Fleeting Love Leaves No Trace

At the wedding ceremony, during the ring exchange, my fiancée Mae O’Neill suddenly suggested that I draw lots with Zachary Donovan, my childhood friend. Whoever won the draw would marry her.

As expected, I lost.

The wedding I had spent half a year preparing for turned into her wedding with Zachary and my father was so enraged that he suffered a heart attack on the spot.

At my lowest and most helpless moment, my childhood friend Ashley boldly confessed her love and insisted on marrying me. She even personally took my father to the hospital for emergency treatment. However, we were involved in a car accident on the way and he ultimately couldn’t be saved.

I observed mourning for my father for three years, during which Ashley managed the company on my behalf.

Three years later, I accidentally unlocked her phone and discovered a voice message between her and her best friend.

“Ash, you can’t keep the truth hidden forever. You deliberately caused that car accident and almost lost your life. All for Zachary? Are you really willing to sacrifice your entire happiness for him? What if Trevor finds out the truth one day? What will you do?”

“As long as he’s happy, I’ll do whatever it takes, even if it costs me my life. As for Trevor, I owe him too much. I’ll repay him in the next life—that seems fair.”

The pain in my heart became unbearable. I finally realized that from beginning to end, the only person she had ever loved was Zachary.

I naively believed I had found happiness, but in the end, it turned out to be nothing more than a carefully crafted illusion by someone else. Now that my dream had been completely shattered, it's time to move on.

——

On the way to deliver Ashley's phone, almost instinctively, I typed in a string of numbers on her pass screen. To my surprise, I unlocked it. The numbers I typed were Zachary's birthday.

After reading Ashley's chat with her best friend, a chill spread through me. I found myself already standing outside her company's building without fully realizing how I got there.

Upon entering the building, all eyes turned toward me. Some were envious, others reflected deep resentment.

Ashley was a wellknown ice queen in the whole town. Many outstanding men had pursued her, but she dismissed their proposals. Instead, she chose someone as insignificant as me amidst the dazzling stars.

At first, I thought I was favored by fate—until I heard those voice messages and my illusions were shattered.

Ashley’s assistant noticed me and moved to inform her, but I stopped her. "You go ahead. I'm just here to deliver her phone."

The assistant gave me a considerate note. "Ms. Rigs is with her."

I immediately understood what she meant.

Rosemary Riggs was Ashley’s best friend. It was her voice in the messages I had listened to just days ago.

I was about to knock on the door when I overheard Rosemary raising her voice.

"Ash, stop deceiving yourself. Is it worth it to sacrifice so much for that man? He's inseparable from Mae. There's no place for you in his heart!" she was clearly agitated.

Ashley's replied, sounding exhausted with their conversation, "I don’t care. From the day I decided to let him go, I was prepared to sacrifice everything. As long as he’s happy, everything I’ve done is worth it."

Rosemary grew even more agitated. "But this isn't fair for Trevor! He could have lived a carefree life, but because of your interferences, Uncle Ben passed away without treatment. Trevor ended up as a homeless, pitiful man."

Ashley fell silent for a few seconds. Her gaze shifted to the photo frame on her desk—the first picture of us after our wedding.

Then she spoke softly, "He still has me, doesn’t he? Isn’t that enough? I know I owe him, but I’ve been doing everything I can to make up for it."

"Back then, the Rollins family and the Donovan family were competing for the same critical project—a project that would decide the Donovan family’s very survival. If I hadn’t stepped in, they would have faced bankruptcy."

"When Director Benjamin passed away, the Rollins family had no choice but to withdraw from the competition. And Zachary… got what he wanted in the end."

Ashley’s voice carried a faint trace of pain, tinged with quiet sorrow.

Rosemary opened her mouth to say more, but Ashley waved her off.

"Did you come all this way just to lecture me? Trev’s going to be here soon. I asked him to bring my phone. If he sees you here, he might get suspicious. You should leave."

Rosemary could only sigh in surrender. As she stepped out of the office and opened the door, her gaze met mine.

In that instant, I saw the shock on her face.

“TTrevor, what are you doing here? Have you got here for a while?”

I tried masking the sadness in my eyes and forced a casual smile. “I Just arrived, was about to go in when you came out.”

“Did you... hear our conversation just now?”

I pretended to be confused. “What were you two talking about?”

