Moon Vow Waves Goodbye

After three years of marriage, I finally got pregnant with his child.

But on the day I wanted to surprise him, I overheard a conversation coming from his office.

He'd been keeping a mistress in his friend's villa for three whole years.

I turned and fled, sharp pain shooting through my abdomen, blood running down my legs.

When I woke up, the baby was gone.

He begged me. "Rachel is pregnant. Let her have the child, and you can raise it, okay?"

He didn't know our child was already gone.

I smiled and nodded, handing him the divorce papers.

He signed without even looking, then rushed off to be with that woman.

A month later, I boarded a plane and left.

Before takeoff, I sent him a photo of my scarred body:

"I'm setting you both free. From now on, we owe each other nothing."

That day, my plane "crashed into the sea."

Later I heard he knelt at my grave for three days.

But he didn't know that I was never on that plane.

Lily POV

In the third year of my marriage to Sebastian Laurent, I got pregnant.

After the pregnancy was confirmed, I couldn't wait to go to his company to share the good news with him in person.

Everyone at Laurent Corporation knew me. Wanting to surprise him, I slipped in without having anyone announce my arrival.

When I reached the CEO's office door, my hand fell on the handle.

Before I could push it open, I suddenly heard two male voices coming through the slightly ajar door.

Sebastian's best friend, Marcus, said, "The nanny taking care of Rachel says she's been causing a lot of trouble lately."

Rachel?

That name hit my ears like a thunderbolt, exploding in my mind.

My expression froze instantly.

The name Rachel wasn't unfamiliar to me.

Before Sebastian and I got married, I had spent two years abroad receiving medical treatment.

During those two years, a woman who resembled me somewhat appeared by Sebastian's side.

That woman was Rachel.

But hadn't Sebastian sent Rachel away with money after I came back?

Not only did Sebastian not send Rachel away, he'd hidden her in a villa under his best friend's name for three whole years?

My mind went blank. My hands unconsciously gripped the hem of my clothes as I held my breath.

Then I heard Sebastian's voice from inside the office, "What's she fussing about?"

"Rachel says you haven't been to see her in a long time. She wants to know where she stands. If you don't care about her anymore, then go tell her straight up so she can move on and let you be with your true love."

Sebastian frowned slightly. "I've been busy lately, and Lily hasn't been feeling well. I need to stay with her. Rachel has a temper-let her make a fuss. Just have the nanny take good care of her."

"But you've hidden Rachel in my villa for three years." Marcus sounded puzzled. "How long are you planning to keep hiding her?"

Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose wearily. "Lily can't accept Rachel's existence. I have no choice but to let her stay in the villa under your name."

"But you can't hide her forever, right? Aren't you worried that one day Lily will find out Rachel was never sent away?"

Sebastian's tone carried a warning edge. "As long as you keep your mouth shut around Lily, she'll never know."

"Of course I won't say anything to Lily." Marcus paused. "But didn't you originally just treat Rachel as Lily's substitute? You and Lily have been married all this time-why are you still hiding Rachel instead of sending her away?"

Sebastian's brow furrowed.

Marcus probed, "Are you reluctant to let go of Rachel as a substitute?"

Sebastian remained cryptic, silent for a long while before speaking.

"When Lily was being treated abroad, Rachel was the one by my side. She once cried and told me she couldn't imagine never seeing me again. She can't leave me. If she left, her life would fall apart."

"So because Rachel can't leave you, you're hiding her... what about Lily?"

"Lily is the one who accompanied me from nothing to success. Without her companionship and support all those years, there might not be the me of today. She's always been my spiritual pillar. I love her more than I love myself, so she will always be Mrs. Laurent."

Outside the office door, I felt like I'd instantly fallen from heaven into hell, my whole body frozen as if plunged into ice.

My face turned deathly pale as I turned and fled in panic.

When I passed the secretarial department, I made a point of saying, "Don't tell Sebastian I was here."

"Uh, okay, Mrs. Laurent."

I stumbled out of Laurent Corporation, walking dazed through the busy streets.

In my mind, the words from that office conversation kept repeating.

