His Pure Love Cost Him His Wife

Seven years of marriage. Ethan saw me as dirty, as old. He turned around and got involved with a younger college student.

His reason? You threw yourself at me when you were sixteen, like some cheap escort. Who knows how many men a manipulative woman like you has slept with since?

He held Lily Sterling close, his eyes tender.

"Lily is pure and untouched. She was twenty when she lost her virginity to me. I'm her only man."

He forgot.

When he was sixteen, he was the one begging me to get into his bed.

Someone had drugged him with an aphrodisiac, and I gave myself to him to save his life.

He'd pulled a blanket over my kiss-marked body back then and soothed, "My darling, I'll be good to you my whole life."

Seven years together. I took blades for him, my hands stained with blood and dirtied by schemes.

All I got in return was him turning to embrace his "pure" new love.

This time, I didn't make a scene. I took off my wedding ring and walked away.

Ethan's friends all bet on when I'd come back.

But day after day, I remained silent. No word from me.

Ethan couldn't sit still anymore. He called me.

"Amelia, you've caused enough trouble. Come back."

But a low chuckle came. A man's voice. "Mr. Hayes, you take too long chasing your girl. Someone else might beat you to it."

Amelia's POV

The New York rainy season was damp, cold, and sticky. The briny wind from New York Harbor lashed relentlessly against the floor-to-ceiling windows of our hillside mansion.

I sat alone at the dining table. The Wellington steak on my plate was long cold, the fat congealed.

The candles had burned out, their last embers extinguished by the wind. The dining room plunged into total darkness.

Today marked seven years since Ethan Hayes and I first met.

Seven years ago today, amidst the bloody turf wars of Brooklyn, I took a fatal knife wound for him. A hideous, indelible scar still marred my back.

It was also that day that a penniless Ethan, kneeling in the mud, cradled my bloody face and swore that one day, he'd make me the most respected woman in all of New York.

Now, Hayes Enterprises had expanded its reach to an unimaginable scale. He had become Ethan Hayes, a name whispered with fear in the business world.

And I was his sharpest blade, hidden in the shadows. Amelia, the ruthless force behind Hayes Enterprises.

My phone screen suddenly lit up in the darkness, stinging my eyes.

It was Mark, Ethan's assistant, his voice tinged with guilt. "Amelia... Mr. Hayes might not be able to make it back tonight. There's an issue at the South Precinct, and Mr. Hayes is handling it."

My breath hitched, my heart seized. I hung up the phone, grabbed my car keys, and rushed out into the pouring rain.

In the corridor of the South Precinct, the harsh white fluorescent lights made my head spin.

I strode in on three-inch heels, dressed in a sharply tailored black business suit, trailing icy rainwater.

However, the scene before me shattered all my pride and all my worry.

Ethan sat on a bench in the corridor.

The man who was cold and ruthless at the negotiation table, who never even furrowed a brow, was now taking off his warm, tailored suit. With gentle, almost careful movements, he draped it over a young girl.

The girl wore a faded cotton dress, her blonde hair disheveled, her eyes swollen and red.

She huddled in Ethan's arms, her hands clutching the hem of his shirt as if he were her only hope in the world.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here. No one can touch you."

Ethan's voice was deep and gentle, a tone I hadn't heard in three whole years.

I stood in the shadows a few steps away, watching the scene with cold eyes.

I knew the girl. Her name was Lily Sterling. Ethan had 'rescued' her, a college student, from his enemies three months ago during a corporate turf war.

"Ethan."

I spoke, my voice surprisingly calm, so calm that even I found it unbelievable.

Ethan looked up at the sound of my voice.

The moment he saw me, a flicker of irritation crossed his eyes, but he didn't release his arm from around Lily's shoulder.

"What are you doing here?"

"Have you forgotten what day it is?"

I took a step forward, my gaze falling on Lily's hands, which were desperately gripping Ethan's clothes. The sight was so jarring it felt like it was burning my retina.

"Lily was being tracked by my enemies and almost got hurt. I had to come deal with it." Ethan's tone was matter-of-fact, even carrying a hint of annoyance at being disturbed.

"It's just an anniversary. Tomorrow, I'll have accounting transfer you some money. You can pick out any gift you like."

Lily timidly peeked out from Ethan's embrace, her voice trembling, thick with tears.

"I'm so sorry... it's all my fault. I shouldn't have called Mr. Hayes for help while he was in a meeting, ruining your anniversary..."

