Goodbye Love, I’ll Never Return

“Addison, are you really gonna give this heart surgery slot away? Mr. Hamilton spent five years and fifty million dollars to make this happen. If you miss it, you’ve got maybe a month left. After that… there’s nothing anyone can do.”

I just nodded. “I’m not taking it.”

The look on his face was complicated, like he didn’t know whether to be angry or pity me. He pushed the papers toward me and I signed my name slowly, careful not to let my hand shake.

“Don’t tell anyone. I’ll talk to Lewis myself.”

When I walked out of his office, my legs felt like lead, but I forced myself up to the fourth floor of the hospital. That whole floor had been Lewis’s for years. Every corridor patrolled by his men, every door watched. Hundreds of experts came and went, but still… They couldn’t keep my grandpa alive. The doctors said today might be his last.

I sat at his bedside, holding his thin, wrinkled hand, “Grandpa… will you hate me for this?”

I wanted to say sorry, but the word stuck in my chest. If it wasn’t for me, maybe the Coleman family wouldn’t have ended up ruined.

Five years ago, my parents were framed for fraud. Hundreds of billions are gone. The only person who could prove their innocence was Cherry Herault. The little intern my mother foolishly taken under her wing who vanished the day of the trial.

Lewis had promised me we’d find her. We searched everywhere, but she disappeared like smoke. Without her testimony, my parents were sentenced. Weeks later, they couldn’t take the pressure anymore. They killed themselves with blades. Sliced their wrist.

I still remember the day I got the call. Grandpa collapsed when he heard and never woke up again. And me… I had no one. Except Lewis.

That night, he held me so tight I thought my ribs would break. “Addy, you’ve still got me. I’ll find Cherry, I’ll make her pay for everything, and I’ll clear your parents’ names.”

And I believed him. He was the only thing I had left.

But yesterday… Yesterday everything shattered.

I was going over some properties for him while he was out of town. That’s when I saw it. One of the villas, the one no one ever talked about, was under Cherry’s name. The transfer date? The exact day she disappeared five years ago.

My blood ran cold. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. For five years, I chased shadows, and every lead slipped away like someone was protecting her. Now I finally knew who.

The man I slept beside every night. The man who swore revenge for me. Lewis. He wasn’t hunting Cherry. He was hiding her from me.

Tears spilled onto Grandpa’s blanket. My chest felt like it was splitting open. If only I stopped my mother from sponsoring Cherry, given her a place in our company, none of this would’ve happened. My parents would still be alive, and Grandpa wouldn’t be lying here dying.

The steady beep of the machine beside me suddenly went flat.

"Grandpa!”

“Beep… beep… beep…” then nothing.

My whole body shook. I slammed the emergency button as doctors rushed in, but I couldn’t move, like my feet were nailed to the floor. They pushed me out of the room. I stumbled into the hallway and pulled out my phone.

Lewis was the emergency contact. He always was. I called.

He declined.

I called again. His phone switched off.

I dropped right there on the cold hospital floor, choking on my own sobs until I couldn’t breathe. Then my phone buzzed in my hand.

“Mr. Hamilton, congratulations on reserving our luxury suite at the postpartum center! We look forward to serving you and Miss Cherry as you welcome your little one into the world.”

My chest tightened. The words stabbed me over and over, like tiny knives.

The door to the ward creaked open. The doctor stepped in with that look… “I’m sorry for your loss, Addison.”

I gripped my phone so hard my nails cut into my palm. My last relative was gone. My grandfather, who raised me, who was all I had left. And Lewis… my husband… wasn’t by my side. He was with Cherry, waiting to welcome his new baby.

The pain in my body was nothing compared to what ripped through my chest.

I staggered inside the room and took Grandpa’s hand one last time. “Ggrandpa… please wait for me. You and Mom and Dad… don’t go too far without me. I’ll come find you soon. Then we’ll all be together again.”

I dropped to my knees and sobbed until I thought I’d choke. But somehow, I pulled myself together enough to arrange his funeral. By the time it was done, I was walking out of the funeral home carrying his urn alone, my arms trembling from the weight.

Part of me wanted to go straight to the postpartum center. I wanted to see it with my own eyes.

So I did.

I hid in the corner of the lobby, my face hidden under a scarf. And when I saw them, my whole body froze.