My eyes reddened, my vision blurring with tears. My chest felt like it had been torn open by a sharp blade, leaving a gaping, bloody wound.

My heart seemed to bleed, and tears flowed uncontrollably.

After walking in this lost state for who knows how long, a sharp, dropping pain suddenly shot through my abdomen.

The pain came urgently and fiercely, as if someone was tearing my flesh apart.

I had to stop, trembling hands covering my lower abdomen, cold sweat beading on my forehead.

A warm liquid slowly trickled down the inside of my thighs.

Terror instantly engulfed me.

"Baby..."

I frantically pulled out my phone. My vision became blurry from pain and tears, but I didn't call Sebastian. Instead, I dialed emergency services.

"Help... I'm at..."

Before I could finish, intense dizziness struck. Amid the startled cries of passersby, my consciousness faded into darkness.

Lily POV

When I woke again, I was in a hospital room filled with the smell of disinfectant.

The doctor stood by the bed, looking at me with regret. "Mrs. Laurent, I'm very sorry. Although we did our best, because you have a pre-existing heart condition and suffered extreme emotional distress, the baby... couldn't be saved."

Couldn't be saved...

Those words hammered into my heart like a sledgehammer.

I forced myself through my physical weakness, trembling hands moving to my now-flat abdomen. A tiny life had been growing there, but now only desolate emptiness remained.

This was the first child Sebastian and I had conceived together.

More than once, he had gently stroked my belly and asked, "When will you give me a baby?"

Sebastian loved children and really wanted to have one with me.

Now I was finally pregnant, but this child we'd waited so long for had left me before even seeing the world-all because of his betrayal.

Was it because of that woman named Rachel? Or because of Sebastian, full of lies?

The overwhelming grief left me unable to even cry.

My precious baby, I'm sorry. Mommy didn't protect you...

After the D&C procedure, I declined the suggestion to stay for observation. Forcing myself up, I went to a law firm and had a lawyer draft divorce papers.

After finishing this, I returned to Maple Bridge Villa in a daze, barely remembering the journey.

I collapsed onto the bedroom bed, my chaotic thoughts filled with memories of Sebastian and me.

Sebastian and I had been attracted to each other since high school and became a couple in college.

In our most innocent years, we fell in love and shared the most beautiful campus days.

During the hardest period when he was starting his business, we ate cheap sandwiches together, lived in dark, cramped rental apartments, and on the coldest winter days, we held each other tight for warmth.

I accompanied him through wind and rain, through the most difficult and struggling times, without a single complaint.

All our friends envied our relationship back then.

Until five years ago, when Sebastian finally became a rising tech star in the industry, famous and successful.

At the same time, I was diagnosed with heart disease.

Sebastian arranged for me to have surgery at the best hospital abroad. Because the company kept him too busy, he could only occasionally find time to visit me overseas.

But I never imagined that during those two years when we were apart, Sebastian met Rachel.

I remembered the first time I learned of Rachel's existence, three years ago, after I returned home from treatment.

I cried. I made scenes.

I couldn't believe that the man I'd walked through so much with had another woman by his side during those two years while I was having surgery.

At the time, Sebastian explained anxiously, "I just love you too much, Lily. The days without you by my side felt endless, so I let a woman who resembled you stay near me."

He said he only treated Rachel as my substitute, that he had no feelings for her whatsoever, and that I was the only one he'd ever loved.

He said he would give Rachel money and send her away, that he wouldn't let her existence affect our relationship.

I believed him.

But instead, he'd hidden Rachel in a villa under his best friend's name.

He'd been hiding her for three whole years.

If I hadn't overheard it myself, I'd probably still be in the dark.

I probably still wouldn't know that the man who carefully hid Rachel away was the same one who swore eternal devotion to me and claimed to have no feelings for Rachel.

Suddenly, my phone chimed with a message notification.

It was from Sebastian.

"Lily, I have to go on a business trip for a couple days. Remember to eat and sleep well, and I'll bring you back a gift."

Reading this message, my eyes reddened. I suddenly recalled all those previous times Sebastian went on "business trips."

Those so-called business trips were probably to see Rachel, weren't they?