"If you knew it would ruin it, why did you call?" My gaze, sharp as a blade, pierced Lily with not a hint of warmth.

"Amelia!"

Ethan's voice suddenly rose, pulling Lily tightly behind him.

His eyes, when he looked at me, were full of reproach and disappointment. "She's just an innocent college student. What does she know of corporate schemes? Don't look at her with that calculating gaze you cast on everyone!"

Innocent? Calculating?

Like a poison-tipped dagger, his words plunged into my heart, twisting cruelly.

Seven years ago, I was also an innocent New York beauty pageant queen, with a promising future.

Who drank herself sick, to the point of a stomach hemorrhage, at a dinner party, just to help him secure his first startup capital?

Who walked alone into a negotiation room in the heart of Brooklyn's underworld to appease his enemies?

All my grit, all the blood on my hands, all the schemes in my mind, were for the sole purpose of keeping him pure and untouched on his throne.

But now, he found me dirty.

My hands, hanging by my sides, slowly clenched. My neatly manicured nails dug deep into my palms, breaking the skin, bringing a sharp pang of pain.

I fought back the coppery taste of blood in my throat, forcing a smile that was both utterly cold and strikingly beautiful.

"Fine. If Mr. Hayes intends to play the hero, I won't intrude."

I turned and walked back into the rain, my spine ramrod straight, without looking back.

The cold rain lashed mercilessly against my face. I closed my eyes, letting the icy water wash over my eyelids.

Seven years of companionship, ultimately no match for the pristine face of a newcomer.

I should have known. Birds and fish, after all, were never meant to cross paths.

Amelia's POV

New York media has always been sharper than a vulture's eye.

Overnight, the headlines of all major entertainment and financial sections had shifted direction.

Hayes Heir Plays Hero! Mysterious Pure College Student Rises, Ex-Beauty Queen Amelia's Seven-Year High-Society Dream Shattered!

The accompanying photo was from the previous night at the precinct entrance: Ethan carefully shielding Lily as she got into the car.

The photo was beautifully composed. In the pouring rain, the man's tall frame created a shelter from the wind and rain for the girl.

I sat in the Vice President's office on the top floor of Hayes Enterprises, expressionlessly tossing the newspaper into the shredder.

Accompanied by the machine's dull grinding sound, the jarring headlines turned into a pile of meaningless waste paper.

The frosted glass door of my office opened, and Ethan walked in, carrying the lingering chill of the outside.

He glanced at the shredder, his brow slightly furrowed. "The media is writing nonsense. I'll have the PR department suppress the buzz. Don't go making trouble for Lily."

My hand, as I flipped through documents, froze.

I looked up, meeting the eyes of the man I had lived with for seven years, my gaze filled with absurd mockery.

"Ethan, you came to my office this early just to warn me not to touch your mistress?"

"Amelia, do we really have to speak to each other with such sarcastic tones?"

Ethan walked to my desk, leaning his hands on the surface, looking down at me with a hint of pressure in his voice. "Lily is very sensitive. She can't handle the dirty tactics of your circles. Last night's incident scared her badly, so I plan to have her move into the hillside mansion for a while. It has the most robust security system."

The hillside mansion.

It felt like someone had punched me hard in the chest.

That was the first home Ethan and I had chosen together, furnished ourselves, after he made his first fortune.

Every piece of furniture in it, even every white rose in the garden, I had personally tended to.

He once held me by the mansion's floor-to-ceiling windows, promising me that it was a safe haven meant only for the two of us, where no one else could intrude.

"You're moving her into the hillside mansion?"

"She's just staying temporarily." Ethan avoided my overly clear gaze, turning to look out the window. "You own many properties; you can move into the spacious apartment in Long Island for a while. Lily is timid. She'll feel uncomfortable if you're there."

To make another woman comfortable, he was kicking me, the actual mistress of the house, out?

I felt as though my body was submerged in ice water, so cold I almost trembled.

I stared at the man before me. His features were still deep and handsome, but his eyes, which once held only me, were now filled with a blatant favoritism and protectiveness for another woman.

"What if I don't move?"

Ethan's face instantly darkened, his voice taking on the coldness of a superior.

"Amelia, stop being childish. You weren't this unreasonable before. Lily isn't like you; you're strong enough. What storms haven't you weathered in the business world? But she can't. She's a blank slate; even a slight gust of wind could tear her apart. I have to protect her."

Because she was strong, I should concede; because I had weathered storms, I deserved to be stripped of my sanctuary.