“No, nothing...” Rosemary quickly left the room afterward.

When my eyes met Ashley’s, she lowered her head with guilt. “How did you get here so fast?”

I simply nodded. “You said there were important files on the phone. I figured it must be something urgent.”

Ashley stood up and walked over to me, her delicate hands wrapping around my neck.

“Why don’t you go sit somewhere while I finish up? I’ll come find you when I’m done. By the way, I remember you like coffee, so here, have mine.”

She lifted her coffee and brought it to me. I took it with difficulty, managing a faint smile. “Okay, I’ll wait for you in the lounge.”

As I closed the door behind me, the world blurred before my eyes. My steps faltered and I felt dizzy, as if I were about to collapse.

I spent just a few minutes inside, but it felt like an eternity, each second dragging on like a century.

I was terrified I would break down and confront Ashley right then and there. I’d demand to know why she was so heartless.

I had always believed my father’s death was just a tragic accident, but now I realized it was part of a longplanned scheme she’d orchestrated. Just to gain Zachary’s favor.

Back then, Mae’s betrayal left me feel so isolated and helpless. When Ashley appeared, I thought she was the lifeline I could cling to—the person thing that could save me from drowning.

Now that I’d reached this point, I realized how naïve I was.

Her love for me was so intense it could make anyone envious, but only I knew the truth. It was nothing more than a way for her to make amends for what she did to me.

The bitterness of the coffee spread across my tongue. Compared to my pained heart thought, it was not even close.

As I walked toward the lounge, I passed a small corner and noticed a door wasn’t fully closed. I was about to pass on when a large photo wall on the adjacent wall caught my eye.

I looked around, nobody was around. Then I took advantage of the situation before stepping inside.

The room was filled with an overwhelming array of objects that seemed to pierce my eyes. The entire wall was covered with countless photos, arranged tightly and densely.

And in every single one, there was Zachary’s face.

The way he diligently studied.

The way he smiled.

The way he moved so energetically on the basketball court.

The way he gave it his all to claim victory in the swimming pool.

On another wall hung rows of medals and trophies, shining symbols of Zachary’s achievements in university swimming competitions. I couldn’t wrap my head around why these pictures and items were here, in this room.

On a display table, stacks of receipts were neatly arranged—donation records from Ashley’s years of charitable activities, all made in Zachary’s name.

At the center of the display were over a dozen tokens of good luck, each marked with a specific year. She had done all this for one purpose: to bring fortune and protection to Zachary.

It suddenly hit me—how Ashley would disappear for a few days every year, always at the same time. Now I understood. She had been going to the church to pray for Zachary.

In all our years of marriage, she had never made such dedicated prayer for me. Yet, she’d never missed a year to do so for Zachary. No matter how terrible the weather outside.

My chest tightened painfully, my breath growing rapid.

What truly caught my eye was a small notebook lying carelessly in an inconspicuous corner. I picked it up and flipped through its pages, immediately recognizing the graceful and familiar handwriting.

Inside, precise times were recorded, down to the exact second.

It recorded the first time Ashley and Zachary met at university.

The first time they held hands.

Their first kiss.

Her first heartbreak.

The first day she drank for seven days and nights because Zachary was getting married.

What Zachary liked to eat, what he enjoyed doing—everything was meticulously detailed.

Every stroke of the pen carried her subtle affection.

I flipped through the pages to the very end, but my name wasn’t there—not even a single mention. The diary in my hands suddenly felt unbearably heavy.

After taking a photo of it, I walked out of the room, leaning against the wall and gasping for air.

As my blurred vision gradually cleared, I picked up my phone and made an international call. "Hey, Sis, I’m thinking of going abroad. Dad has always said he wanted to travel the world, right? I’m going to fulfill that dream for him."

My sister, who was far away in another country, detected the sorrow in my tone and fell silent for a few seconds.

"Trev, you get into a fight with Ash, don't you? She’s so good to you—why not try being a bit more understanding?"

I gave much explaination to my actions.

In the end, my sister sighed softly. "Alright. Alright. Whatever decision you make, I’ll support your choice," she said.

"After Dad passed, the Rollins family's business went downhill. Recently, Ash transferred all of it to me. I’m planning to move the assets overseas. When you come back, I’ll hand everything back to you."