How ridiculous that I only realized this today.

The next day, while getting a follow-up exam and medication at the hospital, I unexpectedly ran into Sebastian.

Meeting me without warning, Sebastian froze for a moment. "Lily... what are you doing at the hospital?"

I didn't answer. Instead, my gaze fell on his hand nervously and carefully supporting Rachel.

Sebastian quickly let go of Rachel. "Lily, it's not what it looks like. Let me explain..."

I gave a faint smile, said nothing, and turned to leave.

Sebastian stood stunned, his heart tightening, wanting to chase after me.

But Rachel grabbed his arm, her whole body going soft and boneless against him. "Sebastian, my stomach hurts so much..."

Lily POV

Held back by Rachel, Sebastian ultimately didn't chase after me.

It wasn't until evening that he returned to Maple Bridge Villa.

Knowing he could no longer hide the truth about Rachel, he gave a brief, glossed-over confession about the fact that Rachel had actually been in the area all these years.

I listened quietly without asking a single question.

My silence made Sebastian uneasy. "Lily, I know I didn't handle this well. I apologize, but the child is innocent."

The child?

Just as I thought Sebastian had discovered my unfortunate miscarriage.

I heard him continue in a grave tone, "I know you can't accept Rachel's existence, but she's pregnant with my child now. If you agree to let her have the baby, I'll send her away afterward no matter what."

My heart trembled. I looked at him sharply. "Rachel is pregnant with your child?"

Sebastian's expression was complex. "Just today. We just found out."

It was like cold water dumped over my head. My whole body went cold from the inside out.

"Lily, you know I love children, but after all these years together, we still don't have a child of our own."

"So what? Because you love children, you want Rachel to have your baby?"

"I've thought it through. Once this child is born, you can raise it as our child together."

He wanted me to raise the child he had with another woman?

I stared at him in disbelief, finding it utterly absurd.

He didn't know that just yesterday, we had also had a child.

But that child that belonged to us had become nothing but dead blood because of his betrayal.

And now he wanted me to accept the bastard born by the woman who killed my child?

I asked incredulously, "What about Rachel then?"

"After she gives birth, I'll give her money to leave. She'll never appear in our world again."

But three years ago, he'd said the same thing to me.

By now, I didn't know which of his words were true and which were lies.

Sebastian said seriously, "As long as you agree to let her have this child, I'll compensate you. You can have anything you want."

It seemed he really wanted to keep this child.

Even if I refused, he'd probably hide Rachel and let her have the baby anyway, just like three years ago, right?

I smiled, though my eyes reddened.

I nodded. "Okay, I agree to let her have this child."

Seeming surprised I'd agreed so readily, Sebastian's eyes first flashed with astonishment, then he hugged me joyfully and kissed my cheek.

"Darling, you're always so wonderful."

Hearing those words only filled me with irony.

I pushed him away and retrieved a document from the nightstand drawer, flipping to the signature page and handing it to him.

"I want this. Sign it."

"What is it?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but his phone rang at that moment.

From the corner of my eye, I saw it was Rachel calling.

Sebastian hesitated for two seconds before answering. "What is it?"

"Sebastian, the baby's making my stomach uncomfortable. Can you come keep me company?"

"Alright, I know."

After hanging up, Sebastian picked up a pen and signed his name on the document I'd handed him without even looking at it.

"If you want something in the future, just use the card I gave you. You don't need to specifically find me to sign for things."

After signing, Sebastian handed the document back to me.

Finally, he placed a light kiss on my forehead. "I have something to take care of. I won't be back tonight. Get some rest early."

I said nothing, silently putting the document away.

Sebastian picked up his car keys and walked to the bedroom door. He suddenly seemed to remember something.

Turning back, he asked with concern, "By the way, what were you doing at the hospital? You haven't looked well all day."

I smiled without revealing anything. "I wasn't feeling well, but it's nothing serious. The doctor said I'll be fine after resting for a couple days."

"That's good. Tell me right away if you're not feeling well. Don't suffer alone, or I'll worry."

Worry.

Hearing those two words, I just wanted to laugh.

He didn't know we'd already had a child.

