“Avery’s Valentine’s gift arrived, right? Put it in my car later. I’ll bring it home and give it to her.”
His buddy nearly lost it.
“I’ve got no issue with you spoiling your wife, but spoiling two at the same time? That’s beyond me. You’re in love with Addison, so why bring Avery back? You’ve kept the marriage a secret all this time. She’s bound to find out sooner or later. Then what? Are you going to ask Addison to step aside?”
His face instantly darkened.
“Addison is my legal wife. I’d never let her go.”
He took a breath, voice low.
“I made a promise to Avery’s parents before they passed. I said I’d take care of her. If I’d returned sooner, she wouldn’t have been forced into that overseas marriage. I heard those three years nearly broke her…”
“I owe her. I have to make it up to her, anything she wants. Anything, except marriage.”
His friend groaned in frustration.
“Don’t tell me you still haven’t let go of her? If it’s just sympathy, then get her out of that mess and give her money. Isn’t that enough?”
“Partially,” he muttered. “After all… I did love her once. Even now, I still like her.”
Just as those words fell, the sharp click of high heels echoed around the corner.
She appeared sweet and radiant, speaking into her phone with a gentle smile.
“If your gift’s not special, I won’t forgive you.”
Panic swept through the private room like wildfire.
“Remember, don’t mention her in front of her,” someone whispered in a panic.
Tears welled up without warning. I turned and fled the bar, humiliated.
The moment I stepped outside, I gasped for breath, desperate for air, but no matter how hard I tried, my lungs refused to fill.
Before coming here, I had made up a thousand excuses for him.
Maybe she was forced into marriage, and he had stepped in to help.
Maybe she had lost everything, and he helped her rebuild.
I wanted to believe that because of love, he couldn’t have betrayed me.
But no matter how many reasons I tried to tell myself, none of them could hold up against this cruel truth.
Every excuse shattered into silence because the only reason left was painfully clear.
He simply didn’t love me anymore.
It was that simple.
Rain mixed with tears as they streamed down my face. I stood by the roadside, arm raised, trying to flag down a taxi.
Behind me, the voices of employees buzzed with excitement.
“Isn’t that the hidden wife he’s been keeping out of the public eye? I heard they’ve been married for five years now. She’s gorgeous, way prettier than any celebrity. No wonder he hides her. He’s probably scared someone else might snatch her.”
“Obviously! Did you see how they decorated that private room? Do you even know how much that cost?”
Someone raised five fingers.
“Fifty thousand? That’s more than my whole year’s salary!”
“No, you idiot, five million! Do you think the rich live like us? All those diamonds used for the décor were flown in from South Africa. I’ve worked here for ten years, and I’ve never seen a private room that is blinding. And don’t even get me started on the gift he gave her!”
Just as I was on the verge of collapsing, a taxi finally rolled to a stop.
I rushed inside, terrified that even a second’s hesitation would send me running back to him.
A tangled mess of emotions tore through my chest like poisoned needles, each breath a stab to the heart.
It felt like something had been violently carved out of me. Even breathing burned.
When the car reached the gates of the university, I couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“Let me off here,” I said quietly.
I stepped into the rain, walking across the campus lawn, not bothering to shield myself or look back.
People turned to stare, but I didn’t care.
Someone whispered excitedly nearby, “Isn’t that Miss Chandler?”
“Who?”
“You don’t know her? Have you never checked the forums? Back then, her love story with Senior Carter was everywhere. Childhood sweethearts got accepted into this university together, and on the very first day, he confessed to her in front of everyone. It was legendary. No drama could ever top their story.”
