After a Year of Silence

Adrian Shaw and I had been at odds for a year.

During that time, he accompanied his ex-girlfriend’s parents overseas for medical treatment.

He even went out of his way to look after them.

When he returned to the capital, he took the first step and asked me to make up.

He hadn’t said a word before he left.

But a year had passed, and all my resentment toward him had faded.

Things between us had turned ugly. I’d just miscarried, and my emotions were a mess. I said things without thinking.

“Adrian, I don’t feel sorry for her. She got involved with someone who was already taken, and now her parents are sick. That’s karma.”

The usual calm, cool expression disappeared from Adrian’s face. He narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning cold as he looked at me.

His voice was low and indifferent.

“Grace, how can you say something so cruel?”

That was the last time we saw each other. The next day, Adrian took Sophie Smith’s parents overseas for treatment.

After he returned, Adrian became the perfect husband, attentive and considerate in every way.

A friend asked me, “Grace, Mr. Shaw has been back for a whole month. Are you really going to keep giving him the cold shoulder?

“He’s handsome and rich. Plenty of people have their eyes on him.”

Adrian was born with every advantage and came from a powerful family.

There was no shortage of women who wanted to date him.

He’d been gone for a year, and so much had happened during that time.

For the first month, I’d still hoped he would call or send me a message.

But he never did.

Later, I realized I’d gone too far with what I said.

I gave a wry smile and couldn’t help complaining.

“But being with him is so awkward. We have nothing to talk about. It’s so awkward I could sink through the floor.”

My friend looked past me.

Her expression changed, and she tried to signal something with her eyes.

I asked her, “What’s wrong? Is something wrong with your eyes?”

She blinked again.

I turned and saw Adrian standing tall behind me, frozen in place, his face pale.

My mouth twitched awkwardly.

His gaze settled on me, emotions churning in his eyes.

Adrian walked over and grabbed my hand without giving me a chance to object.

I tried to pull away, but I couldn’t.

His grip was too strong.

When we got off the elevator, he shoved me straight into the passenger seat.

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. His expression was dark.

A year ago, we’d kept our marriage secret.

The press didn’t know Adrian was married.

But they knew he and Sophie were dating.

The car started, and the radio came on, landing on an entertainment channel.

“Online rumors claim that Adrian Shaw, president of Novara Technologies, was recently spotted with his ex-girlfriend near Mount Evermere in Bellmare.

“A middle-aged couple was with them, and Adrian reportedly took his future in-laws on a trip around the country.

“Adrian spent part of last year overseas with his ex-girlfriend’s parents. It seems the former couple may have rekindled their romance.”

Adrian immediately turned off the radio.

I didn’t question him like I had a year ago. There was no point anymore.

…

A year earlier, on a snowy day.

I fell on my way home from work.

The ground was too slippery.

The snow came out of nowhere, catching everyone off guard.

The road was already beginning to ice over.

I only fell once, but I started bleeding heavily.

The bright red blood stood out against the snow-covered road.

The people passing by and my coworkers were all frightened.

I was stunned too. A dull pain throbbed in my lower abdomen.

They took me to the hospital.

The doctor asked, “You’ve miscarried. Did you know you were pregnant?”

I shook my head.

I tried to reach Adrian, but I couldn’t get through.

My parents weren’t in Newford.

Adrian’s parents were overseas.

The doctor told me to notify my family so they could sign the consent forms. I called Adrian several times.

No one answered.

I signed the surgery consent form myself.

After the surgery, Adrian messaged me.

[Out of town on business.]

I was discharged three days later.

In the elevator, I overheard some nurses talking.

“What’s the name of that handsome guy in the VIP room on your floor?”

“He’s somebody important—the owner of Novara Technologies, Adrian Shaw.”

Another nurse asked, “He’s so handsome. Do you have his contact information?

“And he’s such a devoted son. I see him pushing his father around the garden every day.”

The nurse replied, “He has a girlfriend. That isn’t his father. It’s his father-in-law.”

I stared ahead, dazed.

When I left the lobby, I saw Adrian.

Several doctors stood beside him, along with his ex-girlfriend.

