Adrian had been aplete disaster.


    He cheated on her and beat her. Anastasia suffered a lot during the marriage, and the Quimbys genuinely pitied her for it. They grew increasingly indulgent, always making excuses for her. Adrian, too, felt even more tenderness and sympathy toward Anastasia because of everything she had endured.


    When Wendy was in thete stages of her pregnancy, she went back to her hometown to attend her cousin''s wedding.


    That trip turned into a nightmare.


    She was kidnapped, and the trauma caused her to go into prematurebor.


    She never forgot that filthy basement.


    She never forgot how she had struggled in despair, writhing in pain as she brought her daughter into the world. Her baby was unbelievably gentle and well behaved, as if she somehow understood the impossible situation Wendy was trapped in.


    That little girl seemed to ache for her mother. Even with no one there to help and being born too early, she did not put Wendy through prolonged agony. She came into the world quietly and safely.


    She had been so tiny. She did not cry or fuss. She only stared at Wendy with wide, dark eyes, as if she were telling her not to be afraid, as if she were promising to stay with her.


    That child even brought Wendy a stroke of luck.


    On the night she was born, a massive earthquake struck the neighboring county. The tremors were strong where they were hiding.


    Chaos erupted outside. The kidnappers panicked and bolted, fleeing for their lives.


    Wendy clutched her baby and escaped in the confusion. She had barely made it far before her vision darkened. Her legs felt like lead. In her panic, she ran straight into traffic and was struck by a car. As she was thrown aside and slipped into unconsciousness, her only thought was to hold on to her daughter. Even so, she felt the bundle torn from her arms.


    When Wendy finally woke up in the hospital, an entire day and night had passed. The first thing she was told was that her newborn daughter, so sweet and beautiful, was gone forever.


    The baby had even been run over.


    There was nothing left to recognize.


    When all of this happened to Wendy, Adrian was overseas. He was attending a celebration banquet for Anastasia, the very person responsible for everything.


    He was standing proudly at her side as she epted a design award. He even danced the opening dance with Anastasia.


    By the time Adrian rushed back, his daughter''s body had already gone cold.


    Later, he did uncover the truth and traced everything back to Anastasia. He sent her to prison and used his influence to make sure she lived in misery behind bars.


    The following year, she took her own life in prison.


    The Quimbys and the Malones became sworn enemies as a result. The Quimbys vanished from Halden''s upper social circles altogether. None of that eased the hatred Wendy carried toward Adrian.


    For more than twenty years, he never remarried. He spent all that time trying to mend things with Wendy.


    People around them kept telling her that Adrian was deeply devoted. They said he had been kept in the dark at the time. They also said he had lost a daughter and was victim as well-just like her. They urged Wendy to let it go to stop. dwelling on the past, and to forgive him already. They imed he had suffered enough and regretted everything.


    To Wendy, those words sounded cruelly ironic.


    "Wendy, I..." Adrian met Wendy''s cold, mocking gaze and felt as though even breathing was a sin. His throat tightened, and his Adam''s apple bobbed as he forced himself to speak, only to be cut off.


    "If you are not here to talk about Ellie, you can leave right now." It was obvious Wendy had no interest in hearing him repeat the same tired apologies, regrets, or talk of making amends.


    Every time I hear it, my mind goes straight back to that filthy, pitch-dark basement where my daughter was born. I see her again, so soft and so tiny, opening her eyes just once to look at me, her useless mother, before she leaves this world in the most miserable way imaginable.


    I think about how she does not even have a proper nket, how she is wrapped in my torn, dirty clothes when she dies. I think about the moment she is crushed under those wheels and how much that must hurt.


    This pain is something I can never escape for the rest of my life. Even if Adrian is not the one who kills her with his own hands, he is still an aplice. What right does he have to talk about my daughter? He does not even deserve to repent. Clearly, Adrian knew Wendy had zero patience for him. If it had not been for Ellie today, Wendy would not have said a single word to him.


    He swallowed his emotions and went straight to what he had seen earlier at the dessert shop. "I have never seen Ellie cling to anyone like that. She was unusually close, unusually dependent. Gianna mentioned you once saved Anneliese?"


    Wendy already understood what Adrian was getting at. She did not answer his question and only said, "I know. You can leave now."


    He did not want to leave yet.


    It had not been easy for him to get in here at all, let alone manage a few sentences with her. But he also knew exactly why she was ring at him now.


    Earlier, he had let his emotions slip while watching Ellie sleep and ended up mentioning their daughter. That alone was enough to make him unbearable in Wendy''s eyes. If he lingered any longer, he would only push her into irritation and anger.


    He let out a heavy sigh and stood up. "You look worn out. Work never ends. Get some rest," he said quietly. With that, he left the workspace.


    After their daughter died, Wendy had firmly insisted on the divorce. Not long after, she fell into depression and spent over a year in treatment before she finally recovered.