But Elias had no intention of giving Evelyn that chance. He had already done enough to betray Adele. If he ever hoped to win her back, he couldn’t keep this child. If the baby was born, any possibility of reconciliation with Adele would be gone forever. With a hardened resolve, Elias ordered his bodyguards to drag Evelyn to the hospital. She fought and struggled with all her might, but against several bodyguards, her resistance was futile. Before long, she found herself on the cold, sterile surface of an operating table. As the anesthesia coursed through her veins, she felt her limbs grow heavy and unresponsive, her eyelids closing despite her efforts to stay awake. When she woke, her stomach felt hollow—aching and empty. The baby, her last hope, was gone. Pain radiated from her abdomen, making even the slightest movement unbearable. The reality hit her like a freight train. The child was truly gone. Evelyn lay in the hospital bed, her body trembling with despair. A
"Elias, why are you like this? Evelyn made a mistake, and you punished her. Isn’t that enough? Do you really love Adele that much?" "Exactly. She’s just a woman. With your status, you could have any woman you want.” "Just let her go. Are you really planning to chase after her? You should show her that you don’t need her, that you can have plenty of other women and still live a great life. That’ll make her come crawling back." "Yeah, worst case, just find a few women who look like Adele and teach them to act like her. Isn’t that the same thing?" The men spoke casually, trying to comfort Elias. Over the years, they had seen how deeply he loved Adele, and they couldn’t help but think it was a waste. They were always surrounded by women, while Elias stood apart. Was Adele really that special?But the fact they even voiced this doubt revealed a part of themselves they rarely admitted. Despite all their dismissive talk, they sometimes envied Elias and Adele’s love. They’d eve
Elias slightly lifted his gaze. For a moment, he almost believed it was Adele standing before him."Addie! You're back! You finally came back! I've searched for you for so long, combed through the entire Riverdale, but couldn’t find you…"He pulled the girl into his embrace, and a few warm tears fell into her clothes, causing her to shiver.But in an instant, he sobered up, realizing something was off. The scent on her was nothing like Adele’s. She was not his Addie!Elias shoved the girl away with force, slamming her down onto the table. His hands clenched tightly around her neck, squeezing until her cheeks turned a vivid red and her eyes rolled back, her breaths coming in desperate gasps.The girl struggled continuously, trying to push away Elias’s iron grip."Elias! Stop it, you're going to kill her!" his friends shouted as they quickly grabbed his hands to stop his furious actions.It was then that he gradually came to his senses, disdainfully withdrawing his hand and coldly scan
The divorce agreement was nothing more than Adele’s final parting gift to Elias, a way to cut ties completely. Ironically, it became the only thing he had left to remember her by. He had it laminated, just so he could bear the constant wear from flipping through it multiple times a day."Addie, where are you? I truly know I was wrong. I’m not asking for forgiveness, just a glimpse of you—just once!" "Addie, everyone who hurt you has paid the price—even me, in every possible way. Please, won’t you come see me, just once?""Addie..."No one knew how long Elias murmured to himself before his body gave out, and he collapsed.Meanwhile, dealing with the families of those former "friends" of his wasn’t as easy as the Sterling family had imagined. When news of Elias and Adele’s broken marriage spread, countless people lamented, saying they’d lost faith in love. Once, they were the epitome of a perfect couple, adored by fans who became loyal customers of Sterling Corporation out of love for
At first, the public merely mocked the situation. Some, envious of the reward, deliberately provided useless information and false evidence. However, as time went on, valid leads began to surface. Once people realized they could actually claim the prize, many online users started to frantically pitch in. Even Adele heard about the news. Countless people were determined to track her down, yet she felt no gratitude toward them. Instead, she found it slightly aggravating. She had already erased her identity—wasn’t that enough to show her resolve? Adele knew herself well. She wasn’t the kind of person who would go back to what she had left behind. From beginning to end, she had never planned to forgive him. Looking at Elias’ words of apology, she found them utterly ridiculous. If he knew he was in the wrong, why had he pretended nothing had ever happened before? How many times had she wished he would have the courage to tell her outright that he had fallen out of love and found
Elias' nervousness grew more palpable, and a faint sheen of cold sweat dampened his palms. He stood there waiting, but no one came to the door. Panic stirred in his chest, and without thinking, he reached out to push the door. To his dismay, it was firmly locked, refusing to budge. Nearby, a small blackboard caught his attention. On it were the words: "Closed today."At first, he had assumed the sign meant Adele was expecting him—that she had marked the inn as closed to other guests, leaving it just for their reunion. But now, the meaning was painfully clear: she had no intention of seeing him. At that moment, it dawned on him. Adele had played him. She had never planned to meet with him. This was her way of rejecting him. Every detail screamed at him, loud and unforgiving. “Sorry, I’m not going to forgive you.”Elias stared at the inn in disbelief. His mind reeled back to the past, to the moments they had dreamed of together. Back then, they had talked about opening a seasid
