Love in the Depths of Time

The man I had loved for fifteen years stared at me with tear-filled eyes, his hands wrapped tightly around my throat.

Yet the one being choked was smiling, while the one doing the choking was sobbing uncontrollably.

When our daughter lay clinging to life in the hospital, he was with another girl.

I would leave him with a lifetime of regret, but I would never give him a chance to turn back.

That was my cruelest revenge.

1

Coco was sick. I held her in my arms as we sat in the waiting area, and she wouldn't stop crying.

Her wails drew annoyed glances from the people around us.

Tears streaming down my face, I dialed Adrian's number over and over. No one answered.

After what felt like the hundredth try, the call finally went through.

I couldn't hold it together anymore. I broke down sobbing. "Coco's sick again..."

Adrian's gentle voice came through the receiver. "Evie, don't cry. Where's the nanny?"

"She's registering at the counter. Adrian, please come quickly..."

"Alright, alright, don't panic. I'll be right there!"

He arrived quickly—just over half an hour later.

While we waited for Coco to come out of the examination room, he kept his arms around me, trying to comfort me.

But I caught a faint trace of perfume on him.

And he was wearing a different jacket.

2

Adrian and I had been together for fifteen years, married for five.

We met when we were young. Back then, he was a reckless troublemaker who smoked, drank, and got into fights.

But when love first blossomed, he gave everything he had in the final two months before the college entrance exams—just so he could barely scrape into the same university as me.

To our classmates, we were a match made in heaven.

After graduation, he survived on plain bread and water for years just to meet my father's demands so he could marry me.

When we finally tied the knot, I believed happiness would last forever.

That beautiful dream lasted for years. Now, it was shattered.

Our daughter Coco was born prematurely and had always been frail and sickly. I had been struggling with postpartum depression ever since.

Adrian was still good to me, but I could clearly feel him coming home less and less.

3

That night, after we got home, he told me to rest while he took care of Coco. He left his phone on the table.

I had always hated snooping through other people's privacy, and he had always trusted me.

But this time, I decided I wouldn't respect that trust. I unlocked his phone easily—my birthday was still the password.

One message stood out: "Professor Adrian, I had a great time today. See you tomorrow." The profile picture was a young girl.

A wave of nausea hit me. I rushed to the bathroom and threw up for a long time. Adrian heard the commotion and came over, rubbing my back and asking what was wrong.

I casually pushed his hand away and smiled. "Nothing."

That night, Adrian came home earlier than he had in a long time. Usually, he wouldn't be back until around ten.

He told me he had taken on a new research project.

After washing up, we lay in bed. He wrapped his arms around me from behind, his warm breath on the back of my neck. He called my name. "Evie..."

It had been a long time since we'd been intimate. Before, I was too emotionally unstable, and he hadn't been in the mood either. I didn't know what had gotten into him tonight.

His kisses were urgent, almost frantic. He asked, "You'll always stay with me, won't you?"

I didn't want to answer. He grew more insistent. When it started to hurt, I shoved him away.

"Get off me! Just get off!"

He was startled by my red-rimmed eyes. "Okay, okay, I won't touch you. Just don't hurt yourself!"

When we lay down again, he hesitated for a long time before draping his arm over my waist. "Evie, I feel like things aren't the same between us anymore."

I pretended to be asleep. He fell silent too.

In the darkness, I kept my eyes wide open. Tears flowed from one eye to the other before finally sliding onto the pillow.

I didn't know how the love of our youth had come to this. I only knew I was losing Adrian.

4

I had always been stubborn. All my tears were shed in the dead of night.

The next day, I acted as if nothing had happened. I even tied Adrian's tie for him before he left for work.

He looked at me with surprise and joy. "Evie... you're in a good mood today?"

I smiled and nodded. "Go to work."

At noon, I had the nanny pack a lunch, and I drove to Adrian's university.

He was a professor there. By the time I reached the faculty lounge, he had just finished his class.

I stood by the window and watched him walk toward me, side by side with a girl. She looked familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd seen her before.

I pushed open the door. Adrian froze for a moment when he saw me, then quickened his pace to put some distance between himself and the girl.

"Evie, what are you doing here?"

"I brought you lunch. I haven't been here since Coco was born."

The girl smiled sweetly. "Professor Adrian, Mrs. Evelyn, I'll leave you two alone."

