"Professor, how can a man have an affair for six years without his wife ever finding out?" My student, whom I had mentored for three years, suddenly asked. Scandals in the journalism industry are always flying around. I told her to focus her energy on her studies and gossip less about other people's business. As a result, that very night, I scrolled past a local push notification: "Giving the sisters a little treat." "My husband is 6'2" and packing." In the video, a man in a sharp suit had his large hand gripped tightly around a woman's slender waist. The comment section was full of screaming. "Those veins, those thick knuckles! Sister, you are truly blessed!" I let out a soft chuckle and was just about to scroll past. When I caught a glimpse of the sparkling diamond ring on the man's finger. It was identical to the one I had spent countless days and nights polishing by hand. I froze, then forwarded the video and the blogger's boastful comment directly to the person involved. "Mr. Sterling, why didn't you tell me your technique had improved?" The next second, the account was banned. He came home with a dark face. "I already married you, do you really have to monitor me like this?!" "Don't worry, she won't have any children. She won't get anything except love." "Can't you just let me go?" I have never been the type to swallow my pride. That very night, I found a lawyer to draft a divorce agreement. That night, his room was littered with cigarette butts. Ultimately, he compromised. "I will send her abroad, but before that, I want to make it up to her with a graduation trip." From then on, he disappeared from my world. He didn't even show up on the day of our daughter's funeral after her car accident. I packed up my daughter's belongings and quietly booked a flight to Europe. Since you two love each other so much. Then I'll just leave. Chapter 1 "Alfred, please hand this over to Arthur." I handed the court judgment to the butler. After Arthur said he wanted to compensate Mia with a graduation trip, he disappeared for two whole years. I petitioned the court for a divorce based on a breakdown of the marriage and a two-year separation. "Madam, you and the young master used to be so good together. Is there really... no room for reconciliation?" The butler's expression showed a hint of reluctance. My gaze, however, passed through him, looking at the villa I had lived in for eight years. Cold and desolate. In two days, it would be my daughter's birthday. In previous years at this time, the house would already be bustling with decorations. Now, the villa barely had any lights on. I suddenly remembered the video Mia posted on social media two days ago. She was holding a cat, and the cat was wearing a birthday hat. Mia was leaning on Arthur's shoulder, smiling. The caption read: "Celebrating our little baby's birthday~ It's so good to have someone willing to be crazy with you~" The comment section was flooded with "Perfect match," "So happy," "Such a good boyfriend," and "Happy birthday, kitty." Even a cat could have a warm home, while my daughter could only stay in this cold urn. And the other person in the video was my daughter's biological father. The irony was extreme! My eyes couldn't help but redden. It was five days ago that Chloe had her accident. I called Arthur countless times. When he finally answered, I only got a cold, "Mia's trip still has a month left. Whatever it is, wait until I get back," before he hung up. When I called back, I only got the busy signal of being blocked. Thinking about how my daughter, right before she died, was still asking when Daddy would come back, saying Daddy hadn't come to see her in a long time. My heart felt like it was being tightly squeezed, hurting so much I could barely breathe. The butler was still looking at me with sorrowful eyes, trying to make me stay. But I wiped the tears from my face, my tone even firmer. "It's impossible to go back to the past." "And this, please pass this on for me too." Saying that, I took off the diamond ring on my ring finger and got into the car without looking back. On the way to the airport, my phone pinged. An account I followed had posted a new video. "So sad to leave Venice, boohoo. Someone promised to bring me back next year!" Mia was kissing the sleeping profile of Arthur. Even from a photo, you could see the unmistakable sweetness between them. I masochistically scrolled through Mia's account from beginning to end. Arthur took her to see icebergs, to see the aurora borealis. He also kissed Mia romantically next to historic buildings. My heart suddenly ached. These were all the things he had once promised to do with me. The year we first got together, on a whim, we bought a "100 Things Couples Must Do" list. We also each wrote down three wishes, promising to fulfill them together. After exchanging wishes, Arthur's paper was blank. Catching my confused look, the young man's eyes were full of smiles. "Chloe's wishes are my wishes." I still remember that loving look. Just like the look he now gave Mia. Antarctic glaciers, Arctic auroras, Paris, France. These were the three most romantic places I could think of. But after we got married, he never mentioned them again. It turned out he didn't forget; the person he wanted to love was just no longer me. Just as I was about to click unfollow. A message suddenly popped up on my phone, pulling me out of my heavy