Adrian thought I was bluffing.
That was the funniest part.
After five years of marriage, after everything I had done for him, he still believed I was the kind of woman who would cry for a few days and eventually forgive.
He didn’t know…
The woman who walked out of that house was not the same woman who entered it five years ago.
The first thing I did after leaving was turn off my phone.
Not because I was afraid of his calls.
Because I didn’t want to hear another excuse.
I stayed at a hotel for one night.
Not a luxury hotel.
Just a quiet place where nobody knew me.
Where nobody looked at my shaved head.
Where nobody saw the turtle drawn on my forehead.
For the first time in years…
I looked at myself in the mirror.
And I didn’t recognize the woman staring back.
Not because of my hair.
Hair grows again.
But because I finally saw how much I had tolerated.
The next morning, I called my lawyer.
“Mr. Lin.”
His voice immediately became serious.
“Mrs. Zhou?”
“Prepare everything.”
A pause.
“Everything?”
I looked at the documents spread across the table.
Marriage agreement.
Property records.
Company shares.
Investment contracts.
Evidence.
“Yes.”
“Everything related to Adrian Zhou.”
The lawyer was silent for a moment.
Then he asked:
“Has something happened?”
I touched my forehead.
The black mark was still there.
The turtle Camila drew as a joke.
I smiled.
“Yes.”
“My husband reminded me who he really is.”
Meanwhile…
Adrian was still waiting for me to return.
Because in his mind…
I had nowhere else to go.
For years, he had been used to my patience.
My understanding.
My forgiveness.
He forgot something important.
The woman who supported him was also the woman who knew exactly how to destroy him.
Three days later…
Adrian finally realized something was wrong.
The company finance department called him.
“Mr. Zhou.”
“We need your confirmation.”
He frowned.
“What confirmation?”
“The shareholder adjustment documents.”
“The transfer of the original investment shares.”
Adrian froze.
“What are you talking about?”
The employee hesitated.
“Your wife’s shares.”
Silence.
“My wife?”
“Yes.”
“According to the agreement, the five million initial investment that established the company belongs to Mrs. Elena Bennett.”
Adrian’s expression changed.
For the first time…
He remembered.
Five years ago.
When his company was just an idea.
When investors refused him.
When everyone told him he would fail.
It was Elena who gave him the money.
It was Elena who introduced him to important contacts.
It was Elena who stayed awake with him through countless nights.
But after success arrived…
He started believing he built everything alone.
That evening, Adrian rushed home.
But the house was different.
Cold.
Empty.
The things Elena had chosen were gone.
The photos were gone.
Even the small decorations she loved had disappeared.
Only one thing remained on the table.
A printed photo.
The photo from that night.
His wife.
Drugged.
Unconscious.
A shaved head.
A turtle drawn on her forehead.
Adrian stared at it.
And suddenly…
The scene no longer looked funny.
It looked cruel.
Humiliating.
Disgusting.
Behind him, Camila appeared.
“Adrian?”
He didn’t answer.
She walked closer.
“Are you angry?”
He turned around.
And for the first time, there was no tenderness in his eyes.
Only disappointment.
“Who gave you permission to do that?”
Camila froze.
“But you said it was just a joke…”
“A joke?”
Adrian looked at her.
“She was my wife.”
Camila’s expression changed.
Because she finally understood.
The game had gone too far.
Then Adrian’s phone rang.
The screen showed one name.
Elena.
His heart jumped.
He answered immediately.
“Elena.”
But the voice on the other side was not the woman he expected.
Calm.
Professional.
Cold.
“Mr. Zhou.”
“This is Attorney Lin.”
Adrian’s face slowly changed.
“Attorney Lin?”
“Yes.”
“I’m calling to inform you that Mrs. Elena Bennett has officially started divorce proceedings.”
Silence.
Then the lawyer continued:
“Also…”
“She has requested an audit of Crawford-Zhou Group’s financial records.”
Adrian stood still.
Because he finally understood.
Elena was not leaving because she was hurt.
She was leaving because she was done.
That night, Adrian searched through old memories.
Five years of marriage.
Thousands of photos.
Messages.
Promises.
And suddenly he noticed something terrifying.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had done something for Elena.
Not for business.
Not because he needed her help.
Just for her.
The next morning…
Every major shareholder received a confidential document.
A document revealing the truth behind Crawford-Zhou Group’s creation.
And at the bottom…
A signature.
The name that Adrian had forgotten.
Elena Bennett.
Adrian looked at the document in disbelief.
Because the woman he thought was just his wife…
Was actually the person standing behind his entire empire.
But before he could call her…
Another message arrived.
One sentence.
From Elena.
“Adrian, you once told me hair grows back.”
“You’re right.”
“But trust doesn’t.”
He stared at the screen.
And for the first time in five years…
Adrian felt something he had never felt before.
Fear.
Because this time…
Elena wasn’t asking him to love her.
She was preparing to make him regret that he didn’t.
