Love that Never to Return

Gavin Dent and I started with a marriage of convenience.

We agreed not to interfere in each other's personal lives.

But later I fell for him first.

Driven to the brink of insanity, I pressed a shard of broken porcelain against my wrist, begging him to break it off with the other woman.

He glanced at me coldly and said, "We had an agreement, remember?"

After that, I gave up and started mingling with boy toys.

But he smashed everything in the house, his eyes wild with desperation, begging me to come home.

I just laughed, "We had an agreement, remember?"

1

I never expected Gavin would bring a woman to our bed.

I had planned to help a friend celebrate her birthday, but halfway there, I realized I'd forgotten the gift and had to turn back.

That was when I stumbled upon them.

The unmistakable sounds of betrayal from the bedroom made it clear what was happening.

My hand rested on the doorknob, unable to turn it.

My whole body trembled uncontrollably.

How could Gavin dare bring a woman into our home?

How could he?

It felt like an invisible vice was crushing my heart, ready to burst at any moment.

I heard the woman say, "Honey, you're hurting me, be gentle... When are you going to divorce that old woman?"

Gavin chuckled wickedly, "What, isn't my heart enough for you? Or my thrust not hard enough?"

She pouted, "You said you don't love her at all. Why not divorce her sooner? I want you all to myself!"

All to herself?

I once dreamed of having him all to myself as well- his body, his heart.

I fantasized about having a child with him, being a good wife and mother.

But it was all just a fantasy.

I stood outside, feeling as if my blood had turned to ice, my feet rooted to the ground.

I didn't know how long I stood there.

Gavin came out with the woman in his arms, and they ran into me standing outside.

A flash of surprise crossed his face but quickly vanished.

"Oh? Miss Davies, did you just eavesdrop?"

He turned and kissed the woman in his arms, "Baby, you were so loud just now, everyone heard you."

The woman squirmed, clinging to him, "Shut up!"

She then shot me a disdainful look, "Miss Davies is still here, your words might hurt her feelings."

My nails dug into my palms.

Gavin merely glanced at me and said lazily, "Who cares?"

2

I stood there, stunned, not even noticing when they left.

My phone suddenly rang; my friend was calling to ask where I was.

Still in shock, I mumbled a response.

My friend's voice on the other end was filled with frustration.

"It's because of him again, isn't it? Last time, when you had acute gastroenteritis, did he even give you a glass of water? You ended up taking a cab to the hospital alone at two in the morning. Did he come to see you? Have you forgotten what it's like to be sick and alone at night? And last time too! Your dad's sixtieth birthday, and he was late to the party? Even in a marriage of convenience, he should at least show up for appearances, right? But no, he was busy fooling around with a model at a hotel, completely forgetting about it!"

......

My friend's voice continued to rant over the phone, but my thoughts had drifted far away.

Five years ago, with a single agreement, I became his wife.

My family and his had been business partners for years, and a commercial marriage between their children was purely for profit.

I was thrust into marriage without dating.

On our wedding night, he casually said, "Emma, you're just my wife in name. From now on, we each do our own thing."

I felt a bit disappointed, even though I knew it all along.

When the Davies family business was on the brink of collapse, he decisively invested, saving my parents' lifelong efforts.

I began to see him differently.

When he gently held me at social events and shielded me from drinking, I started to fall for him.

I naively believed I could warm his heart and mold him into the husband I wanted.

My love for him grew, but he came home later and later, with more women around him.

The different perfumes on him made me nauseous and drove me mad.

I fought, attempted suicide, and even begged him to break it off with them.

I clung to him, asking, "What do I lack compared to those women?"

But he only said, "Emma, look at you now, like a woman possessed by the devil. I should seriously think about replacing you."

My heart grew cold.

......

Suddenly, the beeping sound of the door's keypad as it unlocked jerked me back to reality.

Gavin had returned.

He paused for a moment, looking at me standing in the dark.

"Why don't you turn on the lights if everything's fine?"

He brushed past me, heading upstairs.

