Chapter 15
"When Lin Yaqi said she was pregnant, I didn't question it. I never imagined she'd betray me like that. I just assumed our contraception had failed," Zhou Zeyu said, still visibly angry as he spoke.
He paused for several seconds, then continued.
"When she insisted I give her a title, I didn't agree at first. Do you remember that night I called you? If you had just said you didn't want me to marry her, I would've backed out immediately. But you said nothing. And in my anger, I agreed to the marriage."
He looked at me, his voice softening. "Even on the day I married Lin Yaqi, I was still waiting—hoping you'd stop me. If you had shown up, I would've chosen you. But you didn't. So I went through with it."
Listening to him talk about his so-called 'love' for me… I didn't even know where to begin.
There wasn't much worth commenting on.
He continued bitterly. "After we married, Lin Yaqi went crazy. She embarrassed me in front of the entire business world. Only then did I start to realize how good you'd been to me… how patient, how tolerant. I even started wishing I could divorce her and win you back."
He looked at me with genuine pain. "But she was pregnant, and the law wouldn't allow me to divorce her during that time. So I kept hoping—hoping you'd wait for me. I even tried to use our son as a way to draw you back. But you kept rejecting me. Do you know how terrified I was? I was so afraid I'd lost you for good."
His eyes were red. Emotional.
But all I felt was absurdity.
If he was so afraid, why did he still carry himself like he had the upper hand?
He didn't look the slightest bit scared to me.
"Later, when she gave birth, we did a paternity test. The child wasn't mine." Zhou Zeyu's voice trembled. "I was furious. But also… relieved. Because now I could finally divorce her. I thought it meant I could finally be with you."
He looked at me with pleading eyes.
"Shen Xi, I'm sorry. I was wrong—so wrong. If I ever betray you again, I'll cut off my own legs."
"Mom, I'll be good too," Zhou Yiran added earnestly. "I'll never hurt you again."
I looked at the two of them.
Their regret. Their affection. Their desperation.
But I remained calm.
Unmoved.
Zhou Zeyu tried again. "Shen Xi… please come back. Let us make it up to you. Let us try."
"No," I said, shaking my head. "Those wounds? I already healed them myself a long time ago."
I don't need either of them.
Not anymore.
"Shen Xi…"
"Zhou Zeyu," I cut in, "don't you think—after all this—you just don't deserve me anymore?"
He looked stunned.
Then quickly tried to recover. "Shen Xi, I love you. Whether you were successful or not. Whether you changed or not. I love the person you are."
I laughed, unamused. "And tell me—why would a woman like me settle for scraps?"
His face flushed with shame, but he still didn't give up.
"You've been single for so long," he said quietly, as if that fact gave him hope.
Oh?
So now being single means I should run back into his arms?
I turned my head—and there he was.
Chen Zhecheng.
He walked straight toward me and naturally pulled me into his arms, wrapping me close.
He was impatient, clearly waiting for me.
He looked at Zhou Zeyu and Zhou Yiran with a pleasant smile. "Ex-husband," he greeted cheerfully. "And eldest son."
Zhou Zeyu's eyes darkened the moment he saw Chen Zhecheng's arm around my waist.
"You found some random guy… just to spite me?" he asked bitterly.
"Not random," I replied, my voice calm but firm. "I stayed single for years because I liked being alone. But I'm not single anymore… because this man is worth it. Worth building something new. Worth starting a new life—even a new marriage."
Zhou Zeyu's face paled.
"And whether I'm single or not," I added with a smirk, "has nothing to do with you. It's my choice. Always was."
You? In my heart, you're nothing but a leftover stain.
Then Chen Zhecheng and I turned and walked away—together.
Just before we left, Chen Zhecheng paused, turned around, and added with a smile,
"Oh—by the way, Shen Xi is pregnant. Twins."
He knew how to land a fatal blow.
I didn't look back.
But I did hear a soft, broken voice behind us.
"Dad," Zhou Yiran asked, choking on tears, "Does Mom… really not want us anymore?"
"…Uh-huh," Zhou Zeyu replied, barely audible.
Then, as if it finally hit him, he murmured to himself,
"She really doesn't want us anymore."
And just like that, the man who once thought he'd never lose me—
finally realized that he already had.
(The End)