On my fifth wedding anniversary, the gift I received was a phone call from a law firm. “Hello, is this Mrs. Vance? This is Sterling Legal. We have a client filing a complaint, alleging your husband, Aaron Vance, is involved in the unlawful detention of a young woman. We need you to come in and help us clarify the situation.” My heart sank, my fingers instantly turning to ice. I had a dreadful suspicion of what this was about, but I still grabbed my scarf and hurried out the door. The law office was brightly lit, and my eyes immediately found the young woman surrounded by people. The girl pouted, her face a mask of indignation. “What’s wrong with you all? Why haven’t you sued him and had him arrested yet? He held me captive in the presidential suite of a hotel for seven days and seven nights! I couldn’t even get out of bed! What else would you call that besides unlawful detention?” The girl’s voice was sugary sweet, laced with a clear, coquettish whine and… a distinct hint of bragging. The senior lawyers nearby exchanged weary glances, a collective ‘Here we go again’ etched on their faces. A new intern lawyer, clearly taking her seriously, looked indignant. “This, this is simply outrageous! Team Leader, shouldn’t we file a lawsuit immediately?” An older lawyer quickly pulled him aside, lowering his voice. “What are you talking about?! That’s Aaron Vance! Aaron Vance, one of the wealthiest men in the city!” “So what if he’s rich? Does that mean he’s above the law?” The intern lawyer stubbornly retorted. “Above the law, my foot!” The old lawyer practically wanted to clap a hand over his mouth. “It’s just Mr. Vance and Seraphina’s little game! Their playful charade, understand? This Seraphina, she’s here every other week. Last time, she claimed Mr. Vance bought her so many diamond necklaces worth millions she couldn’t wear them all, and it kept her awake at night with stress. The time before that, she said he booked out an entire rose garden just for her, which gave her a terrible pollen allergy… This isn’t a complaint; it’s just her twisted way of flaunting their relationship!” The intern lawyer stared, wide-eyed and dumbfounded, taking a long moment to find his voice. “But, but Mr. Vance isn’t single, is he? I just notified his wife…” At his words, the other lawyers’ faces instantly morphed into an indescribably complex expression. The old lawyer was about to speak when a sudden, palpable shift in the atmosphere rippled through the room, followed by a low murmur of commotion near the entrance. Everyone looked over— Aaron Vance had arrived. Bodyguards in dark suits cleared the path, and he walked in the center, clad in a perfectly tailored designer suit that accentuated his tall, imposing figure. His eyes were cold and sharp, and he exuded a powerful aura that warned everyone to keep their distance. But the moment he saw the girl who’d filed the complaint, his gaze softened instantly. He walked over in a few swift steps, then shockingly, knelt directly in front of Seraphina, looking up at her with a low, doting voice. “My queen, what are you causing trouble about now?” Seeing him, Seraphina’s eyes reddened. She pounded her small fists on his shoulder, wailing and accusing, “You know perfectly well what I’m causing trouble about! You… you wanted me for a whole seven days! I kept saying no, no, but you wouldn’t let me go… *sobs*…” The surrounding lawyers awkwardly averted their gazes. Aaron sighed, a sound of indulgent resignation. He reached out, gently wiping away Seraphina’s tears with his thumb. “My fault, my queen. I just… I like you too much to control myself. But Seraphina, you weren’t exactly complaining, were you?” Seraphina’s face instantly flushed crimson, a mix of embarrassment and indignant fury. “You… you can’t say that!” “Alright, alright, I won’t say it.” Aaron chuckled, coaxing her. As if by magic, he produced a velvet box from behind his back. “Look, do you like it?” Seraphina opened the box, her eyes instantly lighting up. It was the ‘Tears of the Deep Sea’ blue diamond necklace, the one I had longed for, frighteningly expensive. She gasped, covering her mouth in surprise. “Oh my god! How did you know I wanted this?” “Is there anything about you I don’t know?” Aaron said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to remember her every preference. A flash of triumph flickered in Seraphina’s eyes, but she quickly remembered she was supposed to be “angry.” She snorted and turned her head. “Don’t think that just because of this, I’ll forgive you!” Aaron, ever so patient, asked, “Then what will it take for my little queen to stop being angry? Or… should I really go to jail for a few days?” With that, he actually stood up, making as if to walk towards the lawyers. Seraphina immediately panicked, throwing her arms around his waist. “No! You’re not going!” I buried my face in his chest, my voice muffled and tearful. “How can you be so good to me… I was going to have you arrested, and you’re still spoiling me like this… *sniffles*…” Aaron gently stroked my hair, his voice unbelievably tender. “Because I like you, my little queen.” Seraphina broke into a smile through her tears, looking up to kiss