I Begged Her to Live, But She Chose Goodbye

Five years after the divorce, Sadie Ross ran into her ex husband at the hospital. The hallway was packed. Footsteps echoed everywhere, mixed with overlapping conversations and ringing phones. The noise was almost overwhelming. Ethan Gordon stepped out of his office in a white coat, his expression cold and unreadable. He was walking fast and didn't notice Sadie standing ahead of him before he slammed right into her. The medicine boxes in her arms scattered across the floor instantly, rolling in every direction. "Sorry," Sadie said coolly, though there was a trace of irritation beneath her calm tone. "I walked into the wrong department." Ethan frowned as his gaze swept over the pills on the ground. A second later, realization flickered across his face. "So now you buy birth control pills yourself?" he said lazily. "Funny. Back then, in bed, you were strict as hell with me. No condoms, no touching you. Those were your rules." As he spoke, he crouched down and quickly picked up every box, stuffing them back into the bag. Sadie reached out to take it, but Ethan didn't let go. She froze for a second before slowly lifting her head, meeting his unreadable eyes. "Sadie," he said quietly, staring at her face. "Didn't think you'd still be this good at hiding after all these years." A faint smile tugged at her lips. "Thanks to you, Mr. Gordon, not a single company in West City would hire me. The tiny places willing to take me probably aren't worth your attention anyway." Ethan's gaze swept over her openly from head to toe. A mocking look crept into his eyes. "I thought you were so desperate to divorce me because you found someone better. Guess your new guy isn't exactly impressive either." Through Ethan's eyes, Sadie could clearly see how awful she looked now. Her face was pale. Her body was frighteningly thin. The plain clothes hanging off her only made her look more exhausted and fragile. Nothing about her resembled the untouchable rich girl she used to be. A dull ache spread through her chest. Sadie didn't want to stay another second. Tightening her grip slightly, she tried to pull the medicine bag back, but Ethan acted like he didn't notice. His fingers remained locked around it. Annoyance slowly rose inside her. "What kind of life I live has nothing to do with you," she said coldly. "We're divorced, remember?" The words seemed to snap Ethan back to reality. His body stiffened, and he suddenly let go. Sadie had already been pulling hard, so the sudden release threw her off balance. She stumbled backward and crashed hard onto the cold floor. Ethan instinctively stepped forward, his hand already reaching toward her. But halfway there, he stopped. After a long pause, Ethan slowly pulled his hand back. "I already investigated what happened back then," he said at last. "I won't target you anymore." He hesitated briefly before adding in a more complicated tone, "Where's your husband? Why didn't he come with you?" Sadie felt nothing hearing that. She was no longer the woman who would break down because of his distrust. Biting her lip, Sadie braced herself against the floor and slowly stood up. After dusting herself off, she said nothing. She didn't even look at Ethan again before turning and walking away. Inside the taxi, Sadie stared quietly at her weak, trembling hands, bitterness filling her chest. No one would ever guess these hands once held a gun steady enough to hit every target dead center. Just like no one would've guessed that the battered street punk she once saved in an alley had become one of the most powerful men in West City. Back then, Ethan always carried this coldness that kept everyone at arm's length. He barely even showed warmth to his own younger sister, Nia Gordon. But Sadie was different. Whenever she got close to him, the tips of his ears would turn red. He'd get awkward, flustered, completely unable to act normal. Ethan always put her first. He remembered every single thing she liked and hated. He spoke to her with a gentleness he showed no one else. All his favoritism, all his softness, belonged to her alone. Back then, Sadie truly believed she was his exception. The taxi slowly came to a stop at a quiet cemetery. Her fallen teammates were buried here, the comrades who had fought beside her and never made it home. After paying her respects, Sadie walked over to the cemetery manager and calmly asked, "When I die, can I be buried beside them?" After receiving a positive answer, she finally felt a small sense of relief. Sadie owed those teammates far too much. She had no way to repay them in this life. All she could do was hope that if there was a next life, she'd have the chance to make it right.