Adrian looked flustered. "Evie, she's my student."

I nodded. "I know. Eat your lunch. I made it myself."

5

When I left, I told him not to bother seeing me out. I walked alone along the tree-lined path on campus and sat down on a bench.

A little while later, the girl appeared.

She smiled sweetly. "Mrs. Evelyn, my name is Jessica. I'd love to add you on social media. I feel a connection with you—please don't tell Professor Adrian, though. He's very strict."

Jessica... so that's how it was.

I agreed. Of course, I didn't tell her my name. I just said my surname was Jiang.

After we added each other, she left. I watched her youthful back as she walked away. She wasn't lying—we really did have a connection.

She looked like someone from the past. A younger version of me.

So Adrian hadn't stopped loving me. He just loved the person I used to be.

And I couldn't wait to see the look on Jessica's face when she found out.

6

After that, Jessica kept messaging me. She even said she thought of me as an older sister.

She told me she was in a relationship—not with someone from school, but with a man eight years older than her.

Perfect. Adrian was thirty this year, and she was twenty-two. How wonderful.

I ignored the growing ache in my heart and typed out a message with a smile. "I'm happy for you, Jessica."

At the same time, Adrian was coming home later and later.

When Coco got sick, I no longer called him crying. I held her in my arms alone, registered at the hospital, waited through the IV drip, and bought the medicine by myself.

He would always hold me with a guilty look and say, "I'm sorry, Evie. I've been so busy."

I could smell the perfume on his clothes, but I said nothing. That perfume was one I had given to Jessica—cost over a thousand dollars, paid for with the money Adrian gave me.

7

One day, Coco got sick again. This time, it was worse than ever. On the way to the hospital, she kept coughing up blood.

Her tiny face was as pale as paper. Even the nanny was terrified.

"Should we call your husband back?"

I dialed his number, but it just kept ringing until it automatically disconnected.

I didn't have time to waste on him. I sent a text: "Adrian, Coco is very sick. We're at the City Children's Hospital."

On the other end, Adrian and Jessica were in a hotel room. Adrian was in the shower, and Jessica was sitting on the bed waiting for him.

When the screen lit up, she saw the name on the notification: "Evie."

She instinctively muted the sound. Evie? Who was Evie? Besides his wife, who else would he have such an affectionate nickname for?

Even she, Jessica, was saved under his full, formal name: He Jia.

Jealousy surged through her. That stupid woman—how dare she have a name that sounded like hers?

The call rang again and automatically disconnected. She flipped the silent switch on the side of his phone.

Then a text message came in. She hesitated. She knew Coco was Professor Adrian's daughter.

Her heart pounded. In the end, she deleted the message and placed the phone face-down on the table.

Then she went back to scrolling through her own phone as if nothing had happened.

The nanny called several more times, but no one answered. She put the phone down, her face helpless.

I shook my head weakly. "He's too busy. Even if he came back now, it would be too late. I can handle it alone."

But this time, it wasn't a false alarm like before.

When I got out of the car and carried Coco into the emergency room, she was unusually quiet. But the blood at the corner of her mouth was flowing more and more.

I couldn't hold back anymore. I sobbed as I begged her. "Sweetheart, just hold on a little longer. Don't scare Mommy. Daddy said he'd have dinner with us tonight. You have to wait for him."

Coco finally spoke. "Mommy, I miss Daddy."

The tears burst forth. I didn't care about pride or revenge anymore. I just wanted Adrian to be here, right in front of Coco.

But the phone just kept ringing. I didn't know what Adrian was doing. I had already drifted so far from his life.

Coco's breathing grew weaker. Her lips were still moving. I leaned down to listen.

She was saying, "Mommy, Daddy, Daddy, Mommy, Daddy, Daddy..."

Once for Mommy, twice for Daddy. Then softer and softer, until there was nothing.

Faster... run faster... Coco could still be saved.

My vision blurred with tears. I stumbled and fell hard, scraping my arm against the ground. A sharp pain shot through me.

But I just held Coco's little body tighter, afraid of hurting her. The nanny quickly helped me up and tried to take Coco from my arms.

But when she saw Coco's face, she stopped. "Evie... Coco is..."

Just then, the doctor arrived with a stretcher. I quickly lifted Coco up and handed her over.