Cherry sat there with her round belly, glowing like a queen. Every inch of her life screamed money and protection. Lewis had his arm wrapped around her waist, guiding her gently like she was made of glass.

She pouted softly. “Babe, my belly feels so heavy. The babies keep kicking me… I don’t even know who they take after. They’ve been giving me so much trouble.”

Lewis crouched in front of her like some doting husband and pressed a kiss against her stomach.

“Little ones, don’t give your mother such a hard time. I’ll deal with you myself when you’re out.”

Cherry laughed lightly. “You’re not really gonna punish your twins are you?”

Lewis held her hand and kissed it, “Cherry, do you know how much it killed me when you came to me five years ago, crying? You were just a girl who made one mistake at work, but my wife wanted you destroyed. To protect you, I had to hide you in that villa for so long. And even then, you were brave enough to carry my children.” He pressed his forehead to hers, “I swear… nobody will ever matter more than you. I’ll love you, I’ll protect you, until the day I die.”

Cherry’s eyes filled with tears. She brushed his cheek, trembling. “As long as Addison forgives me one day, I don’t care what I go through. I can endure anything. I grew up alone, no parents, no one cared. I can take it. I just don’t want my babies to suffer because of me.”

Lewis’s jaw tightened like her words cut into him.

“No. You will never suffer because of her. My children will inherit everything I have…”

“Don’t… If Addison finds out, she’ll hate me even more.”

“She’ll never know. The Coleman family gave me everything. I can only repay them by playing my part. For now. But when your confinement ends, I’ll give you a wedding of your own. The one you deserve.”

My whole body shook as I bit into my wrist to keep from making a sound. His words echoed in my skull. My parents’ lives… to him, that was just a mistake Cherry made. My suffering, my family’s destruction… it was nothing compared to his love for her.

I stumbled out of there like a dying leaf caught in the wind.

Back in the car, I placed the urn carefully in the seat beside me. My tears blurred everything, but I managed to dial the funeral home.

“I want to arrange a sea burial… one month from now. The name is Addison Coleman. The location… Point Reyes National Seashore.”

The place where Lewis once knelt and asked me to marry him.

If fate is kind, it will also be the place where my life ends.

After I put Grandpa’s ashes to rest, I just wandered around, not really knowing where I was going. Before I realized it, I’d ended up at the old community center, the sports club where I’d spent so many awkward afternoons.

I stopped at the entrance and looked through the glass doors. Empty now, echoes of the past clung to the walls. I saw myself there, over ten years ago. Skinny, weak, always trailing behind Lewis in oversized gym clothes, trying not to be noticed. Not too close, not too far… just following.

He was the star back then—captain of every team, always first in every ranking, everyone noticed him. Under that tall, flawless exterior, there was a coldness that kept everyone at a distance. And me… I had a crush like every other girl. I watched him from afar, memorizing everything about him, never daring to get close. He never noticed me.

We didn’t get married because of love, at least not at first. It was arranged. Our families—his and mine—had decided we were the perfect match. Their reasons were always practical, always about legacy, power, and alliances. Love, desire, chemistry… that was supposed to come later, if it came at all.

Then, out of nowhere, the old snack counter lady appeared, carrying a tray of drinks.

“Well, look who it is! Haven’t seen you in years! Come, have mint ice cream just like old times.”

She recognized me instantly. “And that handsome boy you saved and always followed around… how are you two doing?”

I lowered my head and scoop some icecream. It tasted the same as it did back then, but I couldn’t swallow it.

“Wait a minute… What's today? Are you here for a reunion?” the snack lady called out. “Oh talking about that handsome guy, here he is.”

I looked up. Lewis walked in carefully, holding Cherry’s hand. Lewis didn’t notice me at all. I stepped back and lost in the crowd. He was all about Cherry, helping her sit down, whispering softly, asking what drink she wanted.

The snack lady shook her head and was amazed. “Wow… I wished to find love like them. She’s clingier than any of the kids I ever served. She's lucky, kid.”

Cherry leaned into him shyly, and he smiled, gentle and calm, taking care of her like she was the only person in the world.

And me? I just stayed hidden, watching, remembering.

I’m such a coward. Even though I didn’t do anything wrong, the moment they walked in, I stepped back. Like a scared little girl.

