With trembling hands, Logan carefully opened the small box.
Inside lay a single wedding ring–their wedding ring.
The very ring they had once vowed never to take off.
In that instant, the last flicker of hope in his heart was extinguished.
Regret crashed over him like a tidal wave. Why–why did he ever get involved with Angela?E
It hadn’t been love. For ten years, he had been with no one but Arissa. Perhaps boredom had crept in. Perhaps it was the pressure of always seeing his friends with different women in their arms at banquets. On impulse, he succumbed.
But he had never wanted to divorce her. In his heart, he had only ever loved Arissa.
He never expected that a moment of weakness–chasing fleeting novelty–would destroy ten years of love and cost him the woman he cherished most.
<<-8
But all of that was no longer my concern.
After marrying him straight out of graduation, I hadn’t touched a piece of lab equipment in years. My skills had grown rusty but I refused to disappoint the professor who believed in me. I threw myself into the lab, working overtime day and night. The experiments consumed all my time and energy, leaving no space for memories of the past!
Fortunately, my colleagues at the research institute were warm and collaborative. Everyone worked toward the same goals, helping each other whenever problems arose.
Half a year slipped by. Finally, our first major experiment made a breakthrough, and the whole team decided to celebrate with dinner.
What I hadn’t expected was that the last person I wished to see would appear at that dinner.
The director of the institute led Logan to the main seat and introduced him as the institute’s investor. Only then did I realize- he had sold off all his company shares just to invest here.
Throughout the meal, I could feel his eyes on me, burning with an intensity I tried to ignore. I kept my head down and focused on my food, pretending not to notice.8
When the dinner ended, I hurried back toward the dormitory. But just as I turned the corner, someone grabbed me.
I let out a helpless sigh.
So, it had come to this after all.
Meeting his bloodshot eyes, I kept my tone calm. “What are you doing here?”
He stared at me as though terrified I would vanish if he blinked
“Arissa, I finally found you. Do you know how long I’ve been searching? Three months! I gave away everything I owned just to convince the director to let me see you.”
“When you left, why didn’t you tell me? I was going insane looking for you.”
I tried to pull free, but his grip was unyielding, iron–strong.
“I’m no longer Arissa. I’m not your wife. You don’t need to find me.”
“Besides,” I added coldly, “Angela must have given birth by now, hasn’t she? You should go back to her.”
At once, his face twisted with agitation, regret flooding his eyes.
“I know I was wrong, baby. I never should’ve been with Angela. I’ve already had her child aborted–she will never appear before you again. Please, come home with me.“!
I frowned in disbelief. He had been ruthless enough to destroy his own flesh and blood. For the first time, I wondered if I had ever truly known him during those ten years we were together.”
“Logan, from the moment you betrayed our marriage, there was no going back.”
“I don’t know how you found me. I erased my records, made myself disappear, and you still don’t understand? I want nothing to do with you. Not even the title of my ex–husband matters to me.”
His face crumpled. He stumbled back a step, as though struck, and his grip loosened. His eyes searched mine desperately. “But I know I was wrong. It was my first mistake. Can’t you forgive me? I swear–there will never be another woman.”
I seized the chance to pull away, putting distance between us.
“Once a cheater, always a cheater,”
“In my eyes, you’re already condemned. I will never forgive you.“K
Before he could protest, the institute’s security staff approached and informed him that his time was up–he had to leave.
1:40 AM P P
my eyes, you re already conuenineu, I will never ruigive you. &
Before he could protest, the institute’s security staff approached and informed him that his time was up–he had to leave.
Relief washed over me. I turned and walked toward the dormitory.
Just as I was about to step through the door, his voice broke out behind me, raw and desperate.
*Arissal”
“If I hadn’t cheated… if I had cut things off with Angela sooner… would you have stayed?”
I paused and entered the dormitory as if I hadn’t heard anything.
After all, there were no ifs in this world.
