The last night Arabelle Greyle spent with Benjamin Chantler, he lost control more than ever.

Her fingers brushed against the ring on his hand—and in that instant, memories came flooding back.

Just a few days ago, she'd seen the gossip online: Benjamin was about to marry the daughter of the Shelton Group's CEO.

Noticing she was distracted, he leaned down and gave her a long, intense kiss.

With her mind all foggy from passion, he slipped a bank card into her bra.

"Just be good for me. I'm getting married next month. Let's end this."

Arabelle nodded obediently. "Okay."

Seeing that she didn't cry or make a scene, Benjamin frowned instead. "You okay?"

Arabelle gave him a light and comforting laugh. "I'm good."

She had long moved past the point where his actions could hurt her.

Everyone who knew them could see that Arabelle was crazy about Benjamin, almost to the point of obsession.

She'd been chasing him since she was 18.

Right after graduation, she joined the Chantler Group and became his secretary.

During the day, she helped him out at work without a hitch. At night, she was right there in bed with him.

Whenever trouble came up, she'd jump in front of him like a shield. When it came to parties and drinks, she'd step up to take shots for him.

She always carried three notebooks in her bag filled with all his likes and dislikes. The moment he gave her a look, she knew exactly what he needed.

For seven years, she followed him—without a title, without a promise. Only recently had people begun to change their tone.

Instead of calling her foolish, they'd smile and ask when the wedding news would come.

No one could believe she'd just sit back and watch him marry someone else. Not even Benjamin.

What they didn't know, though, was that a week earlier, Arabelle had already said yes to her parents' request to head back to her hometown for a blind date.

***

She first met Benjamin when she was 18.

One day, she got a call from her mother.

"Belle! Your dad was in a car crash. He's in the ER— it's bad. You need to come home right now... before it's too late."

Arabelle's mind went completely blank.

In a panic, she rushed out and accidentally crashed into Benjamin's car.

Luckily, he hit the brakes just in time. She wasn't hurt too badly. After getting up, she limped toward the hospital as fast as she could.

Benjamin stopped her. After asking what happened, he made a quick phone call and then drove her there himself.

When they got there, the hospital director quickly led in the best team for surgery—and somehow managed to bring her dad back from the brink of death.

Arabelle and her mother held each other tight, their faces wet with tears of joy.

Through her blurry eyes, she spotted Benjamin standing a little way off, quietly thanking the hospital director.

That was when she realized he was the one who'd asked the director to come.

At that moment, the young man in the light, calm and serious, felt like a god who'd appeared in her life.

At first, all Arabelle wanted to do was thank him.

That was why she'd been by his side, trying to find small ways to show her appreciation for what he'd done.

After graduation, she joined the Chantler Group and somehow ended up sleeping with him one night. Then she became his personal secretary.

Over time, her feelings changed.

During those rare moments when he showed her kindness, she found herself having desires that felt a bit too greedy for comfort.

It was only a month ago that Benjamin suddenly started acting really cold toward her.

Feeling uneasy, she hesitated for quite a while.

After one close moment together, she finally gathered the courage to ask carefully, "Mr. Chantler, did I do something wrong?"

Benjamin's icy, serious eyes narrowed at her.

After what felt like forever in silence, he replied, "I'm just kind of tired of this."

Arabelle's face went pale. Under his indifferent stare, she hurried away in embarrassment.

That same day, Benjamin left for a business trip overseas. For the first time, he didn't take her—his personal secretary—along with him.

The next day, she stumbled upon the news that he was engaged to Adelina Shelton.

When he returned a week later, there was an extra wedding ring on his finger.

That was when it hit her.

All good things have to come to an end, and it was time for her to say goodbye to Benjamin.

Benjamin had already moved out, leaving her the apartment where she'd lived for seven years.

Arabelle quickly reached out to a real estate agent to put it up for sale.

The apartment was in a great location, and she priced it way lower than what others were asking. The agent marketed it as a top listing, and that very night, someone came by to check it out and put down a deposit.

After signing the contract, the agent beamed at her. "Ms. Greyle, the buyer is paying in full! We should wrap everything up in about a week."

Arabelle paused for a second, then smiled and nodded.

"Alright, thanks!"

After the agent left, she started packing up the apartment.

The little lucky cat figurine on the shoe cabinet had been there since her first day moving in.

