The Faded Past Cannot Be Chased

In the three years of our marriage, Caelan had made it to the headlines for his affairs ninetynine times.

Even me giving birth to his son couldn’t make him settle down and return to the family.

On our son’s second birthday, he went as far as making love with his female secretary to the point of madness and had to be rushed to the hospital. It was instantly becoming a trending topic.

When faced with his mother’s fury, he shrugged it off and said, “I was just adding a bit of excitement to an otherwise dull life. What’s the big deal? Even my wife doesn’t mind, so why are you so angry?”

I looked at the smug expression on his face and suddenly felt completely uninterested. I turned to my motherinlaw and said, “You promised me that if I had the baby, you'd give me 150 thousand dollars and I could divorce at any time. Can you fulfill that promise now?”

——

When I suddenly mentioned the prenuptial agreement, a look of confusion flashed across my motherinlaw’s face.

“Jane, have you thought this through? If you really take the money and divorce, you’ll have no more relationship with Theo. Are you willing to give him up?”

I pressed my lips together, not replying to her immediately.

Instead, I turned to look at Caelan, who was lying in the hospital bed. He seemed to be chatting with someone, his fingers quickly moving on the phone and a slight smile curved on his lips. His brows were unintentionally softening with warmth.

We had been married for three years and his gentleness was something I had never truly experienced before.

I gathered my thoughts, withdrew my gaze and nodded firmly. “Mom, I’ve made up my mind. I only want the money.”

As for the child, since his birth, he had been taken to the Shaw Family’s old house, where they arranged for two excellent professional nannies to take care of him.

The time I spent with him was only the brief two hours on weekends, or the short moments during holidays.

As a result, the child, now two years old, wasn’t close to me at all.

Because I had no money and lacked an outstanding education, I had no grounds to argue when they said they would carefully nurture and educate him from a young age.

My motherinlaw saw that I had made my decision and sighed heavily, her eyes full of regret. “Jane, for the sake of the child, why can’t you just endure a little longer?”

For three years of marriage, Caelan’s scandalous news never stopped.

I cried like a madwoman, threw tantrums and even begged.

What I got in return was his indifference, contempt, disdain and even disgust.

Many times, I would ask myself in my heart, what was the meaning of my persistence?

And now, seeing him lying in the hospital bed, still flirting with his mistress, I realized that my persistence had been completely meaningless.

I didn’t say anything, just smiled and looked at her.

She was a woman too, how could she not know what I was thinking?

Though reluctant, she finally sighed and said, “Alright, since you’ve made up your mind, I won’t persuade you anymore. I will give you the compensation according to the agreement.”

I gave a faint smile and thanked her.

Soon, I received 150 million dollars from my motherinlaw. However, the divorce would still take a little more time.

I didn’t rush her. After she left, I began researching information about studying abroad.

Once I had submitted the application as required, a genuine smile finally appeared on my face.

At that moment, a dissatisfied voice came from behind.

"What are you smiling about? Is my hospitalization that amusing to you?"

My expression faltered slightly as I looked at the anger in Caelan’s eyes, then lowered my gaze.

It was only then that I realized, in my moment of panic, I had clicked on a news article that a friend had sent me.

This article just happened to be about his hospitalization.

When I saw the headline with the words Frenzied Collapse at the top, I felt a heavy jolt in my heart.

Just a slip of the hand, I accidentally clicked on it.

This was the truth, but he clearly didn’t believe me. His gaze was filled with disdain and contempt as he looked at me. “You and my mom chatted for so long outside. Don’t think I don’t know how you’d frame me in front of her. Jane, if you still want to keep the title of my wife, you better behave yourself!”

I had heard these words before, the first time I discovered him fooling around with someone.

It was when I had just finished my confinement and I followed my motherinlaw’s advice to bring him a nutritious meal after three days of overtime at work.

To my surprise, when I arrived at his office, I saw him intimately entangled with his halfdressed secretary.

When he saw me, the lust in his eyes didn’t fade at all. Instead, it was mixed with a hint of impatience. He angrily shouted, “Get out!”

I couldn't quite explain how I felt at that time, but I clearly remember that tears blurred my vision. For the first time, I experienced the feeling of being under the spotlight, with everyone's gaze on me, pointing, judging and questioning.

I tried to maintain some dignity and didn’t cause a scene, running back home as if escaping.

I sat in the living room, waiting for an explanation from him.

However, I sat there for what felt like forever, so long that the sky outside started to brighten. Only then did he return.

Caelan walked in with the lingering scent of an unfamiliar woman’s perfume on him, his face full of satisfaction, with no attempt to hide his joy.

It seemed as though he had forgotten everything and he asked in a cheerful mood, “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

I couldn’t bear it any longer. I stared directly at him and started questioning him.

Caelan’s expression suddenly changed and he sneered with disdain, “Jane, how can you be so naive? We’re all adults. Don’t you know when to turn a blind eye? And if you still want to keep the title of Mrs. Shaw, you’d better behave yourself! I don’t like troublesome women.”

