This Time I'm the One Leaving

I spent ten years supporting my husband through building his startup.

The company finally went public.

My husband, Adrian Crawford, sent over a custom-made million-dollar gown, wanting to take me to the gala.

But I couldn't even fit into that dress.

I clutched the pregnancy test results in my pocket and asked for a divorce over the phone.

Adrian's assistant was crying her eyes out: "It's all my fault. I didn't ask for her measurements properly."

Adrian patiently comforted her for a long while, then turned to me and said, "Since that's the case, let Lily attend the gala in your place."

Watching them on TV standing hand in hand together, I calmly packed up my things and left.

After packing everything up, I had wanted to say a proper goodbye.

I didn't expect Adrian to only come home close to one in the morning.

Hearing the password lock click open, I thought it was Adrian.

Looking up, I unexpectedly met Lily Bennett's finger that she hadn't had time to withdraw.

She wore that evening gown I'd been anticipating for ten years.

Just as breathtakingly beautiful as it appeared on TV.

"I've picked up documents for Mr. Crawford several times before. Entering the password each time was troublesome, so I just registered my fingerprint."

She explained somewhat awkwardly.

In the past, I would have definitely made a scene.

But now, my heart was calm. Apart from that unavoidable sourness welling up from the bottom of my heart, I didn't feel surprised at all.

Before I could respond, Adrian, leaning loosely against her, mumbled, "She can't hold her liquor. I drank for her."

We both understood who that "her" was, making the atmosphere even more delicate.

She quickly lowered her head and coaxed in the gentlest tone, "Mr. Crawford, we're home."

As she spoke, her eyes couldn't help but glance toward me, concealing triumph.

In the past, I would have questioned them without caring about anything else, but today I was unusually calm.

Watching the goal we'd worked ten years toward, seeing that the person walking with him into glory and splendor wasn't me.

Suddenly, it seemed like I could let it go.

Only then did Adrian lift his head, his half-closed eyes opening.

Seeing me, he stumbled toward me and wrapped his arms around my neck. "Serena, we finally made it."

Lily, seeing this scene, seemed somewhat unwilling, but right now no one clearly had time to care about her.

"You're drunk."

As soon as Lily left, I pushed away Adrian's body and said coldly.

He slumped onto the sofa, looking at me with somewhat guilty eyes.

Then he pulled out a bag from inside his jacket.

Inside was an even more exquisite gown.

According to him, this one cost three million, far more prestigious than the one Lily wore today.

I didn't reach out to take it. Both he and I knew clearly that this wasn't what I cared about at all.

The TV was still looping footage of them entering the venue together today.

He immediately turned off the TV and guiltily covered my eyes. "Don't look."

"You suddenly refused to come today. I had no choice but to let her substitute for you."

The drunkenness in his eyes had mostly faded, as if he were sincerely explaining to me.

"Adrian, is this really the first time she's substituted for me?"

"Was it really because you had no choice?"

"Or did you feel from the very beginning that she was more suitable to stand with you in that position?"

Hearing these words, the man who had been patiently explaining somehow had a nerve struck. His handsome brows furrowed tightly.

"Serena, do you have to be so sensitive?"

"Why can't you be more understanding, like Lily?"

"If you could learn from her a bit, maybe Mom and Dad would finally accept you."

I found it laughable.

Laughable that he was the one with a guilty conscience, yet he wanted to blame me for not being as stupid as he imagined.

The evening gown I'd anticipated for ten years was in someone else's size, and he still wanted me to be magnanimous.

"Adrian, you know I can't learn to be like her."

"How about thisI'll give up my position as the Crawford family's fiance to her. Let's break up, okay?"

I looked at him quietly.

I smiled with my lips parted, smiling so hard my heart ached.

That man who said he'd sever ties with his family and defy the whole world to protect my franknesstoday he wanted me to learn to bow and scrape like someone else to please him.

Adrian's expression turned cold.

That little bit of gentle warmth from earlier vanished completely. He frowned and warned me, "Serena, don't say things you don't mean. You know I don't have the patience to coax you."