Benjamin used to joke about that cat figurine. But as soon as she turned around, he pushed her against the shoe cabinet and kissed her like he couldn't get enough.

He playfully nibbled on her earlobe while his deep voice rumbled with laughter.

"You believe this little thing can bring you luck? I can do a better job than it."

The living room carpet was something he'd spotted at a mall during one of their overseas trips together.

He just whipped out his card and bought it right then and there. It took over half a month to arrive from across the ocean.

Once she unpacked it, he started unbuttoning her clothes with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"When I first saw this carpet, I thought it looked very comfy to lie on."

On the single-seat couch in the corner, he had a rare moment of softness. Once, he held her in his arms when she was sick and comforted her gently.

The razor in the bathroom was the first gift she ever gave him, and he used it for years.

On the title page of "Business Warfare Strategies," the book on the far left of the shelf, there was a quick sketch of her that he drew on a whim. It was not perfect but really captures her essence.

Seven years felt like such a long time.

Long enough that even someone as proud and distant as Benjamin made unforgettable memories with her all over this place.

Arabelle went through her things, keeping some and discarding others.

But eventually, she just collapsed into the mess of scattered items, crying uncontrollably.

She cried all night.

The next morning, she put some ice on her eyes for half an hour and then slathered on a thick layer of foundation. It was only then did her eyelids finally stop looking so puffy and red.

She pulled out the resignation letter she had written ages ago and headed straight to the office.

As soon as she sat down at her desk, she noticed all her coworkers in the department giving her those subtle, sympathetic looks.

Before Arabelle could ask what was up, Benjamin's office door swung open.

Adelina stepped out.

She was rocking a fancy custom dress with flawless makeup. She carried herself with that effortless elegance of someone from a wealthy family, moving around the office like she owned the place.

Arabelle finally figured out why her coworkers were giving her those sideways looks.

Everyone thought she was going to be the future wife of their boss.

But just like that, Benjamin got engaged, and her situation became awkward.

When Adelina spotted her, though, she didn't seem upset at all.

With a sweet smile on her face, she handed over an invitation to Arabelle and warmly invited her.

"Good morning, Ms. Greyle! Benjamin and I are having our engagement party in a week. I came here just to hand out invitations.

"You've worked with Benjamin the longest. We'd love for you to join us!"

Arabelle quickly put on a polite smile and took the invitation from Adelina with both hands.

"Congratulations to you, Ms. Shelton, and Mr. Chantler."

Adelina kept her smile as she leaned in a bit closer, lowering her voice to a whisper just for the two of them.

"I heard you thought you could marry into the Chantler family? How ridiculous.

"Benjamin was just using you to practice. Otherwise, how would he keep me happy after we're married?

"Open your eyes and see how big the gap is between us. Just give up on this silly dream already."

She maintained that smile throughout, acting all friendly. Anyone who didn't catch their chat would have thought they were just sharing some light gossip.

Arabelle stayed calm on the outside, but her fingers tightened around the invitation until her knuckles turned white.

She understood why Adelina was acting like this—who would want their husband's ex hanging around? Still, there was an uncomfortable knot tightening in her chest.

Arabelle pressed her lips together and decided to lower herself even more.

"Don't worry, Ms. Shelton. I know my place."

There was a cold edge behind Adelina's smile.

"I hope so. But honestly, I've never been one to bet on whether people know how to behave."

In the next moment, she grabbed Arabelle's hand and suddenly stumbled backward. Before Arabelle could react, Adelina fell straight to the floor.

After letting out a sharp cry of pain, she looked up at Arabelle with wide eyes.

"Ms. Greyle, I invited you to our engagement party. Why did you just push me down?"

The office door swung open, and Benjamin stepped out with long strides.

When he saw Adelina lying on the ground, he rushed over to help her up.

"Adelina, what happened?"

Adelina looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy. "I was just giving Ms. Greyle the invitation for our engagement party and asking if she could come. But out of nowhere, she got upset, pushed me away, and told me to leave."

Benjamin shot a glance at Arabelle, his eyes cold.

Arabelle frowned and quickly tried to explain, "I didn't..."

But Benjamin cut her off sharply.

Turning back to Adelina, he asked, "What kind of status does she even have? Is it really worth you coming all this way just to invite her?"

The room went silent. His harsh words hit Arabelle like a punch in the gut for a moment.

