Chapter 1 The Moment I Gave Up

The moment I finished speaking, Leo frowned, irritation written all over his face.

"Can you stop making a scene? Cressida was a little spoiled before, but she knows she was wrong now.

"Gideon Holbrook is a violent thug who's good for nothing. How can you be so heartless? How can you stand by and watch Cressida marry someone like him?"

Leo's voice was low but furious. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead, and his eyes were filled with anxiety.

The sight tore at my heart, and bitterness spread through me.

"Is that so? Then, why haven't I heard a single apology from her?"

I rolled up my sleeve, revealing the terrible scars on my arm. They were from the car accident Cressida had deliberately caused.

The scars were still there, yet Leo's heart had already changed.

"Don't forget, that accident didn't just leave me with these scars. It cost us our baby, too!"

I couldn't stop trembling. I wanted to make Leo see reason, but there wasn't a trace of concern for me in his eyes.

"You've completely lost your mind. Just because you bled from your thighs doesn't mean you had a miscarriage! You were never pregnant in the first place. You just wanted to frame Cressida!"

I froze, staring in disbelief at the man I'd loved for five years.

He still didn't believe me.

I'd lost count of how many times I'd explained it to him, but he always insisted I'd imagined the whole thing after seeing all that blood.

All of a sudden, I felt tired. I didn't want to explain anymore.

We faced each other in silence. Leo tugged impatiently at his tie, then lowered his gaze to my arm.

Without warning, he snatched the eyebrow razor off the table and slashed his own arm, leaving a gash on his skin.

"This is me making it up to you on Cressida's behalf. Can I leave now?"

I stared at the wound on his arm.

It took me a long time to find my voice. "Fine."

Leo had always been terrified of pain, yet he hadn't hesitated for a second. What reason did I have left to stop him?

He and Cressida had grown up together. They were each other's first love, and they'd shared every major milestone in their lives.

Later, he had wanted to get married, but she had rejected his proposal in front of everyone, saying she wanted to focus on her career.

That was when they went their separate ways.

Cressida moved abroad and spent three years working as a war correspondent.

I thought their relationship had long since ended, but the first thing she did when she returned home was seek Leo out and reconcile.

By then, I was already with him. I tried to explain things patiently, but Cressida wouldn't listen.

"Freya, you don't actually think he loves you, do you? You're nothing but my replacement."

Cressida and I were both reporters, and some people in our newsroom even called us the twin stars of journalism.

Her words cut deep.

But time and again, Leo had chosen me without hesitation, gradually putting my heart at ease.

I thought his love for me was genuine. Now, I realized that was only what I'd wanted to believe.

Ever since Cressida had toned down her behavior, Leo had been anxiously checking his phone. I knew he was waiting for a message from her.

I'd been the only one fooling myself.

Now that I was finally seeing things clearly, it was time to leave.