My heart, at that moment, was crushed into dust, inch by agonizing inch.

I suddenly felt that these seven years of my youth were a colossal joke.

I molded myself into a strong woman to protect him, only for that strength to become his reason to discard me.

"Fine, I'll move."

I lowered my eyelids, concealing the desolate emptiness in my eyes. "Ethan, I'll leave the keys to the hillside mansion at the door tonight. I hope you both enjoy your stay."

That evening, I packed all my personal belongings in just an hour.

There wasn't much, actually. Over the years, I had poured all my energy into expanding Hayes Enterprises. The personal items belonging to me in the mansion were pathetically few.

As I dragged my suitcase to the door, the code lock chimed.

Ethan walked in with Lily.

Lily wore a new pair of pink bunny slippers. Seeing my suitcase, her eyes instantly reddened. "Are you really leaving? Or maybe I should leave instead. I don't want to ruin your relationship because of me..."

"If you didn't want to ruin it, you shouldn't have stepped through this door in the first place." I cut her off coldly, not bothering to spare her an extra glance.

"Amelia!" Ethan roared, pulling Lily into his embrace, glaring at me. "Why are you yelling at her? I'm the one who asked her to come!"

I didn't look at them again.

I placed the keys, which had absorbed my warmth for seven years, on the shoe cabinet by the door.

"Ethan, I don't want this house anymore."

I pushed open the door and walked into the dense New York night without a backward glance.

It was stormy, but I didn't carry an umbrella. Because no one would shelter me from the rain anymore.

Amelia's POV

After moving out of the hillside mansion, I threw all my energy into endless work.

I tried to numb myself with hectic international meetings and high-intensity negotiations. The moment my brain stopped functioning for a second, a dull, sharp ache would throb in my heart, reminding me how ridiculous those seven years of sacrifice had been.

A week later, New York's annual top-tier charity gala was held at the Waldorf Astoria.

As one of the owners of Hayes Enterprises, I walked the red carpet alone, dressed in a black velvet haute couture gown.

I was still stunningly beautiful. The cool detachment in my eyes added an aura of untouchable regality.

The media and socialites who had come to witness my downfall instinctively silenced themselves the moment they met my icy gaze.

However, as the gala was halfway through and a graceful waltz had just begun, a hushed stir suddenly rippled through the crowd.

The heavy doors of the ballroom were pushed open by a waiter.

Ethan, in a tailored tuxedo, entered with a figure draped in pure white: Lily Sterling.

Lily was clearly attending such a high-society event for the first time. She clung nervously to Ethan, like an ugly duckling who had stumbled into a flock of swans.

But what truly made all the socialites gasp in awe, and even green with envy, was the diamond necklace around Lily's neck.

The Tears of Victoria!

Three years ago, Ethan had acquired that peerless pink diamond at Sotheby's auction house for an exorbitant price.

At the time, all of New York's media had widely reported that it was Ethan's chosen accessory for my wedding gown.

My hand, holding the champagne flute, trembled violently, nearly spilling the golden liquid.

Ethan had once personally placed that necklace around my neck.

It was on the eve of Hayes Enterprises' greatest crisis. He had wrapped his arms around me from behind, pressing the cold diamonds against my collarbone, his voice hoarse as he promised:

"Amelia, once we overcome this hurdle, once Hayes Enterprises rings the bell for its IPO, I'll marry you with this necklace."

Now, Hayes Enterprises had long gone public. The grand bell-ringing ceremony was still vivid in my memory. Yet, that necklace, laden with his promise, now adorned another woman's neck.

"Amelia, Mr. Hayes is really playing favorites, isn't he?"

A rival, who had always been at odds with me, chuckled lightly, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "He spent so much money on you back then, and now he's given it to some nobody with no background. Men, you know, they still prefer innocent, pure, and easy-to-control women."

I ignored the cold taunts of others.

My gaze cut through the bustling crowd, fixing directly on Ethan.

Ethan seemed to sense my stare.

He turned, and our eyes met across the room.

A flicker of awkwardness crossed Ethan's eyes, but he didn't walk over. Instead, he leaned down and whispered something to Lily.

Lily followed Ethan's gaze and saw me.

She bit her lip, then surprisingly, took Ethan's hand and, weaving through the crowd, walked towards me.

"Amelia."

