Chapter 2We Part, We Long, We Never Meet Again

I held Tristan in my arms and fled the scene. Every step I took felt like I was walking on clouds. My legs were so weak that they could barely carry me.

I instinctively reached for my ring for comfort, only to realize my wedding ring was gone.

I put Tristan in his room and then hurried back to the hallway to look for it. That was when I heard two familiar voices approaching.

I quickly ducked into the nearest room. As I peered through the narrow gap in the door, I saw Micheal pin Camellia against the wall, kissing her with desperate abandon.

Camellia melted into him and parted her lips, but she suddenly came to her senses and shoved him away. “Are you crazy? What if Chloe sees us?”

“So what if she does? You’re the one I’ve always loved!”

Micheal’s eyes were bloodshot as he pulled Camellia into his arms. “I wanted to tell her the truth so many times today. If she’d just let us be together, I’d do anything she asked…”

Camellia broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Micheal, we can’t keep hurting Chloe like this! When I was kidnapped as a child, Chloe was the one who found me and carried me out of that pit. I swore I’d protect her for the rest of my life.

"And yet I ended up sleeping with her husband. Even the money you used to start your company came from Chloe. She drank so much that she got a miscarriage just to gather the funds for you. How could we be this cruel to her?”

“And what about you? What about everything you’ve sacrificed?” Micheal’s hands trembled as he cupped her face and kissed away her tears.

“How many nights have you spent alone all these years? How many times have you pushed me away, even when it broke your heart? The night she gave birth, you had a fever after I kept you up all night, but you still sent me to the hospital and forced yourself to stay behind to take care of her.”

Camellia’s tears flowed even harder. She pressed her lips to Micheal’s, silencing him.

“Don’t…”

His answer was a kiss even more desperate than the last.

I slid down the wall and collapsed onto the floor, one hand clamped over my mouth as tears poured down my face.

On the night I nearly died giving birth, my own sister and my husband had been in bed together.

When they came rushing to my side, fighting over who would care for me, was it out of genuine concern or guilt for the betrayal they were hiding?

The footsteps outside eventually faded away. I staggered to my feet, only to realize I had dug my nails so deeply into my palm that they had drawn blood. However, I could not feel the pain anymore.

I picked up the wedding ring glinting on the floor. That was when I noticed two letters engraved inside—'M' and 'C'.

It came to me that it stood for Micheal and Camellia. Not Chloe.

I gave a bitter laugh through my tears. Even my wedding ring revolved around someone else’s love story.

I remembered the day he proposed. Micheal’s eyes had been red with tears, while Camellia had cried so hard that she could barely speak.

Back then, were they celebrating my happiness or mourning the love they could never have?

Tristan came looking for me after changing his clothes. He reached up with his chubby little hands and awkwardly wiped away my tears. “Don’t cry, Mommy. I’ll always be here with you.”

I pulled him tightly into my arms. “Tristan, did your daddy ever tell you anything?”

He remained silent for a few seconds before finally speaking.

“Daddy touched Aunt Camellia’s belly and asked me if I wanted a little brother or a little sister when we were at that house… Daddy said if I told you about it, you wouldn’t love me anymore. But I don’t want to lie to you, Mommy.”

His little arms tightened around me. I gently patted his back through my tears. “Tell me, where is that house?”