When he said this, he didn’t spare a single thought for the time when I was pregnant and he used to massage my cramped legs while making a firm promise to me. “Honey, from now on, my world will only have you. If there’s anything I’m not doing well, just tell me, I’ll change. I’ll try my best to be a good husband and a good father.”

But after the child was born, he didn’t even go take a look.

During my postpartum confinement, he didn’t come home even once.

He forgot the words he once said. The only one who remembered was me.

Snapping back to reality, I stopped dwelling on the past and said calmly, “I don’t need to spread anything about you. Anyone with a phone already knows.”

Upon hearing this, Caelan’s face darkened instantly. He shot me a glare, then went back into the hospital room to grab his phone and call the company’s PR team, demanding them to immediately remove all online discussions about him.

I followed quietly behind him, listening in on his call.

Once he hung up, I was going to tell him that starting this afternoon, I wouldn't be coming to see him anymore.

Unexpectedly, before I could say anything, Bella came running over in her hospital gown.

Her eyes were brimming with tears and her delicate little face was filled with sorrow and helplessness.

Caelan's heart twisted the moment he saw her. His fingers gently brushed the tears from the corner of her eye and he said tenderly, “What’s wrong, baby? Why are you crying all of a sudden?”

“My family saw what happened between us and my mom is insisting I bring you home…” Bella nestled into his arms, quietly sobbing.

Her voice was soft and sweet, like a kitten, tugging at the heartstrings.

No wonder other women never lasted more than three days by his side, while she had stayed with Caelan for two whole years.

Seeing her cry, the pain in Caelan's eyes overflowed. He gently kissed her tearstreaked face with tenderness. “Don’t cry, don’t cry. I’ll go home with you to see your parents right away.”

“But… Mrs. Shaw wouldn’t approve, would she?”

Bella cautiously shifted her gaze toward me.

But I saw right through the look in her eyes, concealed beneath was smugness and provocation.

Caelan shot me a cold glance and said indifferently, “Ignore her. She’ll never have a say in my affairs.”

If this had been in the past, I would’ve lost my temper, argued with him, reminded him of the child at home and told him not to be so disgraceful.

But now, I merely smiled faintly and asked him, “You’re right. It’s your first time visiting the girl’s family, do you know what to bring? Do you need me to help you prepare anything?”

My response clearly caught him off guard. Caelan’s face darkened visibly and he gritted his teeth as he spat, “Jane, how shameless can you be? You really had the nerve to ask that?”

Any other wife, faced with something like this, would’ve caused a huge scene.

Only I remained calm from beginning to end.

“Caelan, I actually think Jane makes a good point. It’s your first time visiting my family. I don’t want them to make things difficult for you,”

Bella pouted and whined playfully. Caelan couldn’t resist and he helplessly pinched her cheek, then turned to me with a cold face and said, “Fine. Since you’re so eager, I’ll leave it to you.”

I chuckled softly and nodded.

After all, with their happy union approaching, it would make it easier for me to get a divorce.

The only problem was I had never prepared gifts of this sort before.

Once I started looking into it, I realized how much of a headache it actually was.

As I stared at the suggestions online, my gaze became unfocused for a moment.

I couldn’t help but think back to three years ago.

Back then, my mother, as my only family, had just been diagnosed with severe kidney failure. I had no money, so I worked every odd job I could find to pay for her treatment.

One time, I was working at a hotel and happened to encounter Caelan, who had clearly been drugged.

I originally wanted to call an ambulance and get him to the hospital. But instead, he pulled me into the room.

I struggled and fought back with everything I had, but I still couldn’t escape.

I had thought about calling the police, reporting him. But before I could report him to the police, his mother showed up.

She said that if I agreed to marry Caelan, she would cover all of my mother’s medical expenses, including future treatments.

And if I gave birth to a child, she’d give me 150 thousand dollars with no upper limit.

At first, I thought it was an absurd and ridiculous offer. But not long after, I found out I was pregnant.

In the end, I couldn’t resist the overwhelming temptation. I agreed and signed the prenuptial agreement.

However, Caelan was completely against it. He shouted and raged, saying he’d rather pay me off and have me disappear.

My motherinlaw was furious and kept pressuring him until he finally agreed to marry me.

So when we got married, there was no ceremony, no warmth at all. And even when my mother relapsed and eventually passed away, he never once went to see her.

Thinking about the past made my mind drift, my expression momentarily distant.

But the sound at the door quickly pulled me back.

By the time I came to, Caelan was already standing in front of me, his face dark and stormy.

He clearly wasn’t in a good mood, his whole body radiated a cold, oppressive anger. Especially when he saw the search bar on the computer screen.

I thought he was upset because the gifts I’d chosen looked cheap and might embarrass him. So I softly said, “If you think these things are too lowclass, I can choose something else…”

Before I could finish my sentence, I was suddenly yanked to my feet.

His grip tightened painfully around my slender wrist and I couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath from the pain.

“Jane, what the hell are you thinking?” he snapped. “Bella is already at my parents house bonding with Theo and you’re here worrying about other things? Do you even realize that Theo is already calling her ‘Mom’?”

Hearing that, I felt no ripple in my heart.