He didn't know that when we ran into each other at the hospital today, it was during my follow-up after my miscarriage.

He didn't know even more that the document he'd just signed was our divorce agreement.

Soon, I would leave him forever.

Lily POV

The next day, I delivered the signed divorce agreement to the lawyer.

The lawyer put away the documents. "Next, we just need to wait through the one-month legal process. After a month, I'll deliver the divorce certificate to you."

"Okay."

Leaving the law office, I returned to Maple Bridge Villa.

As soon as I got out of the car, I saw two unfamiliar men carrying several suitcases into the villa.

I froze. "Who are you? Whose suitcases are these?"

I went inside and watched those two men carrying the suitcases upstairs.

I was about to stop them when Sebastian's voice called out from the living room. "Lily, perfect timing."

I stopped and turned around.

Only then did I notice that not only was Sebastian sitting in the living room, but Rachel was sitting on the sofa beside him.

Rachel greeted me with a sweet smile. "Hi, Lily."

I froze, my thoughts instantly going blank.

Sebastian stood and walked over to me, saying in a low voice, "Rachel is pregnant and it's not convenient for her to live in Marcus's villa, so I've decided to have her move in here. This way I won't have to run back and forth, and I can avoid neglecting you while taking care of her."

Maple Bridge Villa was the newlywed home we'd carefully chosen together.

It was the love nest we'd personally selected and decorated, from location to furnishings.

I never imagined he'd let Rachel move in without even asking me first.

My heart went half cold. I wanted to say something.

But then I thought that in a month I'd be leaving him completely anyway, and suddenly whether Rachel moved in or not didn't seem so important.

I nodded. "Okay, I understand."

I didn't fight, make a scene, or question him. Sebastian seemed quite satisfied.

"Don't worry, she's only staying until she has the baby. Once the baby's born, I'll have her leave."

With that, Sebastian took out a jewelry box from inside his suit jacket and handed it to me.

His tone carried a note of compensation. "This is a bracelet I bought for you. As long as you can get along with her peacefully for the next ten months, I won't let you suffer any grievances."

He thought a bracelet could compensate me and ease his own conscience.

I found it mockingly amusing, but I still accepted the box.

Rachel called out coquettishly from the living room, "Sebastian, I want to eat an apple. Come peel one for me, okay?"

Sebastian frowned. "Ask the housekeeper to peel it for you."

"But you always used to peel fruit for me. Now that Lily's here, are you just going to ignore me and the baby?"

Rachel huffed with feigned displeasure. Sebastian was about to speak.

I said flatly first, "Go keep her company. I'm not feeling well. I'm going to my room to rest. Have the housekeeper bring dinner to my room."

After that, I ignored them and went upstairs to the bedroom.

Sebastian could tell I was in a bad mood and wanted to follow me to keep me company, but Rachel, using the baby as leverage, clung to him relentlessly.

In the end, he could only hold back his steps.

To avoid interacting with Rachel, I stayed in the bedroom with the door closed for several days.

At first, Sebastian felt guilty and would come keep me company when he had time.

But each time, he'd only stay less than ten minutes before Rachel would call him away with various excuses.

And at night, in the deep quiet hours.

Sitting on the balcony chair in my bedroom, I could always hear Sebastian reading prenatal stories to Rachel's baby from the next room.

Rachel asked him sweetly, "Sebastian, do you think our baby will look more like you or more like me?"

"If it's a boy, hopefully like me. If it's a girl, I hope she looks more like you."

"Why do you hope a girl looks more like me?"

"Because your eyes and mouth are beautiful. Your eyes are so alluring. If a girl takes after you, she'll definitely grow up to be a lovely little beauty."

Their flirtatious laughter reached my ears and pierced my heart.

I remembered Sebastian once told me that if we had children, he hoped a boy would take after him and a girl would look like me.

I couldn't help but think mockingly that Sebastian probably really did love children.

But bringing Rachel here to live, serving her three meals a day, keeping her company and making her happy every night-was it really just for the child?

That day, Sebastian went to the company.

I was about to go downstairs to get some water when Rachel blocked my path in the hallway.