I had already told myself not to care, yet my nails still dug fiercely into my palms.

I hadn't heard this phrase in a long time.

A woman's sixth sense is keen. The first time I saw Lily, I felt she was hostile toward me.

So every time the two of them got too close, I would throw a tantrum.

At first, Adrian would explain, would promise, even said he'd transfer her to another department in the company.

But when I saw Lily again, I discovered Adrian hadn't done anything like he promised.

He even gave her extra privileges because of Lily's thoughtfulness and liveliness.

Like how she could get a ride in the boss's car every day just by acting cute.

While I, the legitimate girlfriend, had to struggle to hail a cab home in the pouring rain.

Like how she could call Adrian on stormy nights saying she was scared, never considering that I'd lie awake until dawn because of his departure.

In my eyes, it was like witnessing a grand betrayal firsthand.

Painful, while hollowing out my heart bit by bit.

And when I questioned him about it?

He would always warn me in a disgusted, incredulous tone: "Serena, how old are you? Why do you have to compete with a young girl like Lily?"

"She's so innocent, she doesn't think that much. You're too suspicious."

You're too sensitive... You're too petty...

These were the words he said to me most often after Lily appeared.

Until finally I stopped making scenes, and our relationship returned to normal.

But only I knew what kind of torment I was going through.

After he finished speaking, he turned to leave. Watching his retreating back, I suddenly spoke up: "If I were pregnant, would your parents accept me?"

His footsteps froze. Exhaustion made the corners of his eyes red, his brows knitting in irritation.

I carefully studied this man I'd loved for ten years.

There was no surprise in his eyes, no anticipation.

I pulled the corners of my mouth into a smile. "Just kidding."

He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "We're not ready for a child right now."

"I understand."

While he was showering, I walked out the door with my already-packed luggage.

Late at night, a couple was riding bikes while laughing and playing around.

I stood under the streetlight, watching until my eyes became blurry.

Perhaps my relationship with Adrian had never been equal.

The first time I met Adrian, he was already the lofty flower on the snowy ridge.

And I was the daughter of a murderer and a nightclub dancer.

When my deadbeat dad found my mom at the nightclub, she was working hard.

My dad asked her for money. She refused.

Originally, my dad was just trying to scare her, but who knew my mom's temper would flare upshe grabbed his hand and brought it to her own neck.

As a result, one slip of the hand, and someone actually died.

My mom died, and my dad was sentenced to fifteen years for manslaughter.

That video circulated widely at the time. After people dug up the fact that I was their daughter, I was inevitably bullied.

Even many parents demanded the school expel me.

Since childhood, I'd lived in hell. Education was my only way out in this life.

I knelt in the principal's office until my forehead was red and swollen from kowtowing, crying my heart out.

Adrian came to deliver homework and happened to see it.

He pulled me out of the office and took me to the infirmary to bandage my forehead.

I slapped him across the face. He had no idea what it meant for me if I couldn't get the principal to relent.

But he just smiled and took it. "Pretty strong hand you've got."

Then he ruffled my hair. "Don't worry, I'll take responsibility."

Later, the rumors disappeared, and the principal stopped mentioning expulsion.

He seemed to naturally consider me his person and started taking care of me.

Until the day we filled out college applications, he nervously asked me which one I'd chosen.

Finally, with a nervous voice, he confessed to me.

Back then, he really did care about my feelings.

We naturally got together.

After confirming our relationship, I worked even harder.

But when he brought me home to meet his family, we still faced strong opposition.

The Crawford family saw me as a dangerous threat, as if letting down their guard for a moment would drag Adrian into the abyss with me.

That day, he gripped my hand tightly and walked out of the Crawford family villa with his head held high, saying we would forge our own world together, and he would make the Crawford family accept me.

He also told me that what his family said wasn't truethey just hadn't seen my good qualities yet.

Both he and I held a grudge in our hearts, vowing to achieve something.

Back then, the lofty Crawford family heir worked three jobs simultaneously.

Clearly exhausted like a dog, he would still hold me and cry uncontrollably when he saw me throwing up from business drinking.