The doctor took one look at her, and his face turned grim. He felt her heart, then shook his head at me.

His mouth moved, explaining something, but I didn't hear a word.

A nurse reached out to take the child, but I suddenly pulled Coco back into my arms. "Coco, open your eyes and look at Mommy. Daddy... Daddy is here. Don't you want to see him?"

But Coco never answered me. I held her small, rapidly cooling body and finally broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

The doctors and nurses tried to pull me away, telling me to accept it. But I just sat on the floor, clutching Coco, refusing to move.

Even I could hear my own piercing cries. I never knew my voice could sound so shrill, so ugly.

8

When I woke up again, Adrian was sitting by the bed. He looked exhausted. "Coco was so sick this time. Why didn't you call me?"

I heard myself say, "You're very busy, aren't you? Check your phone. See how many missed calls you have."

Adrian froze. He had rushed over after getting a call from the hospital. He hadn't looked at his phone. But he hadn't received any calls...

Then something dawned on him, and his face turned awful.

I smiled bitterly. He thought I knew something. He panicked and tried to hug me.

The emotions erupted suddenly and violently. I shoved him away hysterically, screaming at him.

He grabbed me, panicked. "Evie, are you feeling unwell again? Medicine. Where's the medicine?"

He let go of me and started frantically rummaging through the drawers, trying to find the pills that could calm me down.

I was like a madwoman. But the words to expose him were stuck in my throat. No, I couldn't say it. Not yet. I had to make him pay a bigger price.

Gradually, I calmed down. I leaned against his back and wrapped my arms around him tightly. "Adrian."

I could feel him relax. The tension in his spine melted away.

So... I had become someone who scared him?

Adrian turned around and hugged me. "Evie, don't be sad. Take care of yourself. We can have another child. Coco was in pain. Maybe this is for the best."

The doctor said my condition had worsened. I might have suicidal tendencies. They wanted me to be hospitalized.

He was overthinking it. Why would I kill myself? I still had so much to do.

That night, Adrian stayed in the hospital with me. After he fell asleep, I picked up his phone from the nightstand.

Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a glow on Adrian's handsome face. But he felt like a stranger to me.

I unlocked his phone easily and went to his messages. But I couldn't find the text I had sent him.

I froze. Deleted? Who deleted it?

Then a new message appeared. "Heart's Delight Hotel, Room 607." The same familiar profile picture. Everything was becoming clear.

I quietly put the phone back and lay down. I stared at Adrian's face until I couldn't breathe. Then I turned my back to him.

Just wait. I would make them both pay.

A few days later, Coco was buried. In that moment, I entered a strange state of mind.

The heartbreak from the past few days was gone. Maybe I had buried it deep inside.

I would use everything I had to weave a cage for him. One he would never escape.

9

The next day, I logged onto a forum and spent the whole day searching until I found a hacker. "I need the surveillance footage from Heart's Delight Hotel, Room 607."

He said they only had footage from the hallway. I hesitated, then agreed.

Once the job was confirmed, I generously transferred fifty thousand yuan to him. Using Adrian's money, of course.

The next day, I got the footage. The guy was reliable. He gave me the full twenty-four-hour recording.

I found the projector we used to use when we were dating. I set everything up and sat on the bed.

I started watching from the time Adrian got off work, my eyes fixed on the door. Soon, Adrian appeared in the footage and entered Room 607.

In a fleeting glimpse, I saw a girl with fair skin.

The door closed. I couldn't see anything else. But I stayed there, staring at that closed door.

I counted down in my head, as if pronouncing my own death sentence. When it was time for me to take Coco to the hospital, I had called Adrian countless times and sent him that one text.

The door remained shut. I watched it in silence for a long, long time. I didn't know if my legs had gone numb or if my blood had stopped flowing.

After more than an hour, the door finally opened. Adrian burst out, his clothes slightly disheveled, his face grim. He disappeared from the frame.

That must have been when he got the call from the hospital.

Half an hour later, a girl left the room. Even with the blurry footage, I could tell it was Jessica.

I silently packed up the projector and hid the footage away. I would use it later.

But before that, I needed to hide myself too.

Just as he wanted, I became more cheerful. Everyone thought my depression was getting better. Even Adrian thought so.

He started coming home more often. Slowly, things went back to how they used to be.

But only I knew that with Coco gone, my last hope was gone too.