"But you have to know, the financial settlement will take three more days to finish. I’ll pick you up at the airport by then."

I nodded in agreement. "Okay. I’ll book a flight for three days from now."

After hanging up, I heard high heels tapping against the floor behind me.

Ashley wrapped her arms around my waist, her chin resting on my shoulder as she smiled sweetly. "Buying a plane ticket? What for?"

I quickly came up with an excuse to brush it off, "My sister just called. She’s planning to buy a ticket to visit me."

Ashley was thrilled when she heard this. "That’s great! I haven’t seen your sister in ages. It’ll be nice to catch up."

She stepped in front of me and gently placed my hand on her stomach, softly rubbing it. "Honey, haven’t you always wanted a child? Tonight, let’s skip the protection."

I was momentarily stunned.

In the three years we’ve been married, I’ve brought up wanting to have children at least 99 times, but she always turned me down, citing concerns about her figure. Our intimate life had become so rare I could count it on one hand. This was the first time she had ever taken the initiative to bring it up.

Before I could process it, she grabbed my hand and led me to the canteen area, where all eyes followed us with a mix of envy and curiosity.

"I’m hungry. You wouldn’t mind if we ate here, would you?"

I didn’t refuse and sat down across from her.

Ashley didn’t show me the menu. It wasn’t until the food arrived and she saw me frowning that she finally asked, concerned,

"What's wrong? Is the food not to your liking?"

I looked down at the shrimp soup in front of me, a cold chill running through me. I’m allergic to seafood and I can’t eat anything with it.

Once, Ashley had carelessly added shrimp to a soup she made and after I ate it, I was rushed to the hospital—barely surviving.

What shocked me now was how completely she had forgotten about that incident.

Meanwhile, I distinctly remembered that Zachary was also allergic to seafood. But she had made sure to keep that in mind.

Maybe, in Ashley's mind, I was never someone she needed to care about. My wellbeing, my survival—it didn’t matter to her.

After a few halfhearted bites, Ashley excused herself, saying the company was busy and that I should continue eating. She seemed eager to leave.

The moment she walked out, I immediately called legal consultant that my family had always hired.

"Roy, draft a divorce agreement for me…. Yes, I want a clean break."

"Help me check what happened three years ago too, Roy. The day of my dad’s car accident and what's going on between my family and the Donovans."

The fake love between Ashley and I... it’s time for it to end.

The next day, a news story popped up on my phone. Curious, I clicked on it and found out that there was a charity gala in the city that night.

The gala itself wasn’t anything special, but what caught everyone’s attention was the appearance of a very rare international exhibit. It was a oneofakind diamond, named "Immortal Love".

The value of the diamond was immense, but it was no where a match for the meaning carried in its name.

I thought this had nothing to do with me, but later that night, I received a call from Ashley.

"Honey, dress sharp tonight. I’m taking you to the charity gala. Wait for me to pick you up."

An hour later, Ashley had a driver come pick me up. When I arrived at the charity event, I realized she was already there. She wore a deep Vneck gown, stunning and captivating, drawing admiring glances from many men.

Just as I was about to approach, I noticed she was engaged in conversation with someone. The said person was none other than Zachary.

"It’s been a while. You’re still as beautiful as ever." Zachary’s compliment made her blush. What a rare sight.

"And you? How’s married life treating you?"

Zachary’s expression was unreadable, his gaze cold yet filled with unmasked ambiguity. "It’s going well. Mae’s pregnant and we’re very happy."

Ashley forced a smile, but there was a faint, almost imperceptible sadness in her eyes, which I caught from a distance.

I tightened my grip on my wine glass, feeling a sour pang in my chest.

At that moment, onlookers, noticing Ashley and Zachary, began to praise them.

"That handsome man, could he be Ms. Roth’s husband? What a perfect match!"

"Absolutely. She’s gentle and graceful and he’s strikingly handsome. They’re the most perfect couple I’ve ever seen."

"I’ve heard Ms. Roth dotes on her husband. Seeing them together tonight confirms that the rumors were true."

Hearing the murmurs around her, Ashley felt a flash of secret delight. In the next moment, her eyes met mine and she froze on the spot.

As I walked away, Ashley hurriedly chased after me. “Trev, wait!”