I hurriedly grabbed his hand. "Aren't you going to explain what happened today? Why did you bring her to our bed? You know I hate... "

He impatiently cut me off, "Emma, don't cross the line. Stop overreacting. It's really annoying."

3

I was sleepless the entire night.

The next day, as I left work, I saw a red convertible parked at the company entrance from a distance.

He was sitting in the car, giving me a mischievous smile, and beckoned with his finger, "Get in."

I was a bit taken aback.

Not long after we got married, there was a time I got drunk at a social event and called him to pick me up.

Back then, he said, "Emma, do you really think you're my wife? You're not important enough for me to pick you up."

I instinctively sat in the back seat.

The passenger seat had been occupied by various women.

I found it dirty.

Seeing me in the back, he frowned, "Why not sit in the front?"

I looked out the window.

"I don't want to cross the line. I'm not qualified."

He didn't say anything further, just took out a bracelet from his pocket.

"I remember you said you liked this bracelet."

He handed it to me.

In the dimly lit car, the diminutive diamonds adorning the bracelet emitted a faint glimmer, their scintillating light dancing delicately. Meanwhile, the elaborate patterns etched along the chain seemed to mimic a starlit galaxy, teeming with celestial bodies and infinite mystery.

He asked, "Aren't you going to wear it?"

I remained silent.

"Still mad? Alright, I won't bring women home next time."

I was about to say it wasn't necessary when his phone inconveniently rang.

A woman's sobbing voice faintly came through the call.

He murmured, "I'll be right there."

After hanging up, he looked at me and said, "Why don't you get out first? She's too attached; she'll cry if she doesn't see me soon."

My heart went cold.

This scene had played out countless times over the years.

In the past, I would cry and make a fuss, clinging to him, refusing to let him go.

But he would just watch me quietly as I lost my mind.

This time, I quietly got out of the car.

He seemed a bit unaccustomed to it.

"You behave well today. I'll spend time with you next time."

I stood by the roadside, watching his car disappear into the distance.

The winter wind blew against my face.

I looked at the necklace in my hand and suddenly understood his intentions.

He had always been like this, hadn't he?

Just when I was about to give up, he'd offer a sweet gesture, and I'd foolishly accept it, completely reconciling with him.

His way of appeasing me was merely to save himself the trouble.

And each time, I naively thought he had a change of heart.

Over the years, he had casually dismissed me with his tricks.

It was a pity I only realized it now.

Perhaps in his heart, this was all I was worth.

4

When I got home, I was exhausted.

Lucy, the maid, was excited to see me return.

"Ma'am, I just saw Mr. Dent preparing a gift for you!"

She winked at me, gesturing towards the gift box on the table.

I walked over, surprised.

Lucy kept praising, "Who else could this gift be for if not for you? Look how beautiful the box is. Ma'am, why are you hesitating? Just open it."

I swiftly untied the ribbon on the box.

Inside was a valuable gemstone necklace.

The gift section beside it was shaped like a bracelet, but it was empty.

I laughed at myself. So, even the bracelet he gave me was just a freebie from someone else.

Not to mention his occasional acts of kindness towards me were utterly cheap.

To him, I was just a nuisance.

My heart ached to the point of numbness.

The feeling of humiliation rose from my feet, climbing over my entire body like vines.

It tightened and tightened until it wrapped around me completely.

I was caught in my own web.

My wishful thinking became the blade he used to hurt me, breaking my heart piece by piece.

And I mistakenly took his dismissals as gestures of goodwill.

All of this was just me deceiving myself.

I closed my eyes in despair.

For the first time, the thought of leaving crossed my mind.

5

Gavin didn't come home all night.

When he returned at dawn, there were kiss marks on his neck.

I clutched the divorce papers, waiting on the sofa all night.

He was in an unusually good mood, smiling broadly as he approached, "Why are you up so early?"

I didn't want to waste words with him and placed the divorce papers on the table.

I had already signed my name.

I spoke calmly, "We don't have children, so it's just about dividing the assets. I won't take advantage of you; let's split it evenly."

I stood up, "Take a look, and if there are no issues, just sign it."