Alexei was never the same after I disappeared. He drowned himself in alcohol every day.
My father died in an accident while searching for me. My mother fell into despair and even thought about ending her life. In the end, with our relatives’ persuasion, she adopted a girl named Camille. She looked a bit like me.
At Camille’s coming-of-age ceremony, Alexei who had turned a successful man fell in love with her at first sight. He started pursuing her passionately. After years of getting closer, the two finally got married last year.
And just then, I... the me from ten years ago... suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I came into this strange new world, still covered in the dust of the past.
My mother spoke about everything so calmly, but her words felt like a heavy stone pressing on my chest.
Back then, Alexei had promised to marry no one but me. We only had one argument and now he had married someone else?
He used to love me so deeply…
As if he could read my thoughts, Alexei sighed softly. “Emilia, ten years have passed. We’ve all moved on. Back then, you vanished without a word. You almost destroyed both of our families.”
He finally asked, “You can’t be that selfish. Do you want everyone to die for you?”
“I didn’t disappear on purpose!” Looking at his familiar yet distant face, I felt tears sting my eyes. “It was just a normal morning. I opened a door and the next thing I knew… I stood here—ten years later.”
I added, “I don’t know what happened, or how to go back. And I don’t understand… how my loving family had turned so cold.”
The more I thought about it, the sadder I felt. However, Alexei simply told his assistant to send me away. He calmly handed me a black credit card.
“Camille is pregnant now. My mother needs to stay home to take care of her. It’s not convenient for you to live with us.”
“I’ve asked my assistant to book a nearby hotel for you. You can look around. When you find a house you like, just tell him to buy it for you.”
“If you need anything else, just use the card. If you don’t understand something, ask Alfred.”
Every word he said meant one thing: 'don’t come near me again'.
I stared at the VVIP black card in my hand, feeling slightly dizzy.
Back then, what Alexei and I wanted most was to buy a small home of our own in the Capital City. We dreamed of raising our child there, of having a real family, no more leaking roofs, no more desperately wanting for clothes we couldn’t afford.
Now, the house was within our reach and there’s more money than I could ever spend. Ironically, I couldn't feel happy at all. Because… I no longer had a home.
Everything here was perfect, but none of it belonged to me.
I looked around helplessly. All the sadness I had been holding in finally burst out the moment security guards came to escort me away.
“Why? Why are you treating me like this? What did I do wrong? Alexei, did you forget? You once swore in front of my parents that you’d treat me well for life!”
Thinking of the past, I wiped my tears and kept crying. “Alexei, you weren’t like this before. You loved me so much.”
“You used to bring me small cakes from your office, holding them carefully in your hands. On my birthday, when we had no money, you secretly sold your blood just to buy me a gift.”
“And once, when you lost your job, I sold our wedding jewelry to help us get by. When you found out, you cried alone for so long and said you’d become successful—so I’d never have to suffer again.”
