Chapter 2

"Adrian..."

I clutched the cold footprint plaque, my voice so quiet it felt like it would scatter in the wind.

Adrian slowly looked up. When he saw me, his eyes flickered.

I dug my nails into my palms, freezing at the doorway, swallowing the bitterness in my throat.

"Adrian, didn't you say you were overseas handling a multi-billion-dollar deal?"

I thought he would ignore me.

After all, his usual way of dealing with things that displeased him was to simply pretend they didn't exist.

But surprisingly, he quickly composed himself, stood up, blocked Chloe from my view, and spoke calmly.

"Elena, what are you doing at the hospital? Are you sick?"

"Let me introduce you. This is Chloe, a key executive at our company."

"She miscarried due to overwork on our latest project. As her boss, I came to check on her."

They kept a professional distance now, with no trace of the intimate cuddling from moments before.

I stopped breathing for two seconds, staring at him without blinking.

The tears finally fell.

How could he forget everything we had so easily? How could he stand there with such a clear conscience?

Seeing my tears, Adrian remained completely indifferent.

A freezing chill seeped into my bones, soaking me through.

"Checking on your employee..."

My mouth was so dry my tongue felt tied. I stared at him, my eyes burning. "Since when does a boss... sign his name in the spouse column on his employee's miscarriage registry?"

A flicker of annoyance and cold calculation crossed the man’s handsome face.

Adrian pulled out a cigarette, lit it, flicked the ash, and said coldly, "We’ve been married for years, Elena. Do we really need to lay everything out so uglily?"

Then, noticing Chloe wrinkling her nose at the smoke, he immediately put the cigarette out.

"Elena, Chloe just miscarried. She can't handle any stress right now."

"If you’re angry, take it out on me."

Through the fading smoke, I suddenly remembered how I used to complain about the smell of cigarettes when he came home during my pregnancy.

He had never put them out for me. Instead, he would smile wickedly and blow the smoke right into my face.

Clutching the bag with the footprint plaque, I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face.

The words choked in my throat.

"Adrian Vance, you disgust me!"

"I’m glad you’ll never get to be a father."

Chloe shrieked, shrinking under the blanket, and began to cry.

"Adrian... are you okay? Did Chloe misunderstand something?"

"It’s all my fault. Please go with Chloe. I can handle being alone... even if the pain kills me here..."

Adrian’s eyes darkened. He pulled Chloe back into his arms, leaning down to kiss her forehead gently.

"Don't talk nonsense. I’m not leaving."

The way he touched her forehead and wiped her tears was the exact replica of how he used to vow his eternal love to me.

I forced my eyes wide open to keep the tears from falling.

Adrian stepped closer, his scent filling the air. He tilted his head, his cold, uncaring gaze sweeping over me.

"Elena, I can let you vent your anger on me, but not on Chloe."

"As for our baby..."

He paused, his eyes filled with pure coldness.

"You couldn't keep him. That’s your own problem."

The man looked as handsome and sharp as the day I met him.

Hearing his words, I choked for a second before the words slowly forced their way out of my mouth.

"Adrian, let’s get a divorce."

Sometimes it takes a lifetime to see a person clearly. Sometimes, it only takes a second.