My heart was slowly rotting, emitting a stench only I could smell.

Adrian and I could never go back.

First love, hand in hand, passion, having a child—all of it was gone.

10

Lately, Jessica kept telling me that her boyfriend was getting colder and colder. She asked me if all men changed.

My heart ached until it twisted. But I just comforted her. "How could he? He must be very busy. You need to give him some trust."

Jessica would always laugh happily and say, "Sister Jiang, I like you so much. You always know exactly what to say."

Then I would show her pictures of my happy life with Adrian. And she would stop smiling.

Her face would twist slightly. "Sister Jiang, stop showing off your perfect marriage."

I smiled faintly. "I'm not showing off. This is just my everyday life."

Her face twisted even more, but she forced herself to hold it together.

Our relationship was getting better and better. I was genuinely curious—how did she do it?

Sleeping with my husband while calling me her sister.

Wasn't she afraid of having a mental breakdown?

Maybe she wasn't. But I knew I was close.

11

During the day, I acted like nothing was wrong. At night, I didn't like to close the curtains.

After Adrian fell asleep, I would stare out the window. We lived on the sixteenth floor. If I jumped, all this absurd madness would end.

But I quickly dismissed the thought.

It was too high. I would be a bloody mess. That would be too ugly. If Adrian saw that, he might just marry Jessica on the spot.

Then I would have died for nothing. I might even come back to life from sheer anger.

No, that wouldn't do. Adrian was too heartless. He would forget about me and Coco quickly.

I wanted him to remember me forever. To live in guilt for the rest of his life.

And I wanted Jessica to get what she deserved. She knew she was the other woman, yet she flaunted it in front of me. That wouldn't do.

Soon, the opportunity came.

12

One morning, Adrian wrapped his arms around me from behind. I held back the urge to push him away, waiting to hear what he had to say.

"Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary. Let's celebrate properly."

I was stunned for a moment. We hadn't celebrated that day since Coco was born.

When I came to my senses, I refused. "Coco just passed away. I don't want to."

Adrian frowned slightly. "Why do you keep bringing up Coco?"

I couldn't hold back. "Why can't I mention her? Isn't she your daughter?"

The atmosphere turned tense. Adrian was silent for a moment, then relented. "Fine. We won't celebrate. But I took the day off from the lab. I'll stay with you the whole day."

If this had been the old me, I would have been overjoyed.

Now, I just thought, *This is my chance.* Our anniversary fell on Valentine's Day.

After Adrian left, I opened my phone and messaged Jessica. "How are things with your boyfriend?"

She said he refused to see her.

I gave her some advice. "You know, I have depression. Whenever my husband doesn't come home, I threaten to kill myself, and he always comes running back. You could try that. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Let me recommend a place—the couple's suite at Heart's Delight Hotel. It's very romantic. My husband and I used to go there all the time. Maybe in that kind of atmosphere, he'll change his mind."

I knew the first part didn't matter. What mattered was that I mentioned the hotel Adrian and I used to go to.

Knowing Jessica's personality, she wouldn't miss the chance to humiliate me. Sleeping with my husband at our old haunt. How delightful.

Sure enough, Jessica sent me a set of pictures. She said she had booked the couple's suite. I opened them—it was indeed the same hotel.

Roses, balloons, red wine. It was incredibly romantic. But my attention was fixed on one particular picture.

In the background, the door was visible. The room number was clearly marked: 1024.

I laughed until tears streamed down my face. Fifteen years together, five years of marriage.

And it was all taken away so easily by a girl with cheap tricks and a tantrum.

This morning, he said he would stay with me all day. Tonight, he would go to another girl.

I thought back to when we were young, when he loved me so much he would do anything. It felt like a lifetime ago.

I used to think our love story was like a romance novel. Now I knew that the real ending was this.

13

I wiped away my tears and was about to contact the hacker again when my phone buzzed.

It was a message from the forum. It was the hacker I had dealt with before. He said, "Sister, since you were so generous, let me give you a little bonus. I hacked into the hotel system. The woman who booked the room last time has booked another one for tomorrow. Room 1024. Go catch them in the act."

See? Even a stranger on the internet could take pity on me.

But the man I had loved for fifteen years chose to hurt me in the most disgusting way possible.

