Chapter 9

Today was the day I had promised Charles that I'd get married.

I had already changed into my wedding gown. When I was about to get into the wedding car, Elaine came to the venue.

She stood before me before tossing the wedding bouquet to me coldly. "Congratulations on getting married today."

I watched as the bouquet landed on the ground. My response came out detached.

"You got your wish."

Elaine smiled in satisfaction. Pride and arrogance gleamed in her eyes.

"Of course. Well, as long as you don't come back and stir up trouble for me, that is."

A pregnant pause later, Elaine leaned into my ear and began mocking me. "Oh, Daphne… Don't tell me you seriously think William really likes you."

My expression was calm as always. I merely shot her a sideways glance.

Elaine harrumphed in return. "To tell you the truth, I got to know William way before you even met him. That's why he fell in love with me first. Whatever relationship he has with you only stemmed from his need for pleasure."

I wasn't surprised, in the slightest. After all, I had already known the truth for a long time.

The sight of my aloof expression left Elaine feeling a little surprised. "How is it that you're able to keep your cool?"

I knew that Elaine wanted nothing more than to see me breaking down in tears and suffering from the pain she brought on. But seriously, I felt nothing right now.

Instead, I pointed at my heart and said firmly, "I'm already dead on the inside."

Elaine was clearly stunned. She just stared at my chest in a daze.

I took a deep breath. Then, I flashed her a knowing smile.

"Elaine, the love that can be stolen so easily is not true love. Since you love William that much, I'll just give him to you. I hope that both of you can live happily ever after."

After that, I got into the car.

I would never return to this home… ever again.

"William Blackburn, you and I are done," I thought.

In order to end our relationship properly, I even delivered William a proper break-up letter.

After completing the wedding ceremony with my new husband, Axel Young, I left the city with him. I didn't bring my belongings with me. In fact, I chose to abandon my assets and my phone as well.

Just like that, I had completely destroyed all of my traces in this city. No one knew where I went.

William finally went home on the third day I left. When he realized that his house was empty save for Elaine's presence, he began looking for me everywhere.

Elaine hid the fact that I was married from William, so he didn't know about the news. He thought that I threw another one of my tantrums and refused to see him. He had been waiting for me to take the initiative to seek him out.

But after waiting for many days, he never saw me. That was why he began contacting me worriedly.

Alas, he couldn't find me at all.

At that time, my letter was finally delivered to William's place. He tore it open to read the content. The moment he realized I intended to cut all ties with him, he was shell-shocked.

The letter read, "William, by the time you receive this letter, I'm already gone. I can't believe I actually fell in love with you over the years since we met. All these years, I was the one who had been seeking you out actively. We might have had our moments of passion, but you never promised me a future. Of course, you never included me in your future plans.

"There was once I looked forward to marrying you, but it was all a fantasy. After all, Elaine is the woman you love. In the past, I had gauged your response countless times—who would you choose when it came to me and Elaine?

"In all those moments, you chose Elaine. Moreover, you even killed our child. I could never forgive you for what you've done.

"Now that the woman you love is back, it's time for me to leave. I'm exhausted, you see—I don't want to remain in this mess of a relationship. I don't love you anymore. It's over between us. Please don't come looking for me because I don't want to see you at all.

"In fact, let's not meet again for the rest of our lives. It's better if we live our lives separately."

The surgical consent form of my miscarriage was even included in the letter.

William shook violently at the sight of the form. Shock was written all over his face. His eyes now bloodshot, he turned to glare at Elaine.

"What the hell is this all about?"

Elaine shook her head instantly, feeling rather uneasy. She claimed that she didn't know what I was talking about.

Flames of rage erupted in William's eyes instantly. While he kept his tone suppressed and low, he sounded a lot more intimidating than when he was actually yelling at people.

"Tell me the truth, Elaine. Where is Daphne? Where did she go?"