I remembered after we got married, I once asked Lewis to come back to the sports center with me. Just a little visit, maybe a bowl of icecream. He frowned and shook his head.

“Addy, I’ve got work. Just ask your auntie to get it for you. What’s there to remember about that old shit sports center? It’s the past. Let it go.”

Now I understand. He never kept me in his memories. Of course, he had no interest in going back.

Inside the shop, I could see him daydreaming. Cherry handed him a spoonful of mint ice cream, smiling.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked.

Lewis shook his head, his eyes distant, and then pointed toward the alley beside the old elm.

“You remember this place?”

I shivered at the memory. When he was younger, he had that reckless streak—always running too fast, trusting the wrong timing. One afternoon, as he raced home, a car lost control at the corner of that alley. Tires screeched. He froze, and before he could react, I lunged forward, pushing him out of the way just in time. The impact scraped my arms raw, the sound of the crash echoing in my ears.

I stayed with him until the ambulance arrived, holding his hand, whispering reassurances. But that same day, my grandmother fell gravely ill, and I had no choice but to leave the hospital to help her.

When I returned hours later, hoping to check on him, I froze outside the hospital room. Inside, Cherry’s voice floated through the door.

“I was the one who saved you,” she said, smiling at Lewis as he blinked in gratitude.

My stomach dropped. My courage faltered. I couldn’t argue, couldn’t reveal the truth. I had no choice but to turn away, to go home, swallowed by a hollow ache.

Lewis’s eyes softened, the memory of that day forever misattributed, and I… I became invisible. The girl who had risked herself to save him… erased, while Cherry smiled as if it had been her all along.

I came back home in silence, pretending I didn’t know anything.

Over the next week, I threw myself into work. I donated all my assets to start a charity foundation. I helped set up the team, attended every public event, made speeches, smiled for the cameras. But my body was falling apart. One day I even fainted on the office floor.

Lewis wanted to rush me to the hospital, but I stopped him. The doctor said it was normal given my condition. I’d be fine after the heart surgery at the end of the month.

He held my hand like I was fragile glass. “Addy, I’ve been too busy lately. After your surgery, I’ll quit everything and take care of you. Tomorrow, at the foundation ceremony, I’ll be there early.”

I looked at him, the long hair that wasn’t mine brushing his collar, the white shirt tucked perfectly. I nodded slightly. Inside, I told myself it didn’t matter anymore.

The next day, I dragged my swollen, tired body into my dress for the last time. I stood on the stage, ribbon ready, while applause roared around me. Then a sharp cry cut through the air.

People parted. A pregnant woman was sitting on the floor, clutching her belly. She lifted her head. Cherry.

I froze. My scalp tingled like electricity. She had dodged me for years, hiding like a shadow, but now she was here, kneeling with her forehead bloody.

“I’m sorry, Addison… I never meant to disappear back then. They… they threatened me. Told me I’d be killed if I testified. I’ve lived in guilt every day for five years. If it wasn’t for Mr. Hamilton protecting me, I… I don’t know if I’d even be alive after your parents died. I know I’m wrong. I’m not asking for forgiveness… just a chance to make things right.”

Reporters swarmed, cameras flashing. When they saw Lewis, they handed him a mic.

“Mr. Hamilton, she said you protected her… what does that mean? Is that your child?”

Lewis’s eyes went cold. He didn’t answer. He turned to his bodyguards and told them to clear the hall. Minutes later, it was just Cherry and me in the wide, empty room.

Lewis bent toward her instinctively, like he wanted to help her up, but then he stopped, pulled his hand back. When he looked at me, the blame in his gaze was sharp.

“Addy, why let her kneel?”

I looked down at Cherry, my voice calm. “If you’ve been hiding for five years, why are you here now?”

Cherry froze. Her voice shook. “I heard you started a foundation, and everyone was looking for me. I’ve been hiding for five years, I’m barely holding on… Please, Addison, spare the children in my belly. Let them live. They're already pitiful without a father. I’ll work off my sins however you want… like a servant, a slave… anything.”

I swallowed hard, looking at her, at the babies she carried, at everything that had gone wrong in my life. All the lies, all the betrayals, the man I married, the life I lost. And I had to decide what I would do next.