Lily lowered her head slightly, but her hand unconsciously caressed the pink diamond around her neck, her posture timid yet radiating a hidden smug satisfaction. "This necklace... Ethan said my dress was too plain tonight, so he lent it to me. Please don't misunderstand, I don't mean anything by it."

Her words perfectly balanced feigned innocence with blatant showing off.

Looking at her pitiful act, a wave of visceral disgust churned in my stomach.

I looked at Ethan coldly, my eyes full of derision. "Mr. Hayes' taste is certainly unique. Pairing a priceless heirloom worth millions with a simple white dress doesn't that seem like a waste?"

"Amelia, watch your tone!"

Ethan's face darkened, and he instinctively shielded Lily behind him. "Lily doesn't understand these luxury items. I insisted she wear it. Don't be so aggressive here just because of a necklace."

"I'm aggressive?"

I let out a bitter laugh, but my eyes stung. "Ethan, do you have any idea what this necklace means to me?"

"That's all in the past."

Ethan cut me off coldly, his eyes cold and rational. "You have everything now. Shares in Hayes Enterprises, status, wealth, reputation. Why do you insist on fighting Lily over a necklace? She has nothing. She only has me."

His words struck me like a lightning bolt.

I had everything?

I gave up my own life, stained my hands with corporate schemes and dirt, earned myself a bad reputation, only to be dismissed with a casual "she has everything"?

I looked at the man before me, the man I had cultivated with seven years of my youth, and suddenly felt utterly alienated, so much so that it terrified me.

"Fine, very well."

I nodded slowly, draining the champagne in my hand.

The cold liquid slid down my throat, burning like a knife. "Since Mr. Hayes is so generous, consider this necklace my welcome gift to Ms. Sterling. After all, I find things used by others... dirty."

With that, I placed the empty glass heavily on a waiter's tray and turned, walking out of the ballroom with resolute pride.

I didn't cry. My tears had long since run dry in the countless dark nights I spent taking bullets for him.

Amelia's POV

My origins in the New York business world had always been a mystery no one dared to pry into.

The media only knew that I grew up in an orphanage, won a beauty pageant with my stunning looks, and then plunged into Ethan's business empire.

But only I knew that for over two decades, I had never given up searching for my birth parents.

The day after the charity gala, my long-term private investigator finally delivered a thick DNA test report and background check to my desk.

The report showed that I wasn't an abandoned orphan at all, but the daughter of the prominent Boston Sterling family, lost for twenty-two years.

Yet, fate seemed to have a cruel sense of humor.

Attached to the last page of the investigation report was a recent family photo of the Sterling household.

In the photo, my parents were celebrating a girl's birthday, their faces beaming with loving smiles.

The girl, wearing a crown and smiling with innocent joy, was Lily Sterling.

Lily Sterling, the replacement child adopted from an orphanage by the Sterling family, who were heartbroken after losing their daughter.

The woman who stole my man had also brazenly occupied my rightful life.

I stared at the report, my fingers trembling slightly.

An indescribable sense of absurdity enveloped me.

I didn't contact the Sterling family immediately. Instead, clutching the report, I drove to Ethan's exclusive club.

Deep down, I still held a faint, fragile glimmer of hope.

I wanted to tell him that I had found my family, that I was no longer the destitute orphan.

I wanted to see if, upon learning the truth, he would show even a trace of emotion.

The club's corridors were thickly carpeted, my footsteps barely audible.

As I reached the door of Ethan's private VIP suite, it was slightly ajar, and Lily's suppressed, tearful sobs drifted out.

"Ethan, I'm so scared... The Sterling family is looking for their biological daughter from years ago. I heard they already have a lead. If that girl comes back, Mom and Dad won't love me anymore. I'm just a replacement; I'll lose everything..."

I stopped, my hand frozen on the doorknob.

Then came Ethan's deep, gentle, and utterly doting voice, filled with boundless indulgence.

"Don't be afraid, Lily. With me, no one can take what's yours."

"But what if their biological daughter tries to kick me out? What if she hates me?" Lily cried piteously.

"Then I'll make sure she can't survive in the entire business world." Ethan's voice suddenly turned cold, laced with a chilling cruelty.

"I don't care whether the Sterlings agree to let their biological daughter come home. But on my turf, as long as I'm here, you are the Sterling family's only heiress. Anyone who dares to make you suffer will pay the price. Even the Sterling's biological daughter."

Outside the door, I felt as if plunged into an ice bath.

A chill shot from the soles of my feet to the top of my head, freezing my entire body.

