Love Died, I Left

Chapter 5

The sound of tearing fabric instantly echoed through the room as his body pressed tightly against mine.

Finally, I wrenched one arm free and slapped him hard across the face! "Dominic! You just..."

"Just what? Just finished?" He pinned my struggling legs down with his knee, his face dark and gloomy. "So what? It's been three months since I last touched you. You must be dying for it, right? I'll satisfy you right now! And keep your eyes open! After all, you're the one who looks at me and sees someone else!"

Dominic had worked out consistently for years and was incredibly strong. I didn't understand what he was talking about, nor could I break free from his grasp no matter how hard I fought. All I could do was clench my jaw in helpless despair.

I didn't know how long it had been when he finally let out a low growl and slowly sat up. Tears crawled down my cheeks in grimy trails.

"Seraphina, you owe me. You owe me for the rest of your life." He threw a roll of toilet paper at me and walked out without looking back.

The cactus spines were still screaming in my skin, hurting so much that I clenched my fists. As dawn broke, a hazy thought formed in my mind.

This has to end.

My delusion and his despicable, shameless behavior all had to end.

Dominic and I first met at a business banquet. I was the pampered heiress of the richest family, the golden child. And he was weaving through the wealthy elites, serving drinks. Yet he had an aloof, upright aura, and a face as flawless as jade.

The first time I laid eyes on him, I fell.

Faced with my passionate pursuit, he was repeatedly tempted but always retreated awkwardly. He told me, "Seraphina, I'm just a poor student. I don't deserve you."

But being barely twenty, I cared nothing for such things. I relentlessly pursued him and finally won his heart.

However, my parents were furious, declaring that if I continued to act so recklessly, they would disown me. To escape the judgment of society, and to prove that my choice wasn't wrong, I resolutely ran away from home, following Dominic to Riversend, where he was attending university.

He treated me incredibly well—spoiling me with endless affection and taking meticulous care of me. Hand in hand, we fought our way up together, finally starting our own company with our very first pot of gold. In one leap, we joined the ranks of the new money in Riversend.

He never said much; he just kept buying houses. When he finally handed me the keys to his tenth full-floor penthouse, he smiled, relieved. "Seraphina, I think I can finally give you something to rely on and feel secure about."

But three months ago, everything changed.

That night, while on his way to a business dinner, he excitedly messaged me, saying one of the clients was a high school classmate of mine, and they had shared a lot of interesting stories.

But that very day, he didn't come home all night. It was only later that I found out he had met a waitress named Celeste that night.

From then on, he was like a completely different person. Whenever I confronted him, he only grew more resentful. Eventually, he became even more brazen. Not only did they openly appear together in public and go on frequent secret dates, but he even brought her in front of me multiple times.

I became a joke.

After five years of love, the pride and arrogance I once had were long gone. All I could do was lower my boundaries, time and time again, in a pathetic display of submissiveness. I wanted to have a proper conversation with him, but I never succeeded a single time.

Just like my best friend Holly had said when she visited me in Riversend not long ago—I was the ultimate lovesick fool.

But I couldn't help it. I couldn't bear to let go.

Even though I knew there was an abyss ahead, I still couldn't resist taking a few more steps toward it. But after he had committed such a despicable, vulgar act, I could no longer let myself sink any further.

The next morning, Dominic left with Celeste. But it didn't matter to me anymore. I went out of town to negotiate business.

After returning, I threw up in the bathroom for the fifth time, feeling utterly sick. A bad premonition instantly surged in my chest. How many times had I felt nauseous this week?

Without hesitation, I drove straight to the hospital. When the test results came out, I smiled bitterly.

After walking around the city for an entire day, I still decided to tell him. Even though he had turned into a complete scumbag, I still wanted to give him his final right to know.

"I've hung up on you multiple times and you're still calling. Do you not understand what I mean?"

Fighting back the sting in my nose, I told him bluntly, "I'm pregnant."

It was very noisy on his end, and I could hear boarding announcements in the background. It took him a long while before he finally replied calmly.

"There's an issue with the overseas orders. We'll talk about it when I get back."

But just a second prior, I had received a message from my assistant. He and Celeste had bought two tickets to Norvale and booked a Northern Lights tour.

"Dominic, do you not even prepare a script when you lie? Or do you think coming up with a perfect excuse is a waste of time? Is accompanying Celeste on a trip more important than the fact that I'm pregnant?"

There was another long silence until Celeste's voice urging him sounded from his end.

Only then did he force a few words through his gritted teeth. "What? Are you the only one allowed to have an idealized first love, but I'm not allowed to have an intimate confidante? You used me as a replacement for five years. Did you ever bother coming up with a perfect excuse?"