Cecilia stared at the huge diamond ring and felt her breath catch in her throat. It was like the awful feeling of an allergic attack.

Yvonne, looking smug, stepped back and rubbed her belly.

"Ms. Jones, you’re far too naive—still clinging to the idea of marriage after he’s betrayed you. Being Mrs. Lawrence means nothing. You should’ve seen how ecstatic Jeff was when I told him I’m pregnant!"

That was why Jeff was away yesterday. He was celebrating the news that he and Yvonne were going to be parents.

Cecilia watched Yvonne's bold face and forced a smile.

"Good for you both," she said.

She turned to walk away, but just then, Jeff rushed in, stood in front of Cecilia, and gave Yvonne an icy stare. "Why are you here? Leave now!"

Yvonne's expression changed instantly, and she looked like she was about to cry. She said softly, "Jeff, I just started feeling sick, so I came to get checked out at the hospital... My tummy keeps hurting, and I'm scared..."

Her eyes were trying too hard to look sincere. It was clear to anyone that she was faking it.

However, Jeff could not help worrying. He frowned, trying to keep his feelings in check. "Then go see a doctor right away! Why are you still here wasting time?"

Yvonne's tears fell like raindrops on pear blossoms. "But I'm too scared to go alone... It's my very first time being... you know..."

She was on the verge of saying "pregnant."

Jeff took a step toward her, but when he saw Cecilia's pale face, he forced himself to step back. "Just go to the doctor. It's only a checkup. There's nothing to be scared of."

With that, he wrapped his arm around Cecilia, and they went back to her hospital ward.

Inside, Jeff was more anxious than ever, as if his mind was with Yvonne. He kept glancing outside the ward and checking his phone for messages, clearly worried out of his mind.

Cecilia watched Jeff and remembered how he used to be worried when she first came to the capital and kept getting fevers because she was not used to the climate.

Then, his worries were for someone else.

"Cecilia, I need to step out for a moment. I'll be back soon."

After he said that, Jeff stood up and left the room quickly.

Cecilia looked at the door for a moment, then slowly removed the ring Jeff had made her wear the day before and set it aside.

She opened her notebook and began to write slowly:

[I forgive Jeff for the 98th time. He got another woman pregnant on the very day he asked me to marry him.]

After she finished writing, she gazed at the words on the page as tears streamed down, splashing onto her notebook and smudging the ink.

The words blurred, just like they had so many times before.

She snapped the notebook shut, her mind made up more firmly than ever.

Jeff did not visit the hospital the week after that, and once Cecilia was better, she checked herself out of the hospital on her own.

Back at their apartment, she packed up her things. For the things she did not need anymore, she had the cleaning lady toss them out. The things she wanted to keep, she had a delivery service box up and shipped to Riverie City.

She had her own place in Riverie City before she came to the capital, so she did not have to worry about where to put her belongings.

After that, Cecilia got rid of everything they had bought together in the apartment, like their matching coffee mugs and pajamas.

She was leaving, and it was time to wipe away every last trace of her life there.

Time to clear the way for Jeff's new sweetheart.

Once she finished, Cecilia went to look up flight tickets on her phone but saw a post from Yvonne instead.

[It's so wonderful to have someone with you at the prenatal checkup. Our little one is doing great, and so is my big guy.]

The photo showed two hands holding tight. The mole on one hand was right where Jeff's would be.

Cecilia clicked on Yvonne's profile and saw all the posts she had made that week:

[A new little life is growing inside me, and it's so touching.]

[A man has to really love you to want you to have his baby. Some people just don't get it.]

[It doesn't matter how much she tries to hold on, his heart is here with me, and so is he.]

All the photos showed Jeff taking care of her in different ways.

Even though the photo did not show the person's full face, Cecilia could tell it was Jeff from the little bits that showed. She was looking at the pictures so intently that she did not notice it had gotten dark outside.

When Jeff walked in and flicked on the light, he jumped a little at seeing Cecilia there. "Cecilia, you're out of the hospital? When did you get back?" he asked.

Cecilia put her phone away and said without much feeling, "This morning."

"Why didn't you tell me to come get you? I'm sorry, I've been really swamped with work at the company these days," Jeff started to say, but he stopped when he saw that Cecilia was not even looking at him. It was like she did not care where he had been or what he had been up to.

She just said, "I'm going to take a shower," and went into the bedroom.

Jeff felt a growing worry inside him.