I didn't want to catch them in the act. I didn't want to tear apart every shred of dignity and pride, trample on the love of our youth, and let strangers gawk at it.

It was too humiliating. I preferred another way—to crush Adrian under my heel.

I typed out a message, one word at a time. "I want the surveillance footage from inside the room. I'll pay you a hundred thousand. Use whatever method you need."

I didn't know if it was the money or pity, but after a moment's silence, he accepted the deal—one that sounded a bit crazy and a bit illegal.

A string of numbers appeared. "Send the money to this card. I'll get it done. I'll stream it live to you."

14

The next morning, Adrian received a call. He frowned throughout.

After hanging up, he said to me, "Evie, I'm sorry. There's a problem with some experimental data. It's serious—it affects months of work for me and the whole lab. I have to go. I might not be able to spend our anniversary with you today. I'll try to come back early tonight."

I pretended not to care. "It's fine. I understand. Work comes first."

He kept hugging me and apologizing. I knew he might genuinely want to make things right. But I didn't want to give him the chance.

After he left, Jessica messaged me. She said her boyfriend had agreed to meet and talk things through.

She said my advice worked. "He really does care about me. I told him the room number and said if he didn't come, he'd find my body tomorrow. He panicked and agreed."

I congratulated her. How naive. Did she really think Adrian cared about her? A man like him only cared about himself.

He was probably afraid she would expose their dirty secret and ruin his career.

I had just opened my laptop when a message came in from the young hacker.

"Sis, it's done. A pinhole camera right across from the bed. High-definition, uncensored. Send this out, and those two scumbags will be ruined!"

I couldn't help but smile. This guy was kind of cute. And he had a strong sense of justice.

The gloom lifted a little. "Thank you."

Under his remote control, the camera connected to my laptop. After a moment of black screen, the picture appeared.

It was the couple's suite from Jessica's photos. Through the frosted glass of the bathroom, I could see a silhouette.

After a while, Jessica came out. She looked beautiful, fresh as a lotus.

But her heart was filthy. It didn't deserve such a pretty face.

She sat on the bed, facing the camera, typing on her phone. From her happy expression, I could tell she was texting Adrian.

A little while later, I calculated the time it would take to get from our house to the hotel. He should be there by now.

Sure enough, there was a knock on the door. Jessica flew to open it like a happy little bird and threw her arms around Adrian.

He pushed her away, his face dark. "What are you doing? Do you really think threatening to kill yourself will make me stay with you?"

I didn't expect Jessica to start crying. She looked awful. "But I love you, Professor Adrian. I love you. You can't abandon me."

I couldn't believe it. Was she actually in love with him? I thought she just enjoyed showing off in front of me.

Adrian said, "That doesn't matter. He Jia, I don't love you. I love my wife. Do you understand?"

"Then why did you come to me?! If you love her, why did you come to me!"

Seeming to realize she was too emotional, Jessica lowered her voice. "Professor Adrian... why don't you call me Jiajia anymore..."

Adrian paused. I had a bad feeling. Was he about to mention the name similarity?

No, he couldn't. If Jessica got angry and stopped纠缠ing him, what would I do?

If they didn't sleep together, how could I get the most damning evidence and destroy Adrian?

But there was nothing I could do from here. Adrian spoke. "You know... my wife's name is Evie."

Jessica's face turned pale. Adrian seemed determined to end things. He continued, "You've met her. Don't you think you look alike?"

Jessica couldn't deny it anymore. She was furious. "How dare she compare to me! I'm younger and prettier! If anything, she looks like me! Professor Adrian, please, don't break up with me. I really love you. I can't lose you."

Adrian pushed her away. "You're not worthy of comparing yourself to her. When she was your age, she was a thousand times more beautiful than you. But later... maybe she got tired, maybe she got old. I slowly stopped feeling my love for her. After she gave birth to our daughter, she got postpartum depression, and I lost all desire to love her."

As he said this, he looked dazed. I felt sick. Was he reminiscing about our past? But he was the one who had shattered it.

"And now you can love her again?"

"Yes. She lost our daughter. She's fragile. She needs me now. And she's getting better."

Jessica let out a cold laugh. "Your love is so cheap. Do you think Evie would want your love?"

Adrian's face changed. "What do you mean? Did you go to her?"

Jessica's smile vanished. "It doesn't matter. Spend the day with me, and I'll let you go. Otherwise..."

