The woman who answered the phone was not Ye Zhiqiu.
And that single voice was enough to make the world around her become silent.
For several seconds, Ye Zhiqiu held the phone against her ear.
She couldn’t move.
She couldn’t speak.
The contractions continued.
The fetal monitor beside her kept making a steady sound.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Three lives depended on her staying calm.
But her heart…
had already become completely cold.
“Hello?”
The woman’s voice came again.
Soft.
Familiar.
And full of a confidence that did not belong to someone answering a stranger’s call.
Ye Zhiqiu slowly lowered the phone.
She did not ask who she was.
She did not need to.
She already knew.
The necklace.
The perfume.
The business trips.
The late nights.
The disappearing husband.
Everything suddenly connected.
At that moment, Lu Yichen was not in a meeting.
He was not negotiating a project.
He was not facing a crisis.
He was sitting beside Lin Wei, his young assistant, in a private hospital room.
Lin Wei was pale.
Her hand was wrapped around his sleeve.
“Mr. Lu… I’m sorry.”
Her voice was weak.
“I didn’t want to disturb your family.”
Lu Yichen frowned.
“Don’t say that.”
“You helped me so much these years.”
He lowered his voice.
“You were alone. I couldn’t ignore you.”
That sentence.
If Ye Zhiqiu had heard it before…
she might have cried.
Because it was the exact same sentence he once used with her.
When Ye Zhiqiu arrived at the hospital, the pain had already become unbearable.
The nurses rushed her inside.
“Where is your family?”
The nurse asked while preparing the delivery room.
She opened her mouth.
For a moment, she wanted to say:
“My husband.”
But the words stuck.
Because she suddenly realized something.
She didn’t know where her husband was.
Not emotionally.
Not physically.
Not anymore.
So she answered quietly:
“No one.”
The nurse looked surprised.
“You came alone?”
Ye Zhiqiu nodded.
“I can handle it.”
And for the first time in years…
she truly meant it.
The triplets were born at dawn.
Three cries.
Three small lives.
Three children who entered the world without their father beside them.
The doctor smiled.
“Congratulations. Two boys and one girl.”
Ye Zhiqiu looked at the three tiny faces.
Tears fell silently.
Not because she was sad.
Because she finally understood.
She had spent ten months protecting these children.
Now she had to protect herself too.
When Lu Yichen finally returned to the villa the next day, he was still holding his phone.
He expected to see missed calls.
Angry messages.
Complaints.
Anything.
But there was nothing.
The house was strangely quiet.
“Madam?”
He called.
No answer.
He walked upstairs.
The bedroom was empty.
The hospital bag was gone.
The baby items prepared months ago were untouched.
On the table was a document.
His expression changed when he saw the title.
Divorce Agreement.
At first, he thought it was a joke.
A threat.
A way to get his attention.
Because that was how Ye Zhiqiu had always been.
Gentle.
Patient.
Forgiving.
She would never leave.
He picked up his phone.
Called her.
No answer.
Again.
No answer.
Finally, he called Assistant Lin.
“Where is Madam?”
There was a pause.
Then:
“Mr. Lu…”
“What?”
“Madam left five days ago.”
His hand froze.
“What did you say?”
“She moved out five days ago.”
Five days.
Impossible.
His mind immediately calculated.
Five days ago…
was when he received her message.
“Everything is fine. Don’t worry.”
He had thought she was telling him about the pregnancy.
About the children.
About everything at home.
But now he understood.
She was saying goodbye.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Assistant Lin lowered his voice.
“Madam instructed me not to disturb you.”
“Why?”
Silence.
Then:
“She said you were busy.”
That answer hurt.
Because it was true.
He was always busy.
Busy with work.
Busy with clients.
Busy with Lin Wei.
Busy with everything except his own wife.
Three days later, Lu Yichen found Ye Zhiqiu.
Not through her.
Through the news.
A medical foundation announced a new legal consultant.
The name shocked him.
Ye Zhiqiu.
Former partner of Mingjing Law Firm.
The lawyer who disappeared seven years ago.
The woman everyone thought had given up her career.
But the article explained:
After leaving the Lu family, Ye Zhiqiu rebuilt her legal career.
She became a consultant for several international organizations.
She had returned to court.
Returned to research.
Returned to herself.
Lu Yichen stared at the screen.
Returned to herself.
Those words kept repeating.
Because suddenly he remembered.
The woman he married was never just Mrs. Lu.
She was Ye Zhiqiu.
The lawyer who defeated him in negotiations.
The woman who challenged his opinions.
The person who made him interested because she never looked at his wealth.
And he was the one who slowly erased that woman.
When he finally saw her again, it was at a legal conference.
She stood on stage.
Calm.
Elegant.
Confident.
Exactly like the woman he met seven years ago.
Only stronger.
After the speech, he waited outside.
“Zhiqiu.”
She stopped.
But she did not look surprised.
“Mr. Lu.”
The formal address hurt.
He forced a smile.
“You changed.”
She looked at him.
“No.”
A pause.
“I returned.”
His eyes became red.
“I was wrong.”
She remained silent.
“I should have been there.”
“Yes.”
“I should have protected you.”
“Yes.”
“I should have chosen you.”
Ye Zhiqiu looked at him.
“But you didn’t.”
Those three words destroyed him.
Because they were simple.
And impossible to argue with.
“I love you.”
The confession came too late.
Ye Zhiqiu looked away.
“Do you know what the saddest thing is?”
He waited.
“I spent years wondering what I had to do for you to love me more.”
She smiled faintly.
“But the truth was never about me.”
“It was about the fact that you already decided I would stay.”
Lu Yichen wanted to explain.
About Lin Wei.
About the misunderstandings.
About everything.
But Ye Zhiqiu only said:
“I don’t hate you.”
That surprised him.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
She looked at him calmly.
“Because hatred means someone still matters.”
Silence.
“You taught me how to live without you.”
Months later, Lu Yichen finally met the triplets.
He stood outside the door.
Nervous.
Afraid.
The children looked at him with curiosity.
Not hatred.
Because they did not know him.
And that was the punishment he deserved.
He had missed their first heartbeat.
Their first movement.
Their first breath.
All because he was busy comforting someone else.
Years later, people still talked about Lu Yichen’s greatest regret.
Not losing a company.
Not losing money.
Not losing reputation.
It was losing the woman who once gave him everything.
The woman who carried his children.
The woman who waited until there was nothing left to wait for.
He thought Ye Zhiqiu would always be there.
He was wrong.
The day she stopped being Mrs. Lu was the day she finally became herself again.