The phone on the bed chimed incessantly with notifications of photos and sightings sent by netizens.The flood of information left Elias struggling to distinguish the useful from the irrelevant. The sheer number of people chasing the reward made it impossible to sift through the chaos. Even with hired help to filter the leads, the workload was overwhelming.At this point, he regretted ever making that decision. But what choice did he have? Without the collective efforts of the online community or Adele herself revealing her whereabouts, he had no way of finding her.Sitting on the bed, Elias was on the verge of despair. Just then, a few assistants sent over several photos. "Mr. Sterling, someone reported seeing Adele in front of a church in Bertin City, Ashford. We’ve already sent people to check. You should head there as soon as possible."The message reignited his hope. Regardless of whether the lead was real or not, he had to try. He couldn’t abandon his one and only chance. L
Elias was overwhelmed with guilt. If given the chance to start over, he would have stayed true to himself. But life offered no second chances. Standing on an unfamiliar street, he felt utterly lost, like a child unsure of what to do next. Should he keep searching? Absolutely. But where should he even begin?"Hello, the woman in this photo is my wife. She’s upset with me and wandered off, and I’m trying to find her. Could you share her contact information with me?" Elias asked earnestly.The hotel clerk hesitated for a long time, his expression conflicted. It wasn’t until Elias pulled out a large sum of money that the man’s face lit up with a smile, and he quickly handed over Adele’s contact information.Elias immediately dialed her number, but the call went unanswered. “She’s probably still on the plane,” he reassured himself.Determined to show Adele how sincere he was in apologizing and acknowledging his mistakes, Elias posted an open letter of apology online. In painstaking
"Addie!" Elias jolted awake, calling out Adele’s name. Elliot sat by the bedside, his expression dark and severe. "Elias Sterling, from this moment on, you’re to focus on work and getting your health back. You are not to look for Adele again!" Elias coughed harshly, confusion and defiance evident in his hoarse voice. "Why? She’s my wife. I haven’t signed the divorce papers, so we’re still married. As long as I stay determined, as long as I’m sincere, she’ll forgive me eventually!"She’s soft-hearted. If I just put in the effort, she’ll come back to me..." "Enough!" Elliot barked, cutting him off. Without another word, he pulled out his phone and played a recording of his recent call with Adele. Her calm, resolute voice filled the room, shattering every ounce of Elias’ confidence. When the recording ended, the room fell into an oppressive silence. For a long moment, Elias muttered to himself, "No… impossible… this isn’t real. I have to find her. I have to see her! I ne
"Sorry, I don’t want to marry you. Let’s break up. I don’t love you anymore." In the dream, Adele pulled her hand away and walked farther and farther away. "Addie! No! You can’t do this! I’ll treat you so well. You love the cream puffs from Eastland, right? I’ll buy them for you every day. Jewelry, property, shares—everything I have, I’ll give it all to you. Just stay with me, please!" Elias begged desperately, his voice trembling with emotion. But Adele’s figure never looked back. Not even a single glance. He chased after her with everything he had, but all he caught was empty air. Even the two engagement rings in his hand had disappeared. Addie didn’t want him anymore. She didn’t want his love or anything else he could offer. "Addie... Addie..." Elias murmured her name over and over, his eyes tightly shut. Cold sweat glistened on his pale face, and blood beaded on his lips where he had bitten them. Elliot watched, his clouded eyes shadowed with worry. He let out a de
To avenge Adele, Elias had once used ruthless means to suppress the families of a few "friends" who had spoken ill of her. Now that they had finally found an opportunity to strike back, there was no chance they’d let it slip by.Evelyn didn’t care that she was being used as a pawn. As long as she could exact revenge, nothing else mattered. If her life was miserable, why should Elias be allowed to live happily? Simply reporting him wasn’t enough. She created a new social media account and began live-streaming her grievances, revealing every detail of her past with Elias. In no time, Sterling Corporation, which had only recently begun to recover its reputation, saw its public image collapse once more. Even Elias’ own standing took repeated blows. Forced to return home to face the investigations, Elias had no choice but to pause his search for Adele.Back home, chaos reigned. Several employees betrayed the company, creating further upheaval. Sterling Corporation, already under immens
