My parents passed away when I was young, leaving me to be raised by my grandfather.

For years, he was my everything, but two years ago, the one who loved me most also left me forever, taken by illness.

I saw Rudy as my last family. Even though he abandoned me time and time again for Kelsey, I chose to stay by his side.

All because I craved the warmth of a home.

Rudy once promised me he’d give me the warmest, happiest home imaginable.

That promise still echoes in my mind, yet the man who made it seems to have forgotten, breaking it over and over again.

My phone buzzes.

Kelsey: Melissa, you lost.

Yes.

I lost—and I lost completely.

I let out a bitter laugh, and as I did, tears spilled down my cheeks, unstoppable.

I’ve held onto this relationship for seven years.

Perhaps it’s because I forgave him so many times that Rudy became fearless, convinced I would never leave no matter what he did.

But the pain of waiting has become unbearable.

I’m exhausted now—too tired to keep holding on.

Today was meant to be our last chance to make things right.

But Rudy, once again, chose not to cherish it.

Even the heavens seemed to share my sorrow. A gentle drizzle began to fall, its droplets mingling with the tears on my face. I could no longer tell which was which.

Lost in my thoughts, I faintly heard someone shout from behind, “Be careful!”

The next moment, the screech of brakes tore through the air.

Before I could react, pain exploded through my body as I hit the ground. The sharp agony quickly spread, and crimson blood seeped out beneath me, staining my white wedding dress in an instant.

“Baby!”

Later, I found myself lying pale and bloodied in the hospital’s emergency room. Pain radiated from my lower abdomen, and I could distinctly feel something being wrenched away from within me.

Desperate and terrified, I clutched my phone, calling Rudy repeatedly.

The first call—no answer.

The second call—still no answer.

...

Finally, on the seventh try, the call connected.

“Rudy!” I cried, my voice cracking with desperation.

But before I could say another word, his cold voice interrupted me. “I’m busy. If it’s not urgent, we’ll talk later.”

Hearing the indifference in his tone, panic surged through me. Before he could hang up, I rushed to say,

“Rudy, I was in a car accident. Please... can you come to the hospital now?”

At this moment, cold sweat drenched my forehead, and the pain was so overwhelming I could barely speak. If one listened closely, they would easily detect the tremor in my voice as I struggled to endure the excruciating agony.

But Rudy, on the other end of the line, noticed nothing. Instead, his voice carried irritation as he scolded me:

“Melissa, there’s a limit to jealousy. Faking a car accident just to get my attention? Is this your idea of fun?”

Then, the line went dead, replaced by the cold, repetitive tone of "beepbeep."

His words cut through me like a jagged blade, leaving wounds that bled deeper than the ones on my body.

At that moment, my heart froze completely.

Under the nurse’s sympathetic gaze, I picked up the pen with trembling hands and signed my name on the consent form for the operation.

Before the darkness consumed me, I whispered to the doctor, “Doctor, don’t save the child.”

…

When I opened my eyes again, I was greeted by the blinding white of the hospital room.

The time on my phone read nine o’clock the next morning.

The ward was deathly quiet, interrupted only by the soft, intermittent buzzing of the monitor.

I reached down and touched my lower abdomen. It was silent—empty. I could no longer feel the faint flutter of life that had once been there.

Tears rolled down my cheeks, uncontrollable and endless.

This baby had been my wedding gift to Rudy.

When I first discovered I was pregnant, I was overwhelmed with joy. I’d imagined countless times how ecstatic Rudy would be when I told him.

In the quiet hours of the night, I had often wondered whether the baby would resemble me or Rudy more.

…

I don’t know how long I cried.

When my tears finally dried, I wiped my face, picked up my phone, and made a call.

“What? Finally made up your mind?” A casual, almost amused male voice came through the receiver.

“Yes,” I said, my tone calm and emotionless. “I’ve made up my mind. I accept your proposal to go to New York City.”

On the other end, Gerald Holt chuckled, as if my answer had been exactly what he expected.

Ignoring his smugness, I added firmly, “But I have one condition. You must ensure that all my identity information from the past three years is completely hidden. I don’t want Rudy to ever find me.”

With Rudy’s financial resources and influence, disappearing without a trace wouldn’t be easy. But I knew that if anyone could make it happen, it was Gerald.

“No problem,” Gerald replied confidently. But before ending the call, he asked, “Are you really willing to leave Rudy?”

His question hit me like a punch to the chest, making my heart falter.

Am I willing to let go?

I silently asked myself the same thing.

