Vanessa was finally pregnant—carrying Trevor’s child. Overwhelmed with joy, she tried calling him, but he didn’t answer. Undeterred, she spent the evening preparing a feast, carefully arranging every dish in anticipation of his return.
As night fell, exhaustion crept over her, and she dozed off on the couch. In her half-conscious state, the distant chime of midnight bells echoed in her ears, followed by the sound of footsteps.
Vanessa’s eyes fluttered open. She sat up quickly. “You’re back?”
She instinctively reached for his coat, taking it from his shoulders to hang it up. Trevor stood motionless, his gaze sweeping over the untouched meal on the table. A bitter smile curled at his lips, cold as the winter air outside.
“So, you actually remembered this day?” he murmured.
“What?” Vanessa frowned, unsure of what he meant. “The food’s gotten cold. Let me warm it up for you.”
“No need. I’ve already eaten.” His tone was distant, detached.
Loosening his tie, he retrieved a folder from his briefcase. With an air of finality, he extended it toward her. The bold letters on the cover sent a chill down her spine—Divorce Agreement.
Her fingers trembled as she took it. “You… want a divorce?”
Trevor’s expression remained unreadable. “Isn’t that what you’ve been waiting for?”
He unbuttoned his cuffs and turned away, heading upstairs. Panic seized Vanessa, and she hurried after him. “Trevor, I—”
He cut her off, his voice heavy with exhaustion. “You don’t love me. I don’t love you. We agreed to this arrangement when we got married two years ago. Today, our contract ends. I have a flight tonight for a business trip—there’s no need for a farewell dinner.”
The words struck her like a dagger. Vanessa stood frozen in the doorway as Trevor disappeared into the bathroom.
She clenched the divorce papers in her shaking hands, struggling to suppress the lump forming in her throat. For an entire year, she had endured countless herbal treatments and painful injections, doing everything possible to conceive his child. And now, just as she had finally succeeded—he was leaving her.
A fragile smile formed on her lips, more painful than tears.
He didn’t love her.
But she had been in love with him for years.
And he had no idea—one of his kidneys was hers.
Back then, when Trevor had been critically ill, Vanessa had secretly gone to the hospital and donated her kidney to save him.
The sound of running water ceased, and moments later, Trevor emerged from the bathroom. Droplets clung to his toned chest, his eight-pack abs sharply defined beneath the dim light. Even now, when he stood before her, devastatingly handsome, she could feel her heart breaking all over again.
As he dressed, he picked up the old wristwatch on the nightstand—a watch so worn from years of use that the face had begun to fade. Sliding it onto his wrist, he caught Vanessa staring at him, her face pale and unreadable.
His voice was calm, almost indifferent. “You should stop watching those late-night dramas. Staying up too late isn’t good for your health.”
A hollow laugh escaped her lips. Summoning all her courage, she finally spoke. “Do you… do you care about me at all?”
For the briefest moment, he hesitated. Then, as if choosing his words carefully, he said, “We’ve been together for two years. If you ever run into trouble, you can come to me. If you’re unhappy with the financial settlement, we can make adjustments.”
Each syllable felt like a fresh wound, deepening the pain in her chest. She bit her lip hard, refusing to let her emotions show.
Taking a shaky breath, she asked, “Trevor, about your mom…”
She wanted to tell him how hard this would be for his mother, how she wouldn’t know how to explain.
But before she could finish, Trevor responded flatly, “You don’t have to worry about her. If you don’t want to tell her yourself, I’ll do it for you.”
Vanessa’s grip on the divorce papers tightened. Summoning what little strength she had left, she whispered, “Can we… wait a little longer?”
Trevor’s eyes turned cold as stone. “What’s the point in delaying it? Sooner or later, it’s still a goodbye.” He turned away, his voice turning sharp. “Besides, Khloe is coming back.”
Khloe.
At the mention of that name, Vanessa felt as though she had been struck by lightning.
Her breath hitched, her fingers curling into fists at her sides.
Khloe—her cousin. Trevor’s first love. The woman he had loved so obsessively that it drove him mad with dislike toward Vanessa.
Two years ago, Trevor’s mother, Kristina had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Vanessa’s mother, Jenna, a neurosurgeon, had performed the life-saving surgery. But after the operation, she had died in a tragic car accident. Wracked with guilt, Trevor’s mother had forced him into marriage with Vanessa—the daughter of her benefactor.
The day their engagement was announced, Khloe had refused to eat for over half a month.
Trevor had been furious.
She still remembered the night he had coldly told her, “Khloe saved my life. There will never be another woman in my heart besides her. Give it two years. If I still don’t love you, tell my mother you’ve fallen for someone else and want a divorce.”
Trevor had believed Khloe was his savior.
But he never knew that Vanessa had saved him too.
She placed a trembling hand over the scar where her kidney had been removed. For twelve years, there has only been one person in my heart.
But before she could speak, Trevor dismissed her thoughts with an irritated sigh. “Perfect. Once our contract is over, you’ll be free to find the person you truly love. That way, we won’t be in each other’s way anymore.”
Vanessa swallowed the pain threatening to spill from her eyes. She forced herself to smile.
“Fine,” she said softly. “Once the contract is up, I’ll speak to your mother myself.”
That night, Trevor left without looking back.
Vanessa watched the taillights of his car fade into the distance, gripping the divorce papers so tightly that the edges crumpled beneath her fingers.
She couldn’t tell him.
Not now.
If he knew she was pregnant with his child—would he still choose to leave her?
Vanessa wasn’t sure she could handle the answer.
Her heart told her to chase after him.
But for the first time in twelve years… she forced herself to let him go.