By the time Celine arrived at the hotel where it had happened, the police had already cleared the crowd.

Talia Quinn, the new colleague, spotted her and hurried over at once.

"Celine, you're finally here!"

"What exactly happened?"

Frowning, Celine looked around. Adrian was nowhere in sight. The only person she saw was an injured man sitting off to the side, cursing nonstop.

Talia quickly explained, "That business partner got handsy with your husband's assistant. He couldn't stand it, so that's how the fight started. You should've seen him. He went absolutely savage, like he didn't care what happened to him. I've never seen him hit someone that hard before."

"Where are they?" Celine cut in.

"His assistant got slightly hurt during the fight. Once the lawyers got there, he rushed her to the hospital in his arms…"

Talia's voice grew quieter and quieter until she trailed off, as if she had finally realized something was off.

Looking at Celine's silence, she spoke again, clearly flustered. "Celine, that's not what I meant. Don't read too much into it…"

"It's fine." Celine said it evenly, "We're getting divorced soon."

Talia's eyes widened in shock. "How is that possible? You two were so good together. How could you be getting divorced?"

That was true. In everyone's eyes, they had been the perfect couple.

Rain or shine, whenever Celine needed him, Adrian had always shown up without hesitation.

More than once, when Celine ran into danger on an assignment, Adrian had thrown money, influence, and every resource he had at the situation to get her out.

To support her career, he had even gotten a vasectomy so she could focus on her work without worry.

And yet even a man who seemed that devoted could whisper forever-promises to another woman behind her back, and trick her into signing divorce papers.

Celine said nothing more. She only let out a self-mocking laugh. "People change. Nothing is impossible."

After wrapping everything up, Celine took a cab to the hospital alone.

In the hallway outside the VIP hospital room, Adrian was standing there, his face dark as he gave orders to one of his men. "Blacklist that partner. No company connected to Lennox Group is to do business with him again. I want him wiped out of this circle completely."

The man bowed his head at once. "Yes, sir. I'll take care of it right away."

Standing at the corner, Celine watched his fury with numb eyes.

So he was capable of throwing everything aside for another woman too.

The next second, the door to the hospital room was pushed open. Lydia was leaning weakly against the headboard, her face drained of color, her eyes rimmed red.

Adrian immediately reined in his anger, walked over, and took her hand. "How are you feeling? Does it still hurt?"

Lydia's eyes brimmed red as her voice caught. "It's all my fault. I ruined such an important deal. You should just stop worrying about me and let me deal with this on my own…"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Adrian scolded her in a low voice, but his tone was unbearably gentle. "Right now, you're what matters most to me."

What mattered most to him...

Celine froze where she stood, her chest prickling as if pierced by countless fine needles, a dull, relentless ache spreading through her.

So in his heart, Lydia had already become the one who mattered most.

Before she could even process it, she saw Adrian remove the jade piece he always wore and gently place it around Lydia's neck.

"This is a family heirloom. Keep it close, and no one will ever dare to touch you again."

Lydia's eyes turned red with emotion as she threw her arms around him.

Standing outside the door, the world spun violently in Celine's head.

The Lennox family had a tradition. Any woman who wished to receive that jade had to pass eighteen trials, a ritual symbolizing unwavering loyalty to the family's heir.

Back then, she had secretly attempted those trials for Adrian.

She had endured every kind of ordeal—pain, humiliation, and punishment—yet she still failed in the end.

In the end, she had collapsed and been carried home.

When Adrian saw her covered in injuries, his eyes had reddened instantly. He pulled her into his arms, his voice shaking. "Celine, who told you to do something like that? Jade or not, you're my wife. My only wife."

Later, he had indeed kept that promise.

He gave her a grand wedding and a kind of devotion others envied.

He had gone down on one knee and declared before everyone, "Celine, in this life, you're the only one I want."

And now, that same pendant rested effortlessly around another woman's neck.

It felt like her chest was stuffed with damp cotton, suffocating, leaving her unable to breathe.

So his "lifetime" had only ever meant ten years.

Celine could not take it anymore. She turned and rushed into the restroom, retching violently.

When she finally lifted her head, she realized Lydia had followed her in at some point.

The moment she saw her, Lydia sneered. "Followed us all the way here? I'll make this clear. The one Adrian loves now is me. No amount of playing the victim will change that."

Celine let out a faint laugh. "I've never seen someone so proud of being the other woman."

"Drop the Mrs. Lennox act. You've already signed the divorce papers." Lydia suddenly snapped, her voice rising. "Adrian said you're nothing but work, that you can't even satisfy him. You don't even count as a real woman!"

Celine hadn't expected Adrian to share something that intimate. It felt as if her heart had been thrown into a freezing abyss.

Lydia smirked, even more smug. "Oh, and one more thing. Adrian already had the reversal surgery. His parents have been dying for a grandchild. If it weren't for you, why would he have gotten that procedure in the first place and let people laugh at him?"

"Lydia? Who are you talking to?"

Adrian's concerned voice suddenly came from outside.

A flicker of panic crossed Lydia's face, but she quickly composed herself.

She shot Celine a vicious look and sneered, "Let's see who Adrian believes."