Seven years of love… how could I let go so easily?

But I also knew that one day, I would have to let go completely. The first step was to distance myself.

Ten minutes later, a notification buzzed on my phone. It was Gerald, sending me flight details.

The flight was scheduled seven days later. What a coincidence—it was the same day as my birthday.

After ending the call, I accidentally opened the home monitoring app on my phone. My thumb hesitated over the lock screen button as the video feed played.

Rudy had just returned to Lanting Garden, still wearing the same clothes as yesterday.

I watched as his face clouded with impatience and irritation while the servant informed him I hadn’t come home all night.

I could guess exactly what he was thinking.

He must believe I’m throwing another tantrum.

“Boss Ritter, should I call Miss May?” the assistant asked cautiously, stealing a glance at Rudy’s expression.

“There’s no need,” Rudy replied, his voice cold and detached.

“It’s not the first time she’s caused a scene. I told her from the beginning—if she wants to be with me, she has to unconditionally accept Kelsey, my sister in all but blood.”

He leaned back slightly, his tone laced with disdain. “If she wants to throw a tantrum, let her. She always comes crawling back once she’s done making a fool of herself. She has no one else—where could she possibly go if not back to me?”

Rudy’s words carried not a shred of guilt for abandoning me at the altar. Instead, the subtle curl of his lips betrayed his mockery.

Hearing this, it felt like my heart had been ripped open, raw and bleeding, the pain unbearable.

This was the man I had devoted myself to for seven years.

Seven years of love, patience, and sacrifice—reduced to nothing but waste.

I had overestimated my place in Rudy’s heart. I truly deserved to be the laughingstock of the entire city.

Two days later, I completed the discharge process for myself.

In those two days, my phone hadn’t rung once. Not a single call from Rudy, not even a message on Facebook.

I still returned to the Inn, though, because all my belongings were there, including my most important personal documents. I had just arrived home when Rudy, as usual, was supposed to be busy. But to my surprise, he was home early. I was eating dinner when he walked through the door. I stayed seated, not moving, and made no effort to greet him warmly like I used to. Instead, I just looked up briefly and then lowered my head.

Perhaps this change made Rudy uncomfortable. From the corner of my eye, I saw his brow furrow slightly. He tried to hide his displeasure and, with a forced smile, spoke in a voice that was oddly gentle, almost trying too hard:

“Are you back?”

“Yeah,” I replied, my voice flat and devoid of any emotion.

Rudy, thinking I was still angry, wrapped his arm around my waist and leaned in close to my ear. His tone softened as he coaxed me, “I know I messed up with the wedding. Let’s plan another one soon—one that’s grander, more solemn than the first.”

“Here, this is your gift. Don’t be angry anymore.” Rudy handed me a paper bag, his tone trying to be conciliatory.

I glanced at the familiar paper bag with no surprise in my eyes. I knew without looking that it was another new bag from Mitchel’s family.

There’s a room in the villa dedicated solely to the bags Rudy has given me over the years.

Every time Rudy upset me because of Kelsey, he would buy me a new bag to apologize.

Now, with the one in my hands, there were exactly ninety-nine bags, one more away from completely covering an entire wall.

I forced a calm expression, raising the corners of my lips in a small nod. “Okay.”

Rudy let out a quiet sigh of relief, completely oblivious to the fact that my smile didn’t reach my eyes.

Later that night, after I washed up and returned to the bedroom, Rudy noticed the scratches on my arms and knees.

“How did this happen?” His voice was full of concern, and the pity in his eyes seemed almost overwhelming.

But all I could feel was how fake and insincere it seemed.

“It’s nothing. I just accidentally bumped into something,” I replied indifferently.

“Be careful next time. I don’t like seeing you hurt,” Rudy murmured, gently pulling me into his arms, being careful not to touch my wounds.

I wasn’t moved by Rudy’s sweet words. Concerned? Maybe, but that was a long time ago.

There was a time when Rudy truly loved me, when he cared for me with such tenderness, unable to bear seeing me suffer even the slightest grievance. Back then, I felt like the happiest person in the world.

But no matter how strong a relationship is, it can't survive constant strain.

As Kelsey and I argued over and over, Rudy’s patience with me began to wane. He grew more distant, more indifferent, and eventually, his gestures felt hollow, his care more perfunctory.

He gradually turned a blind eye to my sadness, and rather than trying to comfort me, my pain only seemed to tire him.

For love, I compromised in every way I could, bending over backward to accommodate him. But in the end, all I received in return were cycles of disappointment, over and over again.