Chapter 8

“Rosemary! Open this door, I know you’re inside!”

Adrian stood in front of a modest house on the outskirts of the city, pounding on the brown wooden door with desperate fists. His breathing was ragged, his suit drenched from the rain that had only just ceased.

Inside, footsteps approached. Slowly, the door creaked open, revealing Rosemary. Her hair fell loosely around her shoulders, her face bare of makeup yet effortlessly graceful. But her eyes—those once warm and loving eyes—were now cold, sharp as blades.

“What do you want now, Adrian?” she asked flatly, voice devoid of emotion.

“I need to talk to you. Please, give me a moment,” Adrian pleaded, bracing his hand against the door so it wouldn’t close again.

Rosemary sighed, fighting to hold back the storm within. “I have nothing to do with you. Leave, before I lose my patience.”

“I’m not leaving until you hear me out,” Adrian’s voice rose, soaked in desperation.

Her gaze hardened. Then she pulled the door wider. “Fine. Come in. Say what you need to say, and then get out of my life again.”

---

They moved into the small living room. Rosemary stood with her arms crossed, her posture rigid and unyielding, while Adrian paced nervously across the floor.

“Rose…” Adrian began, his voice trembling. “I know I was wrong. I know I trusted the wrong person. I know I underestimated you.”

Rosemary let out a bitter, hollow laugh. “Underestimated? That’s far too gentle a word, Adrian. You didn’t just underestimate me—you crushed my dignity. You humiliated me in front of everyone. You chose Cassandra, praised her as more talented, while I… I was discarded like garbage.”

“I didn’t mean it that way!” Adrian shouted, his voice cracking. “I was just… I was confused at the time. I thought—”

“Thought what?!” Rosemary cut him off, her voice breaking into a cry, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Thought I wasn’t good enough for you? Thought I was just a shadow you could throw away whenever you pleased?”

Adrian fell silent, cornered by the truth of her words.

Rosemary stepped closer, her finger jabbing into his chest. “Do you know what it felt like, standing backstage, watching the man I loved defend another woman while I was treated as if I didn’t exist? Do you have any idea how it shattered me?”

“Rose…” Adrian lowered his head, his voice fractured. “I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry. I was a fool, blind, too arrogant to see the treasure standing beside me.”

She shook her head, tears spilling freely now. “Your apology means nothing, Adrian. You can’t even begin to imagine the scars you left. I had to rebuild my life from the ruins you abandoned me in. And now you show up, expecting me to forget it all because you say ‘sorry’?”

Adrian stepped forward, reaching for her hand, but she slapped his touch away.

“I know I’ve made terrible mistakes,” Adrian whispered. “But please… give me another chance. Not just for the company—” he swallowed hard, “—but for us.”

Rosemary laughed bitterly, her voice cracking. “For us? You still dare to say there’s an ‘us’? Adrian, we ended the day you chose Cassandra over me. The day you closed your eyes to betrayal yet accused me of disloyalty. That was the day I died as the woman who once loved you.”

Her words landed like daggers, slicing through him. Adrian closed his eyes, his chest burning as though pierced by a thousand needles.

“Rosemary…” his voice barely escaped as a whisper. “I never stopped loving you.”

Rosemary froze for a heartbeat, then more tears poured from her eyes. Her voice trembled, broken. “If that’s your love, Adrian, then your love is poison to me.”

The room fell into silence, save for the sound of Rosemary’s muffled sobs.

Then, Adrian collapsed to his knees before her, clutching at her knees with trembling hands. “Please… don’t do this to me. I’ll do anything. Just tell me what you want.”

Rosemary turned her face away, her heart splintering though her mouth spoke with cruel resolve. “What I want is for you to leave my life. Forever.”

“Rosemary—”

“Enough, Adrian!” she screamed, her voice cracking under the weight of her pain. “I would rather see Adrian Corp burn to the ground. I would rather watch you lose everything than ever work by your side again. I will never come back.”

Tears streamed down her face, but her eyes remained fierce, resolute. She pointed at the door. “Get out.”

Adrian remained frozen on his knees, unwilling to move. His eyes brimmed with tears, his voice hoarse. “Please… don’t do this… I’m begging you…”

Rosemary pressed her hand against her mouth, muffling her sobs. With her other hand, she gently pushed Adrian toward the door.

“Go, Adrian. This is what’s best for me. And maybe… for you too.”

---

Adrian finally staggered out, his body shaking violently. The door slammed shut behind him. He collapsed onto the porch, rain beginning to fall again, soaking his trembling figure as muffled sobs escaped him.

Behind the closed door, Rosemary leaned against it, sliding down to the floor. Her cries broke free, raw and unrestrained, her heart warring between the embers of a love not fully extinguished and the deep wound that refused to heal.

“Why do you keep tormenting me, Adrian… after you betrayed my love?”