Once Married, We Met Again as Strangers

The tenth time, I was caught in bed with him.

Seb Blackwood's reaction wasnt as intense as before.

He glanced at his watch, then gently draped a coat over the little girl in his arms.

Isnt your prenatal checkup in the afternoon? Why are you back so early?

When I didnt answer, he patted the little girls head, subtly stepping between us.

The girl is young. If you have a problem, take it up with me.

He thought I would react like before.

Hysterical, making a scene.

But what he didnt know was

The ten-year promise was about to be fulfilled.

I could leave him soon.

On the wedding photo on the bedside table were two clear handprints.

One on each side, covering my face and Sebs.

It almost made you imagine their position just now.

I took a deep breath and looked at Seb.

Didnt we agree not to bring people home?

Do you even remember what day it is today? Seb smiled casually.

He lit a cigarette and blew the smoke on my face.

I drank too much. How could I remember everything?

The young girl beside him stiffened.

She hurried to dress, looking at me with trembling eyes.

Mrs. Blackwood, I didnt mean to.

It was last night

Seeing how flustered she was, I stepped forward and pulled up her zipper.

Its fine. You can go.

I know what kind of person Seb is.

This wasnt the first time over the years.

Drunk, in a bad mood.

Bored, seeking entertainment.

Anything could become an excuse for his infidelity.

As for the girl in front of me.

She wasnt even a mistress, not even eighteen.

Why should I trouble myself with her?

The girl fled in panic, and I called Wendy Marsh to clean the room.

The place was a mess, condoms scattered across the floor.

Just looking at it made me nauseous.

I covered my mouth and sprayed disinfectant.

Seb wrapped his arms around my waist from behind.

His soft head rubbed against my chest.

Good wife, when did you become so virtuous?

Are you afraid I wont come back, or have you learned how to be a proper rich wife?

He pinched my cheek, pleased, and laughed.

This is very good.

As long as you behave, Ill never let anyone replace you as Mrs. Blackwood.

As he spoke, Seb casually picked out a pair of earrings from a pile of gift boxes and put them on me.

This is your reward.

Alright, dont be angry anymore. I know today is our tenth anniversary.

Dry your tears. Ill take you out to celebrate.

He said it lightly.

But what he didnt know was that in these ten years

My tears had already dried.

I avoided his touch and handed him the divorce papers Id prepared.

Seb, lets get a divorce.

Seb paused, then laughed even louder.

Enough, Charlie Rivers.

You know we cant divorce.

He pinched my face, his hands roaming over my body.

Finally, it stopped in my lower abdomen.

Go pack. Ill go with you to your prenatal checkup.

Dont torment yourself. Years ago, to be with Seb, I cut off my family.

My father declared I was never allowed to return to New York, never allowed to go home.

To punish my defiance, he even used his connections in the city.

He bound me and Seb tightly together.

No separation, no divorce.

For this lifetime, whether love or hatred, we could only be together.

Back then, Seb knelt before me.

He swore he would love me forever, that I would never regret my choice.

But in the second year of our marriage, he betrayed us.

Seb, holding his mistress, looked at me with righteous anger.

Yes, I cheated. So what can you do?

Charlie, you have no home.

For the rest of your life, youre tied to me!

I cried as I called my family, saying I regretted what I had done.

My father hung up coldly, and my mother watched without emotion.

They said this was the path I chose, and I had to walk it to the end, even if I cried.

Knowing I wouldnt leave, Seb grew more arrogant and reckless.

He kept countless mistresses, gossip spreading everywhere.

Now he even brought his mistress home openly.

But what he didnt know was that when I left, my father and I made a ten-year pact.

We bet on how long our love would last.

If I won, he would use everything he had to protect my marriage.

If I lost, I would return and accept an arranged marriage.

Because of Seb.

This marriage, this wager.

I lost everything.

While Seb drove, I dialed that familiar number.

Dad, I lost.

A bet is a bet. Ill return to New York in three days to get married.

My father had never lost at the gambling table.

Faced with this expected outcome, he showed no surprise.

He only gave a brief reply and a few instructions.

Charlie, you are my eldest daughter. You must inherit this family business.

The past is the past. I wont pursue it, but remember one thing.

Dont take what you shouldnt take, and dont leave what you shouldnt leave behind.

What I shouldnt have taken was the child in my womb.

What I shouldnt have left behind was the family business I built for Seb.

These ten years of suffering are the lessons he taught me to never forget.