mood. "Chloe, if you need anything, please contact me immediately. I will always be your backup." Chapter 2 My gaze lingered on this message for a moment. With a swipe of my finger, I blocked and deleted the number. A day later, the plane landed. I brought my daughter's ashes to the Alps. My daughter's dying wish was for her parents to bring her here once. Unfortunately, before I could fulfill this wish for her, we were separated by death. But upon entering the hotel, I suddenly saw a familiar figure. Arthur had his arm around Mia's waist. The two were sharing the same scarf, pressed sweetly against each other, waiting for the elevator. Before I could react, the hotel receptionist followed my gaze and saw them. The receptionist smiled and joked. "They are such a sweet couple." "The gentleman specifically booked out the entire hotel the day before yesterday, just to celebrate his six-year anniversary with his girlfriend." "Later, it was the girlfriend who said it was too quiet and no fun, so they changed it to just the top-floor penthouse suite." "Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to book a room at our hotel today, ma'am." I froze. "Excuse me, you just said they are celebrating their... six-year anniversary?" The receptionist nodded. Seeing my expression change, she asked if I needed her to call the hotel's medical staff. I gritted my teeth and waved my hand. Six years, six years. That meant they got together right when I first got pregnant. I stared with near hatred at the two figures, one tall, one short, by the elevator. Mia was my student. She was studious and motivated, and I often mentored her. But this very student, whom I was so proud of, climbed into my husband's bed in the very first month I brought her home. I had thought Arthur only had a change of heart after we had been together for ten years. I could still lie to myself that at least his feelings for our daughter were real! Now it seemed that perhaps he never loved me, nor did he ever love our daughter. "Sorry, I won't be checking in." I almost lost my composure as I snatched my ID back under the receptionist's surprised gaze. As I was walking away quickly, I was suddenly stopped. "Professor Miller, it really is you!" Mia's pleasantly surprised voice rang in my ears. I turned around abruptly, meeting Arthur's disgusted gaze. "Chloe, are you stalking me?" "I said I would go back after accompanying Mia on her trip. Do you really have to fight me on this right now?" "Are you trying to completely ruin Mia's trip and make everyone miserable before you're satisfied?" I was almost amused by his blatant reprimand. In his eyes, I was that kind of person? "Arthur, you're being too harsh on Professor Miller." Mia playfully patted Arthur's arm. Arthur actually restrained himself, even touching Mia's cheek. "Sorry, I lost my temper. Did I scare you?" Watching him back down because of Mia's single sentence, I zoned out for a moment. Having been with Arthur for ten years, I knew clearly that beneath his peaceful exterior lay a severe case of male chauvinism. Getting him to change his mind was almost impossible. Yet now, he was actually backing down for a single playful smile from Mia. Over the past ten years, the number of times he compromised for me could be counted on one hand, and even then, only after I had pleaded and pleaded. I shook my head in self-mockery. So, being loved versus not being loved was this obvious. I thought my heart would ache, but all I felt was indifference. "Your whereabouts are known to everyone on social media. Do I need to stalk you?" Arthur frowned at my words, but before he could ask, his attention was drawn by my next sentence. "Besides, we are already divorced, Mr. Sterling." Chapter 3 "I'm here for serious business too. I don't have time to play cat-and-mouse games with you." As my cold laughter fell, Arthur's face darkened drastically. "Do you think I don't remember whether or not I signed the divorce agreement?" He sneered. "Chloe, a few days ago you could still think of using our daughter to trick me. How come today you can only come up with such a clumsy trick?" Hearing him mention our daughter, my heart was suddenly pierced with pain. I couldn't help but take a step forward. "Daughter? You still have the nerve to mention our daughter to me?" "I ask you, why didn't you answer when I called you?" "I messaged you that our daughter had an accident. You clearly saw the message, why didn't you reply?!" "Did you know that in her final moments, she was still thinking about you coming home to see her!!!" With every word I spoke, I lost a bit more control. By the time I finished the last sentence, my eyes were red, and my whole body was almost trembling. Arthur, however, still looked at me with disdain, even adding a trace of wariness as if looking at a madwoman. "The same lie didn't work the first time, and you want to try it a second and third time?" "Chloe, do you really think I'm an idiot?" "If something really happened to our daughter, given your personality, you should have died with her, right? How can you still be standing here perfectly fine?" Mia also seemingly worriedly supported my hand. "Yes, Professor Miller. You know how much Arthur cares about Chloe. How could you come up with such an idea to play with his feelings?" "I know you've always blamed me for taking away Arthur's affection, but by doing this, aren't you also actively consuming his affection for you?" I forcefully shook off Mia's hand. "Get lost! I don't need your fake kindness!" My daughter is gone, what use are a man's illusory feelings? I didn't think I used much force, but Mia was thrown completely to the ground. "My back, Arthur." Smack. A sudden pain bloomed on my cheek. I clutched my rapidly swelling cheek, staring blankly at the person who hit me. Arthur seemed not to have expected that he actually hit me either. His expression showed a moment of reluctance and stiffness. He was just about to reach out and comfort me. Mia on the ground immediately clutched her stomach. "It hurts, my stomach..." Arthur's attention was instantly drawn away. Watching him hold Mia in his arms, asking her concerned questions. I revealed a mocking smile. Just as I was about to leave, I was stopped by Arthur's voice. "Stop right there!" I turned around with a cold expression. "You pushed Mia, and you think you can just walk away like this?" His eyes were chilling. "Apologize to Mia immediately." Being falsely accused, my anger turned into laughter. "What if I say no?" We stood in a silent standoff. Finally, it was Mia who tugged at Arthur's sleeve. "I feel much better, Arthur. Don't force Professor Miller either. I just lost my footing earlier." Hearing this, Arthur became even angrier with me. "You disappoint me too much, Chloe." "Mia is ten years younger than you, and you don't have half her maturity." "It seems I protected you too well over the past few years, so much so that you've forgotten your place!" "This time going back, Mia will still be with me. I'll let her teach you what the rules are." I sneered. Saying all this, wasn't it just laying the groundwork to bring Mia back? On the surface, he looked like a gentleman and a business elite, but in the end, he was just a hypocritical snake. Arthur took Mia back to the top floor. I originally planned to change hotels. But a snowstorm suddenly blew in outside. Helplessly, I had to stay. And secretly hoped that it would definitely clear up tomorrow. Because tomorrow was the seventh day since my daughter passed away. I wanted to bury my daughter at the peak of the Alps, fulfilling the wish she couldn't realize. Chapter 4 I was fraught with worry and didn't sleep all night. But by the next day, the snowstorm still hadn't stopped. Ignoring the warnings, I borrowed a windbreaker from the hotel and headed up the mountain alone with my daughter's urn. Just as I rested halfway up and was preparing to continue. The small bag I had placed by my feet suddenly vanished! It held my daughter's ashes! I sprang up to search for it, only to see Mia, wearing the same type of windbreaker, not far away. "Professor Miller, are you looking for this?" I saw pure malice on her face. "Give it back to me!" I lunged forward to grab it, but Mia held her hand high and dodged left and right. Just keeping it out of my reach. In a fit of anger, I shoved her hard. This scene was witnessed by Arthur, who had just arrived. He sharply reprimanded: "Stop!" Arthur caught Mia, who looked terrified. "Mia knew you braved the snow to go up the mountain, and disregarding her own safety, she came out to find you. Is this how you repay her kindness?!" "How did you become so vicious!" I acted as if I didn't hear his accusations at all, only fixing my gaze on the urn in Mia's hands. "Give it to me! Give it back to me!" Mia shrank her hand back, completely hiding in Arthur's arms. "What exactly are you going crazy about?!" Arthur completely lost his patience. I was almost about to blurt out that it was our daughter's urn. But meeting his furrowed brows, I suddenly sobered up. He would probably think I was lying again. "That is something very important to me." I gritted my teeth. Mia poked her head out. "Since it's something important, I should definitely help you keep it safe, Professor Miller." "My coat has pockets, don't worry, it definitely won't fall out if I keep it here!" I wanted to refuse again, but Arthur spoke up. "Enough, if you want to climb the mountain, hurry up. If it weren't for Mia being kind-hearted and worrying about you having an accident, who would brave the danger to accompany you." "Don't end up dragging us down with you!" "Yeah, Professor Miller, are you taking this to the top of the mountain? Then let's hurry up the mountain. I'll give it to you when we get there." All my words were rejected by the two of them. Seeing their figures already starting to climb, I could only grit my teeth and follow. Arthur and Mia supported each other, while I was all alone. I arrived at the mountaintop a full half-hour later than they did. I was panting. "The thing, give it to me." Mia giggled and handed the urn back. But I suddenly felt the weight was wrong. I sharply cracked open the lid, only to see that the ashes inside were gone! In an instant, my eyes turned blood red. "Mia! Where are the contents of this?!" "You mean that dirty dust? I cleaned it out for you on the way." Her smile was gentle, as if she were considering everything for my sake. "Professor Miller, how long has it been since you washed this jar? There was a whole layer of dust settled at the bottom. I conveniently wiped it clean for you." "Even if Arthur hasn't gone back to spend time with you for a long time, you shouldn't be this sloppy." I gripped my fists tightly.
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