With that, she slapped herself hard and screamed, "Don't come any closer! I won't do it again!"

"Lydia! What happened?!"

Adrian panicked and kicked the door open, rushing inside.

Caught off guard, Celine stumbled back from the impact, her lower back slamming into the sharp edge of the sink, pain flaring instantly.

But Adrian, holding Lydia, didn't even look up. He didn't spare Celine a single glance.

"Lydia, what happened?"

Lydia burst into tears at once. "It's all my fault. I made her upset. Please don't blame her…"

Only then did Adrian lift his head and notice Celine standing not far away.

"You followed me?"

Celine laughed scornfully. "Do I need to follow you? Everyone already knows you threw a fit over a woman. It'll probably be on every front page by tomorrow morning."

"We'll see who dares," Adrian snapped, cutting her off.

The air went tense. He looked at Celine for a long moment, his tone softening again.

"Did one of your colleagues say something to you?" He sighed and added, "On paper, Lydia is still my assistant. Taking care of her is part of my responsibility. Don't make a scene."

Making a scene?

A bitter smile tugged at Celine's lips.

In the past, worried that having women around him would make her uneasy, he had insisted his personal assistants be male.

And yet later, he had promoted Lydia against all expectations and even fought for her.

And now, he was saying she was just making a scene.

Even though Celine hadn't actually said anything at all. She was completely, utterly done with him… and with everything they had.

She watched Adrian carry Lydia away, watched Lydia glance back at her with that smug look in her eyes.

There was nothing left in her but numbness, as if a piece of her heart had been slowly peeled away. And after enough pain, even that stopped mattering.

After handing over her work at the station, Celine went home and began packing.

After ten years of marriage, every corner of the house was filled with memories of them.

Photos from their trips, the scarf she had knitted by hand, anniversary gifts, his handwritten letters… one by one, she tossed them into a box. She wanted none of it anymore.

She packed for most of the day. Just as she finished dealing with everything, Adrian stormed through the front door, fury written all over his face.

"Celine! Where the hell did you hide Lydia?"

Celine looked at him, baffled. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're still pretending?"

Adrian clamped down on her wrist so hard that bruises bloomed beneath his fingertips.

"If you hadn't said something to Lydia, why would she suddenly disappear?"

Looking at him like this, Celine felt that long-rotten wound inside her split open and bleed all over again.

So this was who she was in his eyes. Petty. Vicious. Capable of anything ugly.

"Enough!" She flung his hand away, her voice turning icy. "Adrian, let me make one thing clear. I'm a police officer! I would never do anything illegal. If your mistress is missing, you should call the police, not come barging in here to accuse me!"

"But..." Adrian started to say more.

Just then, his phone rang.

"Adrian, save me!"

The second he answered, Lydia's desperate scream came through the line.

Adrian's fingers twitched, his eyes going bloodshot in an instant. "Lydia! Where are you?!"

But before Lydia could answer, another man took the phone. "Mr. Lennox... long time no see."

The voice was hoarse and low. Celine recognized it almost instantly. It was Gideon Shaw.

He had once worked under Adrian, but his ambition had grown too large. When he tried to replace Adrian, he ended up kidnapping Celine.

For Celine, Adrian had walked into that danger alone, shown up to the meeting by himself, broken three ribs, and nearly lost his life.

It wasn't until the police arrived that the two of them were rescued.

But Gideon had still managed to get away. She had never expected him to come back again, let alone kidnap Lydia.

"What do you want?"

Adrian forced the words out through clenched teeth.

On the other end, Gideon laughed. "So I was right. This woman really does matter to you. Relax, I'm not going to do anything to her. I just didn't expect Mr. Lennox, the man who once risked his life for his wife, to go and find himself someone new. Now that... is interesting."

"What exactly do you want before you let her go?" Adrian was nearly out of patience.

"Easy, Mr. Lennox..." Gideon deliberately dragged out the words. "I'll give you one chance. If you really want to save her, trade your wife for her. I'm curious which one you'll choose."

The call ended, and all the color drained from Celine's face.

She knew better than anyone how terrifying Gideon could be.

"Adrian, don't do anything reckless. The first thing we need to do is call the police!"

Celine grabbed her phone, but before she could dial, Adrian knocked it out of her hand.

"Aren't you a cop?"

Looking into Adrian's cold eyes, Celine felt her heart sink to the bottom.

"Gideon is insane. We were lucky to get out last time. We may not get that kind of luck again."

Adrian's fingers tightened slightly. After a long pause, he spoke in a low, coaxing voice. "Celine, you've had professional training. You'll be fine. But Lydia is different. She's still young, and she scares easily. She won't be able to handle this. Don't worry. Once you've traded places with her, I'll call the police right away. Your team will do everything they can to get you out."

A bitter laugh rose in Celine's heart. So this was the man she had loved for half her life.

In the past, if she got even the slightest injury, he would pull her into his arms like it hurt him too.

And now, for another woman, he was willing to send her straight into hell with his own hands.

But Adrian was right about one thing. She was a police officer. She could not stand by and let someone die.

In the end, she only gave a small nod, her voice flat and still.

"Fine. I'll go with you."