Those doctors were all leading experts in their field.

The group headed toward the inpatient wing.

I realized Adrian had lied when he said he was away on business.

While I was miscarrying, he’d been out of reach, looking after his ex-girlfriend’s parents.

…

On the night I came home from the hospital, I asked Adrian why he’d been with Sophie.

His brows drew together slightly.

“Were you following me?”

I fought to keep my emotions in check.

“Adrian, you lied when you said you were away on business, didn’t you? I saw you and Sophie at the hospital this morning.

“She’s your ex-girlfriend. Why can’t you keep some boundaries?”

Adrian lifted his eyes and looked at me calmly.

“Grace, she’s my ex-girlfriend. But that doesn’t make us enemies.”

He explained it with perfect composure.

“I was at the hospital with her because her father was sick. I missed your calls. I really was away on business at the time. I didn’t lie to you.”

Over the past month, he and Sophie had been in close contact.

Late at night, I sometimes sensed him getting out of bed to make a call.

One night, I heard faint sobbing from the study and saw him standing there, his tall figure outlined in the dim light.

He spoke softly into the phone, trying to comfort whoever was on the other end.

“Yeah.”

“I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”

“I’ll come by tomorrow.”

Adrian didn’t return to our bedroom that night.

He left as soon as the sky began to brighten.

I knew Sophie was on the other end of the call.

I said, “Adrian, she’s been in touch with you for a month. You often don’t get home until after midnight. You’ve been with her.

“She knows you’re married. Why does she keep crossing the line? What you two are doing is cheating. She knows she’s getting involved with a married man.”

Adrian’s eyes turned cold.

“Grace Cooper, she isn’t knowingly getting involved with a married man.”

His defense of Sophie pushed me to the brink.

“Her father has lung cancer. Could you try not to be so heartless?”

My eyes stung with tears. I’d gone through surgery alone, lying in an ICU bed.

While I was having the procedure, Adrian was with his ex-girlfriend’s parents, doing everything he could to find the best doctors for them.

“Adrian, she deserves it.”

The moment I realized what I’d said, Adrian’s expression darkened.

A trace of anger flashed in his eyes.

His voice turned cold.

“Grace Cooper, how can you say something so heartless?”

Adrian said nothing more. He looked at me with distant, icy eyes.

I watched him walk away.

After that explosive argument, we didn’t speak to each other for a whole year.

Sophie’s father’s condition worsened, and he went overseas for treatment.

Adrian went with her.

The day he packed his bags, he glanced at me with cool, piercing eyes.

Suddenly, I felt that we were over.

Neither of us said a word.

When I heard that Sophie’s father took a turn for the worse, I felt guilty.

I messaged Adrian.

[I’m sorry for what I said. I shouldn’t have spoken without thinking.]

He didn’t reply.

…

The gossip report about Adrian and Sophie had just made things even more awkward between us.

Still, I didn’t dwell on what was going on between him and Sophie.

While he was overseas that year, I occasionally came across Sophie’s social media posts.

I knew Adrian found leading specialists for her father and took her parents on trips.

Over New Year’s, they’d even gone to Frostmere to see the snow.

Adrian parted his lips and stared straight at me without a hint of hesitation.

His stare made me squirm, so I looked away.

His low voice broke the silence.

“Grace, her father’s condition is stable now.”

I nodded.

“Oh. That’s good.”

The car pulled into the underground parking garage.

Adrian lowered his eyes to look at me.

“Is there anything you want to ask me? I can explain. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

I forced a smile.

“No, I haven’t misunderstood anything.”

His expression darkened.

Adrian’s sudden return disrupted my routine.

I was used to washing up at night and coming out in nothing but a nightdress.

It was summer, and the fabric was thin.

When I came out, his eyes narrowed as they settled on my chest.

My ears turned red. I hurried to grab my bra and went into the bathroom to put it on.

When I came back out, I took the initiative and suggested we sleep in separate rooms.

“Adrian, I’ve been working overtime every day lately. I leave early and come home late, and I’m afraid I’ll wake you.

“I’ll sleep in the guest room. I’ve already asked Mrs. Cook to get it ready.”