his chin. “I won’t make trouble anymore. Let’s go home.” “Good, let’s go home.” He took my hand and turned. It was in that very moment of turning that his gaze swept across the corner of the room, then suddenly froze. I stood there, my face ashen. Aaron’s eyes subtly darkened, a flicker of an emotion I couldn’t quite decipher, but it quickly settled back into calm. “Why are you here?” Seraphina interjected quickly, “I asked the lawyers to call me. You’re not mad at me, are you?” Aaron glanced at me, then said blandly, “No.” The old lawyer beside him patted the intern’s shoulder, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, but perfectly audible to everyone. “See? So what if she’s his wife? Everyone knows Mrs. Vance is nothing more than a trophy wife.” The words “trophy wife” felt like two poisoned daggers, savagely plunging into my heart, then cruelly twisting. Yes, for five years, I had been nothing but a prop, a pathetic bystander witnessing how deeply he loved another. But who remembered that five years ago, Aaron Vance had also held me in the palm of his hand? Back then, I was Chloe Vance’s best friend, Aaron’s sister. I practically lived at the Vance estate. Aaron Vance was the undisputed top tier of high society—brilliant, aloof, and impossibly elegant. He kept everyone at arm’s length. At first, I was terrified of him, always feeling like a scared rabbit whenever I saw him. But then I discovered that ice-cold CEO seemed to treat me differently, as if I held some special key to his guarded world. He would remember my favorite desserts and have the house staff prepare them in advance; when I accidentally shattered his antique vase, his first reaction was to check if my hand was cut; when I had a fever, he canceled important meetings and stayed by my side all night. I, in my foolishness, told Chloe, “Your brother isn’t so scary after all.” Chloe laughed at me. “You idiot, my brother likes you! He doesn’t even bother to look at anyone else.” I was shocked and flustered, but soon after, Aaron began a passionate yet gentle pursuit of me. A man like him, once he put his heart into it, was almost impossible for any woman to resist, especially since I had already fallen for him without realizing it. For three years, he spoiled me rotten. The whole world knew that Aaron Vance, the golden boy of the Vance family, had a darling, and that darling was me. It was only natural that we married. At our wedding, he held my hand and swore to Father Michael, “I will love only her for the rest of my life.” I thought we would be happy forever. Until shortly after our wedding, Chloe and I went out, and we encountered a few drunken thugs. Chloe shoved me behind her, her voice urgent, “Aria, run! Go get help! I’ll hold them off!” I refused, but Chloe pushed me hard. I ran desperately, thinking I needed to find someone to come back and save her quickly. But the more I ran, the tighter my chest felt. A sudden, metallic taste flooded my mouth. Without warning, I coughed up a mouthful of blood, then my vision blurred to black. I knew nothing else. I woke up in a hospital, receiving two pieces of devastating news: First, the doctor told me I had cancer. Second, the police informed me that Chloe had been… assaulted and murdered by those thugs. Her body was found the next morning, in a horrific state. My world instantly crumbled. And Aaron Vance’s world crumbled too. He had lost his beloved sister. After immense grief came endless rage and hatred. His eyes red, he demanded, his voice trembling and desperate, “Why? Why did you leave her and run first? Why didn’t you go find help after you ran? Do you know how horribly Chloe died?! Aria, tell me why!” I looked at his tormented face, my heart twisting in agony. I wanted to explain, to say I had collapsed from vomiting blood, that it wasn’t intentional. But what good would an explanation do? Chloe wouldn’t come back. If he knew his beloved wife was also dying, losing two loved ones in one night, would he completely fall apart? So, I chose silence, swallowing all explanations and grievances. And my silence, in Aaron’s eyes, became an admission, a cold-blooded act, proof of my cowardly escape. He plummeted from heaven to hell, all his love instantly transforming into bone-deep hatred. To torment me, he stopped coming home, treating me with icy disdain. Finally, he even brought Seraphina Hayes into our lives, a college student who bore a seven or eight-tenths resemblance to me. He showered Seraphina with all the affection, tenderness, and indulgence he had once given me, but tenfold. I knew he was doing it on purpose. He wanted me to witness, day after day, how he transferred every ounce of his love, without reservation, to another woman who was merely a poor imitation of me. He wanted me to suffer an agonizing torment, like a slow death by a thousand cuts. I was indeed in excruciating pain. But he didn’t know these days were almost over for me. Not long ago, I went for a follow-up check-up alone. The doctor looked at the report and said gravely, “The tumor has spread comprehensively… Ms. Miller, you have, at most, two weeks left.” Soon, I would leave him completely, to join Chloe. *** I