After our divorce, it was no surprise that he would marry Bella. She had every reason to bond with Theo early on and there was nothing wrong with that.

But to say it didn’t hurt, that was impossible.

No matter what, he was still the child I carried for nine months and gave birth to with great effort.

But I had no choice.

“That’s good,” I said lightly. “At least now you won’t have to worry about Theo not getting along with her…”

“Jane!” Caelan seemed furious. His grip on my wrist tightened even more. Then, as if something suddenly occurred to him, he yanked me and threw me onto the bed.

Before I could react, he leaned over me, his tone resentful. “If you don’t like this child, then let’s make another!”

The moment I felt the fabric of my dress being pulled away, a chill swept over my body, making me shiver.

Realizing what was happening, I started struggling with all my strength, pushing at him desperately. “Caelan, let me go!”

Caelan’s jaw was tightly clenched. When he looked at me, there was a deep, unreadable expression in his eyes.

“Jane, have you ever loved me?” He suddenly asked through gritted teeth.

It was an inexplicable question.

My struggling came to a halt. I looked at him in confusion.

He opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something more, but at that moment, his phone rang from his pocket.

It was a call from Bella.

He lowered his gaze, gave me a silent look, then released my wrist and got up to answer the call.

The moment he answered the call, his cold voice softened with warmth. “Bella, what’s wrong?”

At some point, rain had begun falling outside. Amid the patter of rain came the rumble of thunder and flashes of lightning.

Bella’s tearful voice trembled through the phone, “Caelan, there’s thunder outside... I’m really scared. Can you come stay with me?”

Hearing her sobs, a flicker of panic crossed Caelan’s eyes. He hurriedly said, “Don’t be afraid, I’ll be right there.”

With that, he didn’t spare me a single glance. He turned and rushed out the door.

I sat frozen on the bed, staring at his retreating figure. The tears that had welled in my eyes slid down silently.

Just a moment ago, I almost said, “I once loved you, but the love was too brief.”

Before I could express it, it had already vanished.

The next day, I handed over the shopping task to Caelan's assistant. He was the person Caelan trusted most. Having him take care of it would better reflect the thoughtfulness Caelan had toward Bella.

After I finished the matter, I suddenly received a message from Bella. It was a photo of her wearing a ring, flaunting.

[This is from Caelan. He proposed to me last night. Jane, very soon, you’ll truly be nothing.]

Staring at the message, I slowly lowered my gaze to the empty ring finger on my hand.

For the past three years, no matter what my motherinlaw said, Caelan refused to buy me a single ring.

He said, “Only those who truly love each other deserve to wear a meaningful wedding ring.”

I didn’t reply to her message and took a cab home to pack my things.

Knowing I had applied to study abroad, My motherinlaw pulled some strings and had the application approved quickly.

She knew when I was leaving and when she brought it up to me, she even asked specifically, “Do you want to come see Theo? He’s walking really steadily now and recently he’s been learning to feed himself…”

“Mom, I won’t go see him. From now on, please take care of Theo for me.”

Hearing Caelan say that Theo called Bella “mom,” I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt. That’s why I didn’t dare go see him again. I was afraid he’d call someone else “mom” right in front of me.

In the end, I was just a coward, too afraid to face it.

“Jane, Theo will always be your son. That’s a fact that can’t be changed. You don’t need to be so stubborn. I’ll allow you to come see him anytime.”

In the end, my motherinlaw softened. As a mother herself, she understood better than anyone the pain of being separated from her child.

But I no longer wanted to have anything to do with the Shaw Family.

I didn’t answer her question directly. I simply said, “Mom, I’ve already bought my ticket to leave. I’ll leave the divorce to Caelan.”

My motherinlaw seemed to understand what I meant. She fell silent for two seconds and when she spoke again, her voice was slightly choked. “Alright. I won’t come see you off, then. I wish you a safe journey.”

Two days later, on the day I left, was also the day Caelan and Bella returned home to meet her parents.

At the airport waiting area, Caelan had been feeling an inexplicable sense of unease ever since he woke up that morning.

He kept pulling out his phone again and again, but never saw the message he was hoping for. The crease between his brows deepened with irritation.

“Caelan, what’s wrong? You seem distracted.” Bella clung to his arm, softly acting coy.

Seeing that she was a bit displeased, Caelan calmly put away his phone and stared ahead. “It’s nothing, just thinking about how to face your parents later.”

"You don't have to worry, my parents are very easygoing. They were overjoyed when they found out you'd be coming with me," Bella said, her eyes shining with excitement, her bright face full of hope for the future.

"When we get back, you'll divorce Jane and we…"

Before she could finish, Caelan suddenly stood up.

It seemed… he had caught sight of Jane.

"Caelan, what's wrong?"

But the man who once had eyes only for her didn’t hear her calls at all. Instead, he instinctively moved toward that familiar figure.

His pace quickened with every step until he was nearly running.

Unaware of anything, I slowly moved toward the boarding gate along with the line of passengers.

Just as I scanned my ID and was about to board, a familiar and urgent voice suddenly rang out from behind me.

“Jane! Where are you going? Come back here!”