She lifted her gown and ran in front of me, ignoring the surprised looks from others, her expression flustered as she tried to explain.

“Trev, why did you leave when you just saw me? Is it because you were upset that I was talking to another man? I won’t do it again, okay?”

“You know Mr. Donovan is an important client for our company. We were just exchanging pleasantries—don’t misunderstand.”

Looking into her earnest, pleading eyes, I couldn’t help but chuckle softly. If I hadn’t seen everything that happened in that mysterious room, perhaps even I would have been fooled by her convincing performance.

Oh, Ashley. Love can be bold and open, grand and unapologetic. Why go to such lengths to hide it?

You like him, didn't you, Ash? I could just step aside.

As I stayed silent, Zachary approached, wearing a smirk that was more condescending than amused.

"Trevor, in front of all these people, how could you let a beautiful girl like her chase after you like this? How can you even call yourself a man?"

"A real man should be cool headed, not petty." His mocking tone had the crowd laughing and some looked at me as if I were the punchline of a joke.

With his usual charm, Zachary only succeeded in making me feel smaller.

Meanwhile, Ashley stood there, completely still, showing no sign of stepping in to defend me.

In that moment, I suddenly felt a sense of relief and smiled faintly.

"Well, Mr. Donovan, you stole my exfiancée and now you got your eyes on my current wife?" The moment those words left my mouth, Zachary’s face darkened.

Seeing the crowd whispering, he shot me an angry glance and stormed off.

Ashley was flustered red. She said spontaneously, "Trevor! How can you talk about Mr. Donovan like that? Go after him and apologize!"

I shot her a cold look and she paused after realizing her slipup.

"Trev, don’t take it the wrong way. I’m just trying to help you."

"The Donovan family isn’t what it once was. If you make an enemy of him now, things are going to get tough for you."

I wasn’t fazed. "When he ruined my wedding and took my fiancée, that was when our paths became enemies. From that moment on, it was always going to be war between us."

Ashley seemed ready to say more, but I turned and walked off, finding a quiet corner to be alone. She watched me leave, wanting to say something, but in the end, she didn’t follow.

I waited for a bit among the crowd. I soon saw her laughing and chatting with Zachary, as though nothing had happened.

In the past three years, the Rollins family's company hasn’t grown—in fact under Ashley’s management. In fat, it’s only gotten worse.

Meanwhile its rival, the company belonging to the Donovans had made an impressive comeback, thriving and securing multiple private deals with the Roths. The Rollins was no longer the powerful giant that once nearly drove the Donovans to bankruptcy.

Maybe this was exactly what Ashley had been hoping for...

In this situation, Zachary went from being a struggling rich kid to a confident, successful young man.

As my thoughts swirled, the noise of bidding finally began. Listening to the backandforth of the auction, I sipped my wine in a melancholic daze, until I heard cheers.

"The diamond’s been sold! One hundred fifty million!"

"Who’s spending that kind of money? That’s a oneofakind, limited edition!"

"I heard it was someone from the Donovans."

"No way! I clearly saw Ms. Roth place the bid."

At this, I paused and gave a selfmocking smile. Ashley was in her effort to impress Zachary, huh? She really wasn’t holding back.

This charity gala no longer held any meaning for me. After staying for half an hour, I decided to leave.

Just then, someone called my name.

"Mr. Rollins, Ms. Roth is looking for you, by the pool."

I was wary at this turn of event, but I walked toward the pool anyway. There, Ashley was nowhere in sight—just Zachary who was smirking smugly at me.

"Loser, Mae left you for me and now even your wife Ashley is desperately trying to win me over. See this diamond? Ashley gave it to me—one hundred fifty million!"

"What about you? What has she given you?" He waved the sparkling diamond in front of me, almost as if showing off.

I thought for a moment and shook my head.

Indeed, over the years, Ashley had given me very few things—most of them meaningless, trivial gifts. It was as if giving me gifts was just something she had to do, a task to check off.

Could that be anymore pathetic?

I didn’t want to waste my time on him and decided to leave. Before I could do that, I saw the mischievous grin on Zachary’s face. A bad feeling instantly shot up my gut.

Zachary’s gaze shifted past my shoulder, spotting a group of people rushing toward us.

The next moment, he yelled out, "Trevor! You can't steal my diamond! Ah!" He then reached out and yanked me into the pool with him.