I sank low in the back seat, letting my body slump against the leather. Every part of me ached. My chest burned, my limbs felt like lead, but I had to keep some control. I couldn’t let anyone see me break.

Lewis’s voice still echoed in my head from earlier.

“Addy, I looked into it. None of it was her fault. Cherry was just a kid getting used, she’s been living with guilt for five years. Stop holding onto all this anger and move on.”

Move on? How could I move on when it was Cherry who indirectly destroyed my parents, who slept with my husband behind my back, who ruined the foundation I spent all my energy building, and now, who kneels in front of me demanding forgiveness?

I clenched my hands so tight and straightened my back and turned toward the door. I left the banquet hall alone.

It wasn’t until the car door shut that I let myself collapse. Eyes closed, tears sliding down my cheeks. But in my mind I still saw him. Lewis bent down to wipe Cherry’s forehead, helping her like I didn’t even exist in the room.

My phone rang. I answered on reflex. The voice on the other end shredded me.

“You liar! Pretending to do good with your filthy money. Your parents deserved to die! You let a pregnant woman kneel to you? You’ll pay for this! Everyone knows what a bully you were since you were a kid. You should die too!”

I hung up, but the notifications didn’t stop. Texts, calls, messages… all screaming accusations. I didn’t even understand until the driver handed me my phone. Headlines screaming that I, Addison, had forced a pregnant woman to kneel at my foundation, that my parents were fraudsters who stole billions, and that I had bullied Cherry through school.

My fingers turned white around the phone. Every message, every photo, every comment tore me apart. Even supposed old classmates confirmed the lies about me.

I tried typing an explanation, shaking so badly my words barely formed. I hit send, and the comment vanished.

The driver’s voice broke through my panic.

“Madam, more than ten cars are on us! They don’t even have plates, and the people are armed with iron bars.”

I turned, and through the rearview mirror, I saw them. Faces hidden, weapons ready, racing closer. My heart thundered. I dialed Lewis frantically, watching the danger closing in.

Meanwhile, somewhere else, he was watching the same chaos online. Lewis frowned as he called his assistant to control the rumors. Cherry pressed into him, tears soaking his hand, and he gripped her shoulder with that dangerous calm of his.

“Tell me, is any of that online stuff true?” His voice was low, cutting.

Cherry buried herself against him.

“Lewis, please don’t think about it. The past is past. Don’t blame Addison. She didn’t do it on purpose. She’s the reason I’m alive. If she asked me to die today, I couldn’t refuse.”

He hugged her tighter.

Then BANG!

A crash came out of nowhere. The car flipped hard, metal screeching, and I was thrown against the seat. Before I could even catch my breath, the door ripped open. Strong hands yanked me out, and I hit the ground hard.

I tried to push myself up and felt a foot press into my back.

“Ever think about what it’s like to get crushed when you’ve hurt others?” one of them sneered. “Your life’s been lucky so far, but today you’re going to feel real pain.”

“I… I didn’t…” I barely managed to say, but a hard slap cut the words off. Blood ran from my mouth, and my head spun.

They tied my wrists to the back of the car. The engine roared, and suddenly I was dragged across the road. Gravel tore through my clothes, my skin, my already weak body. I screamed, but my voice was raw, hoarse, useless. My arms burned where the rope pulled, my knees scraped, my heart pounding with fear and helplessness. The people in the car laughed, filming everything like it was some twisted show.

I don’t know how long it lasted. My body was shredded, my consciousness slipping, pain barely registering. When the car finally stopped, they untied me and left me crumpled on the ground.

When I woke up, the world was quiet.

Moonlight glinted off countless gravestones. I should have been terrified, but there was no one dead more frightening than the living. I got up, unsteady, and made my way to the main road.

By the time dawn came, my last bit of strength gave out and I collapsed completely at the roadside.

“Are you awake? Any pain anywhere?”

I groaned and opened my eyes to a nurse adjusting my IV. Every movement felt like needles stabbing through me.

“You were brought in for emergency care. I can’t reach your family. We have to do the hospitalization procedures, pay the fees, and monitor your condition…”

“I know,” I whispered, cutting her off. I pulled the patient gown over my scars, hiding the damage.