I looked down at the crumpled DNA report in my hand, suddenly finding it incredibly laughable.

I had foolishly hoped to share the joy of finding my family with him, yet he had already preemptively warned me off, his own biological daughter, for his mistress's sake.

It turned out the boundary between love and no love could be so stark.

For Lily Sterling, he could relentlessly destroy anyone, including Amelia, the woman who had helped him build his career and taken a knife for him.

I didn't push the door open.

I stood quietly outside, listening to the man's tender words to another woman within.

Then, slowly, I tore the DNA test report in my hand into shreds.

White paper flakes drifted from my fingers, like a silent snowfall, burying my last shred of hope and weakness.

I turned to leave, my spine still straight.

But the heart that had loved Ethan for seven years had, at that moment, completely stopped beating.

From now on, I needed no love, no family.

Amelia's POV

Two weeks later, the Sterling family officially entered the New York market, hosting a grand celebration gala at The Plaza Hotel.

The Sterlings grandly announced that they had found their long-lost daughter, but to protect her privacy, her identity would remain undisclosed for now.

At the same time, Daniel Sterling emphatically stated to the media that their adopted daughter, Lily Sterling, remained the Sterling family's most beloved daughter, her status unshakeable.

As an indispensable figure in the New York business world, I received an invitation.

Dressed in a fiery red gown, I appeared at the gala, coolly stunning.

No one knew that I was the true protagonist of this evening, the daughter deliberately hidden, even guarded against, by my own birth parents.

In the hotel's garden, the massive outdoor pool shimmered, reflecting New York's dazzling neon lights.

I stood by the poolside, holding a wine glass, trying to suppress the churning turmoil in my chest.

Faint footsteps approached from behind, accompanied by a cloyingly sweet perfume.

"Amelia, what a coincidence."

Lily, in a custom-made princess dress, walked up to me like a triumphant swan.

The Lily of this moment no longer exhibited the timidity and innocence she showed Ethan. Her eyes held an undisguised malice and smug satisfaction.

"Do you need something?"

I couldn't even bother to spare her a glance, my eyes still fixed on the distant night skyline.

Lily leaned closer, lowering her voice to a whisper meant only for us.

"Amelia, I actually saw the Sterling family's investigation report a long time ago. I know you're the real Sterling daughter who was lost."

My hand, holding the wine glass, paused slightly. I turned, looking at her coldly.

"But so what?"

Lily's smile was vicious and unrestrained. "Mom and Dad chose not to reveal you to spare my feelings. And Ethan... he even personally warned the Sterling family that if you dared to come back and bully me, he would cut off all cooperation with them."

"Amelia, so what if you're high-born? The man you loved for seven years is now my protector. You're destined to be a pitiful soul no one wants."

Looking at Lily's arrogant face, I felt no anger, only a bleak desolation in my heart.

"Are you done?" My tone was indifferent, as if I were watching a clown. "If you're finished, leave."

Lily's eyes flashed, and a strange smile curved her lips. She suddenly lunged backward.

"Ah!"

With a piercing scream, Lily fell into the deep pool, splashing a huge amount of water.

"Lily!"

A furious roar erupted from nearby.

Ethan rushed over like a madman, not even taking off his suit jacket, and unhesitatingly leaped into the pool, pulling the flailing Lily to the surface.

The commotion drew all the guests, including my parents, who rushed over upon hearing the news.

Ethan carried a soaking wet, shivering Lily ashore.

Lily immediately clung to his neck, sobbing uncontrollably. "Ethan, I'm so scared... I just wanted to say hello to Amelia, why did she push me down..."

Ethan's head snapped up, his dark eyes burning with fury. He stared at me like an enemy.

"Amelia! You're utterly insane!"

Ethan gritted his teeth. "Are you using those dirty tricks from the business world on Lily now? What did she ever do to you to deserve such malice?"

"I didn't push her." I stood ramrod straight, my voice clear and cold, without a trace of panic.

Slap!

A sharp slap cracked through the night air, interrupting my defense.

It wasn't Ethan who slapped me, but a furious Mrs. Sterling, my birth mother.

Mrs. Sterling trembled with rage, pointing a finger at my nose and cursing.

"You evil woman! Lily is so kind, how dare you push her! I'm warning you, if anything happens to Lily, our Sterling family will not let you get away with it!"

I turned my head. Five red marks rapidly appeared on my fair cheek, bringing an unbearable pang of pain.

