All Chapters of Briefly, We Met: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

When Isaac Sterling returned, I was scrolling through Instagram. The headline dominating both the business and entertainment sections featured a photo of him and Grace Webb walking hand in hand. Matching rings gleamed brightly on their ring fingers, almost painfully so.Meanwhile, the group chat titled “The Exes Club” had exploded with messages.[No way. Is Isaac really getting married?][He was so sweet to me in bed last night. I refuse to believe it!][Seriously, what’s so special about Grace? Just because her wealthy family could help Isaac's business?][I'm devastated. I gave him my whole heart, and this is what I get in return.]The dozen or so women in that chat were all former lovers Isaac had financially supported at one point or another. In the group chat, they shared stories about their time with him and showed off the gifts he’d bought them. Sometimes, they even compared notes about their experiences in bed with him. As for me, I had always stayed silent, never joining

Chapter 2

The next morning, I opened my eyes to an empty bed. Isaac was already gone.After washing up, I headed downstairs. The mansion sat by the ocean, with a stunning view of the coastline. When I first moved in, I had been overjoyed. I thought I had finally made it, with Isaac and me having a home together. Later, however, I realized this place was never the dream castle I had imagined. Instead, it was a cage Isaac had built to keep me contained.In the early years of his startup, we were inseparable. We stayed up late discussing business plans and talking about the future we wanted to build together. Unfortunately, as his status rose, he changed.The first time he stayed out all night, I received photos of him in bed with another woman. Afterward, he knelt in front of me in tears, begging for my forgiveness. He said it was a drunken mistake, a moment of weakness.I cried until my chest hurt, and in the end, I gave him another chance. However, after that, the business dinners and excl

Chapter 3

My breath hitched, and my fingers clenched until my knuckles turned white. Even though I knew better than to hope, my defenses crumbled in that moment.Seeing my reaction, Grace raised an eyebrow smugly. “Sadie, I came to see you because you’ve been with Isaac longer than anyone else. But so what? Do you really think you’re that special to him?“Sure, he's good to you.” She said dismissively, “But he’s good to me too. And from what I’ve heard, he was generous and gentle with all his ex-lovers as well. Some people are just born without a heart. Because they don’t truly care, they can afford to treat everyone the same. You’re only fooling yourself because you’ve been by his side the longest.”Suddenly, I found the whole situation ironic. “If I’m really that insignificant to him, why did you come all the way here to see me? You’re acting awfully eager to stake your claim, Grace. It sounds like you’re the insecure one.”Her expression immediately stiffened. “I just… I just don’t want

Chapter 4

In the next few days, Isaac didn’t come back, nor did he send me a single message.Meanwhile, “The Exes Club” group chat was still buzzing nonstop.[I heard Isaac’s on a business trip this week?][Have you noticed? He didn’t take anyone with him this time.][Yeah, exactly!]Someone quickly chimed in. [Normally, when Isaac travels, he’d at least pick one of us to go along. This time, not a single person went.][Don’t tell me he’s really settling down for Grace, is he?]The moment Grace’s name appeared in the chat, the group fell silent for a few seconds. Then, the silence turned into jealousy.[No way. Is that woman really so charming?][Hard to say… She’s the Webb family heiress. She’s not on the same level as us.]I put my phone down, and almost instantly, my stomach turned violently. Feeling a sour taste shoot up my throat, I covered my mouth as I stumbled into the bathroom, bent over the toilet, and vomited violently. After rinsing my mouth with water, I braced myself agai

Chapter 5

I couldn’t remember how I was lifted into the ambulance, or how I was rushed into the hospital. What stayed clear in my mind was the doctor’s voice telling me that the child was gone. I hadn’t exactly been expecting its arrival, yet when such a fragile life disappeared so suddenly, how could it not hurt? Still, it was also a blessing in disguise that the baby never had to be born into a broken relationship between two parents who no longer belonged together.I stayed in the hospital for half a month. During that entire time, my phone remained silent. No calls or even a single text on WhatsApp came in. Isaac was gone, without a trace, as if he had never existed in my life at all.Once my body had recovered, I checked myself out of the hospital. I didn’t pack much. There were never many things in this city that truly belonged to me in the first place. With that, I bought a train ticket back to my hometown. The journey took only a few hours, and I sat by the window, watching the sce

Chapter 6

“What?” Isaac’s voice carried a trace of panic. “Why do you want a burial plot out of the blue? What’s wrong? Did something happen to you?”I replied calmly, “I’m fine. It’s not for me.”Hearing that, Isaac seemed to let out a breath of relief. “Then who is it for?”I paused for a moment but didn’t answer his question directly. “Just pick a standard one. A simple gravestone is enough. No need to make it complicated.”Before he could ask anything else, I hung up.Life back in my hometown was slow and quiet. In the afternoons, when the sunlight was just right, I would carry a wooden chair into the courtyard and sit there, flipping through old textbooks and notes.On those yellowed pages were my past ambitions and dreams—to get into a top university, join a leading company, and become a capable, independent career woman. I thought maybe it was time to find myself again.A week later, my phone finally rang again. The caller ID showed it was Isaac calling, so I picked up the phone.

Chapter 7

“Then tell me… what am I supposed to do?”“If you really want to see me,” I said after a long pause, my voice steady, “go and get that burial plot I told you to buy. We’ll meet there one last time.”The day we agreed to meet, the sky was dark with clouds. The burial plot Isaac had purchased was located on the outskirts of the city. The surroundings were peaceful, lined with tall pine trees swaying gently in the wind. This was the only respect I could give the child who never had the chance to come into this world. When I arrived, Isaac had been waiting for a long time. Hearing my footsteps, he turned around immediately. The moment he saw me, his eyes lit up, and he walked quickly toward me, pulling me into his arms.“Sadie, you finally agreed to see me!” His voice was thick with emotion. “Can you please stop disappearing like this in the future? It scares me. I’m scared you’ll leave me forever.”I struggled hard, trying to push him away. However, he held me so tightly that I coul

Chapter 8

“You thought I was just making trouble, so you brushed me off and hung up again.” My voice started to break. “When the doctor told me I lost the baby, I was lying alone in a hospital bed. For half a month, you didn’t call once or ask about me.”Isaac buried his face in his hands, and his shoulders shook violently.A suppressed sob broke through him. “I’m sorry, Sadie, I’m sorry…”He kept repeating it over and over again, his voice hoarse and broken with desperation.“I didn’t know… I really didn’t know you were pregnant… I thought you were just upset. I shouldn’t have treated you like that. I shouldn’t have…”It was the first time I had ever seen Isaac cry. No matter how poor or desperate things had been in the past, even when his startup was on the verge of collapse, he had never once broken down like that. However, even if he were sincerely regretful now, it didn’t change anything. What was done was done.“What’s the point of saying this now?” I wiped the tears from my face,

Chapter 9

During that time, Isaac tried every possible way to contact me. He messaged me on WhatsApp, called repeatedly, and even showed up at places where I might have been. However, I rejected every single attempt. I changed my number, blocked all his contact details, and cut off every remaining connection between us.When I heard about him again, it was through that long-abandoned “The Exes Club” group chat. I had muted it long ago, but I happened to open it that day while cleaning up my chat histories. I was stunned to see the screen filled with messages.The women in the group were still talking about Isaac, just like before. This time, though, there was no admiration or playful competition but panic.[Why is Isaac sending all of us away? He even paid the severance in full, with no negotiation at all!]The one who spoke first had once been his favorite. I remembered how she used to show off the luxury jewelry Isaac had gifted her. Now, every message she wrote was filled with unease.[I

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