Rejected by Her Husband, Worshipped by a Billionaire Ex

Maureen walked slowly down the hallway of the hotel that had been decked out in lights. Tonight was supposed to be a happy night. She had prepared everything from the gift to Lucas's favorite cake to the little surprise she couldn't wait to show him. She smiled as she touched the ballroom door handle. The pregnancy test in her left hand trembles slightly, the small box containing the car keys for Lucas clutched tightly in her right hand. Tonight, she wanted to tell him everything, on her husband's birthday. About the happiness growing in her belly. About the love she's been holding on to. But her steps stopped. The door had not yet opened fully, and from the narrow gap, voices struck her ears cruelly. “Didn't you invite your wife, Lucas?” asked someone inside, a male voice that was none other than a friend of her husband. “Don't bring her up. I don't even want her to come,” said Lucas, her husband. A voice Maureen knew well. The voice that had made her feel safe and comfortable. The voice that now pierced her mercilessly. Her chest began to tighten. But she remained silent, like someone being slowly dragged to the brink. “In that case, why don't you just divorce him? You don't love her anymore, do you? Poor Evelyn, constantly hiding because of you. You guys love, but even pretend. Already, just let go of your wife,” continued the man. “He's right, Lucas. I can't go on like this, I need reassurance too, Lucas,” said a woman-and she was sure it was her best friend-Evelyn's voice. “Yes, darling,” Lucas' voice sounds softer this time, but it hurts more. “Just be patient, okay? I promise, I'll divorce him as soon as possible.” Time stopped instantly, and the small box fell from her hands, hitting the floor with a loud noise that only she could hear. Her hand shook violently, and the paper with the two red stripes on it was almost rolled up in her fingers. Tears fell unbidden, unbidden. Her breath caught, her eyes widened at the pain that hit so suddenly. And to make matters worse, she saw Evelyn. Her own best friend. On Lucas's lap. Their bodies were so close, and without hesitation, they kissed-in a room that Maureen should have filled with laughter. Maureen's world comes crashing down. Not slowly, but instantly. Shattered into a thousand fragments that sliced from the inside. "Am I just a burden in his eyes? Am I that bad that they would stab me at the same time?” she thought. Silently, Maureen stepped back. Holding back the sob that had caught in her throat. Then she turned around and walked quickly down the corridor. But every step felt like being stabbed by a dagger. Her breathing was heavy, her eyes couldn't stop crying. “Hah ....” She laughed bitterly. “It turns out that he was busy not because of work, but because of hiding that forbidden relationship. Why didn't he just tell me the truth?” she muttered. Once out of the building, it was raining. Heavy. The sky seemed to know what she was feeling-as if it was crying. But Maureen didn't care. She let her body get soaked. Let the rainwater hide the tears. Let everything disappear with the cold that began to pierce her bones. “Lucas ....” Maureen said softly, as if summoning a ghost from the past. “All this time, I tried to be the wife you wanted. I believed. But it turns out... You never wanted me.” She smiled sadly, as if she could not believe that this would happen. Her steps staggered. The road was a blur of tears and rain. “Evelyn... you're my most trusted friend. Why didn't you tell me from the start that you loved my husband?” The question was thrown into the air. There was no answer, only the sound of rain hitting the ground. Maureen's body began to shake violently. Her clothes were soaked, clinging tightly to her cold skin. Every drop of rain that fell felt like needles piercing, painful, freezing. She hugged herself tightly, trying to create warmth from her weak arms. But there was no warmth. Not in the body. Not even in her heart had that just been mercilessly crushed. Her footsteps were unsteady, chaotic, like she didn't know where to go. She walked without direction, without purpose. Until finally her knees gave out. She fell to the side of the road. Among the dirty puddles. Among the faint sounds of horns that came from nowhere. People passed by. Cars passed by. No one cared. And there Maureen was, crying silently. Silently. But she couldn't stop the tears. All the pain, all the humiliation, all the hurt spilled out there. On a foreign street that she didn't know, but was more honest than the home she used to call home. “No... I can't be weak,” she said softly, barely audible. Her fingers slowly touched her still-flat stomach, as if to remind herself that a small life depended on it. “I must endure, for this child's sake.” But her body was not as strong as her intentions. The world began to shake. Her vision spun. The sky seemed to swoop down on her. Her head was heavy, very heavy, like she was carrying a thousand unseen burdens. Her breath caught. His knees began to lose strength, and his body began to fall slowly. Faintly, she saw the shadow of someone approaching. A tall figure. A hurried step. An anxious look in his eyes. And for a split second, Maureen smiled sadly. “I thought it was you, Lucas,” she mused. “Miss! Hey! What are you doing in the rain? Hey! Hear me?” The voice sounded like an echo. Faint. Far away. As if obscured by the dense fog in her aching head. The man's face appeared amid her blurred vision, a faint silhouette under the flickering streetlights and the rain pouring down on his body. Maureen could only stare at him blankly, her body shivering uncontrollably. The raindrops continued to drench her face, merging with the tears that she could no longer distinguish which came from the sky, which from the wound. “Who are you? Help... me,” she whispered barely audibly. Her voice was hoarse, weak, as if her vocal cords had been crushed along with her heart. The man approached, his face anxious. “Miss! Tell me where your home is!” Maureen shook her head softly. Her jaw clenched to hold back the sobs that wanted to break out again. “No, I don't want to go home. Take me... away from here,” Maureen said softly, and all of a sudden it was dark. Her body collapsed, as if the entire weight on her shoulders had finally dragged her down. Her breathing was irregular, her body cold, pale. The man quickly caught her before she hit the hard road. She had no time to think. All he knew was that the woman in his arms was broken, shattered. And no human being deserved to be left lying alone in the rain. Slowly, the man carried Maureen's tiny body, which was already unconscious by now. He felt how light she was-not because of her weight, but because it was as if her life had been taken from the body he was carrying. One of the woman's hands was still weakly grasping something-a piece of paper that was wet, perhaps illegible.