Everyone knew Cooper Green adored me and loved me with every beat of his heart. In his quest to win my affection, he, who usually shied away from crowds, stood before thousands on stage and serenaded me with love songs.

He spared no expense when he proposed crafting a rose garden just for me, a symbol of his devotion.

Whenever something good came his way, he was always the first to offer it to me, eager to share his happiness.

Yet, it was this same man, the one who seemed to adore me so fully, who allowed his secretary to get pregnant behind my back.

Staring at the ultrasound and the intimate photos she’d sent, I didn’t cry, didn’t lash out. Instead, I calmly applied to cancel all my accounts, vanishing from his world without a trace.

"Miss Sanders, are you absolutely certain you wish to apply for the cancellation of your identity accounts? Once they’re canceled, you will cease to exist in this world and no one will be able to trace you."

"I’m sure."

I nodded firmly, my decision final.

Before we married, I had promised Cooper that if he ever deceived me, I would leave without a second thought and vanish completely, never to be found again.

Now, I was simply making good on that promise, leaving him behind for good.

After taking care of everything, I didn’t rush home. Instead, I wandered aimlessly for hours, letting the weight of the decision settle in.

When I finally returned, the apartment was pitch dark, an eerie silence hanging in the air.

I pulled out my phone and checked the time: 9 PM.

Today was my birthday and Cooper had promised he would return early to celebrate with me. Yet, not only had I not seen him, but I hadn’t even received a single call.

As I was stewing in disappointment, another photo appeared on my phone from an unfamiliar number.

The image hit me like a slap to the face.

Kaia Russels, clad in a revealing bunny girl outfit, stood in the frame, her skin marked with red welts. Her expression was taunting, seductive. And in the bottom-right corner, there was a hand, Cooper's unmistakable hand.

He wore the same wedding ring as mine, a ring he had designed and had custom-made just for us.

It had always been a symbol of his love for me.

Now, the irony of it all stung sharper than ever.

I could hardly fathom what was going through his mind as he looked at the ring, knowing he’d been fooling around with someone else. Was it excitement? Or guilt?

A bitter smile tugged at my lips and helplessness washed over me. My eyes blurred and the sting of tears threatened to spill.

Just then, the door swung open.

Cooper rushed in, his shoes still on, his hurried steps betraying his anxiety. “Sorry, baby, I lost track of time at the meeting. I came back late and almost missed your birthday. It’s all my fault…”

I wondered if it was work that had made him lose track of time or if it was her.

Before he could finish, he noticed the tears at the corners of my eyes, his face instantly clouding with concern. He hurried to wipe them away, his touch gentle.

“What happened? Did someone hurt you?”

Seeing the genuine worry in his eyes, I could barely choke out a word, trembling as I whispered, “You.”

Cooper froze, his expression momentarily faltering before he gave a helpless, wry smile. “Alright, alright, it’s all my fault. From now on, I promise I’ll put you first. I won’t be this late again. Please, don’t be angry.”

His voice softened as he coaxed, kissing the damp corner of my eye with a tenderness that would have melted me in any other moment.

But not now.

Now, all I felt was a wave of disgust that churned in my chest, the memory of what had just unfolded making my stomach turn.

I silently pushed him away, stepping back, the distance between us growing with each passing second.

Cooper’s eyes sharpened at my withdrawal, unease creeping into his expression. He hesitated before speaking, his voice tinged with caution. “Wife… I really know I was wrong. How about you take a look at your birthday gift?”

He paused, then with a slight quiver in his voice, added, “This time, it’s something special. A necklace I designed myself. I named it Lunaria, using one of the characters from your name.”

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.

I couldn’t bring myself to compromise, not like my mother had. I wouldn’t settle for a life of misery, enduring a man who had long since fallen apart.

When Dad was young, he’d often wander, pouring all his tenderness into other women, while coming home to beat and berate both my mother and me.

Everyone told her to leave him, but she would just cry and say, “If I leave him, how will I live? My husband is here; where else can I go?”

Then, my dad died in a car accident after a night of drinking and not long after, my mom remarried.

On the day of her wedding, she told me, “As long as he loves you, everything can be worked through. Life’s short, don’t be too greedy. There’s no cat that doesn’t stray, so don’t hold on too tightly to every little thing.”

Once she remarried, we lost touch. She had her new family and I was left as nothing more than a shadow in the background.

I drifted like a sail caught in the wind, always moving between the shorelines, never quite anchored.

It wasn’t until Cooper pulled me from that drifting life that I began to understand what a home could feel like. What seemed like the perfect place, the perfect life, was given to me.

But when I looked back, I still felt the pull of the open sea, unsure and adrift.

When Cooper wasn’t home, I stumbled upon the love letters he had written to me years ago.

Five hundred and twenty letters, each one a testament to his devotion, with not a single word repeated.

They held all the emotions he’d felt at the time, all the love he had poured into me.

I had treasured them, telling myself that someday, when I was old and gray, I would read them again and relive the memories of our youth.

But now, that time had passed.

I grabbed a fire pit and a lighter, tossing each letter into the flames.

The flames crackled and leaped higher, their warmth soothing the emptiness in my chest and gradually, my heart began to quiet.

When Cooper returned, he caught sight of the scene.

His heart skipped a beat and he rushed over in instinctive concern.

“Wife, what are you burning?”

At the sound of his voice, I rose slowly to my feet, my gaze steady.

“I was just cleaning up and found some things I no longer need. I thought I’d burn them.”

Worried that I might get too close to the fire, he gently pulled me back a step.

“These things can be handled by the servants. Be careful, don’t hurt yourself.”

His focus was entirely on me, so he didn’t notice the letters that hadn’t fully burned in the fire pit.

If he had glanced just a moment longer, he would’ve seen that one of the burnt letters still bore his name.

“Wife, I’ve wrapped up most of the work stuff. I have some free time today and I want to spend it with you. Where would you like to go?”

He smiled softly and pulled me into a warm embrace, his dark eyes sparkling with affection.

No matter where I wanted to go, he would always be by my side.

Just like before, he never hesitated to follow my spontaneous whims.

I paused for a moment, feeling restless in the house.

“Let’s go play baseball. I haven’t played in a while.”

Cooper nodded, quickly finding me some sportswear before leading me to the baseball field.

But, of course, fate had other plans. As soon as we arrived, I found Cooper's friends already there.

Beside him stood Kaia, dressed in sportswear, her presence completely unbothered by my arrival.

She flashed me a bright, knowing smile. “So, this is Miss Sanders. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Cooper’s expression darkened as he glared at her, his voice cold as he corrected her. “This is my wife. You should call her Mrs. Green.”

The smile on Kaia’s face instantly stiffened, her expression turning bitter, but she complied. “Mrs. Green.”

I offered a quiet “Hmm” in response and made my way to the changing room.

When I came out, Cooper was nowhere to be found.

I walked toward the exit, but then I heard faint sounds coming from the bathroom.

Driven by an impulse I couldn’t explain, I found myself walking toward it.

Inside, Cooper stood with a cold, hard expression, his hand gripping Kaia’s chin as he spoke in a low, stern voice. “Behave yourself. If Luna finds out about this, you’ll regret it.”