If Brenton had glanced out the window, he would have seen his wife sitting off to the side of the road, soaked through by the rain, her body cold, and her eyes empty.
But he never turned. All his attention stayed on the excitement the young woman stirred in him, and the thought of his wife no longer crossed his mind.
Arabella watched as the car disappeared into the glow of the neon lights before pushing herself to stand.
From her bag, she pulled out the fertility test report. She ripped it apart piece by piece and then dropped the torn scraps into a nearby trash bin.
Without hesitation, she turned around and headed the other way.
Night had settled in completely, and a thin drizzle kept falling.
Even the usually lively business district had gone quiet and empty.
At a street corner, an elderly woman crouched under a streetlamp. Rain mist clung to her gray hair, and a small pile of flowers rested at her feet.
Arabella felt that life never went easy on people, and love offered no help.
Arabella slid off her wedding ring, placed it into the elderly woman's palm, and then gently folded the woman's fingers over it. "It's raining. You should head home soon."
Before the elderly woman could react, Arabella had already walked away.
Shortly after, a black Rolls-Royce pulled up at the intersection, coming to a stop. The driver's door swung open.
A man stepped out, his polished dress shoes touching the wet pavement as his suit pants lifted slightly, revealing his sharp ankles covered by black socks.
With a straight posture, he stepped out of the car and raised a black umbrella over his head. He moved closer and helped the shaking elderly woman to her feet, his brows drawn together.
The elderly woman quickly spoke up. "Conny, don't get upset with me. I didn't think it would start raining. I'm still in good shape. A little rain won't do anything to me."
Earlier, the elderly woman had gone to watch a concert. On the way back, the driver accidentally knocked down a woman who was selling flowers.
The driver brought the woman to the hospital. Since they were already close to the company, the elderly woman stayed by the roadside and waited for her workaholic grandson to come get her.
Under her grandson's cold gaze, the elderly woman's voice trailed off. Then, something came to her mind, and she quickly took out the ring and handed it over. "A young lady got the wrong idea and pushed this ring into my hand. She left before I could explain anything. Hurry and catch her so you can give it back." She pointed toward a direction.
Connor Brooks followed where his grandmother pointed, though all he saw was a slim figure fading into the neon glow. "You get inside the car first," he said.
Once he settled his grandmother in the seat, he adjusted the temperature, draped a blanket over her, and shut the door. Without wasting another second, he turned and went after the young lady.
His steps carried him forward in long strides, and the distant figure ahead slowly came into focus.
Rain fell in a steady drizzle as she moved at an unhurried pace, her mist-blue trench coat soaked through and clinging to her frame, drawing attention to her narrow waist and making her look even more delicate.
Each step she took carried quiet resolve. Her posture stayed straight, and a distant chill lingered around her, as if the noise of the city could not reach her.
Connor picked up speed, but when he rounded the corner, she had already vanished. Nothing remained on the long stretch of road. Puddles scattered across the pavement caught the broken glow of the lights, leaving him to wonder if he had imagined her at all.
Connor returned to the car, and the elderly woman leaned forward right away, waiting for his answer.
Connor shrugged. "Didn't catch up."
"You're in charge of an airline, and you deal with planes every day. Yet you still lost track of one woman?"
"Grandma, your logic is flawed."
"You really disappointed me this time. That lady was both kind and beautiful. If you had shown up just a little earlier, I might've set you up with her."
With a flat tone, Connor said, "She's married."
He handed the ring to Kristen Brooks and pointed out that it was clearly a wedding ring.
Kristen pulled her hand away at once and pushed the ring back toward him. "Married or not, what does it matter? She took off her wedding ring. Doesn't that say something? You should've taken the chance."
Between his fingers, Connor slowly rotated the ring. The pink diamond caught what little light there was and gave off a sharp glow. He found himself holding onto a wedding ring that belonged to someone he didn't even know, with no idea what he was supposed to do next.
Kristen fixed him with a hard stare.
With a quiet sigh, Connor gave in and flicked the ring onto the center console. A faint smile touched his lips, and there was a careless ease in the way he looked as he said, "You're really that desperate for me to go after her?"
"I'm not joking with you. That ring is worth at least a million. You have to find that woman and return it. Do you understand?"
"Alright, I hear you," Connor replied, his eyes drifting toward the ring resting on the console. This was going to be a hassle.
......
Only after settling into the taxi did Arabella notice the message Brenton had sent two hours ago. "Honey, I've got something to deal with tonight, so I won't be coming home. Go to bed early."
Arabella didn't respond. Instead, she backed out of the chat, unpinned the conversation, and erased the contact name she had saved as "Darling."
When she stepped back home, silence greeted her. The place felt cold and lifeless. Dragging her tired body upstairs, she pushed open the bedroom door and then stopped where she stood.
Flowers covered the entire room. Rose petals stretched from the doorway all the way to the bed.
Even the bedding had been switched out to her favorite yellow silk set.
Petals lay scattered across everything, creating a warm and romantic scene.
Every bit of preparation she had made now felt like nothing more than a cruel joke.
Without hesitation, Arabella hurried forward and yanked at the sheets, sweeping away those pointless petals along with them.
A sharp, nonstop doorbell ringing dragged Arabella out of sleep the next morning, and her head throbbed as she forced herself awake. Still groggy, she made her way downstairs and pulled the door open.
Her best friend, Madisyn Owen, stood outside with anger written all over her face. She didn't give Arabella a chance to react before pulling her into a tight hug, her teeth clenched as she started venting.