Rachel smiled at me. "Lily, you haven't left your bedroom in so many days. I was wondering if you were sick."

"I'm fine, thanks for your concern."

My tone was cold. I was about to walk away.

Rachel's gaze drifted to the purple bracelet on my wrist. "Speaking of which, I actually picked out that bracelet with Sebastian."

I froze. "What did you say?"

Lily POV

Rachel lifted her hand and pulled down her sweater collar, revealing the necklace around her neck.

That necklace was the same style and color as the bracelet on my wrist.

Rachel smiled smugly. "Your bracelet was actually the free gift that came with my necklace. But Sebastian was afraid you wouldn't accept it if you knew, so he told me not to wear this necklace in front of you."

A free gift?

Enormous humiliation washed over me. The bracelet on my wrist suddenly felt like it was burning my skin.

But more than that, the hickeys covering Rachel's neck were even more jarring to my eyes.

Rachel acted as if she'd only just realized, pulling her sweater back up in feigned panic. "Sorry, Lily. I forgot Sebastian was too rough last night and left a lot of marks. I didn't mean to show them to upset you."

I didn't expose her little act. As I turned to go downstairs, I yanked off the bracelet and threw it in the trash.

I couldn't help but recall how years ago, Sebastian had used his first earnings to buy me an expensive gemstone necklace.

I thought the necklace was too expensive and felt bad about him spending so much money on me.

But Sebastian told me I deserved all the best things, that no matter how expensive something was, I was worth it.

Yet now, he'd given me Rachel's free gift?

I gulped down cold water in the kitchen, struggling for a long time to suppress the irony and absurdity spreading through my body and mind.

Just then, a loud crash came from upstairs.

Like porcelain shattering on the floor.

My heart jumped with an inexplicably bad feeling.

I quickly followed the sound upstairs to find a ceramic urn shattered into countless pieces on the floor, its ashes scattered everywhere.

"What did you do?!"

My pupils contracted violently. I rushed forward and shoved Rachel aside.

Rachel stumbled back several steps, indignant. "It's just a broken jar. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

"A broken jar?"

I wanted to kill her right then.

My eyes turned red as I advanced on Rachel, step by step. "Do you know what was in that jar? My parents' ashes!"

Rachel snorted coldly. "So what? It's not like I knew."

My hands clenched tight, my breathing rapid.

Rachel continued disdainfully, "Besides, the people are already dead. Keeping their ashes in the house is really unlucky."

Slap.

Before she finished speaking, I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

Rachel's face turned to the side. She covered her reddening cheek in disbelief. "You dare hit me?"

I said word by word, "Apologize to my parents."

Rachel was about to open her mouth contemptuously when she caught sight of a car pulling up outside the villa.

A cunning glint flashed in her eyes. She smiled coldly at me. "You believe me or not, Sebastian will make you pay for this slap?"

Before I could react, Rachel suddenly grabbed both my hands.

Then she yanked hard. The sensation of weightlessness instantly hit me.

Completely unprepared, Rachel pulled me down the stairs. At the same time, Rachel tumbled down too.

Sebastian's terrified voice suddenly came from the doorway. "Lily... Rachel!"

Falling from upstairs and rolling several times, after the world spun dizzyingly, my head slammed hard into the wall, my temple hitting the sharp corner.

Pain made stars burst before my eyes. Blood immediately gushed from my forehead, staining half my face red.

Seeing me injured and bleeding, Sebastian rushed over in a panic, wanting to pick me up.

But from nearby came Rachel's weak call, "Sebastian, my stomach..."

Sebastian gasped, his pupils contracting in alarm.

Immediately, he stopped caring about me and turned to go to Rachel instead.

Through my dazed, blood-blurred vision, I saw his anxious back as he carried Rachel away.

And Rachel, lying in his arms, gave me a provocative smile.

Lily POV

The villa's housekeeper found me and called an ambulance to take me to the hospital.

When I woke up, Sebastian was sitting by the hospital bed.

His expression was dark as he spoke. "I've had the housekeeper put your parents' ashes in a new urn."

I said nothing, staring quietly at the ceiling above.