His brows drew together slightly.

After a long pause, he asked, “What time do you start work tomorrow? I’ll drive you.”

I quickly turned him down.

“No need. Our routes don’t really line up.”

He gazed at me, his expression dark.

“They do. I have to go near your office tomorrow.”

I blinked.

“But I’m not going to the office first thing tomorrow.”

I made up an excuse to turn him down.

I woke up early.

Adrian always kept a regular schedule and exercised every week.

To avoid him, I either got up before him or waited until he’d left.

I couldn’t be late today, so I woke up a little after six.

I opened the door and saw him standing in the kitchen, his broad back to me.

He heard me and turned slightly, his gaze falling on me.

“You’re up? Come have breakfast.”

It had been a long time since we’d been alone together.

He’d been back for three days.

Before, we usually handled breakfast and lunch separately, but we ate dinner together.

We hadn’t shared a meal once since he’d returned.

The thought of sitting alone with him over a meal made my scalp prickle.

The recommendation algorithms always seemed to know exactly what was on a user’s mind.

Sophie and I had nothing to do with each other. We’d never even met.

Still, every one of her social media posts showed up in my feed.

Her posts didn’t make her and Adrian look like exes who’d been apart for years.

They looked like lovers who’d found their way back to each other.

During the year Adrian spent overseas, he and I had grown so distant that we had nothing to say to each other.

When I was alone with him, I always felt as if I were coveting Sophie’s boyfriend.

Even though Adrian and I were the ones who were married.

Under his gaze, I met his eyes for a moment.

I picked up a slice of toast and headed for the front door.

I looked down as I changed my shoes.

He stood beside me.

“Sit down and eat.”

I shook my head.

“I’m in a hurry.”

He smiled.

“I’ll drive—”

Before he could finish, I hurried out the door.

I wasn’t actually in a hurry.

I went to the breakfast place in the alley beside my apartment complex and sat down.

Adrian and I used to come here all the time.

He was the only heir of the powerful Shaw family, and his status was so lofty that I could hardly picture him sitting at a roadside stall in an alley.

But he was the one who brought me here.

After Adrian left, I always came alone.

The owner once asked me, “Where’s your husband, dear? I haven’t seen you two together in ages.”

I made something up.

“We’re taking a break for now.”

The owner assumed I’d gotten divorced.

Today, she suddenly offered to set me up with someone.

“Dear, didn’t you get divorced? I know a young man who’s a postdoctoral researcher and a doctor.”

I gave her a polite smile.

“Thank you, but I’m not looking to date right now.”

The woman said, “He’s handsome and tall, and he’s just as good-looking as your ex-husband.”

A figure blocked my view. I looked up and met Adrian’s eyes.

I must have been having a run of bad luck lately. He kept overhearing everything I said.

Adrian’s expression darkened.

“She has a husband, ma’am.”

The woman froze, looking surprised.

“You got back together?”

Adrian said, “We never divorced.”

The woman looked at me awkwardly.

“Oh, goodness. I’m sorry. I thought you’d gotten divorced.”

Adrian’s expression darkened even further.

After leaving the diner, I still ended up in Adrian’s passenger seat.

He saw right through me and gave me a knowing smile.

“Grace, the company you’re meeting with today is mine. If I remember correctly, you don’t have any off-site work today.”

It was his company?

So, while I’d been lying to him, he’d been watching me put on an act.

I was momentarily speechless, then gave an awkward laugh.

By the time we reached the office, it was rush hour.

There were lots of coworkers around.

I got out of Adrian’s car and glanced around, trying to see if anyone I knew had noticed.

From somewhere nearby, someone called out, “Mr. Shaw.”

My back stiffened.

A large group came walking over.

Some worked for Adrian’s company, and others worked for mine.

Adrian walked around the front of the car and came to stand beside me.

Five or six pairs of eyes were fixed on us.

He casually lifted his arm and put it around my waist.

The others looked stunned.

I shoved Adrian away and laughed as I explained, “My heels are too high. I nearly fell. Luckily, Mr. Shaw caught me.”

“Thanks, Mr. Shaw.”