when I caught sight of the necklace, it nearly shattered me.
Cooper, which version of you was the real one?
Before we married, countless suitors had come and gone, but with my family's misfortune, I had never believed in love.
Most gave up after a few rejections, but not him. He chased me relentlessly for three years.
To capture my attention, he, who usually loathed noisy crowds, stood before thousands and sang love songs just for me.
His pursuit was intense and unashamed and soon, everyone knew it.
The more I resisted, the more determined he became.
When I was bullied, he was always the first to show up, standing by my side and protecting me.
He fought for me, getting hurt and almost losing his life in the process.
His unguarded love for me, raw and unwavering, left me speechless.
As long as I was there, his gaze never strayed from me.
When he proposed, he built a rose garden just for me, a place meant to hold the most beautiful memories.
Each rose had been carefully planted by his hands.
Roses were beautiful, yes, but they came with thorns.
He tended to them with such care, but in doing so, his hands were cut, bleeding for the love he had for me.
Seeing the uncertainty in my eyes, he offered a smile and said, “As long as you like it, I’d do anything. My wife deserves only the best.”
But the man making these promises was the same one whose heart had already changed.
Noticing my silence, Cooper grew more anxious, his confusion evident. He couldn’t understand what he had done to upset me.
“Wife, don’t you like it? If it’s not to your taste, I’ll buy you another one, I swear,” he said, already pulling out his phone and searching for more expensive gemstones. “How about this one?”
Just then, a message from Kaia popped up on his screen.
“Cooper, I’m feeling unwell. Can you take me to the hospital?”
It flashed briefly before he hurriedly swiped it away, his nervous glance meeting mine.
I kept my expression unchanged, not letting him know I had seen it. He sighed in relief and muttered, “If you don’t like any of these, I’ll have someone send the latest gemstone catalog tomorrow. You can take your time to choose.”
I lowered my gaze, offering a quiet, nonchalant “Hmm.”
Cooper, lost in his thoughts, likely distracted by Kaia’s message, failed to notice the subtle shift in my mood.
After a while, his phone rang. Without glancing at the screen, he quickly rose to his feet and said, “Wife, there’s an issue at the company. I need to take care of it. Don’t wait up for me; just go ahead and sleep.”
Before I could utter a word, he grabbed his coat and rushed out, slamming the door behind him.
I listened to the sound of the engine rumbling outside before slowly dragging my stiff legs toward the window.
Once, every time Cooper left, he couldn’t bear to be away from me. He’d cling to me, reluctant to go, as if his heart was tethered to mine.
But now, it had become a ritual; his departures were swift and without hesitation.
Not long after, another message from Kaia flashed across my phone.
It was a picture of Cooper’s back as he worked in the kitchen, busy and absorbed in what he was doing.
She wrote, “Baby was crying, but the moment Daddy showed up, he quieted right down. Don’t you think that’s what they mean by a bloodline connection?”
I didn’t reply. Kaia didn’t need my responses; she sent message after message, her words dripping with pride and taunting.
As long as Cooper was with her, she would keep sending her little provocations.
I saw everything but said nothing.
What I wanted now wasn’t confrontation; I simply needed to wait for the right moment, to slip away quietly, to disappear somewhere no one could find me.