She didn't finish the sentence, but they both understood. She wrapped her arms around him and started kissing his cheek.

Adrian stood stiffly for a moment, then slowly softened.

I sat in front of my laptop, expressionless, watching the two of them on the bed. I watched Adrian's sweaty face.

I remembered how that face, that person, used to be on top of me.

My stomach suddenly cramped. I fought back the nausea and forced myself to keep watching.

I don't know how long it lasted, but eventually, it was over. Adrian pulled himself out of the haze of desire and remembered it was our anniversary. He showered quickly and left.

The footage was crystal clear, capturing everything. I saved it and put it away.

I carefully selected a few screenshots—from the moment they embraced at the door to the moment they were in bed. I saved them in a separate file and sent them to the administration at Adrian's university.

Then I went out. That morning, the bellflowers I had been growing for years had died. I wanted to buy new ones.

It was strange. When I first started growing them, Adrian said the flower language was unlucky and didn't want me to. I had no experience, but they thrived.

Later, I became more experienced, and Adrian stopped caring. But then they died.

I spent a long time at a flower shop before I found the perfect ones. Then I spent even longer finding a small shop that sold pesticides.

Maybe I hadn't taken good care of them before. That's why they died. This time, I would use the strongest herbicide. Maybe then they would live a long, long time.

When I got home, Adrian was already there.

He rushed over when he saw me. "Where did you go?"

I said calmly, "My flowers died. I went to buy new ones."

I walked straight to the balcony, threw the dead flowers into the trash without a second glance, and spent a while planting the new ones.

Adrian followed me closely. "I told you those flowers were unlucky. You insisted on growing them."

I nodded. "They are unlucky. But I like them."

I stood up and pushed him away. "Don't stand so close to me. It's disgusting."

Adrian froze. "You... what did you say?"

I smiled. "Nothing. You just smell like cigarettes. I don't like it."

He relaxed. Just then, his phone rang. He answered, looking confused. "Principal? I don't have class today. And it's my wedding anniversary. Can we do this another day?"

The person on the other end said something, and Adrian reluctantly hung up. He said to me, "Evie, the principal insists I come to the school right away. I need to see what's going on. There's been so much happening today. I'm sorry I couldn't be with you. I'll make it up to you."

I nodded. "Go ahead. It must be important."

Of course it was important. The principal must be furious that his most promising student had such a serious moral failing.

After Adrian left, I changed my clothes and grabbed my laptop.

I walked out the door and realized I couldn't drive. I hailed a taxi. "Driver, take me to X University."

When I arrived, the security guard stopped me at the gate.

I smiled. "Don't you remember me? I'm Professor Adrian's wife. He left his laptop at home. There are important files on it. He asked me to bring it to him."

The guard recognized Adrian. "Oh, Professor Adrian! He just went in. Working on Valentine's Day, huh? Dedicated. Go on in."

He let me through. But I wasn't delivering files. I was delivering a video that would destroy his career and reputation.

But once inside, I didn't know where to find them. I stopped a passing student and asked.

They told me where the principal's office was and even offered to walk me there.

The campus was too big, and I was afraid of getting lost, so I agreed.

When we arrived, the student left. Just then, I heard a loud bang from inside the office, followed by muffled voices.

I straightened my clothes, took a deep breath, and knocked.

A voice boomed from inside. "Who is it? I'm busy! Make an appointment!"

I said calmly, "I'm Adrian's wife."

There was a moment of silence. Then the door opened. It was Adrian.

His face was full of panic. "Evie, what are you doing here?"

I pushed past him and walked straight up to the principal. I opened my laptop and turned it toward him.

"I sent the anonymous document. This is a video of Adrian and his student, He Jia, having an affair."

Adrian couldn't believe it. He grabbed my shoulders. "Evie, what are you saying?"

I shook him off and pushed him toward the principal so he could see the screen. "Take a look."

Both of them stared at the screen. I had chosen the thumbnail carefully.

It showed Adrian and He Jia in the throes of passion, their faces clearly visible.

Adrian recognized the hotel room from that morning. He stood there, stunned.

He looked up at me. "Evie... you knew? No... I mean, when did you find out?"

"Before Coco died."

"That long ago..." he murmured. Then he grabbed my shoulders tightly.

