Ethan read that piece of paper, every single word on it, over and over again until his eyes stung.

Suddenly, he understood Ava’s pain, her tears. Suddenly, he understood why, that night in the parking lot, Ava had screamed at him, asking, “Ethan, why won’t you even give me five minutes? Ethan, are you still the same as before?”

His Ava couldn’t have children!

He didn’t love Ava. But Ava was important to him. She’d been with him for four years, through the darkest times of his life, and had watched him climb to the top of power. When they got married, they’d agreed to have two children.

Ethan slowly sat down on the edge of the bed. His usually sharp, energetic face now looked a little worn out. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it with a lighter, and took a deep drag. His thin cheeks hollowed, giving him a unique masculine charm. At the bedroom door, a servant cautiously reported: “Secretary Lena is here.”

Ethan didn’t reply. Lena had rushed over from the hospital. Seeing the shattered glass all over the floor, she was completely stunned. Ethan had been abandoned! But was competent. She quickly composed herself, then professionally asked Ethan what to do next. Pale smoke curled around Ethan’s blurred face as he said flatly: “Keep it under wraps! No matter what, don’t let the outside world know Ava and I are separated.”

Lena nodded and agreed. Looking at her boss, she suddenly felt confused. Everyone said the couple only had a relationship of interests, but now that Ava was gone, Ethan looked as devastated as if he’d lost his manhood. Did Ethan really not love Ava?

Ava moved into an apartment. It wasn’t very big, but the location and decoration were top-notch. Pushing open the bedroom’s floor-to-ceiling window, she could see half the city’s night view.

The next day, she visited her grandmother. Her grandmother didn’t know about her troubles with Ethan. Smiling, she asked if Ava had been doing well lately. Not wanting to worry Rose, Ava smiled: “I’m good! Ethan treats me well.”

Life had to go on without marriage. Ava decided to pick up oil painting, which she’d loved since childhood. For a week, Ava stayed at home painting. She’d never felt so relaxed. She even bought a small dog—not a rare breed, but white, which Ava liked. She named it snowball.

On the weekend, Ava went to an art exhibition. Among hundreds of famous paintings, Ava liked a flower painting called Twin Blossoms the most. She was about to ask the price when she saw the signature—Arthur Garcia!—Lily’s father.

Ava suddenly lost interest. Just then, a soft female voice sounded beside her: “You like this painting too, don’t you?”

Ava turned and was surprised to see a noble lady. The lady was dressed elegantly, with a beautiful face, followed by two capable-looking assistants. At a glance, one could tell she was from a big family. The noble lady smiled at Ava: “My husband’s surname is Laurent.”

Ava suddenly remembered—this was none other than Vivian Laurent, wife of Nathaniel Laurent from the Amerasia Initiative. Mr. Laurent had always done business in the south, so Ava had only met Mrs. Vivian once. Seeing that Ava remembered, Vivian smiled: “I noticed you as soon as I came in. You’re Ethan’s wife, right?”

The famous Laurent Family in the south, and the famous Sinclair Family in the north. Vivian deliberately called him “Ethan” to show the closeness between the two families, presumably because Mr. Laurent was very keen on cooperating with the Ronin Group.

Ava didn’t care about business matters, but she hit it off with Vivian. They didn’t talk about business, only about art and oil painting, and got along so well that Vivian invited Ava for a coffee. Ava gladly agreed.

In the bright café, Vivian gently stirred her coffee with a silver spoon, smiling and speaking slowly: “Mr. Garcia’s paintings are good, but his character is quite ordinary. It’s better not to buy his works.” Ava smiled faintly.

As she was talking, she saw a trace of sadness on Vivian’s face, as if she’d fallen into memories. An assistant beside her gently comforted: “Madam, don’t think about sad things! If you make yourself ill, Mr. Laurent will be worried.”

Vivian smiled apologetically at Ava: “Sorry for letting you see this! It’s just that I have something weighing on my heart. When I was young, I loved a man who didn’t care. I had a child with him, but unfortunately, I was harmed by others. When I woke up, my five-year-old child was gone. Luckily, I met my husband later, but we’ve searched all over the country and still haven’t found my poor daughter.”

Speaking of this, Vivian, a beauty, she’d tears—She remembered her little daughter had a faint red mole on her waist. As long as she saw that mole, she would recognize her daughter.

Ava was also an orphan. Feeling sorry for Vivian’s pain of missing her daughter, she took her hand and gently comforted her.

Vivian felt better and grew closer to Ava: “I feel an instant connection with you, so I couldn’t help saying all this. Please don’t think I’m being too talkative.”

Ava said softly: “Of course not! I’m sure you and your daughter are bound by fate, and you’ll meet again.”

Vivian smiled through her tears: “I hope your words come true!”

Vivian remembered something else. After exchanging business cards with Ava, she specifically said: “My uncle will hold a party at his villa in a while. You must come. I know you’re career-minded, and I’ll introduce useful people to you then.” Ava didn’t want to disappoint her, so she took the card and agreed.

When they parted, Vivian stood beside her luxury car, reluctant to let Ava go. She hadn’t felt this way in a long time. Talking to Ethan’s wife today felt like being with her daughter in the past. A secretary came over and gently reminded her. Vivian finally let go: “Let’s chat again next time.”

Ava stood there, watching the shiny car leave. She thought Mr. Laurent must love Vivian very much, giving her both material comfort and care, and not having any other children for her sake. For a moment, Ava’s thoughts wandered.

At nine o’clock in the evening, Ava finished the last stroke of her painting and stretched lazily. snowball wagged its tail frantically beside her. Ava poured dog food for it and added a small chicken ham. snowball ate greedily. Ava petted it for a while, then went to the bedroom to get a bathrobe. It had been cloudy these days, and the bathrobes hanging on the balcony were still damp to the touch. Ava simply opened the wardrobe, wanting to find a shirt to use as a bathrobe.

The light was bright. Her slender white fingers slid gently over the clothes, finally stopping at a black shirt. It was Ethan’s shirt. It had somehow gotten mixed in with her luggage and was accidentally brought over. Ava hesitated for a moment, then pulled it out. After all, Ethan would never know.

Ten minutes later, Ava stepped out of the shower and put on the men’s shirt. She brushed her wet black hair back over her shoulders, ready to dry it, when the doorbell rang. Ava thought it was Annie, so she didn’t think much and opened the door directly. The next second, she froze.

Ethan stood at the door. His tall, slender figure blocked most of the light. Ava couldn’t see his expression clearly, nor did she understand why he had come so late at night. They hadn’t contacted each other for a week, not even a single phone call! She was sure that Ethan had received the court summons. What was he doing here now?

Ethan stared intently at his wife. Ava was wearing nothing but a men’s black shirt, looking half-revealed. Looking down further, the thin shirt barely covered anything, and a section of smooth thigh root was exposed at the hem…