Adelina paused for a second but then quickly put on a smile and playfully whined at Benjamin.

"But she's your chief secretary! I just thought I'd help you keep talented people around."

Benjamin scooped her up into his arms and headed toward the office.

As he walked, he said with a bit of authority, "You're the future wife of this company's boss. No one's more important than you.

"Where did you twist your ankle? Let me take a look."

Arabelle stood there, frozen with a blank look on her face, watching them walk away.

Adelina was really rushing. She couldn't even wait for Arabelle to hand in her resignation letter. But honestly, with such clumsy acting, how could Benjamin not see through it?

Still, he chose to have her back.

They were all adults here. Fairness couldn't be obtained just by throwing fits or crying about it.

A heavy feeling settled in Arabelle's chest as she calmly pulled out her resignation letter.

Just when she was about to go in and ask Benjamin to sign it, he suddenly walked out.

He stood tall and straight, his clothes fluttering a bit as he moved. His long fingers tapped lightly on her desk, and he said bluntly, "Adelina doesn't want to see you. So just resign.

Benjamin's cold, hard gaze showed no emotion at all.

Arabelle's heart raced for a moment, and she tightened her grip on the resignation letter she'd prepared that morning.

After seven years of working hard at the Chantler Group, she never thought she'd be leaving like this in such a humiliating way.

A bitter smile crept onto her face as she nodded slowly.

"Alright."

Her calm acceptance with no tears and no shouting, sparked a surprising bit of annoyance in Benjamin's chest.

He frowned. "Just leave today. I'll have the finance team give you double what you're owed."

Arabelle smiled faintly. "Got it. Thanks, Mr. Chantler."

Benjamin turned and walked away without looking back.

Arabelle sat back down at her desk, ripped up the resignation letter she no longer needed, and submitted her resignation through the company system.

Maybe Benjamin had already given HR a heads-up. Her resignation got approved almost right away, and it was quickly sent over to Benjamin for his final confirmation.

Not long after that, a notification popped up on Arabelle's screen. "Your resignation application has been approved."

At the same time, a large sum of severance pay landed in her bank account.

She hurriedly packed up her stuff. As she walked out with her things in hand, she passed by Benjamin's office.

The door wasn't fully shut. There was just a little crack.

Through that gap, she spotted Benjamin inside, head down as he looked over some papers. Adelina was sitting next to him, enjoying a dessert.

She took a bite herself and then scooped another spoonful of dessert and offered it to Benjamin. "You've gotta try this. It's so good!"

Benjamin took a bite of the cake with the spoon that Adelina had used without hesitation. "It's pretty good."

Arabelle glanced at his face and gave a wry smile.

On her first day at work, she found out that Benjamin had two hard-and-fast rules.

First off, he was a germaphobe and never shared utensils with anyone.

At first, he wouldn't even kiss her in bed.

Their first kiss only happened because she was running a high fever. Her mind was all foggy from it, and when she talked to him, their lips accidentally brushed against each other. She went pale with shock, but he just leaned down casually and kissed her.

Back then, Arabelle thought she was special to him.

Secondly, he really didn't like sweet stuff.

After being with him for seven years, she had never seen him touch anything sugary. Even when she treated herself to some cakes now and then, he wouldn't even look at them.

She had memorized all his likes and dislikes. She filled up three thick notebooks with notes because she was scared that even the tiniest mistake would annoy him.

But it turned out her "secret rulebook" was just a big joke.

When he met the right person, he was willing to tolerate everything.

So, pulling out that heavy notebook, Arabelle let out a laugh at herself before tossing it in the trash without thinking twice and walked away.

Benjamin looked up from his papers. Through the crack in the door, he caught a quick glimpse of someone familiar rushing by, and for a moment, it threw him off.

When Arabelle got home, she told a few friends that she had decided to quit her job and head back to her hometown. They made plans to grab dinner the next day.

She thought she'd never see Benjamin again in her life. But surprisingly, as she followed the waiter toward their private room, she spotted someone familiar on the second floor out of the corner of her eye.

It was Benjamin and his friend leaning against the railing, smoking away.

With his back turned to her and a faint red glow from the cigarette between his fingers, there was an unexpected touch of loneliness about him.

Arabelle only stole a glance at him before looking down quickly, pretending not to notice him.

But then she heard Benjamin talking to someone else carried over by the wind.

