All Chapters of This Time, She Walked Away First: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

At the very top lay a note. Bold, oversized letters burned into his vision—[Evidence of Nicole Jenner's Crimes]The world went silent.Andrew's hands shook as he pulled out each item, one by one.The deeper he dug, the darker his expression became.***Rohan estate.Nicole, dozing in the warm sunlight, jolted awake at the sharp ring of her phone.She frowned, barely cracking her eyes open, and answered without checking the caller ID."Who is this?"A venomous voice sneered back. "What, now that you're Mrs. Rohan, you've forgotten me?"Nicole's grip tightened. She let out a cold laugh. "Forget you? Please. You're the worst hitman I've ever hired. I paid a fortune, and you still screwed it up. If I were you, I'd have offed myself out of shame."As she argued, a dark silhouette loomed behind the glass doors.Outside, freshly bloomed roses did nothing to soften the storm brewing in Andrew's eyes.The second Nicole ended the call, the doors swung open.A piercing scream tore

That night, no one in the Rohan or Jenner families slept.The Jenners were scrambling for damage control—because in their world, no rich family's hands were clean. Nicole's mom had dealt with mistresses before, so to her, Nicole's crimes were just... excessive possessiveness.Besides, Nicole had already paid the price. She lost her unborn child, and thanks to Andrew's brutal kick, she might never have kids again.But the Rohans weren't budging—Andrew had to divorce her. They'd never let a murderer stay Mrs. Rohan.As the families argued, the police stormed in and arrested Nicole right in front of everyone.By morning, the Rohan family was all over the news. The picture-perfect newlyweds? One was in prison. The other was in the hospital.Both families were in chaos, but Andrew couldn't care less. He just wanted to find Lena. Apologize.But no matter how hard he searched, she was gone.Every lead? A dead end. Every person he sent? Same answer—nothing.Once a powerhouse in the bu

Seeing Lena and Vernon so in sync, Benjamin felt completely at ease.After dinner, he and Vernon headed to the study.Vernon didn't come out until half an hour later. He said goodbye and headed for the door.Lena shot up to walk him out.It was their first meeting, but she already didn't want him to leave. She hesitated, unsure—what if she came off too eager?Vernon caught the look in her eyes.He chuckled, pulled her in, and rubbed her hand lightly. "See you tomorrow."Lena's eyes lit up. She glanced up, surprised.His smile deepened. He hugged her again before stepping into his car.Only when the car vanished beyond the gates did she finally turn back toward the villa, still reluctant to let go.Outside the estate, Vernon spotted a Maybach lurking in the shadows.The dark-tinted windows hid whoever was inside, but he didn't care. He idly twisted the watch on his wrist."Some people really need to get a life."***Over the next month, Lena and Vernon got serious fast. Me

The blizzard knocked Andrew out with a raging fever, dragging him back into unconsciousness.Even delirious, he kept calling Lena's name.Kenny couldn't take it. He pulled every string, hoping to get Lena to visit. But all he got in return was a voice recorder, delivered by one of Vernon's men.The hospital room was dead silent. Andrew sat there, staring at the recorder for what felt like forever before finally hitting play.A burst of static. Then Lena's voice filled the air—light, almost mocking. "If Nicole hadn't been exposed, I would've never had his apology."People are always like this—seeing the truth too late, realizing regret only after losing everything."But I don't need his guilt. I don't want to let him drag me back into the past. Nothing good would come of it—just more pain, more regret."No more contact, no more meetings. That's the only ending that made sense."Andrew played it again. And again.Desperation clawed at him. Maybe it wasn't real. Maybe it was a tr

Vernon wasn't taking chances this time. After the last incident, security was airtight—guards at every entrance, no way Andrew was crashing Lena's birthday party.Except... he never showed.When the butler reported it, Vernon's eyes flickered, but that uneasy feeling? Still there. Just in case, he kept security on high alert.Lena's birthday was straight-up legendary.Vernon went all out—her name lit up on every billboard in Engloria, fireworks blasting the second she blew out her candles. The castle? Drenched in her favorite flowers, sparkling like a dream.Gifts piled up like a mini mountain, almost as tall as the custom castle cake Vernon had designed. But the real showstopper? Lena wearing the Cœur d'Amour Éternel, a $10 million auction piece Vernon had locked down just for her.They stood together, blowing out the candles. The second the flames vanished, fireworks exploded outside, lighting up the sky.The display lasted until the banquet wrapped up.As guests trickled out