Sebastian gazed at my bloodless face, his tone obscure and cold. "Rachel didn't know beforehand that it was your parents' urn. She broke it unintentionally, by accident."

"By accident?" Hearing those words, I finally turned my gaze toward him. "My parents' urn was sitting there perfectly fine. How accidentally careless did she have to be to take it down from the mantle and smash it?"

Sebastian frowned. "Either way, the ashes have been properly stored again. Besides, you nearly caused her to miscarry."

I froze. "I caused her to nearly miscarry?"

"She accidentally broke your parents' urn-that was her fault. But you slapped her, and that should have been enough. Did you really need to push her down the stairs in anger, and deliberately fall down yourself too?"

Hearing this, I thought I must have misheard.

Sebastian said coldly and heavily, "Although Rachel's baby was saved, she suffered quite a shock. Go apologize to her."

"What did you say? You want me to apologize to Rachel?"

"Just go apologize to her, and we can put this matter behind us."

His unquestionable attitude left me in utter disbelief.

In the past, no matter what happened, Sebastian would unconditionally trust and indulge me. Even if I did something wrong, he never made me apologize to anyone, including himself.

But now he wanted me to apologize to Rachel.

None of this was my fault.

Finally, I understood what Rachel meant when she said Sebastian would make me pay for that slap.

I was so angry my emotions surged. "If you want me to apologize to her, dream on!"

Sebastian's expression grew even darker. "The baby in her belly was barely saved. The doctor said she needs to keep her emotions stable, but because you pushed her down the stairs, she's badly shaken and can't calm down. Just go apologize and say a few comforting words. I'll compensate you afterward."

Compensation. Compensation again.

I didn't need any of his compensation. I no longer cared for his compensation.

Rachel had staged all of this herself. Without even guessing, I knew her emotional instability was all an act.

So I said firmly and stubbornly, "I will never humble myself to apologize to her. Give up on that idea!"

Sebastian's face turned stormy. "In that case, I'll have to use more forceful measures."

I looked confused. "What are you going to do?"

Sebastian's face was frosty as he coldly called in two bodyguards and ordered, "Lock Mrs. Laurent in the cold storage. When she's willing to apologize, let her out."

"Yes, sir."

The two bodyguards stepped forward. Under my shocked gaze, they grabbed me without a word, one on each side, and carried me out of the hospital room.

My body and heart went cold. I used all my strength to resist and struggle.

"Get away! Let go of me!"

How could a woman's strength match two burly bodyguards?

Unable to break free, I trembled, my injured eyes red, my lips shaking. "Sebastian Laurent... how can you do this to me?""Lily, I just want to save the child in her belly. As long as you're willing to obediently go apologize to her, you won't have to suffer."

Sebastian's expression remained unchanged, still cold as ice.

My heart turned cold as iron, but I laughed instead.

This was the man who said he would never let me suffer.

This was the man who claimed to love me, who said he loved me more than he loved himself.

I was locked in the hospital's cold storage.

Endless cold wrapped around me from head to toe, inside and out. I was so cold I curled up my hands and feet, shivering uncontrollably.

Somehow, I found myself thinking of the most difficult days before Sebastian's career took off.

Neither Sebastian nor I came from wealthy families.

Back when we were starting the business, we invested all our money into the company. We were so poor we could only live in a cheap rental apartment.

That first winter was bitterly cold, and the house was damp and freezing.

We lay in bed together. My feet were ice cold and wouldn't warm up no matter what. Sebastian would let me put my feet on his belly to keep them warm.

Back then, he always said, "Once the company gets on track, I'll never let you suffer like this again."

For so many years after that, every winter, he'd still habitually let me warm my feet on his belly.

But now, everything was different.

He no longer belonged only to me.

He'd even locked me in cold storage just to force me to apologize to another woman.

Perhaps as far back as three years ago, after meeting Rachel, he was no longer the Sebastian I knew.

When I was nearly losing consciousness from the cold, survival finally broke my stubborn pride.

Using all my strength, I crawled to the cold storage door.

I pounded hard on the firmly closed door. "I agree... I'll apologize to her..."