She offered a wheelchair, but I refused. Every step outside the ward was agony, like walking over broken glass. I didn’t go back all night. Lewis never asked.

I remembered when I was first diagnosed with heart disease, sitting alone at my parent’s grave, lost for two hours. The world had erupted online with my supposed disappearance, blackandwhite headlines screaming my failures. When Lewis found me back then, his tears fell on my shoulders as he held me. Was any of that real?

Now, his eyes were full of Cherry. Whether I lived or died, it didn’t matter.

I stood quietly at the hospital payment line. A voice made me freeze.

“Lewis babe, I’m fine now. You don’t have to worry so much,” Cherry said, playful but soft.

I stiffened and didn’t look back. Of all places, she was here.

Lewis’s voice cut through, gentle but sharp.

“The doctor says you’re showing signs of a miscarriage. You have to be careful.”

Cherry interrupted. “I’m used to it. I understand, Addison. Yesterday… It was my fault. I was reckless.”

I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles ached. I turned to leave and saw Lewis staring at me, shock in his eyes.

“Addison?”

Shock turned to anger quickly. Cherry crouched behind him, trembling.

“Please, Addison. I didn’t do anything wrong online. Don’t scare me anymore. I’m in latestage pregnancy. The doctor said I can’t be upset like this.”

“After I give birth, you can punish me however you want. I’ll accept it.”

Lewis planted himself between us. Cold. “I’m here to make her pay for what she did. She nearly lost the baby yesterday because of your recklessness.”

I opened my mouth, wanting to scream, to show him my scars, my pain, my nearly broken body. But the disgust in his eyes stopped me. My voice caught, gone.

Cherry bent over, pale. “Lewis, my stomach… it hurts so much.”

He didn’t hesitate. He scooped her up and ran toward the doctor’s department. His shoulder slammed into me. I fell, my elbow hitting the marble hard. He didn’t even look back.

I stayed on the floor for a long time, watching them disappear. People stared. I pushed myself up slowly, numb, and shuffled back into the line. Every step burned, but I couldn’t stop. I had nowhere to go, no one to notice me.

When it was my turn, I just signed the discharge papers without a word. The nurse looked at my medical records and frowned.

"If you leave now, you could die any moment," she said softly. "Honestly… three days at most. Your condition’s gotten worse.”

I almost smiled at her. Three days. That’s more than enough. Living another day felt like torture. I didn’t even answer her and just walked out, leaving her words hanging in the air.

Outside the hospital, I called the funeral home. My voice was calm, steady, like nothing could touch me.

“Schedule it for three days from now.”

Three days. Maybe then I could finally be with my parents and grandpa. Maybe then I could go dressed the way I wanted, and meet them properly, beautifully.

I stopped by the cemetery one last time, whispered my goodbyes, and then took a taxi to the mall. I wandered past all the designer stores, but nothing caught my interest.

For years as Mrs. Hamilton, I’d been taught to care about status, to match every dress to Lewis’s ties, to wear diamonds that shouted wealth, to be elegant and untouchable. I almost forgot what I actually liked. Lewis never cared what I wanted. He bought the newest things each season, piled them into my closet, telling me that besides the stars, he’d give me anything I wanted. But all I’d ever wanted was sincerity.

My eyes landed on a white dress. Simple, clean, just a thin silver line at the waist catching the light. I imagined wearing it, walking into the sea, feeling my parents and grandpa’s hands in mine, their smiles steady and warm. I smiled softly.

I’ll take this one. Swipe the card.

Before the card even left my hand, the dress was yanked away. I grabbed the counter to keep from falling.

“I really like this dress. I’m buying it!” I said, voice shaking.

And then I saw her. Cherry. Standing in front of me, holding the dress, head high, eyes sharp and proud. Not the timid girl I’d once known.

The saleswoman whispered to her, trying to calm things. “This dress… the lady over there wanted it first. Only one left. I can call the other store to reserve another—”

Cherry cut her off with a scoff. “Me? Are you kidding me?” Then she turned to me, eyes flashing. “You really think you can compete with me? Do you even have the right?”

I froze. I knew this was coming. She hated me. She wanted to destroy me.

I stared at her and tried to reason. “Cherry, I don’t think I ever did anything to hurt you. My mother sponsored your education and even gave you a job. Did we… hurt your pride instead?”