She could make out his friend's voice asking, "Are you really thinking about marrying Adelina? Ms. Greyle has been around for so long. We all figured you'd end up with her."

Benjamin's tone was flat. "I never thought about it."

His friend chuckled and teased, "Well, aside from her family not being the best, Ms. Greyle is gorgeous, knows how to handle things, and has been totally devoted to you. After all this time, you've never felt anything for her?"

Benjamin went quiet for a couple of seconds. Then his cold, indifferent voice floated over to her on the breeze.

"How could I ever let myself catch feelings for a plaything?"

Arabelle froze. The blood drained from her face.

When she caught the waiter's curious gaze on her, she dug her nails into her palm and slowly followed along.

She ate without tasting a thing. Her friends were all college roommates who knew about her feelings for Benjamin over the years.

When they found out she was heading back home, they felt both happy for her and sorry for what she'd gone through. The group hugged each other tightly and cried together.

After the lively crowd thinned out, Arabelle watched as her friends got picked up one by one by their husbands or boyfriends. Once again, she was left all alone.

She tightened her grip on her bag strap and was about to head out when her phone suddenly rang.

Glancing at the screen, she saw it was Benjamin calling. She reached to hang up, but accidentally hit "answer" instead.

Frowning and ready to end the call right away, she heard a voice on the other end that she didn't recognize.

"Hi there, is this Ms. Arabelle Greyle?"

Arabelle paused for a second. "Yes, this is her."

The caller replied politely, "Ms. Greyle, Mr. Chantler has had too much to drink. Could you come pick him up? We're at..."

Benjamin was never the type to go overboard with drinking. Given his status, not many would even think about pushing him to drink more.

"So how did he end up drunk?"

Arabelle didn't really question why the waiter called her. She just replied in a distant voice, "Sorry, but I can't come right now. Please get in touch with his fiancée to pick him up."

As soon as she hung up, she heard the waiter on the other end gasp in shock.

"Mr. Chantler! Mr. Chantler, what's wrong? Mr. Chantler!"

The call ended abruptly.

Arabelle's expression changed instantly, and panic washed over her like a wave. Before she could fully wrap her head around what was going on, her body had already taken off toward the second floor.

She burst into the private room and shouted anxiously, "Benjamin!"

When the door to the private room swung open, Benjamin was slouched in his chair, looking all dark and moody. His right hand was covered in blood, bright red and shiny.

Broken glass was scattered all over the table and around his feet.

The waiter stood nearby, fidgeting with worry on his face.

But Benjamin seemed completely unfazed, like he wasn't even the one hurt.

When he heard her voice, he turned to look at her, his eyes deep and shadowy.

His voice came out rough, with a hint of something almost like grievance.

"Didn't you say you weren't coming?"

Arabelle let out a quiet sigh. "Let me take care of your wound first."

Benjamin didn't say yes or no.

He was acting a bit strange. As Arabelle got closer, she caught a strong smell of alcohol on him and figured he must have been pretty drunk.

He probably forgot that she wasn't his secretary anymore.

The waiter, looking relieved, quickly went to fetch the restaurant's first-aid kit.

Having been by Benjamin's side for years, Arabelle had made it a point to learn quite a bit about first aid for all sorts of unexpected situations, so she knew what she was doing.

She leaned in closer and when she saw his palm—a messy mix of blood and flesh—her brows knitted together instinctively.

"It might sting a little, just hang in there."

"Okay."

Arabelle carefully pulled out the pieces of glass stuck in his palm, put some medicine on the cut, and then, almost like she was calming a child, instinctively leaned down and blew gently on it.

The man sitting at the head of the table watched her gentle profile with focus, his throat gulped.

When she finished wrapping his hand neatly, she tied a small, careful bow to hold it all together.

She looked up at him with a smile. "Mr. Chantler, all done with the bandaging..."

But before she could finish her sentence, Benjamin suddenly reached out with his good hand, grabbed her jaw, and leaned down to kiss her.

His kiss was hot and intense, full of emotions that were hard to explain.

Arabelle's eyes went wide, and she stared at him in shock.

In the next second, she didn't think twice before shoving at his chest with both hands.

But it was her who ended up losing her balance and falling to the floor. Her gaze stayed locked on him, filled with panic.

"Benjamin..."

He looked down at her, his voice rough. "Arabelle, you know... you don't have to go."