walked out of the law office in a daze. Just then, a familiar black Rolls-Royce pulled up in front of me. The window rolled down, revealing Seraphina’s pretty face and Aaron’s stern profile. “Ms. Miller, it’s quite remote here, you won’t find a taxi. Get in, we’ll give you a ride home.” Seraphina’s tone was warm, but a subtle hint of triumph gleamed in her eyes. I shook my head, refusing. “No, thank you…” “I told you to get in, so get in.” Aaron’s icy voice cut me off. “Are you deaf? Did you not hear me?” His cutting words were like an ice pick piercing my heart. I clenched my fingers, but in the end, I silently pulled open the car door and got into the back seat. Seraphina volunteered, “Aaron, I just got my driver’s license. Let me drive for a bit, please? Pretty please?” Aaron raised an eyebrow, his voice indulgent. “Alright, but be careful.” He personally fastened her seatbelt, then sat in the front passenger seat. The car started, Seraphina driving a little awkwardly. Aaron showed no impatience at all, patiently guiding her the entire time, his gaze so tender it could drown a person. “Oh, this brake feels a bit stiff…” Seraphina complained coyly. “Really? Let me see.” Aaron even leaned over to check, his profile almost brushing Seraphina’s leg. Sitting in the back seat, I watched the dazzling scene unfold before me, my heart felt like it was tightly gripped by an invisible hand, hurting so much I couldn’t breathe. Once, all his tenderness and attention had been exclusively mine. Just then, a stray cat suddenly darted out in front of the car! “Ah!” Seraphina screamed in fright. In her panic, she mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, flooring it! The car, like a runaway train, suddenly accelerated, violently crashing through the guardrail by the roadside and plunging directly towards the river below! The sensation of falling overwhelmed me! “Seraphina!” In that split second, I clearly saw Aaron’s first reaction: he lunged towards the driver’s seat, shielding Seraphina with his entire body! He didn’t even… turn to look at me once. Icy river water rushed into the car from all sides, a suffocating embrace that swallowed me whole. My heart, in that moment, hurt to its extreme, and grew utterly cold. Before, whenever danger struck, he would always rush to me first. But now… Before darkness swallowed my consciousness, the last thing I saw was his back, tightly clutching Seraphina, as they struggled to surface. When I regained consciousness, it was to the pungent smell of disinfectant in a hospital. I heard Aaron’s voice, thick with suppressed anger, from outside the room. He seemed to be questioning Dr. Miller. “I just fell into the water! Why has she been unconscious for so long without waking up? Do you even know how to treat patients?!” Dr. Miller cautiously replied, “Mr. Vance, please calm down. Ms. Miller’s unconsciousness isn’t solely due to drowning… According to the comprehensive report we just received… she has late-stage malignant…” Mid-sentence, a nurse rushed over. “Mr. Vance, Seraphina is awake and has been asking for you.” Aaron was about to speak, but the next second, his eyes met mine on the hospital bed. The concern that had briefly flickered on his face due to my prolonged unconsciousness instantly froze, vanishing without a trace. He grunted, not even sparing me another glance, turning resolutely and striding towards the other end of the corridor. I watched his determined back, my heart felt like a piece had been carved out, and icy winds howled through the emptiness. It was better that he didn’t know about my impending death. With the hatred he held for me now, even if he knew I was dying, he would probably only scoff and call it karma. The day I was discharged, the sun was blindingly bright. Aaron, of course, didn’t come to pick me up. He was with a startled Seraphina, vacationing at a private island resort. Returning to the cold, empty mansion that was supposed to be “home,” I silently began to prepare for my passing. I first went to a vintage photo studio. “Miss, are you… sure you want to take a portrait for your funeral?” The old photographer pushed his spectacles up, confirming three times, his eyes full of disbelief and regret. I nodded calmly, forcing a faint smile. “Yes, I’m sure.” The lens captured my pale, yet still delicate face. But the eyes that once sparkled with starlight now held only the dead ashes of despair. Next, I went to choose an urn. There was a dazzling array of urns, made of various materials, all quite expensive. I finally chose the simplest, most unadorned white ceramic jar. Its smooth, cool touch felt just like my heart at that moment. Finally, I went to Evergreen Cemetery. I wanted to be buried next to Chloe. We used to joke that when we grew old, we’d live in a nursing home together, dance in the park, and even after death, we’d be neighbors, still playing mahjong underground. I found Chloe Vance’s tombstone. The girl in the photo smiled like a blossoming flower, forever frozen in her prime. I slowly knelt, my fingertips gently wiping away the dust from the photo, a lump forming in my throat.
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