Rosemary could only sigh in surrender. As she stepped out of the office and opened the door, her gaze met mine.

In that instant, I saw the shock on her face.

“T-Trevor, what are you doing here? Have you got here for a while?”

I tried masking the sadness in my eyes and forced a casual smile. “I Just arrived, was about to go in when you came out.”

“Did you... hear our conversation just now?”

I pretended to be confused. “What were you two talking about?”

“No, nothing...” Rosemary quickly left the room afterward.

When my eyes met Ashley’s, she lowered her head with guilt. “How did you get here so fast?”

I simply nodded. “You said there were important files on the phone. I figured it must be something urgent.”

Ashley stood up and walked over to me, her delicate hands wrapping around my neck.

“Why don’t you go sit somewhere while I finish up? I’ll come find you when I’m done. By the way, I remember you like coffee, so here, have mine.”

She lifted her coffee and brought it to me. I took it with difficulty, managing a faint smile. “Okay, I’ll wait for you in the lounge.”

As I closed the door behind me, the world blurred before my eyes. My steps faltered and I felt dizzy, as if I were about to collapse.

I spent just a few minutes inside, but it felt like an eternity, each second dragging on like a century.

I was terrified I would break down and confront Ashley right then and there. I’d demand to know why she was so heartless.

I had always believed my father’s death was just a tragic accident, but now I realized it was part of a long-planned scheme she’d orchestrated. Just to gain Zachary’s favor.

Back then, Mae’s betrayal left me feel so isolated and helpless. When Ashley appeared, I thought she was the lifeline I could cling to—the person thing that could save me from drowning.

Now that I’d reached this point, I realized how naïve I was.

Her love for me was so intense it could make anyone envious, but only I knew the truth. It was nothing more than a way for her to make amends for what she did to me.

The bitterness of the coffee spread across my tongue. Compared to my pained heart thought, it was not even close.

As I walked toward the lounge, I passed a small corner and noticed a door wasn’t fully closed. I was about to pass on when a large photo wall on the adjacent wall caught my eye.

I looked around, nobody was around. Then I took advantage of the situation before stepping inside.

The room was filled with an overwhelming array of objects that seemed to pierce my eyes. The entire wall was covered with countless photos, arranged tightly and densely.

And in every single one, there was Zachary’s face.

The way he diligently studied.

The way he smiled.

The way he moved so energetically on the basketball court.

The way he gave it his all to claim victory in the swimming pool.

On another wall hung rows of medals and trophies, shining symbols of Zachary’s achievements in university swimming competitions. I couldn’t wrap my head around why these pictures and items were here, in this room.

On a display table, stacks of receipts were neatly arranged—donation records from Ashley’s years of charitable activities, all made in Zachary’s name.

At the center of the display were over a dozen tokens of good luck, each marked with a specific year. She had done all this for one purpose: to bring fortune and protection to Zachary.

It suddenly hit me—how Ashley would disappear for a few days every year, always at the same time. Now I understood. She had been going to the church to pray for Zachary.

In all our years of marriage, she had never made such dedicated prayer for me. Yet, she’d never missed a year to do so for Zachary. No matter how terrible the weather outside.

My chest tightened painfully, my breath growing rapid.

What truly caught my eye was a small notebook lying carelessly in an inconspicuous corner. I picked it up and flipped through its pages, immediately recognizing the graceful and familiar handwriting.

Inside, precise times were recorded, down to the exact second.

It recorded the first time Ashley and Zachary met at university.

The first time they held hands.

Their first kiss.

Her first heartbreak.

The first day she drank for seven days and nights because Zachary was getting married.

What Zachary liked to eat, what he enjoyed doing—everything was meticulously detailed.

Every stroke of the pen carried her subtle affection.

I flipped through the pages to the very end, but my name wasn’t there—not even a single mention. The diary in my hands suddenly felt unbearably heavy.

After taking a photo of it, I walked out of the room, leaning against the wall and gasping for air.

As my blurred vision gradually cleared, I picked up my phone and made an international call. "Hey, Sis, I’m thinking of going abroad. Dad has always said he wanted to travel the world, right? I’m going to fulfill that dream for him."

My sister, who was far away in another country, detected the sorrow in my tone and fell silent for a few seconds.

"Trev, you get into a fight with Ash, don't you? She’s so good to you—why not try being a bit more understanding?"

I gave much explaination to my actions.

In the end, my sister sighed softly. "Alright. Alright. Whatever decision you make, I’ll support your choice," she said.

"After Dad passed, the Rollins family's business went downhill. Recently, Ash transferred all of it to me. I’m planning to move the assets overseas. When you come back, I’ll hand everything back to you."

"But you have to know, the financial settlement will take three more days to finish. I’ll pick you up at the airport by then."

I nodded in agreement. "Okay. I’ll book a flight for three days from now."

After hanging up, I heard high heels tapping against the floor behind me.

Ashley wrapped her arms around my waist, her chin resting on my shoulder as she smiled sweetly. "Buying a plane ticket? What for?"