She laughed, bitter and loud. “Your mother threw money at me like scraps for a stray dog, expecting me to be grateful. But why? Why do you get everything while I’m always beneath you? You as the princess and me, as a slave! Always mocked, always suffering? You owe me everything!”

My voice shook. “So… you set up my parents to take me down? To ruin our lives?”

Her smile turned cruel, sharp. She leaned in close. “That fraud case… I planned it from the start. Your parents trusted me too much and gave me the company seal. Everything you’ve built… your husband, your fortune, your pride? it’s all mine soon. And you… you’ll always be remembered as the bully, the forger’s daughter. Time for you to taste my world.”

I froze, rage and disbelief mixing in my chest, stiffening every muscle in my body. My hands shook, but I refused to look away. This… this was what five years of being used and abandoned had led to. I couldn’t let her see me break.

I watched Cherry’s smug face and felt my chest tighten. That snake in human skin, finally showing herself.

“You’re going to pay for this,” I said slowly, each word heavy.

She froze for a second, “Well, let's see.” Then she suddenly flung her skirt to the ground and fell, screaming like a child.

“No! I don’t want to! Addison, please, don’t hit me!”

Before I could even react, Lewis appeared at the store entrance. Cherry instantly twisted herself into that pitiful pose, eyes red, voice trembling.

“Lewis, I just tripped, okay? Not her fault. I wasn’t pushed. And she brought me here nicely to buy clothes, but everyone’s saying I hurted her. And that her parents’ deaths are my fault? I didn’t do any of it, please, can you explain for me?”

Lewis’s gaze landed on me, frozen, sharp as ice.

“And what did you do to her this time?” His voice didn’t waver.

I knew he wouldn’t believe a word I said. All he would ever see is Cherry. I looked away, trying to hide the tears sliding down my cheeks.

People were gathering, holding phones, whispering, pointing.

“Hey, isn’t that the woman who forced pregnant women to kneel? And bullied others in school?”

“Vicious! She just pushed a pregnant woman again! If anything happened, tree lives would be gone!”

Cherry clung to Lewis, explaining quickly. “It’s just a bad day. When she’s calm, Addison is actually kind to me. Really!”

Then a middleaged woman charged out from the crowd, pointing and shouting at me.

“My daughter died because of people like you! Bullies like you deserve—”

Before she could finish, someone threw a drink at me. The milk tea splashed over my face, sticky and cold, dripping onto the floor. I tried to speak, to explain, but no one listened. Every word was drowned out by curses and shouts.

Things started flying at me, and my body tensed, bracing for impact. Cherry, at least, was shielded by Lewis.

“Come on,” he said, pulling her away. He didn’t even glance at me again, just kept her safe from the crowd.

I was left behind. Shoved to the ground, fists and feet pounding me like rain. Every inch of me screamed in pain, bones and skin trembling under the blows.

“Kill her! Teach her a lesson for bullying!”

“Revenge the victims!”

Their voices were like knives as I curled up, hugging my head, whispering, “I didn’t…” over and over.

Through the chaos, I saw the white dress I had loved trampled into the ground, the fabric ruined, stained beyond repair. My vision blurred, my body trembling from the beating and the horror.

Somehow, a mall security guard finally broke through the crowd and started to disperse them.

I barely noticed Lewis driving past later, seeing the chaos through the rearview mirror, hesitating for a second.

“Addison has bodyguards. She’ll be safe,” he muttered.

Cherry curled up beside him in pain.

“My stomach… It hurts so much. I don’t know if it’s because I fell…”

Lewis slammed the accelerator and tore out of the mall, heading straight for the hospital.

I stayed on the edge of consciousness, soaked in pain and humiliation, and all I could think was how alone I really was.

I got home from the mall alone, every inch of my body aching, bruised, and scraped. I didn’t call the police, I didn't go to the hospital. I couldn’t bring myself to care. Before leaving, I had picked up the white dress that had been trampled on the ground, stained and ruined, and tucked it away.

For two days, I just lay in bed, counting down the hours like my life was already over. Lewis didn’t show up. No calls, no messages. Nothing. It was like I didn’t even exist.

