Chapter 2. (the bride, left alone)

That night, Adrian felt suffocated being in the same room with Evelyn.

Despite it being their wedding night, he walked out without looking back.

He couldn’t explain why he couldn’t stand the thought of having Evelyn as his wife.

Yes, they had grown up together.

Yes, he knew she loved him.

But none of that mattered to him.

Adrian was never a man built to love. He had grown up without his parents — his mother had left his father the moment things started going downhill, and his father, seeing himself as a failure, abandoned him soon after.

Adrian had no choice but to grow up under the care of his grandmother, Mrs. Eleanor Chase.

Years later, word spread that his father had died, but Adrian never cared enough to find out the truth.

He had stopped believing in love or family long ago. His only focus was money — making so much of it that the world would bow at his feet. He wanted to prove to his mother that she was wrong for leaving him for wealth and to his father for giving up on him so easily.

So, for Adrian, accepting the marriage wasn’t about love. It was about building a stronger foundation for himself — and, above all, fulfilling his grandmother’s dying wish.

---

Evelyn thought he had simply stepped out of the bedroom for a moment.

But after waiting what felt like an eternity with no sign of Adrian, she went to his study to look for him.

The light in the study was dim, but there was no trace of him. She searched the living room and the downstairs hall — still nothing.

Feeling uneasy, Evelyn stepped outside to clear her head. Her feet led her unconsciously toward the garage, where she noticed something that made her heart sink — Adrian’s favorite sports car was gone.

That was when it dawned on her.

Adrian had left the house.

On their wedding night.

“Does he hate me that much?” Evelyn whispered to herself as tears slipped down her cheeks.

She returned to the house quietly, gathered her thoughts, and not wanting to disturb anyone, went into the kitchen to make herself a cup of warm milk. Afterward, she returned to their bedroom and lay down alone.

---

The next morning, Evelyn woke up early.

The other side of the bed was cold — a painful reminder that Adrian hadn’t come home all night.

Her heart stung, but she brushed it aside.

If she truly wanted to win his heart, she told herself, she had to learn to ignore the little hurts.

With that thought in mind, she freshened up and went downstairs to make breakfast — hoping, just hoping, that Adrian might come home for a meal.

“Good morning, Madam,” the butler greeted the moment he saw her descending the stairs.

“Hmm,” Evelyn murmured, barely glancing at him.

“It’s still very early, Madam,” the butler said gently. “Perhaps you should rest a little longer. If there’s anything you’d like to eat, please let me have the chef prepare it.”

“Don’t worry,” Evelyn said firmly. “I’ll be making breakfast from now on. The chef can assist me if needed.”

It was said that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach — and Evelyn had already made up her mind during the long, lonely night.

She would give up her career and her own life for now. She would win Adrian’s heart.

After that, she could always pick up where she left off.

---

An hour later, Evelyn emerged from the kitchen with several dishes — all the meals she remembered Adrian loved.

By 6:30 a.m., she had finished setting the table. She changed into something neat and simple, her heart filled with quiet hope. Surely, Adrian would come home for breakfast.

Even if he planned to skip their honeymoon and return to work right away, he’d at least stop by to change his clothes.

At least that’s what she told herself.

But the hours passed.

Adrian didn’t return that morning.

Nor did he come home for lunch.

By evening, she sat and watched dinner grow cold — just like the morning meal.

“Madam, you should retire inside. You might catch a cold,” Butler Chan said softly as he approached the garden, where Evelyn sat on a swing cushion, waiting.

“Don’t worry about me,” she replied with quiet determination. “I’ll wait a little longer.”

“But it’s already past midnight,” he said gently, pity in his eyes. “I doubt the young master will return tonight.”

Evelyn didn’t respond. She simply stared into the night sky, lost in her thoughts.

Seeing that she wouldn’t listen, Butler Chan sighed and went back inside.

Evelyn remained outside until past one in the morning before finally gathering the strength to return to her empty room.