I quickly came up with an excuse to brush it off, "My sister just called. She’s planning to buy a ticket to visit me."

Ashley was thrilled when she heard this. "That’s great! I haven’t seen your sister in ages. It’ll be nice to catch up."

She stepped in front of me and gently placed my hand on her stomach, softly rubbing it. "Honey, haven’t you always wanted a child? Tonight, let’s skip the protection."

I was momentarily stunned.

In the three years we’ve been married, I’ve brought up wanting to have children at least 99 times, but she always turned me down, citing concerns about her figure. Our intimate life had become so rare I could count it on one hand. This was the first time she had ever taken the initiative to bring it up.

Before I could process it, she grabbed my hand and led me to the canteen area, where all eyes followed us with a mix of envy and curiosity.

"I’m hungry. You wouldn’t mind if we ate here, would you?"

I didn’t refuse and sat down across from her.

Ashley didn’t show me the menu. It wasn’t until the food arrived and she saw me frowning that she finally asked, concerned,

"What's wrong? Is the food not to your liking?"

I looked down at the shrimp soup in front of me, a cold chill running through me. I’m allergic to seafood and I can’t eat anything with it.

Once, Ashley had carelessly added shrimp to a soup she made and after I ate it, I was rushed to the hospital—barely surviving.

What shocked me now was how completely she had forgotten about that incident.

Meanwhile, I distinctly remembered that Zachary was also allergic to seafood. But she had made sure to keep that in mind.

Maybe, in Ashley's mind, I was never someone she needed to care about. My well-being, my survival—it didn’t matter to her.

After a few half-hearted bites, Ashley excused herself, saying the company was busy and that I should continue eating. She seemed eager to leave.

The moment she walked out, I immediately called legal consultant that my family had always hired.

"Roy, draft a divorce agreement for me…. Yes, I want a clean break."

"Help me check what happened three years ago too, Roy. The day of my dad’s car accident and what's going on between my family and the Donovans."

The fake love between Ashley and I... it’s time for it to end.

The next day, a news story popped up on my phone. Curious, I clicked on it and found out that there was a charity gala in the city that night.

The gala itself wasn’t anything special, but what caught everyone’s attention was the appearance of a very rare international exhibit. It was a one-of-a-kind diamond, named "Immortal Love".

The value of the diamond was immense, but it was no where a match for the meaning carried in its name.

I thought this had nothing to do with me, but later that night, I received a call from Ashley.

"Honey, dress sharp tonight. I’m taking you to the charity gala. Wait for me to pick you up."

An hour later, Ashley had a driver come pick me up. When I arrived at the charity event, I realized she was already there. She wore a deep V-neck gown, stunning and captivating, drawing admiring glances from many men.

Just as I was about to approach, I noticed she was engaged in conversation with someone. The said person was none other than Zachary.

"It’s been a while. You’re still as beautiful as ever." Zachary’s compliment made her blush. What a rare sight.

"And you? How’s married life treating you?"

Zachary’s expression was unreadable, his gaze cold yet filled with unmasked ambiguity. "It’s going well. Mae’s pregnant and we’re very happy."

Ashley forced a smile, but there was a faint, almost imperceptible sadness in her eyes, which I caught from a distance.

I tightened my grip on my wine glass, feeling a sour pang in my chest.

At that moment, onlookers, noticing Ashley and Zachary, began to praise them.

"That handsome man, could he be Ms. Roth’s husband? What a perfect match!"

"Absolutely. She’s gentle and graceful and he’s strikingly handsome. They’re the most perfect couple I’ve ever seen."

"I’ve heard Ms. Roth dotes on her husband. Seeing them together tonight confirms that the rumors were true."

Hearing the murmurs around her, Ashley felt a flash of secret delight. In the next moment, her eyes met mine and she froze on the spot.

As I walked away, Ashley hurriedly chased after me. “Trev, wait!”

She lifted her gown and ran in front of me, ignoring the surprised looks from others, her expression flustered as she tried to explain.

“Trev, why did you leave when you just saw me? Is it because you were upset that I was talking to another man? I won’t do it again, okay?”

“You know Mr. Donovan is an important client for our company. We were just exchanging pleasantries—don’t misunderstand.”

Looking into her earnest, pleading eyes, I couldn’t help but chuckle softly. If I hadn’t seen everything that happened in that mysterious room, perhaps even I would have been fooled by her convincing performance.

Oh, Ashley. Love can be bold and open, grand and unapologetic. Why go to such lengths to hide it?

You like him, didn't you, Ash? I could just step aside.

As I stayed silent, Zachary approached, wearing a smirk that was more condescending than amused.

"Trevor, in front of all these people, how could you let a beautiful girl like her chase after you like this? How can you even call yourself a man?"

"A real man should be cool headed, not petty." His mocking tone had the crowd laughing and some looked at me as if I were the punchline of a joke.

With his usual charm, Zachary only succeeded in making me feel smaller.

Meanwhile, Ashley stood there, completely still, showing no sign of stepping in to defend me.

In that moment, I suddenly felt a sense of relief and smiled faintly.