On the third morning, though, something weird happened. I felt… a little energy stirring inside me. I pulled the dress out of the closet and put on light makeup. Today, I decided, I would finally keep my promise to myself—no regrets, no looking back.

As I slid into the backseat of the car, my phone buzzed. It was Lewis. His voice was cold, and firm.

“Come over now, or I’ll send someone to drag you there. Your choice.”

I glanced at the location he sent. My chest tightened, but I understood. I had no real choice. At least… it was my last day anyway.

The driver took us to a hotel. The moment I stepped out, flashing lights hit me like a storm. I flinched, ready to dive back into the car, but Lewis’s hand caught my wrist, strong, unyielding. Without a word, he dragged me inside.

Inside the hall, Cherry was sitting in the front row. More than ten rows of media behind her, cameras, microphones, even a live broadcast. My stomach sank when I saw the three huge red characters on the screen: apology meeting.

Lewis pushed me onto the stage. Every step felt like sinking into cotton. A microphone was pressed into my hand, and he leaned close, voice low.

“Say sorry to Cherry. Right here, in front of everyone.”

I looked at Cherry. Her pink maternity dress hung loose, her smile faint but victorious. As the cameras scanned her, she went back to that scared, fragile pose she always played.

I straightened my back and said firmly, “I have nothing to apologize for.”

Lewis’s eyes narrowed. “Addy, don’t test me.”

He shoved the microphone closer. “Cherry’s been through hell. She’s almost lost her babies because of your actions. You humiliated her, bullied her, put her through fear she shouldn’t have felt. Don’t you think you owe her an apology?”

I froze, listening to his socalled fairness. It was all a show. His apology arrangement was just a way to hand Cherry the spotlight, make her children legitimate, and leave me stripped of everything that mattered.

I swallowed the bitterness and forced my voice out. “And what gives you the right to stand up for her over me? Lewis, you’re my husband, but you’re always thinking about her. Even the rumors online… Did you ever stop to ask me what was true? Should I even trust the babies in her belly aren't yours?”

His face paled, and he grabbed my arm, anger flashing. “Addison, this is your last warning. After this, the hospital can take the heart surgery off the table. Your choice.”

I let out a dry laugh.

His jaw tightened, then his voice lowered, steady, unshakable. “Addison Coleman, apologize.”

I gripped the microphone, and the cameras flashing like stars stabbing into my eyes. I looked out at Cherry below the stage, her hands brushing over her belly.

I clenched my jaw and held onto the dress I had chosen, thinking of the promise I made to myself. I had to get through this, for me.

I looked at Cherry and forced my voice to stay calm, steady. “I didn’t do anything wrong. She’s the one who destroyed everything. Cherry’s the killer.”

Lewis’s face twisted, anger so sharp it felt like he could crush me with a glance. My heart froze for a second, but I tore my hand free from his grip and kept my gaze cold, distant.

“My parents weren’t frauds. I’m not a bully. The only thing I regretted was letting my mother helping Cherry. Everything that came after… my family, my life… she ruined it all.”

The crowd erupted. Cameras clicked nonstop, reporters shouting over each other. Cherry’s face froze, then she forced that pitiful act back into place.

She stumbled toward the stage, voice trembling. “Addison, why are you doing this? I know you hate me, but lies like that can ruin my life and my babie’s life!”

I didn’t say a word. My eyes stayed icy, fixed on her.

Then, before I could even react, she lunged at me. I tried to block her instinctively.

“Ah!”

Her belly slammed into the edge of the table. She bent over, pale, shaking. Blood soaked her white skirt in seconds.

“My babies!” she gasped.

Lewis’s eyes went sharp, and he was suddenly in front of her. He shoved me aside and scooped her up in one motion.

“If anything happens to Cherry and her children, I swear you’ll pay with your life,” he spat, and without another glance at me, he stormed out.

The flashes from the reporters burned into my eyes. My mouth felt dry. I wanted to leave, but two of his bodyguards grabbed me.

“Mr. Hamilton says you’re coming with him. You’re going to the hospital.”

I didn’t fight. I let them lead me to the car, numb, exhausted.

In the hospital corridor, Cherry’s sobs shook the windows. “My babies! If something happens to them, I can’t live alone! Lewis, our twins are almost here. They're our twins… It's all my fault. Please, let me stay with them!”

