Chapter 8

Lynn's POV

Adrian immediately grabbed my hand.

"What do you mean 'ever loved'? Are you saying you... don't love me anymore?"

I smiled, my lips moving.

"No..."

Before I could finish, Adrian's phone suddenly rang from his pocket.

It was a call from Adrian's mother.

He frowned, glanced at me, and finally answered the call first.

"Mom."

"Where are you two? The whole family is waiting for you to eat."

"Almost there. We're on our way."

Adrian answered briefly before ending the call.

His gaze returned to my face, his lips pressed thin.

"There's a dinner party today. Mom and Dad want me to bring you back. Get in the car."

With that, he took my hand and led me to the car.

I didn't struggle, letting him pull me along.

The Blackwood estate.

When Adrian's mother saw me, her eyes widened in surprise.

"Lynn, why have you gotten so thin?"

She walked forward, grasped my cold hands, and comforted me earnestly.

"Mom knows you're heartbroken. Anna's death... we're all very sad. But no matter how sad you are, you must eat properly and take care of yourself. After all, you and Adrian are still young. You can have children in the future."

I kept my eyes lowered, saying nothing.

Adrian's mother assumed I was still immersed in grief. She sighed and patted my hand.

"Alright, let's eat first."

In the dining room, Melissa was already sitting in the seat next to Adrian.

Hearing Adrian's mother's words, her fingers tightened slightly. Her eyes swept over me with unconcealed jealous hatred before she quickly masked it, resuming her usual docile appearance.

Throughout the meal, I ate very little.

I sat there quietly, out of sync with the entire atmosphere of the dining room.

Adrian's father asked Adrian a few questions about the company. Adrian's mother occasionally tried to steer the conversation toward me, but I deflected with silence or brief responses.

Midway through, my phone vibrated.

I glanced at the screen. It was the lawyer's number.

I stood up, saying softly,

"I need to take a call."

Finding a quiet corner, I answered.

The lawyer said,

"Ms. Hart, your divorce decree from Mr. Blackwood has been processed. When you have time, please come pick it up."

"Alright, I understand. Thank you."

After hanging up, I stood there for a few seconds, slightly dazed.

Finally, this day had come.

I turned around, about to return, when I heard lowered voices from the balcony direction.

My steps halted.

The balcony curtains weren't completely drawn. Through the gap, I saw Melissa standing in front of Adrian, her face upturned, eyes red.

"Do you think she'll tell Mom and Dad? They were already against our relationship. If she tells them I deliberately didn't want to donate bone marrow to save Anna, will they send me away in anger?"

"No, they won't. Don't overthink it."

"But I'm really scared... I'm afraid of leaving you, afraid I'll never see you again..."

Melissa's tears fell, looking utterly pitiful.

Adrian sighed helplessly, reaching out to wipe away her tears.

"She should have learned her lesson this time and won't dare make trouble again. After this, I'll find a time to talk to her. As long as she stops dwelling on the past, I'll withdraw the divorce application. She'll still be Mrs. Blackwood, and everything will go back to how it was."

"But I'm still uneasy."

Melissa raised her tearful eyes.

"After the party tonight, can you take me back to my apartment? I don't want to go back alone."

Adrian hesitated for a moment but finally agreed. "Okay."

Hearing this, I silently turned and left. After saying goodbye to Adrian's parents, I walked out of the Blackwood estate and hailed a cab to leave alone.

An hour later, at the law office.

I received the divorce decree from the lawyer.

I suddenly thought of the day I married Adrian five years ago.

Back then, I didn't know this marriage was full of deception, harm, and cold ruthlessness. I thought I'd found true love and happily took photos with Adrian.

Looking back now, that happiness felt like something from a previous century.

I closed my eyes and put away the divorce decree.

Shortly after returning to the villa, my phone showed a message from an airline, reminding me of my boarding time.

Then I pulled a suitcase out of the closet.

I'd already prepared my luggage for departure. Some simple clothes, important documents, and a photo of just my daughter and me.

I pulled the suitcase downstairs without looking back at this house I'd lived in for five years.

On the way to the airport, my phone vibrated again.

This time it was a message from Adrian on social media.

"I've had someone withdraw the divorce application. Wait for me to come home later. I have some things I want to discuss with you in person."

I stared at these words for a few seconds.

Then I typed a message in reply.

"There's no need to talk anymore, Adrian. I'm letting you be with Melissa. We'll never see each other again in this lifetime."

After sending it, I dragged the man's contact into my block list, then sent an audio message to Adrian's mother's number before turning off my phone, removing the SIM card, and throwing it out the car window.

Adrian, in this lifetime, we will never meet again, in life or death.