I understand, Dad. After hanging up, Seb was already honking downstairs, urging me to hurry.

I got into the passenger seat of a car bearing another womans name.

We didnt speak the entire way.

He pretended not to see the coldness on my face.

I pretended not to smell the sharp perfume in the car.

As I stepped out, Seb habitually reached to help me.

His rolled-up sleeve revealed a long knife scar.

For a moment, a dull ache rose in my chest.

To be with me, Seb had endured eighteen knife wounds, barely clinging to life.

The man who once loved me enough to give his life.

Now how did he become like this?

Before I could think further, a woman took Sebs arm.

Seb, its been so long since you visited me.

What brings you here today?

Did you fight with your tigress at home, or is your new love no fun?

It was Lily Harrington.

Lily was the most favored among Sebs lovers.

And the one who stayed by his side the longest.

She clung to his arm, acting coy.

Her full chest brushed against him again and again.

Seb smiled broadly.

Ignoring me, he produced a ruby necklace to appease Lily.

What are you saying? I could forget anyone, but never my little darling.

I flew all the way to New York just to buy you this necklace. It suits your fair skin.

Alright, go play by yourself for a while. I need to accompany my wife to her prenatal checkup.

Ill come find you after.

He patted Lilys backside as he finished speaking.

Looking at the dazzling necklace, I nearly laughed out loud.

Men who claw their way up from nothing are indeed shrewd and calculating.

One set of jewelry, broken apart and handed to so many women.

The earring in my ear burned into my heart.

I casually removed it and tossed it into the trash.

As I turned around, I accidentally overheard a few passersby whispering.

They were curious about the relationship between the three of us.

One leaned in to listen, but was pulled back by a companion.

Are you crazy? Didnt you see the woman beside him?

Thats the gambling kings daughter.

The gambling kings daughter.

I hadnt heard that title in a long time.

Before I could respond, Lily snorted first.

She looked at me with disdain, her face filled with contempt.

What gambling kings daughter? Shes just a useless woman kicked out of her family, clinging to the Blackwood household.

An old, worn-out hag, only able to keep her husband because of the child in her belly.

Whats there to fear? I despise these parasitic old women the most!

A parasite.

Then what is Seb, who rose to power relying on me?

What is Lily, living off Sebs support?

When did the thug and the mistress get together?

Was it after my first miscarriage?

Was it when I drank until I had stomach bleeding to help Seb secure deals?

Or when Seb was hunted by enemies, and I was shot protecting him, left unconscious?

Its been too long. I cant remember.

I only remember Seb getting together with this seductive nurse while I was hospitalized.

They were like dry wood meeting raging fire, blindingly passionate.

During that time, Lily sent me messages constantly.

I lay alone in my hospital bed, my face deathly pale.

No one was there.

Lily lay in another bed, cheeks flushed.

My husband was holding her.

So many years have passed, and Lily is still so arrogant.

Its easy to imagine how much Seb indulged her.

But it doesnt matter.

After I leave, they can be together openly.

What I need to do now is remove the burden in my womb.

Ignoring the two lovers flirting beside me, I walked into the operating room.

Dr. Harper already knew I was pregnant.

Before he could congratulate me, I handed him the report.

I want an abortion.

Dr. Harper froze.

After reading the report, his expression grew heavier.

Mrs. Blackwood, are you truly certain?

The baby is healthy. Youve tried for so many yearsthis finally happened

My first miscarriage was when I was twenty.

We had just come to the city, poor and struggling.

We lived in a basement in Harbin, unable to afford even a thick winter coat.

I was used to New Yorks damp heat and couldnt endure the bitter cold.

I collapsed from the cold while delivering food to Seb.

When I woke up, the child was gone.

My body was damaged as well.

Back then, I was young. With proper care, I could have recovered.

But we were too poor.

Busy making money. Busy staying alive.

Just when my career was finally starting to improve,

I was busy catching my husband cheating, busy dealing with his mistress.

Before and after that, everything dragged on until now.

In the beginning, Seb was penniless. He knelt beside my bed and said to me,

Charlie, Ill make something of myself and repay all the suffering youve endured.

Later, Seb rose to success. Holding his mistress, he looked at me and said,

Charlie, I know everything youve done for me.

I promise no woman will replace you, and none of them will have a child before you.

Everything I have will belong to our child.

Now

I look out the window at the two people clinging tightly to each other.

I shake my head and smile bitterly.

Lets get rid of it. Im returning to New York soon, and a child would be inconvenient.