Eventually, the ward quieted down.

The door opened, and Lewis walked out. His face was different, colder than anything I’d seen.

“Addison.”

I swallowed hard.

“I didn’t know you could be this cruel. Go outside. Kneel. Atone for the babies in Cherry’s belly. After that, you’ll get your punishment.”

My lips felt numb. I shivered. I was only in a thin white dress. The chill bit through me, straight up to my knees.

Before I could even process, the bodyguards grabbed me and dragged me outside. I hit the ground, knees pressed into the cold stone. I didn’t resist.

I looked up. The first snow of the year drifted quietly down, soft and cold, landing on my hair and shoulders. The world felt distant, like I was already halfway gone.

The snow was falling so hard I could barely open my eyes. My body felt like it belonged to someone else, heavy and numb. I fainted in the cold, and the last thing I heard was one of the bodyguards yelling.

“Mr. Hamilton, she’s out cold!”

Lewis didn’t even lift his head. “Wake her. Make her keep kneeling.”

I shivered violently as a bucket of ice water hit my face. My lungs screamed and I coughed until it hurt to breathe. My heart was done. Everything in me ached, but I kept counting the minutes silently, not wanting to waste the last moments I had left before the funeral home came for me.

Inside the ward, Cherry was clinging to Lewis like her life depended on him.

“Oour babies are gone,” she whispered, her body shaking.

Lewis ran his hand through her hair, gentle, soft, like she was the only thing that mattered in the world. “Don’t cry. There’ll be more. I won’t let your pain be wasted.”

She touched her flat belly and burst into more tears. “I have nothing. No name, no status, no child. What am I even living for? Maybe I should just—”

“You can’t say that,” he snapped.

She broke away and looked at him, sobbing. “Lewis, is there any way I can take Addison’s place? Be your real wife in this lifetime?”

I could hear him freeze.

The bodyguard knocked again. “Sir, she’s fainted again. She won’t wake up this time.”

Lewis finally stepped out of the ward and looked down at me sprawled in the snow. My face was pale, lips blue, and my thin white dress clung to me, soaked and heavy. I must’ve looked like a ghost.

“Get a doctor, now!” he barked. “Just don’t let her die.”

Even like this, he still had to punish me. All those years of gentle love had made me reckless, spoiled, and now it would all pay the price.

I was awakened by a needle, barely had time to gather myself before the bodyguards dragged me onto a small boat. My fingers were frozen stiff, but one of them shoved a small urn into my hands. Lewis’s eyes were ice beside me, and Cherry was bundled in a thick jacket, pale and trembling like she might collapse at any moment.

When we reached the middle of the sea, he said, “Start.”

I took a deep breath, legs shaking as I walked to the edge. The wind cut through me, whipping my hair into my face. I looked down at the urn and laughed softly to myself. My life had been so cruel, my body bruised, my soul exhausted. And now they wanted me to carry even this burden.

Cherry sidled up to me, her voice soft and almost sweet. “Addison, how does it feel to scatter our twin ashes yourself?”

I ignored her, lifted the lid, and just as I was about to let it go, she shoved me. The urn slipped from my hands and vanished into the waves.

“My babies!” Cherry shrieked and lunged forward, pretending she almost fell in after it.

Lewis reacted instantly, pulling her back. “Cherry, stop!”

He turned and glared at me. “You did that on purpose!”

I laughed quietly, the sound bitter. “Yes, I did. Just like she bumped into me on purpose.”

Cherry clutched him, tears streaming, about to faint. He held her tight, showing everyone they were untouchable together.

“Pick it up,” he ordered.

I shook my head. “It’s gone.”

“Then jump in and get it!”

I stared at him, calm, unafraid. “Fine.”

The next second, I stepped over the railing. The water swallowed me instantly, my white dress floating for a moment before sinking. Lewis’s shout tore through the air, but it was too late.

Cherry clutched her chest, pale, crying out. “Lewis, I feel so awful!”

He hesitated, looking at the dark sea, and then finally said, “Send a boat to get her. She can swim for now. Get back to shore and call an ambulance.”

I let the water take me. My body went numb. I didn’t struggle anymore. My consciousness blurred. Everything went black.

The sea burial, the punishment, all of it? I was done with it.

Finally, I could leave…