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."

Before long, they drove to a remote warehouse on the outskirts.

Gideon had already been waiting for them there.

"So you really could bring yourself to do it." He burst out laughing, amusement glittering in his eyes.

Adrian paid no attention to him at all. His eyes were fixed only on Lydia, who was tied to a chair not far away.

"I brought her. Let Lydia go now!"

Even though she had prepared herself for this, seeing how desperate Adrian was still felt like a blade driven straight through her chest. The pain was so sharp she could not speak.

Gideon seemed to catch the shift in her expression and drawled with a mocking smile, "Don't look so heartbroken, Mrs. Lennox. Since Mr. Lennox doesn't want you anymore, why not come with me? I'd treat you real well…"

Adrian's fists clenched so tightly his knuckles went white, fire nearly bursting from his eyes, yet he did not say a single word.

Celine let out a self-mocking smile and stepped forward slowly. "You'd be better off turning yourself in now. Otherwise, my team won't let you walk away."

"Cut the crap." Gideon was in no mood to listen. His voice turned cold. "Either you stay or she stays. Pick."

"Celine..." Adrian sounded frantic, like he could not wait even one second longer.

Celine closed her eyes briefly, then said in a low voice, "Let her go. I'll stay as the hostage."

"Good. That's what I like, nice and easy."

A moment later, Lydia was untied and shoved forward.

As they passed each other, Celine clearly caught the flash of triumph in Lydia's eyes.

Adrian rushed forward in one stride and pulled Lydia into his arms. "Lydia, don't be scared. It's over now."

He gently wiped away the tears on her face and never looked at Celine again.

Watching the scene unfold, Celine found that not even a trace of sadness rose in her anymore.

From this day on, she and Adrian were finished. Completely.

Gideon kept taunting her. "I really didn't expect Adrian to hand you over that easily. Back then, he nearly died for you. And now he's giving you to me for another woman. He must've forgotten that my two friends and I ended up dead or in prison because of you! Today, I'm going to make sure you learn exactly what living worse than death feels like!"

He bound Celine tightly to the chair and raised a branding iron, glowing hot, right in front of her face.

"Wait!"

At the sight of Celine in mortal danger, a sudden, inexplicable panic surged through Adrian.

He thrust out a hand and shouted sharply, "Isn't revenge what you want? Take me instead!"

"Adrian! Are you crazy? You're not going!" Lydia screamed.

She grabbed Adrian's arm and refused to let go no matter what.

Just then, the sound of sirens suddenly wailed outside. The police had arrived.

"Gideon, give it up and surrender. You're not getting away," Celine said coldly.

In fact, before leaving, she had already sent a message to her team and arranged the arrest.

But Gideon did not panic in the slightest. Instead, he threw his head back and laughed.

"Even if I die, I'm taking you with me!"

He suddenly yanked a handgun from inside his jacket and aimed the dark barrel straight at Adrian.

In that split second of crisis, Celine tore free of the ropes and threw herself at Gideon with every ounce of strength she had.

The shot rang out.

Lydia instantly threw herself in front of Adrian, and the bullet grazed her arm. Blood burst out at once.

She cried out and collapsed into Adrian's arms.

"Lydia! Are you okay?"

Adrian caught her in sheer panic, never noticing that the same bullet had struck Celine too.

A second shot cracked through the air.

Gideon was hit by the SWAT team and dropped dead on the spot.

Holding Lydia tightly, Adrian rushed out without ever looking back.

Lying in a pool of blood, Celine watched Adrian's figure disappear into the distance, and a faint smile slowly tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Adrian, you saved me once before. Now I've saved you too. From now on, we owe each other nothing."