He said it was all his fault for not being able to give me a good life.

He said he would never let me down in this lifetime.

He also said that one day, he would walk hand in hand with me under the spotlight, letting everyone know I deserved the best.

For the sake of his words, I rejected offers from all the major listed companies and wholeheartedly helped him with his startup.

Secretly enduring the Crawford family's repeated difficulties and insults.

In their mouths, I was trash, lower class, a whore.

But as long as Adrian could still firmly hold my hand, I would die before letting go.

I also worked extremely hard to gain the Crawford family's approval.

He said he was the only son for three generations in the Crawford family, and the old lady had always hoped to hold a great-grandchild.

So I always thought having a child could ease the relationship with the Crawford family.

But he never seemed to take it to heart. Maybe the road was too long, and halfway through, I was the only one still fixated on reaching the destination.

And he did it. He built his tower, hosted his guests, became the center of attention.

Yet he alone forgot about me.

The wind was a bit cold. I pulled my coat tighter, dragging my suitcase.

The city was vast. The empty, long streets seemed to suggest that everyone had a place to belongexcept me.

In the end, I chose to return to my old home.

The moment I opened the door, a musty smell wafted out from inside.

I hadn't come back since my mom died. The bed had spots and traces of intimate activities.

From age five, I watched my mom bring one man after another in here.

Everyone had the right to despise my mom, except meafter all, she spent most of the money she earned on me.

After cleaning up the house, I lay on the bed.

My hand rested on my stomach, where the little life I'd long anticipated resided.

Though reluctant, having already decided to break up, I didn't want to give myself any chance to turn back.

I just didn't expect to run into Adrian on the day of the abortion.

"Miss Sullivan, the baby in your belly is very healthy. You're still youngit's a good time to have a child. Are you sure you want to terminate it?"

The cold instrument slid across my stomach. I could see a tiny fetal form on the screen.

My heart instantly softened beyond measure, and even my throat felt blocked by damp cotton.

I forcefully suppressed the urge to cry and nodded at her. "Yes."

After the doctor's examination, I decided to schedule the surgery for tomorrow.

After paying the fees, while waiting for the elevator, I unfortunately ran into Adrian and Lily.

Lily covered her arm, leaning weakly against him.

The moment he saw me, his expression darkened.

Probably thinking I was going to make a scene again.

I ignored them, just looking at the long queue somewhat irritably.

I don't know if it was intentional, but Lily suddenly bit her lip and looked at Adrian with tearful eyes, saying it hurt.

He gently rubbed her hair, patiently coaxing her.

From their conversation, it seemed that the night of the gala, Lily had taken the subway home and fallen.

Between the lines, there was even a sense of blaming me for not taking her home.

I found it ridiculous. Falling this badly from riding the subwayif that were the case, with so many people riding subways every day, who knows how many would end up disabled.

Fortunately, the elevator doors opened. I instinctively protected my stomach and surged into the elevator with the crowd.

But there were too many people, and my stomach still got bumped several times, causing dull pain.

On the other side, Adrian was protecting Lily securely in his arms, afraid she might get knocked or jostled.

He wasn't far from me. Looking at the payment slip in my hand, his expression darkened as he asked me, "You're sick?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"And you moved all your things out. Just because of that little thing, you had to make such a big deal out of it?"

"Move everything back today. I promise you, I'll let everyone in the company know that you're my wife. Is that okay?"

I found it laughable.

To him, our ten years of persistence was just "that little thing"?

He clearly knew what it meant to me.

"No need. And I wasn't making a sceneI'm serious."

I communicated with him calmly, wanting him to realize I truly wanted to break up with him.

I don't know if the little one sensed their father's presence, but they actually kicked me for the first time.

My whole body stiffened. Thinking that I'd have to terminate the pregnancy tomorrow, a mix of emotions welled up inside me.

The elevator quickly arrived. I walked out, looking at the two people inside.

My hand rested on my stomach as I turned back to look at Adrian. "Adrian, if I asked you to leave her right now and come with me to see a doctor, would you agree?"