Besides, Seb smokes, drinks, and lives a chaotic life.

How could a child born under such circumstances be healthy?

My father built his fortune on my mothers connections.

After becoming successful, he kept countless mistresses.

Thats why I longed so desperately for genuine love.

But the first time I caught Seb in bed, he showed no remorse.

Instead, he scolded me self-righteously.

Charlie, whats wrong with you?

Your father had more than one mistress. Whats wrong with me having some fun?

Think about what your mother endured!

You grew up watching all this. Why havent you learned how to be a proper, wealthy wife?

He used my deepest wounds to stab me.

At that moment, I knew.

Our love was already over.

But because of that ten-year promise, I couldnt leave Seb.

I could only watch as he humiliated my dignity and trampled my feelings.

The wedding I fought for over many years became a prison.

Love once engraved in my heart became his weapon.

Ive suffered enough from family and love.

Rather than let this child repeat my fate,

I chose to end this irreparable marriage myself.

When I opened my eyes again, the surgery was over.

The child I had longed for for so many years, along with our love,

turned into a pool of blood, flushed away.

Watching the city sink into darkness, I suddenly wondered.

How did Seb and I end up like this?

Was it because of Lily?

Or because of that incident?

It no longer mattered.

Whatever the reason.

Betrayal and hurt were undeniable.

I hailed a taxi, planning to go back and pack my things.

While waiting, I saw Seb at the intersection. He and Lily walked hand in hand through the crowd.

Their sweet intimacy looked like a young couple deeply in love.

Lily kissed Seb on the cheek and smiled.

I had my checkup today. The baby is healthy.

The doctor says its a boy. Youll have a son in five months!

Seb smiled.

He gently took off his coat and placed it over Lily.

You silly girl, you dont even know how to take care of yourself while pregnant.

I bought a villa in the south. Lets move there together.

The winters in Harbin are too cold. Im afraid you wont manage.

Then Seb kept talking.

He talked about precautions during pregnancy.

He talked about postpartum care.

He said he would do everything possible to protect the child.

Those words, carried by the cold winter wind,

slowly, slowly tore at my heart.

At last, Seb took Lilys hand.

He hung the Love locket I had prayed for step by step around Lilys neck.

Ive named our child Evie Blackwood.

Reunion, happiness, fulfillment.

Evie Evie

That was the name I gave my first child.

The deepest pain of my life.

Back then, guilt from the miscarriage left me unable to eat or sleep.

To help me move on, Seb prayed with me at St. Cecilia Chapel for this name.

I hoped the child would ascend peacefully.

I hoped he would remember he was born of our love.

I hoped he would remember that Seb and I once truly loved each other.

But now, Seb gave that name to another woman.

He repaid the debt he owed me and our child by raising a mistresss child.

How absurd. How pitiful.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to look indifferent.

But Lilys sharp eyes caught me.

Seb, your auntie is here to check on you again.

Some people really shouldnt be trying to get attention here, dont you think?

She toyed with the love locket, speaking with disdain.

That useless child of yoursdoes it even deserve to be compared to the baby in my belly?

Instead of crying and making a scene, you should go home and rest.

At your age, even if you conceive again, theres no guarantee youll deliver.

If you lose this child, Seb wont even look at you again!

She was provoking me.

Hoping I would miscarry again and lose the child.

But what she didnt know was

The child was already gone.

I no longer needed Sebs love.

After dawn, I would leave the city.

Then Seb and I would return to our original paths.

He would become that penniless hoodlum again.

I gave Seb one last look, without a trace of regret.

Seb, youll regret this.

Because youve forgotten who you owe everything to.

Seb wanted to speak, but Lily stopped him.

He looked again and again, but in the end, didnt follow.

Moonlight spilled like water, casting a silver-gray sheen over the ground.

I dragged my exhausted body alone to the harbor mouth.

In the final hours,

I settled the nannys wages and had her dispose of my and Sebs old belongings.

Then I waited alone at the harbor for dawn.

As the sun rose, a private jet landed before me.

Miss, Ive come to take you home.

The plane flew over the city, freezing all past memories into nothing.

From that moment on, Seb and I were separated by opposite sides of the strait, never to meet again.

Seb jolted awake from a nightmare.

He remembered the sorrow in her eyes last night, unease flooding his heart.

He grabbed his phone, intending to call.

But his gaze froze on the trending headlines

Gambling Kings Daughter Marries Shipping Tycoon.

New York Business Leaders Withdraw Investment, Blackwood Group Faces Heavy Losses.