After a moment of silence, Elias clumsily began to apologize. "Addie, it’s all my fault. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have gotten involved with another woman. I made Evelyn terminate the pregnancy, and I’ve already sent her away. Please, I’m begging you—can’t you forgive me?"“I’ll do anything, just don’t leave me!” he pleaded desperately.But Adele remained calm, her voice steady. She smiled softly, almost tenderly, and then spoke.“All right. I forgive you.”The unexpected response left Elias completely stunned, his mind reeling.“Really?” he asked, almost breathless, too caught up in her words to notice the subtle edge beneath them. Adele let out a cold laugh. “Isn’t this what you wanted to hear? Fine, I don’t care about the past anymore. I forgive you. Happy now? If you are, then let’s leave it at that.”If all he wanted was to hear her say she forgave him, she could say it as many times as he liked. But if he thought they could ever go back to how things were, he was fooling himsel
Elias was overwhelmed with guilt. If given the chance to start over, he would have stayed true to himself. But life offered no second chances. Standing on an unfamiliar street, he felt utterly lost, like a child unsure of what to do next. Should he keep searching? Absolutely. But where should he even begin?"Hello, the woman in this photo is my wife. She’s upset with me and wandered off, and I’m trying to find her. Could you share her contact information with me?" Elias asked earnestly.The hotel clerk hesitated for a long time, his expression conflicted. It wasn’t until Elias pulled out a large sum of money that the man’s face lit up with a smile, and he quickly handed over Adele’s contact information.Elias immediately dialed her number, but the call went unanswered. “She’s probably still on the plane,” he reassured himself.Determined to show Adele how sincere he was in apologizing and acknowledging his mistakes, Elias posted an open letter of apology online. In painstaking
The phone on the bed chimed incessantly with notifications of photos and sightings sent by netizens.The flood of information left Elias struggling to distinguish the useful from the irrelevant. The sheer number of people chasing the reward made it impossible to sift through the chaos. Even with hired help to filter the leads, the workload was overwhelming.At this point, he regretted ever making that decision. But what choice did he have? Without the collective efforts of the online community or Adele herself revealing her whereabouts, he had no way of finding her.Sitting on the bed, Elias was on the verge of despair. Just then, a few assistants sent over several photos. "Mr. Sterling, someone reported seeing Adele in front of a church in Bertin City, Ashford. We’ve already sent people to check. You should head there as soon as possible."The message reignited his hope. Regardless of whether the lead was real or not, he had to try. He couldn’t abandon his one and only chance. L
Elias' nervousness grew more palpable, and a faint sheen of cold sweat dampened his palms. He stood there waiting, but no one came to the door. Panic stirred in his chest, and without thinking, he reached out to push the door. To his dismay, it was firmly locked, refusing to budge. Nearby, a small blackboard caught his attention. On it were the words: "Closed today."At first, he had assumed the sign meant Adele was expecting him—that she had marked the inn as closed to other guests, leaving it just for their reunion. But now, the meaning was painfully clear: she had no intention of seeing him. At that moment, it dawned on him. Adele had played him. She had never planned to meet with him. This was her way of rejecting him. Every detail screamed at him, loud and unforgiving. “Sorry, I’m not going to forgive you.”Elias stared at the inn in disbelief. His mind reeled back to the past, to the moments they had dreamed of together. Back then, they had talked about opening a seasid
At first, the public merely mocked the situation. Some, envious of the reward, deliberately provided useless information and false evidence. However, as time went on, valid leads began to surface. Once people realized they could actually claim the prize, many online users started to frantically pitch in. Even Adele heard about the news. Countless people were determined to track her down, yet she felt no gratitude toward them. Instead, she found it slightly aggravating. She had already erased her identity—wasn’t that enough to show her resolve? Adele knew herself well. She wasn’t the kind of person who would go back to what she had left behind. From beginning to end, she had never planned to forgive him. Looking at Elias’ words of apology, she found them utterly ridiculous. If he knew he was in the wrong, why had he pretended nothing had ever happened before? How many times had she wished he would have the courage to tell her outright that he had fallen out of love and found
The divorce agreement was nothing more than Adele’s final parting gift to Elias, a way to cut ties completely. Ironically, it became the only thing he had left to remember her by. He had it laminated, just so he could bear the constant wear from flipping through it multiple times a day."Addie, where are you? I truly know I was wrong. I’m not asking for forgiveness, just a glimpse of you—just once!" "Addie, everyone who hurt you has paid the price—even me, in every possible way. Please, won’t you come see me, just once?""Addie..."No one knew how long Elias murmured to himself before his body gave out, and he collapsed.Meanwhile, dealing with the families of those former "friends" of his wasn’t as easy as the Sterling family had imagined. When news of Elias and Adele’s broken marriage spread, countless people lamented, saying they’d lost faith in love. Once, they were the epitome of a perfect couple, adored by fans who became loyal customers of Sterling Corporation out of love for