Over the next few days, he made sure to come home from work on time, and Cecilia was always there, but his worry did not go away. He tried to talk to her about their wedding plans. "My assistant brought over some wedding stuff this morning. You got it all, right?" he asked.

Cecilia had her head down in a book and did not look up. "It's all in the living room."

"Let's open the boxes and start decorating…" Jeff began, walking over to her.

However, Cecilia quickly got up from the bed. "I'm going to take a shower. You can do the decorating," she said.

He reached out a hand, but he only caught the edge of her nightgown before it slipped away.

His worry deepened. He went to the living room and saw the pile of wedding things on the floor. The apartment should have felt fuller with all the new stuff, but somehow it felt more empty than ever.

He was feeling all mixed up inside and decided to change into his pajamas and take a shower, but he just could not find his favorite pajamas anywhere.

"Cecilia, where's that black pajama set you gave me? The matching one for couples?"

"I threw it out." Her reply was blunt.

He was taken aback. "Why'd you throw them out? I really liked those pajamas."

"They were old, so I threw them out." Cecilia, with her backpack slung over her shoulder, walked to the door. Today was her last day in Zephyr City. She was getting ready to go out and cancel all her things—bank cards, phone cards, everything.

She figured she would not be coming back anyway.

Jeff's brow furrowed as he heard that, and he said quickly. "You gotta remember to get me a new set. Wait, where are you headed?"

He hurried to the door, calling out to Cecilia, who was already waiting for the elevator.

Cecilia spoke evenly: "I've got some errands."

Jeff wanted to ask what she was up to, but the elevator dinged, and Cecilia stepped in and went down.

For some reason, seeing Cecilia like that made Jeff's heart race. He had that nagging feeling that something was about to happen.

He went back inside, pulled out his phone, and sent Cecilia a message: [Don't forget we're getting our marriage certificate tomorrow.]

Cecilia did not answer, so he sent another message: [?]

Hours later, she finally replied: [Got it.]

Jeff stared at those two words for the longest time. It was not until Yvonne called, sobbing and saying she was not feeling good, that he turned off his phone with a grim look and stood up to go see Yvonne.

It was the day Cecilia had booked her flight, and it was also the day Jeff had suggested they get their marriage certificate.

Cecilia was up early, packing her last bag in the apartment she had called home for over four years. She took one last look around, then stepped out the door without looking back.

She had not planned on marrying Jeff, but after a love like theirs, she felt she owed it to herself to find closure.

So, she arrived early at the courthouse to wait for Jeff.

At 8:00 am, he messaged her: [Sorry, Cecilia, I'm stuck in traffic and running late.]

By 9:00 am, Yvonne posted on her social media: [Sorry, little one. If I can't give you a complete family, I'd rather not bring you into this world.]

The post showed an appointment slip for an abortion.

At 10:00 am, Cecilia's call to Jeff was abruptly cut off. When she called the driver, he stuttered and finally said Jeff was at the hospital.

At 11:00 am, a video surfaced on Twitter with the title 'Loving CEO Supports Girlfriend in Labor'.

Cecilia watched as Jeff tenderly shielded Yvonne's belly, his face a picture of warmth. [Be careful on the steps. Take it slow, my dear.]

Yvonne looked up at him, her eyes filled with joy.

At noon, Yvonne sent another message. This time, it was a photo of Jeff holding her.

[You're not still at the courthouse, are you? Haha, guess you'll be waiting there all by yourself forever.]

Cecilia knew she could not wait that long. She had made her decision.

Her flight was at 2:00 pm, and she needed to leave for the airport soon, or she would miss it.

With that thought, Cecilia opened her notebook to the last empty page and wrote down her final words: [I forgive Jeff for the 99th time. This time, it's for not loving me anymore.]

After a brief pause, she added one more line to her notebook: [I've given him all the chances I could. I won't forgive Jeff again.]

She closed her notebook, took out the ring she had kept, and placed it beside the notebook.

A staff member noticed her sitting alone and came over to ask. "Miss, are you here to get married? Is your husband running late?"

"Maybe," Cecilia replied, barely smiling.

She looked up at the staff member and asked with a light laugh. "Could you do me a favor and give this notebook and ring to someone named Jeff Lawrence?"

"Jeff? Is he your husband?"

"No, he's a stranger."

With those final words, Cecilia stood up and walked out without looking back.

Zephyr City was known for its endless rainy days, and today was no different.

Cecilia walked through the rain with her head held high, quickly vanishing into the crowd.

Goodbye, Zephyr City. She had no ties to that place anymore...