There was a rumor in school that I, the "campus belle," was dating Liam, the school heartthrob. After denying it countless times with no success, I finally snapped at the gossipers: "Stop making things up! I hate him, okay?" From that day on, Liam never spoke to me again. Years later, he became the new tech king of the city, basking in success. Meanwhile, my family was drowning in debt, on the brink of bankruptcy. At our most desperate moment, Liam showed up at our door. He said he could save us. I asked him if there were any conditions. He refused to answer. He only said one thing: "Marry me." After the wedding, we lived separate lives under the same roof. Our relationship was frozen at zero. I always thought Liam didn't like me. Until the car accident. A split second before impact, he threw himself over me, shielding my body with his own. His voice choked with tears as he whispered in my ear: "Please... don't hate me so much, okay?" 1 Liam died. He died in the fourth year of our marriage. He died in that sudden, horrific car crash. Before the car spun out of control, Liam wrenched the steering wheel to the left, using his own body as a shield for mine. That was the only reason I survived. A second before the collision, Liam covered my eyes. "Stella... please..." "Please don't hate me so much, okay?" I didn't have time to answer before my vision was washed in red. The violent impact knocked me unconscious. This memory replayed in my dreams countless times. I never thought a careless sentence I used to brush off a high school rumor would stay with him, haunting him for so many years. I wanted to tell Liam personally that I didn't hate him. I had never hated him. But there were no more chances. He appeared in my dreams again and again. And died in my dreams again and again. It was a torture called regret, slicing me into pieces, driving me insane. 2 After I was discharged, the lawyer came to see me. I learned that Liam had made a will right after we got married. His billions in assets all went to me. I laughed at his stupidity. It was a business marriage. How did he dare? What if I was a gold digger plotting for his money? What then? This fool. He left himself no way out. Liam's parents died early. But he had a nest of black-hearted relatives. When Liam was young, they kicked him around like a soccer ball, afraid he'd eat an extra grain of their rice. When he became successful, they swarmed like flies, claiming kinship every other day. Now, at the funeral, they were all wailing as if their hearts were broken. But not one of them was truly sad for Liam. They were all acting, using the title of "family" to try and grab a piece of his massive estate. I sat quietly, staring at the black coffin in the center of the hall. I couldn't cry anymore. Rumors had long circulated in our circle that Liam and I had a bad relationship, living separate lives after marriage. Seeing my calm demeanor now, the mourners whispered among themselves. They said I was heartless. That I wouldn't even put on a show. Liam's photo still hung in the hall. In the photo, his eyes were gentle, a slight smile on his lips. Liam actually didn't like to smile. It seemed like nothing in this world could make him truly happy. The last time I saw him smile like that was recently, on our wedding anniversary. I insisted on drinking with him. After three rounds, my face was flushed. I deliberately leaned into his arms, looking up to brush my lips against his chin. Actually, I wasn't drunk at all. I was acting. I had to rely on alcohol to break down the barriers in my heart and test him in the most direct way possible. Liam was drunk too, his steps unsteady. After I kissed him, he turned red from his ears to his neck. But on the surface, he pretended to be calm. "Stella, you're drunk. I'll take you back to your room..." I took the opportunity to act wild. Like an octopus, I wrapped myself around him. Burning skin against burning skin. We were so close I could feel his breath. No one could resist that kind of tension. That night, it rained heavily. Inside and out, everything was wet. Our first time actually waited until the fourth year of our marriage. I didn't expect a drunk Liam to be like that. Almost crazy. His large hands held me, imprisoning me tightly in his arms, as if I would disappear the moment he let go. "Stella... Stella..." "Don't leave me..." "Don't throw me away..." He kept calling my name. Hot tears fell on my shoulder. I bit my lip, unable to speak. I could only respond with a flurry of kisses. After that night, we both acted like we had amnesia. Neither of us dared to bring it up. All the madness seemed to be attributed to a drunken accident. Until a few days ago, when I found out I was pregnant. I wanted to tell him on his birthday. But Liam called me first, saying he wanted to take me out to celebrate. "Liam, I have something important to tell you." In the car, I couldn't hold it in anymore. For so long, we had carefully tested each other's feelings, pretending not to understand, neither daring to cross the chasm between us first. I thought the arrival of this child would be the turning point in our relationship. "What is it?" Before I could say it, a truck lost control and flew out from the side road. In just a few seconds, I lost Liam and our child. I lived in pain and regret every moment. They were gone. Why was I still alive? 