The next morning, Adrian came home at seven thirty.

I was already dressed for work.

He loosened his tie as he entered and looked toward the dining table.

No breakfast.

No coffee.

No note reminding him about the meeting he always forgot.

His eyes finally landed on me.

“Elena?”

“Morning.”

He studied my face.

“You didn’t sleep?”

“I slept very well.”

That seemed to bother him more than if I had cried all night.

He walked closer.

“About yesterday…”

“There’s nothing to discuss.”

“I know I missed our anniversary.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll clear Saturday.”

“No need.”

His expression changed.

“Elena.”

I picked up my handbag.

“I have an appointment at Yunting Residence.”

“For the apartment?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll send my lawyer.”

“No.”

He frowned.

“Why?”

“Because the property will be registered only in my name.”

Silence.

Adrian looked at me for several seconds.

Then he laughed softly.

“As it should be. It was my gift to you.”

A gift.

That word unexpectedly made everything simple.

“Exactly.”

I smiled.

“So thank you.”

Then I left.

At noon, I signed the final purchase documents.

The agent kept congratulating me.

“Miss Su, you’re very lucky. Mr. Cheng paid the entire balance this morning.”

I paused.

“The entire balance?”

“Yes. No mortgage.”

She lowered her voice enviously.

“More than eight million yuan paid directly. Your boyfriend must be preparing something special.”

I looked at the contract.

My name.

Only my name.

For six years, I had dreamed about sharing an address with Adrian.

Now he had unintentionally bought me the first place that was completely mine.

I signed every page.

Then I called a moving company.

By five that afternoon, half my belongings were gone from Adrian’s apartment.

Not everything.

Only mine.

Clothes.

Books.

Documents.

The coffee machine I had bought.

The ugly yellow lamp Rachel gave me in college.

The little plant Adrian hated because its leaves kept falling onto his expensive floor.

I left every gift he had given me.

The diamond necklace.

The watches.

The designer bags.

Even the bracelet from our first anniversary.

At eight thirty, Adrian called.

“Elena, where are you?”

“At home.”

There was a pause.

“I’m home.”

“So am I.”

The silence became longer.

Then his voice changed.

“Which home?”

I looked around my new living room.

Boxes everywhere.

No curtains yet.

No expensive furniture.

But for the first time, every square meter belonged to me.

“Yunting Residence.”

He said nothing.

Then:

“I’m coming over.”

“No.”

“Elena.”

“I’m tired.”

“We need to talk.”

“We’ve had six years to talk.”

I ended the call.

Twenty-five minutes later, the doorbell rang.

Of course he came anyway.

When I opened the door, Adrian stood outside holding the apartment key I had originally planned to give him on our anniversary.

I stared at it.

“How did you get that?”

“The agent gave me a spare because I paid.”

I held out my hand.

“Give it to me.”

His expression hardened.

“Elena.”

“The apartment is in my name.”

After several seconds, he placed the key in my palm.

Then he looked past me.

Boxes.

My clothes.

My books.

Everything.

His face finally lost its usual calm.

“You moved out?”

“Yes.”

“Because I missed one anniversary?”

“No.”

“Then why?”

I looked at him.

“Because you missed six years.”

He stared at me.

“I gave you everything you asked for.”

“That’s the problem.”

His brows drew together.

“What does that mean?”

“I asked you to come home.”

“You sent jewelry.”

“I asked you to take one afternoon off.”

“You sent flowers.”

“I asked when we would get married.”

“You bought me an apartment.”

My voice remained calm.

“You’ve spent six years paying for every answer except the one I wanted.”

Adrian looked genuinely confused.

“I thought you liked the apartment.”

“I love it.”

“Then what are we arguing about?”

“We’re not arguing.”

I smiled faintly.

“I’m thanking you.”

His face changed.

“For what?”

“For finally giving me somewhere to go.”

Silence.

For the first time, Adrian looked afraid.

He stepped inside.

“Elena, are you breaking up with me?”

I thought the question would hurt.

It didn’t.

“Yes.”

His jaw tightened.

“No.”

I almost laughed.

“No?”

“We’ve been together six years.”

“I know.”

“You can’t end six years because I’ve been busy.”

“I’m ending it because I spent six years waiting for you to stop being busy enough to choose me.”

“I did choose you.”

“When?”

He opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

I nodded.

“Exactly.”

His phone rang.

He ignored it.

It rang again.

I glanced at the screen.

Rachel He.

My best friend.

That was strange.

Why was Rachel calling Adrian?

I looked at him.

He immediately turned the phone over.

Something in my chest tightened.

“Why is Rachel calling you?”

“No reason.”

“No reason?”

“She’s probably asking about your anniversary.”

My instincts screamed.

“Answer it.”

“Elena.”

“Answer.”

He declined the call.

Three seconds later, my own phone rang.

Rachel.

I answered.

Her voice was shaking.

“Elena… are you with Adrian?”

I looked at him.

“Yes.”

Silence.

Then Rachel whispered:

“I need to tell you something before he does.”

Adrian stepped forward.

“Hang up.”

That was when I knew.

I moved away from him.

“What happened?”

Rachel took a breath.

“Last night Adrian wasn’t at a work dinner.”

My fingers tightened around the phone.

Adrian closed his eyes.

Rachel continued.

“He was at Cheng family headquarters.”

“So?”

“They were meeting with the board.”

Another pause.

“And the Gu family.”

I knew that name.

Everyone did.

Gu Holdings.

One of Adrian’s company’s biggest potential partners.

My voice became quieter.

“Why?”

Rachel started crying.

“Elena… they were discussing a marriage alliance.”

The room went completely still.

I looked at Adrian.

He didn’t deny it.

Something inside me went cold.

“Whose marriage?”

Rachel didn’t answer.

She didn’t need to.

I stared at the man I had waited six years to marry.

“You missed our anniversary…”

My voice almost became a laugh.

“…because your family was arranging your marriage to another woman?”

Adrian stepped toward me.

“It isn’t what you think.”

“Then tell me what it is.”

“It’s a business proposal.”

“Did you refuse?”

Silence.

There it was again.

The answer I had heard for six years.

Not now.

Later.

When the project ends.

When the company stabilizes.

When there’s more time.

I nodded slowly.

“You know what’s funny?”

“Elena—”

“Yesterday I thought asking for an eight-million-yuan apartment instead of another marriage promise meant I had finally stopped being foolish.”

I opened the door.

“But apparently I was still underestimating you.”

His face hardened.

“You’re not listening.”

“No.”

I looked him directly in the eyes.

“For the first time in six years, I am.”

He didn’t move.

So I added:

“Leave.”

Adrian stared at me for several seconds.

Then his phone rang again.

This time the caller ID appeared before he could hide it.

VICTORIA GU.

I smiled.

“Your future wife is calling.”

“Elena, she’s not—”

“Take it outside.”

I closed the door.

My hands only started trembling after the lock clicked.

Then my phone vibrated.

Rachel sent me a photograph.

Taken the night before.

Adrian sat at a long conference table beside Victoria Gu.

Between them lay a red folder.

At the top were four words:

PRELIMINARY MARRIAGE COOPERATION AGREEMENT.

But that wasn’t the part that made me stop breathing.

At the bottom of the photograph, beside Adrian’s signature, was a date.

Six months ago.

The same month I had first visited Yunting Residence and decided not to buy it because I thought Adrian and I would soon be getting married.

And suddenly I understood something terrifying.

Adrian hadn’t been postponing our wedding because he wasn’t ready.

He had been postponing it because for at least six months…

he already knew I was never going to be his bride.