A sudden sharp pain shot through her chest.

He had pushed her away just yesterday, and now he was saying she could stay?

Just a moment ago, he even told someone else that she was just a toy for him to play with.

She could see the desire in his eyes clearly, which only made this whole situation feel totally absurd and ridiculous.

"Benjamin, we're done. You said so yourself.

"If you keep hanging onto me like this... I might start thinking you've actually fallen for me."

Benjamin's pupils shrank suddenly, and the emotions in his eyes vanished right away, turning icy cold.

Out of nowhere, a phone rang.

Arabelle glanced over and saw Adelina's name pop up on the screen.

She raised her voice a bit. "Mr. Chantler, your fiancée is trying to reach you."

Benjamin looked down at the phone screen, his face going completely stone-cold.

"Get out."

Arabelle quickly got up from the floor and rushed out of the private room.

As soon as she stepped through the door, she heard what sounded like a phone being smashed behind her. She hesitated for just a moment but didn't look back and just kept walking straight ahead.

Outside the restaurant, she quickly flagged down a taxi and hopped in.

As the car pulled away, she caught sight of the driver's unsure glance in the rearview mirror.

Arabelle blankly pulled out a mirror and took a look at herself—only then did she notice that Benjamin's kiss had smudged her lipstick, leaving marks on the corners of her mouth. She looked completely disheveled.

In a daze, she remembered that one time when Benjamin hardly ever stayed over at her place.

The next morning, they got up together to head to work. Arabelle was huddled by the vanity, rushing through her makeup to save some time. It wasn't until she was almost done that she realized Benjamin had been standing right behind her without her even noticing.

Feeling playful, he picked out a tube of lipstick for her and gestured like he wanted to put it on for her.

Worried about being late, Arabelle didn't think twice. She pouted her lips and went along with him as he traced the shape of them.

With two fingers from one hand, he lifted her chin to get her to look up at him. With his other hand, he held the lipstick and carefully applied it to her lips.

Even after he was done putting on the lipstick, he didn't let go of her jaw.

A bit of confusion flickered in her eyes as she met his gaze. She noticed that his expression was serious and intense, and he was looking right at her.

"What's up? Is it not finished yet?"

As soon as she said that, he kissed her, cutting off any further words.

When Benjamin finally pulled back, the lipstick he'd just put on had smudged all over—messy but somehow still sweet and tempting.

Arabelle let out a quick gasp and rushed to fix her swollen lips.

In the same mirror, the guy who caused it all was grinning like he found it hilarious.

As he casually wiped away the red lipstick smudge from the corner of his mouth, he chuckled in a deep voice.

"Weren't you the one who made that pouty face first, asking for a kiss?"

When she finally snapped back to reality, Arabelle looked at her reflection in the mirror—tears were already streaming down her cheeks.

The next day, as soon as Arabelle woke up, she got a message from an old coworker.

"Arabelle, I found a necklace at your old desk. Do you still want it?"

Her colleague even sent a photo with the message.

Arabelle clicked on the picture and realized it was the birthday gift her mother had given her two years ago—a piece she had always loved.

She figured she must have left it behind in her rush to leave when she quit. So, she quickly made plans to meet her former coworker for lunch.

Arabelle got there early. She just arrived at the restaurant she used to go to during workdays and ordered some food when suddenly, out of nowhere, she spotted Adelina walking over from not too far away.

Gone was the sweet smile that Adelina usually wore. Instead, her face looked cold as she headed straight for Arabelle.

Arabelle couldn't help but frown. "You..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Adelina suddenly raised her hand and slapped Arabelle hard across the face.

Along with the slap, Adelina shouted at the top of her lungs, "You bitch! You've already been kicked out of the company. How dare you still try to steal my fiancé!"

The restaurant went completely silent in an instant, and everyone turned to stare at them in shock.

Arabelle was knocked sideways by the force of the slap. When she finally came back to reality, she realized that Adelina was just taking out her anger on her because of what had happened last night.

A sharp, stinging pain shot across her cheek. Around them, whispers quickly spread among the crowd.

"Is this a showdown with a home-wrecker? So dramatic!"

"Good for her! She's so pretty. Why would she want to be someone's mistress?"

"Aren't those Ms. Shelton from the Shelton family and Ms. Greyle, the ex-secretary? I heard Ms. Greyle was Mr. Chantler's girlfriend for years. Now that she's out of favor, the real girlfriend is coming after her. How sad!"