3 I left our marital home and moved into a small apartment under my name. Partly because Liam's cheap relatives kept coming over, demanding money. I was tired of dealing with them and handed everything over to the lawyers. Partly because that villa was full of Liam's traces. His slippers, his towel, his unfinished wine, his favorite magnolia tree... I was suffocating from the pervasive grief. The day after I moved out, Ethan knocked on my door. I knew my parents gave him the new address. Since the Tan family survived the crisis and business started booming again, Ethan began hovering around me. He was good at sucking up to my parents. He often brought expensive wine and rare calligraphy, making my parents beam with joy. They even said not having him as a son-in-law was the biggest regret of their lives. Whenever Liam and I visited home, we almost always saw Ethan. With my parents' indulgence, Ethan dared to use his own chopsticks to put food in my bowl at the dinner table. And Liam sat right next to me. Lips pressed tight, not saying a word. Later, I often regretted not considering Liam's feelings. Watching another man openly court his wife while his in-laws cheered him on. How painful that must have been for him. Liam was busy with work, often traveling all over the country. We lived apart for the first two years of our marriage. Later, I tried many times to find a chance to talk to him properly. Specifically to clarify my relationship with Ethan. But Liam always avoided me. Whenever I asked to talk, he had a business trip. Until the end, that paper window between us was never fully pierced. Right now, Ethan stood at my door. He even brought pastries from my favorite bakery. Cheap flattery. "Stella, just look back at me, okay? "I truly love you! I've loved you for years!" Listen to that. How sincere. Not long after I was discharged, my parents urged me to remarry. "Luckily you and Liam didn't have much affection. Now that he's gone, you won't be stuck in grief. "We can see Ethan truly loves you. Don't hang yourself on one tree." How funny. When our family was on the verge of bankruptcy, my parents wanted me to marry into money to save them. They even suggested I be a mistress to an old man. When people are desperate, family affection goes out the window. I was just a chip for their comeback. Where was Ethan then? He watched from the sidelines, dodging us. He was afraid I'd drag him down with our misfortune because of our past friendship. The only one who extended a hand was Liam. I admit, when we first got married, I had no feelings for Liam. Although we were old classmates, we hadn't been in touch for years. His sudden proposal seemed like a transaction to me. He helped the Tan family survive. I became his trophy wife, managing his household and social obligations. Mutual benefit. Naturally, it wasn't worth pouring emotions into. But time proves everything. Liam never calculated or schemed against me. He gave me full access to his company's most confidential information, trusting me completely. Once you've seen the ocean, no other water compares. How could I look at Ethan's "sincerity," mixed with endless calculations and weigh-ins? 4 I refused Ethan. My parents came over to scold me for being stupid, wasting my youth on a short-lived man. In their anger, they cursed Liam too. Calling him bad luck, delaying my life even after death. My suppressed emotions exploded. I smashed everything in the apartment. Then I went to the kitchen and grabbed a cleaver. I warned them: anyone who dared speak ill of Liam again, I'd take them down with me. Disheveled, hysterical. Like a madwoman. All these years, I had been gentle and rational in front of Liam. That was the me he liked. If he saw me like this now. He would despise me... My parents were scared to tears. "Is it necessary? "Didn't you say you had no feelings for the boy? Are you abandoning your parents to defend him?!" They seemed to have forgotten how Liam sacrificed his own company's vitality to save the Tan family. Forgotten that without Liam shielding me, I wouldn't be alive. A few days ago, when Liam's relatives caused a scene at the company, they wore the same faces. Throwing tantrums, cursing Liam for being heartless, giving money to outsiders while mistreating his own blood, spreading rumors about him online. They also forgot how much Liam helped them regardless of their past cruelty after he succeeded. Liam, do you see? When the tea cools, people leave. People in this world have no conscience. You really had a hard life.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "388425", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel