Refusing to Love Again: My Ex's Regrets and My Bright Future

My mother's condition suddenly worsened, and she expressed a dying wish to see Miles Freeman one last time.

I stood alone outside the operating room, dialing Miles' number again and over again, but no one answered.

The silence on the other end of the line only deepened my despair. After burying my mother, I drove down the hill, only to be caught in a sudden downpour that triggered a mudslide.

My car was buried in the debris for an entire day and night. Weak and desperate, I called Miles for help.

But the voice that answered wasn't his—it was his childhood friend's, Ophelia Smedley.

"Miles is busy right now. If you need something, you can tell me," she said.

I was silent for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh before replying, "Nothing serious. I'm just dying."

***

Before I lost consciousness, a rescue team arrived.

When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed, and the doctor informed me that I was three months pregnant.

I hesitated as my hand reached to pull out the IV, contemplating ending my life, but eventually, I stopped.

My plan to die had failed once again.

The day I was discharged, I unexpectedly saw Miles in the room next to mine. He was holding a cup, carefully feeding Ophelia milk.

His expression filled with a tenderness I had never seen before.

Swallowing the bitterness rising in my throat, I crumpled the prenatal report and stuffed it into my pocket.

There was no need for Miles to know about the pregnancy. I would divorce him soon, and I was capable of raising the child on my own.

I didn't want any further ties to him.

I turned to leave, but Miles noticed me first. His brow furrowed as he whispered something to Ophelia, then stepped out of the room.

"Are you following me?" he asked, his tone accusatory.

I couldn't comprehend how running into someone at a hospital could be considered stalking.

Any normal person would first inquire if the other were unwell, but not Miles.

Despite my pale complexion and the exhaustion etched into my face, he immediately assumed I had ulterior motives.

I let out a soft, humorless laugh, unwilling to speak. I averted my gaze and tried to walk away, but Ophelia blocked my path.

Her face, flawless and delicate, was a mask of insincerity.

"Alexia, don't misunderstand. On the day of your mother's surgery, I was exhausted from an experiment. If Miles hadn't brought me to the hospital, I would be in danger.

"And when you said those frightening things about dying, it really scared me. I even went out in the rain to look for you, but the butler said you were asleep."

I hadn't been home in over a week due to handling my mother's funeral arrangements. Ophelia's lies were blatant, but I had no energy to engage with them.

I shot her a cold glance.

Even then, Miles believed I was the one bullying her.

He stepped in front of Ophelia protectively.

"Alexia, didn't you hear Ophelia talking to you? Where are your manners?"

I couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.

"If you're so well-mannered, why are you blocking someone's way? I haven't been home in a week. Maybe I should call the butler and see if he's gone senile."

Before I could dial, Miles impatiently interrupted me.

"Ophelia went out in the rain and caught a cold because she was worried about you. How could that be a lie? Alexia, do you think everyone is as selfish and deceitful as you?

"You're just in time. Ophelia's developed a new medication. Come with us for a trial."

By "trial," he meant using me as a guinea pig for clinical testing.

Seven years ago, I returned from volunteer work in Aruha with a persistent fever.

At the time, Ophelia, who was a third-year graduate student, diagnosed me in place of her supervisor.

She claimed I had contracted a rare, lethal virus in Aruha, but because I had a rare blood type with antibodies, I survived.

She convinced Miles to have me serve as her test subject for five years, all in the name of helping millions of vulnerable lives in Aruha.

I wasn't noble. I only endured it because of my love for Miles.

But my mother's death made me see Miles for who he truly was, and I could no longer find any excuse to stay entangled with him.

I looked at him coldly.

"That's never going to happen."