"Sad? What does she even have compared to Adelina? Does she really think she can compete with a Shelton heiress for a guy?"

Arabelle felt her whole body tremble as she locked eyes with Adelina, who looked ready to pounce. She bit down on her lip hard, bent down to grab her bag, and turned to walk away.

But Adelina wasn't having any of it. She looked super smug as she shot back with a cold warning.

"Arabelle, girls like you are everywhere. I could easily grab a bunch of you!

"Don't fool yourself into thinking you're special just because you've been with Benjamin for seven years! Back in the day, you'd just be another servant warming his feet!

"Let me give you a heads-up. Stay out of my way and Benjamin's. If not, I can make sure you're out of the Chantler Group in no time, and I'll also see to it that you can't stick around New York for even one more day!"

Arabelle's face went completely icy. She turned to look straight at Adelina.

"Ms. Shelton, don't worry about me. Benjamin and I haven't been tied together for ages now. I've already agreed to go back home for a blind date since my parents asked me to.

"Instead of coming here to throw threats at me, maybe focus on keeping your man in check and tell him to stop bothering me!"

She casually brought up her plan to leave, but when Adelina heard it, she totally misinterpreted it as Arabelle bragging about how Benjamin had reached out to her first.

Adelina's expression got even worse, a nasty look flashing across her face.

"Going back home for a blind date? Sounds more like you're heading back to pick up some tricks from your mom on how to snag guys!

"I heard your dad got into a car accident and now he can't use one of his legs. What a shame.

"How did your single mom manage to raise you? I bet she had to sell herself just to make ends meet.

"You grew up around that kind of stuff, which is why you think it's okay to go after someone else's fiancé. Like mother, like daughter!"

Adelina's voice was sharp and grating. Arabelle couldn't take it anymore.

"Shut up!"

She grabbed the coffee cup in front of her and splashed it right onto Adelina's face.

Coffee stains were all over Adelina, from her head to her toes. She looked at Arabelle in shock, yelled out loud, and shook with anger.

"Arabelle, how could you splash me like that? You're such a jerk. I won't let you get away with this!"

Arabelle's expression was icy and serious. "If you keep talking trash, I won't just splash you. I'll hit you too!"

Just as she finished saying that, Benjamin walked in through the restaurant door.

He took one look at what was happening inside and headed straight for them.

Adelina immediately started crying and complained to him. "Benjamin, I was just having a little chat with her when she threw coffee all over me."

Arabelle's face turned bright red with rage. "You were the one who insulted my family first—

Before she could finish her sentence, Benjamin grabbed a glass of iced water from a passing waiter.

With one quick motion, he poured the iced water right over Arabelle's head.

That cut off whatever else Arabelle wanted to say and completely snuffed out any last bit of affection she had for him in that moment.

The cold water dripped down from her hair and soaked into her clothes, making her shiver.

Her hair stuck to her face, and the wet fabric of her outfit showed the outline of her underwear. She looked like a total mess.

Benjamin stared into Arabelle's eyes, which were filled with tears but she was holding back how she really felt.

"Just apologize to Adelina."

That was always Benjamin's way.

He didn't care about what was right or wrong. He just wanted to protect whoever he chose.

After a moment of surprise, Adelina next to them quickly put on a smug look. She shot a challenging glare at Arabelle, waiting for an apology.

Arabelle spoke in a daze. "What if... I don't?"

Benjamin's face was cold and hard. "If you mess with my fiancée, I'll make sure you can never stay in New York again. And good luck trying to use that card of yours."

Arabelle let out a bitter laugh.

They all thought she was with him for the money. They figured she couldn't bear to leave behind the glitz of this big city and would hang on no matter how tough it got. But they had no clue that she stuck around here just because of him.

And about that money...

Her hands shook as she dug into her bag. She pulled out the card Benjamin had given her once and set it down on the table.

"Here's your money back.

"I'm not sticking around in New York anymore.

"Anyway, I'm heading back to my hometown soon for a blind date."

When Benjamin heard the words "blind date," his eyes widened in shock.

Arabelle turned around and started to walk away. But just a couple of steps in, everything went dark for her, and she stumbled forward, nearly falling over.

In her ears, she could faintly hear Benjamin's worried voice.

"Arabelle!"