"Evie, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. She threatened to kill herself. I went there today to end it. Can you forgive me? Please don't be mad."

I looked at him strangely. Wasn't he worried about his career? Why was he begging for my forgiveness? Had the shock driven him crazy?

Adrian's face was full of panic. He kept apologizing, even crying.

The principal couldn't take it anymore. He shouted, "Enough! Stop making a fool of yourself! If you did it, own up to it!"

Then he turned to me. "Hello, this is a serious ethical violation. Our university will take this very seriously. What are your demands?"

Adrian acted as if he hadn't heard. He kept apologizing. I didn't even look at him. I said, word by word, "By the end of today, Adrian must be fired, and He Jia must be expelled. If either of those things doesn't happen, this video will end up on the internet. I'm sure you don't want to see your university's century-old reputation destroyed overnight."

Then I pushed Adrian aside and walked away.

Adrian tried to follow me, but his mentor's voice stopped him cold. "Stand right there!"

I walked faster and faster. The wind rushed past my ears. I felt like I was leaving everything behind.

I don't know how I made it out of the school gates. I don't know how I got home. I just remember the students staring at me strangely, and the taxi driver glancing at me in the rearview mirror.

When I finally got home and sat down on the sofa, it felt like my soul had returned to my body.

Only then did I realize I had been crying. My face had been washed by tears and dried by the wind. Now it was dry and itchy.

I rushed to the bathroom and saw myself in the mirror. I looked terrible. My eyes were red, and my face was covered in tear stains.

I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on my face until I calmed down.

I looked too ugly. I couldn't face Adrian like this. I went back to my room, sat down at the vanity, and carefully put on makeup.

When I looked in the mirror and saw myself looking normal again, I let out a sigh of relief.

This last meeting should be dignified.

I guessed Adrian would be home soon. I leisurely cooked a meal, set it on the table, and kept it warm.

Then I went to water the flowers. I used paraquat. The smell was really strong. I endured it and finished watering.

Then I made myself a cup of my favorite coffee. That way, the poison wouldn't taste so bitter.

When I was done, I sat quietly on the sofa and played with my phone. Outside, it was getting dark.

I was satisfied to see that X University had issued a notice. A professor named Adrian and a student named He Jia had been dismissed for bribery and corruption.

X University was a prestigious national institution. The notice spread quickly. Within minutes, there were hundreds of comments.

Netizens were discussing it heatedly. Some said the two of them being fired together couldn't be a coincidence. Maybe they were having an affair.

Many agreed. Given the buzz, the two of them would be the talk of the town for a while.

They had been fired, not just expelled. He Jia's academic career was over. Adrian could never go back to teaching. He would never be a respected professor again.

I was satisfied. Just then, a message came in. It was from He Jia. She said, "Evelyn, you're ruthless!"

I typed back slowly. "Right back at you."

Then I saw a red exclamation mark. She had blocked me.

I sighed. Young people. So impatient.

A little while later, I heard the sound of the fingerprint lock on the door. I picked up the cup of coffee that had gone cold and took a sip. It was very bitter.

Then I relaxed against the back of the sofa and quietly felt the liquid flow down my throat and into my stomach.

The door opened. Adrian came in, looking exhausted. He was much calmer now. He sat down beside me.

"I'm sorry."

"Okay. I accept."

He seemed surprised by my response. He stared at me for a moment.

"You lost your career. He Jia lost her education. That's enough to make up for what you did. I'm satisfied. So I accept."

He turned to look at me, his eyes burning. "I wronged you. You can punish me however you want. I deserve it. I just want a chance to make it up to you. I..."

I interrupted him. "You've said so much. But have you thought about this? Before Coco died, she kept calling for her daddy."

I pulled out my phone and showed him the text message. "Did you know He Jia deleted this? Did you know she was the reason Coco never got to see you one last time?"

He was stunned. He was silent for a moment. Then he said, "I'm sorry."

"I never really liked Coco. I felt like she was the one who turned you into this. I was so tired during that time. You were so emotional after you got pregnant. I didn't know how to handle it. I thought things would get better after you gave birth. But they didn't. They got worse. You felt more and more like a stranger. I didn't know how to love you or Coco anymore."

I started crying again. "Adrian, is that your excuse for cheating? Do you remember when you proposed? You said you would love me forever.

"Do you know what I was thinking when I sat