"That jerk Brenton! What is he even thinking? His career is finally going somewhere, and this is when he decides to mess things up with an affair? He kept the woman he actually wanted, used you as a cover, and played the role of a perfect husband this whole time. Honestly, he should go into acting with his top-notch skills!"
The more she spoke, the more agitated she seemed.
Guiding Madisyn inside, Arabella brought her over to the sofa and handed her a glass of water.
Madisyn drank it in one go. When she finally looked up, she noticed the exhaustion on Arabella's face and the dark circles under her eyes. Her expression shifted, and she reached into her bag to pull out a stack of photos. "Bella..."
"It's fine. What did you find? Let me take a look," Arabella replied, forcing a small smile as she reached for the photos.
Arabella had already braced herself, but the moment her eyes landed on those close, intimate shots, her breathing faltered. So this was the truth. Brenton had been keeping Sallie at Aroma Villa, a place not far from the company.
The two of them walked around openly, shopping side by side, their fingers intertwined as they headed home together.
Under the dim light of dusk, Sallie clung to Brenton, her legs hooked around his waist as they stumbled together toward their house, their closeness leaving little to the imagination.
Some designer bags Sallie showed off online were even identical to the ones Brenton had gifted Arabella.
In her most recent post, Sallie wore a diamond bracelet draped across her fingers, pressed lightly against a man's chest, with a caption that read, "He gives me diamonds, and his heart is never far from me."
Arabella's fingers tightened until the color drained from her knuckles, and a sharp sting filled her eyes. It wasn't lingering affection, but the raw ache of something that hadn't fully healed, and regret crept in over her misplaced trust. Someone who gave their heart blindly had to accept the cost that came with it.
Madisyn snatched the photos away, her gaze softening with sympathy. "Good thing you never had sex with him. If you had, you'd probably need a full check-up, and even if the report came back just fine, the sickening feelings alone would stick with you forever."
A dry laugh slipped from Arabella as she shook her head. "Then I guess I am somewhat lucky."
Without hesitation, Arabella rose to her feet and headed upstairs. A moment later, she came back down carrying two large bags and dropped them in front of Madisyn. "Sell these items for me and use the money to support those underprivileged students."
Everything inside the bags came from Brenton. Clothes, handbags, perfume, watches, and jewelry—gifts he'd given her over the past few years.
While packing them, Arabella finally saw them for what they were—selected casually without much thought or care.
There was a time when she held onto them as if they were treasures. But now, she didn't even want the person who gave them to her, let alone the things he gave her. She wouldn't want to wear some of them out, only to bump into his mistresses who donned the precise same pieces.
Both Arabella and Madisyn had grown up in the same orphanage, and now Madisyn, along with two friends, had started a studio. They took on any job that paid. Following people, taking photos, exposing affairs, pretending to be someone's partner, buying and selling items for others, chasing after celebrities, and even walking dogs. As long as there was money, they would do it.
Pulling the bags closer, Madisyn didn't hesitate before making up her mind. "I'll just copy Brenton's moves, masking the unfaithfulness with the noble name of sponsoring those in need. Let's see how Brenton likes being on the other side of things."
Madisyn had no intention of letting Brenton off the hook easily.
A wry laugh slipped from Arabella as she shook her head. "That won't be necessary. Just use the money to help those underprivileged students. Not every one in a bad situation turns out like Sallie. And Brenton may be awful, but I'm not going to sink to his level."
Madisyn let out a long breath, silently cursing Brenton over and over again. That jerk had lost Arabella, the rare gem, forever.
Madisyn asked, "What are you going to do next? His business is doing better than ever right now. For someone who built everything from nothing, his reputation matters too much. There's no way he'll let his image as a devoted husband fall apart. I don't think he'll agree to a divorce that easily..."
On top of that, Madisyn had always felt Brenton was somewhat obsessive. It didn't seem like he was completely indifferent to Arabella, and that made things even more complicated.
......
The rest of the day passed with Arabella staying home, sorting through her things and preparing to leave as soon as possible.
Her grandmother had left her a small apartment before her death. Arabella decided that once everything was settled, she would move there.
By the time evening came, Arabella sat in front of the vanity, carefully getting ready when Brenton returned to take her to dine with the Rogers family.
Coming up from behind, Brenton rested his hand on her shoulder and gazed at her through the mirror. "You look stunning."
Her lashes lowered for a moment before she turned to meet his eyes. "Brenton, do you actually love me?"
Brenton leaned down and wrapped his arms around her. "Why would you suddenly ask something like that? Have I been neglecting you lately because of work? Once I get some time off, I'll make it up to you. We can finally have our wedding and go on our honeymoon. Didn't you always say you wanted to travel overseas?"
She shifted back slightly, letting his arms fall away without making it obvious. "There's no need for that. If there's no love between us, then we should just divorce. I don't have to stay as your wife."
They had known each other for thirteen years. Even if love hadn't grown the way it should have, there should've been at least something left between them. What she wanted was simple. She hoped he would be honest for once, so they could part without tearing everything apart.
However, upon hearing her words, Brenton's hand shot up and clamped around her jaw. His expression hardened, and his voice dropped into something cold and sharp. "Divorce? Don't even think about it! The only way this marriage becomes invalid is the death of either of us. I will never accept a divorce!"
Each word struck her like a blow. A chill ran down her spine, and the color drained from her face.