"Zachary!"

As we hit the water, I saw the look of terror on Ashley’s face as she called out Zachary’s name.

I’d never learned to swim and was a terrible swimmer. I struggled in the water, helplessly reaching out to Ashley, pleading for help.

Ashley glanced at me in hesitance.

I thought she would have someone help me, but then I clearly heard her shout, "Save Zachary first! Hurry!"

In that moment, I felt an overwhelming urge to give up and stop fighting for air. The cold water surged into my mouth and nose, choking me as I struggled to breathe. My vision started to blur.

As my consciousness began to fade, a bitter thought crossed my mind: Zachary was a swimming champion, while I couldn’t swim at all. Didn’t Ashley know that?

No.

She knew that perfectly well. She just didn’t want to take the risk, even though the chances of Zachary drowning were far slimmer than mine.

When I woke up again, it was already the next day.

I was in my bedroom at home and no one was around. I took a deep breath, feeling a sharp pain in my chest. I called out for anyone, but no one responded.

Then, I picked up my phone and saw a bunch of messages from Ashley.

[Hey, honey, the doctor said you only had a mild drowning incident, nothing serious. Just rest and recover.]

[Once you’re better, how about we go out for a walk?]

She didn’t mention anything about why she saved Zachary first.

Just as I was about to put my phone down, a news alert popped up.

A paparazzo had caught Ashley and Zachary secretly meeting at a hotel, where she changed his soaked clothes and made him ginger soup. She even used her body to warm him up—everything she did made her seem more like a devoted wife than Mae ever did.

I ignored it and painfully dragged myself out of bed.

Enduring the ache in my chest, I began tossing all the photos I had with Ashley over the years into a metal basin to burn them. I cleared out the entire album on my phone as well.

Then, I called the cleaning service to come and remove all my things.

In the middle of all that, I finally received the divorce agreement from my lawyer. After printing it out, signing on it, left it on the desk.

Roy also sent me some files that detailed the competition between my family and the Donovans for that one major project. I printed those out as well.

I used my connections to retrieve all the corner surveillance footage from the day of Ashley’s car accident three years ago.

Next, I put the dozens of photos and videos I had taken in that mysterious room onto a USB drive and placed it alongside the divorce papers.

In addition, I had someone pull the security footage from around the pool at the charity event and made the truth of that night public.

Once everything was done, I packed my bags and left for the airport.

On the way, Ashley suddenly texted me.

[Honey, did you see those rumors online? Don’t believe them—they’re just the paparazzi making up lies. They're twisting what actually was happening!]

[I went to take care of Zachary because everyone thought you were the one who pushed him into the pool. I was trying to help you by pleading with him, so you wouldn’t be charged with attempted murder.]

Seeing Ashley's no longer triggered my reaction. I didn't think much and blocked Ashley, Zachary and everyone else from my contact.

At the Roth Corporation headquarters, Ashley kept staring at her phone. When her secretary walked in, she finally asked, "Has my husband called the company?"

The secretary shook her head. "No, Ma'am. The Sir knows you're busy. He usually calls the front desk before noon every day, reminding me to tell you to take breaks and eat on time. I have to say that today seems different."

Ashley furrowed her brows, sensing something unusual as well.

"Normally, he would’ve gotten up by now. But forget it—he’s not a child anymore. Let’s not worry about him. How’s the PR situation going? We can’t let Zachary be affected. He’s on the shortlist for the Top 10 Young Talents and this is a very important honor for him."

The secretary was silent, but it was clear something bothered her with Ashley’s statement.

"Ms. Roth, is this fair to your husband? If he ever finds out the truth, how heartbroken do you think he’ll be?" The secretary finally voiced her concern.

Ashley gripped her hands tightly, her thoughts swirling. "This is the last thing I’ll do for Zachary. Once he wins the Top 10 Young Talents award, I’ll step back and focus on being the wife Trevor deserves."

"Also, make sure the 50% stake in Roth Corporation that I own is transferred entirely to Trevor."

The secretary nodded and was about to leave when the office door suddenly burst open. "Ms. Roth! The logistics department just got a message... It says... it says..."

Ashley’s heart sank at the distress in the messenger's voice. "What’s going on? Spit it out!"

"Mr. Trevor... He bought a plane ticket and boarded a flight."