I looked at my birth mother, glaring at me, then at Ethan, who was tightly embracing Lily, his eyes filled with disgust for me.

Everyone present was condemning me, insulting me.

I stood alone, like a monster abandoned by the world.

"Ethan," I suddenly smiled, a beautiful, heartbreaking smile, my eyes filled with shattered despair. "In your eyes, I'm such a monster, capable of murder out of jealousy, aren't I?"

Ethan looked at my smile, then coldly turned his gaze away. "You disappoint me greatly."

"Understood, then."

I nodded, making no further attempt to defend myself.

I turned, my three-inch heels clicking, walking out of the Sterling family's gala step by step, proud and resolute.

The night wind blew, and my slender silhouette seemed as if it could be swallowed whole by this cold world at any moment.

Amelia's POV

After returning from the Sterling family gala, I fell seriously ill.

The high fever plunged me into nightmares night after night, filled with Ethan's cold, disgusted gaze and my own mother's sharp, decisive slap.

The first thing I did after the fever broke was drive back to the hillside mansion.

I had left something there.

It was an old wooden box containing a pocket watch my foster mother had left me before she passed away.

It was the only keepsake proving my identity, and for over twenty years, it had been my sole source of comfort during countless unbearable nights.

Pushing open the mansion door, I saw that the interior furnishings had completely changed.

The minimalist, dark-toned furniture I had carefully chosen was all replaced with a pink, French country style.

My presence had been completely erased from here. Even the air was filled with an unfamiliar, sweet scent.

I walked straight to the master bedroom on the second floor.

Pushing open the door, I saw Lily sitting at the dressing table, toying with that very pocket watch.

"Who allowed you to touch my things?" I strode over, my eyes as cold and sharp as daggers.

Lily jumped in fright. Seeing me, a flicker of panic crossed her eyes, but she quickly composed herself.

"Amelia, you've already moved out. Naturally, everything here belongs to Ethan. I thought this pocket watch was quite distinctive, so I took it out to look at it."

"Give it back to me!" I reached out, my voice chillingly cold.

Just then, steady footsteps echoed from outside the door.

Ethan walked in. Seeing me, his brows immediately furrowed, his voice filled with impatience. "What are you doing here? Didn't you leave the keys?"

"I came for my mother's keepsake." I pointed at the pocket watch in Lily's hand, my gaze fixed on it.

Ethan glanced at the worn-out watch, irritably pinching the bridge of his nose.

"It's just an old watch. If Lily likes it, let her keep it. Name your price, and I'll compensate you double."

An old watch? Compensate?

My heart felt like it was being fed into a meat grinder, the pain so intense that even my breaths tasted of blood.

"Ethan, that's the only keepsake my foster mother left me! It's something I've worn since childhood!"

My voice finally cracked, imbued with an undeniable sorrow and despair. "In your eyes, everything can be measured by money, everything can be given to her, is that right?!"

Ethan's tone softened slightly.

"Lily has been frightened recently. She feels the pocket watch brings her peace. You have so many top-tier jewels; why bother fighting her over this?"

"Ethan, since Amelia is so reluctant to part with this watch, I'll just give it back to her."

Lily put on a wronged expression, stood up, and extended the pocket watch towards me.

However, just as my fingers were about to touch the watch, Lily's fingers suddenly loosened.

A?sharp clink rang out. A crisp shattering sound echoed in the quiet bedroom.

The pocket watch, which had been with me for over twenty years, hit the marble floor. Its glass face shattered completely.

The atmosphere instantly turned tense.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! It slipped!"

Lily cried out, then turned and hid in Ethan's arms.

I stood frozen, staring down at the watch on the floor.

It was my only connection to the past, my only source of solace during those difficult years. Now, the watch was broken...

Just like my feelings for Ethan, it was shattered into a million pieces.

I slowly knelt, reaching out a trembling hand, picking up the watch fragments one by one.

The sharp glass edges cut my fingers, and blood dripped onto the white floor.

"Amelia..." Ethan looked at my bleeding hand, trying to reach for me.

"Don't touch me!" I fiercely swatted his hand away.

I looked up. My eyes, once full of love, now held nothing but cold emptiness.

"Ethan, in seven years, even if I raised a dog, I would have developed feelings for it." I tightly clutched the blood-stained watch fragments, slowly rising to my feet. "You're not just blind, you're heartless. What we had, it ends here."

I didn't spare him another glance, walking past him and out of this mansion that had buried all my youth and love.