When Arabelle came to again, she found herself in a hospital room.

Benjamin was sitting by her bedside, his gaze as deep and cold as an icy lake, filled with mixed emotions as he stared at her.

As soon as he noticed she was awake, he tossed a medical report right at her.

Arabelle picked up the report, feeling totally confused, but her face went pale as soon as she saw "6 weeks pregnant" printed on it.

Lately, she hadn't been hungry at all, and her period was late.

She thought it was just some hormonal stuff from stress and didn't really think much of it. Never in a million years did she imagine... that it would turn out to be a pregnancy.

Next to her, Benjamin's voice was icy and sarcastic, filled with anger like he felt tricked.

"Arabelle, I thought you were at least somewhat decent. I never expected you to be bolder than anyone else, keeping something this huge from me behind my back."

He leaned in closer to look at her, his sharp gaze putting a lot of pressure on her, and there was a smirk on his lips that dripped with sarcasm.

"Are you really going back for a blind date... or are you secretly planning to have my baby?"

Arabelle clutched the medical report in her hand, feeling completely helpless no matter what she said, "I just found out too..."

She went quiet as soon as those words slipped out.

The cold sarcasm in Benjamin's eyes made it clear. He didn't buy it.

He stood tall and looked down at her pale face, his presence looming over her.

"Arabelle, my child can only come from my wife.

"Any kid carried by another woman is just an unwanted mistake that shouldn't even be here.

"I've set up the abortion for tomorrow."

With that, he turned and walked out of the room without looking back.

She had never really had a choice.

Arabelle stared blankly at his disappearing figure, tears blurring her vision.

She curled up tight around herself and buried under the quilt, sobbing hard.

After Benjamin left, probably worried that she might try to escape, he had two bodyguards posted at the door.

When Arabelle followed the nurse for her pre-op checks, those bodyguards were right there with her every step of the way.

Arabelle stayed up all night.

The next day, while waiting for the abortion, she got a bunch of videos from Adelina on her phone.

Arabelle took a quick look and realized they were clips from Adelina and Benjamin's engagement ceremony.

Benjamin was in a black suit, looking tall and sharp, giving off a gentle and classy vibe.

A slight smile was on his face as he wrapped his arm around Adelina, accepting congratulations from guests one after another.

Adelina's face lit up with a big smile as she snuggled in his arms, stealing affectionate glances at him every now and then.

Just then, a young nurse knocked on the door to remind her.

"Ms. Greyle, it's almost time for your surgery."

Arabelle put down her phone and nodded slowly.

"Okay."

Not too far away in a fancy banquet hall, he was grinning like it was springtime while getting engaged to someone else. Meanwhile, she found herself in the cold, quiet hospital being led into the operating room.

With a heavy heart, she spread her legs and let the cold scalpel cut through the last connection they had left.

An hour later, Arabelle was rolled out of the operating room, her face as pale as a ghost.

She lightly touched her flat stomach. There was nothing there to feel, but it felt like something really painful, something that had sunk deep into her bones, was being ripped away from her.

Every breath she took sent a jolt of pain through her body.

Back in her ward, she changed into her own clothes and headed straight for the hospital exit.

The bodyguards raised their hands to stop her.

Arabelle said calmly, "Benjamin told you to keep an eye on me because he thought I might try to run away before the surgery. Now that your job is done, you can go back and report."

The two bodyguards exchanged glances and then called Benjamin. But it was Adelina who picked up the phone.

Her voice dripped with annoyance, "Why are you talking about her right now? This is so irritating, just let her go."

After leaving the hospital, Arabelle headed straight home.

She handed over the apartment to the buyer, grabbed her packed luggage from earlier that morning, and made a beeline for the airport.

Her old colleague, who had tricked her into going to that restaurant, sent an apologetic text.

"I'm really sorry. Adelina forced me into it."

Arabelle didn't hold it against her but chose not to reply. She just tapped to block and delete the contact.

She did the same for Adelina, who kept sending videos of the engagement ceremony just to get under her skin.

Finally, she blocked Benjamin too. Ever since she added him as a contact, she just couldn't bring herself to delete any of his messages, no matter how many times she switched phones.

As soon as the plane took off, Arabelle let a faint smile creep onto her face.

"Benjamin, you saved my dad's life, and now I've given one back to you. From here on out, I don't owe you anything.

"Goodbye... and hopefully, never again."