Loved Him 10 Years, I Walked Away

On the night of their wedding anniversary, Dorian Wrenford said that an emergency patient had arrived at the clinic and that he would be home late. Worried that he might go hungry, Arabella Corvelle brought a lunchbox she had personally prepared to the counseling clinic. But when she pushed open the office door, she saw him shirtless, pinning a woman beneath him as he kissed her frantically. His back was covered in scratches from fingernails, while the woman wrapped her legs around his waist, her face filled with intoxicated pleasure. "Evelina, don't be scared. If it hurts, bite me..." Arabella felt the blood in her body run cold. The lunchbox slipped from her hands and crashed onto the floor with a loud bang. The two people on the bed were startled and turned around. The moment their eyes met, Arabella recognized the woman beneath Dorian. It was actually Evelina Ardenne, the housekeeper she had fired a year ago! "Arabella!" Dorian's sculpted, handsome face turned pale. "Why are you here...?" But before Arabella could speak, a gust of wind swept past her. "You bastard! I paid for my wife to come here for treatment, and you ended up sleeping with her?!" Evelina's husband, Gideon Winslet, punched Dorian in the face with bloodshot eyes. Evelina screamed as she scrambled up. "Don't hit Dr. Wrenford!" At that moment, the police arrived. Dorian hurriedly grabbed clothes and wrapped them around Evelina, his eyes filled with protectiveness and concern. "Put this on. Don't let them see your body." Only after turning around did he notice Arabella standing in the corner, her face deathly pale. His eyes hesitated for a moment, but he still chose to escort Evelina outside first. Inside the interrogation room, Gideon slammed the table and accused Dorian of seducing his wife. Dorian firmly denied it, his expression calm and composed. Sitting upright in the chair, he had already straightened his clothes. His cold, restrained aura remained unchanged, as though he were still the trustworthy Dr. Wrenford everyone respected. "Evelina is my patient. I was treating her." He calmly listed a string of psychological terms while lightly tapping the table with his fingers. The general explanation was that Evelina had suffered long-term domestic abuse at Gideon's hands, which caused severe psychological trauma and multiple suicide attempts. The only way to suppress her suicidal urges was through s****l release. When she arrived at the Wrenford Clinic, she had been in the middle of an episode. In an emergency, Dorian had no choice but to help her. The officers exchanged uncertain glances. After confirming Dorian's nationally recognized credentials, they no longer knew how to proceed. "Even if you're one of the country's top psychologists, this treatment method is still... strange." The next second, Evelina rushed into the room and fell to her knees in tears before the police. "Please don't misunderstand Dr. Wrenford! I begged him to help me. He's a good man. If anyone should be arrested, it should be me..." Gideon raised his hand furiously to hit her again, but the officers stopped him. In the end, the matter was settled privately. Gideon was blamed for resorting to violence. Dorian did not ask him for compensation. He only warned Gideon never to hit Evelina again. Arabella returned home in a daze. Leaning against the cold wall, she stared blankly at the wedding portrait hanging above the fireplace. This marriage with Dorian had been something she fought desperately to obtain. She had loved him for ten years. The first four years were spent secretly admiring him, while the next six were spent relentlessly pursuing him. From childhood, Dorian had always been exceptional. He skipped grades, entered Blackwood University as a psychology major, then continued all the way through postgraduate and doctoral studies. Despite his perfect appearance and prestigious family background, very few women dared to chase him. It was because he was far too cold and detached, living like a machine. Every day of his life seemed to follow a carefully programmed routine. Yet this man, who appeared incapable of emotional fluctuation, had chosen the profession of healing broken minds. And somehow, Arabella had been brave enough to pursue him for six years straight. Like a tireless little sun, she used every trick she could think of to create chance encounters and cater to his preferences. After he opened his psychology clinic, she even pretended to be a patient several times just to see him. Eventually, Dorian grew tired of her persistence and said coldly more than once, "Arabella, you're not sick. If you really have a problem, it's probably hyperactivity." "Arabella, we're not compatible. Stop wasting your feelings on me." "Arabella, I prefer someone gentle and quiet. You're a little too noisy." During that period, Arabella was devastated. Even though she was the cherished daughter of the Corvelle family, admired by countless people, Dorian had shattered her confidence until she felt inadequate in every possible way. That feeling lasted until the day she received an overseas graduate school offer and prepared to leave the country. The moment she walked toward airport security, Dorian grabbed her wrist. "You chased me for so long, and now you're leaving without even saying goodbye?" There was a trace of indulgence and exhaustion in his eyes. "You should know I hate people who quit halfway through. So, Arabella... let's try dating." At that instant, fireworks exploded in Arabella's heart. Their relationship progressed smoothly, all the way to marriage. Dorian was emotionally stable and generous with money. As someone deeply versed in psychology, he could always read her thoughts instantly, and the two of them almost never argued. Dorian was aloof, abstinent, and obsessively clean. Other than Arabella, he had always avoided contact with women. Everyone believed Arabella had found a priceless treasure. Even she herself believed she had melted Dorian's frozen heart. But now, all she felt was coldness spreading through her body. Because Dorian had slept with another woman. And not just any woman, but their former housekeeper, someone he would not even have bothered glancing at in the past. The next second, Dorian returned home carrying the chill of the night air with him. "It's already been resolved," he said calmly while washing his hands. He dipped a cotton swab into antiseptic and dabbed the cut on his lip, his tone as plain as water. "Don't worry about me. Go to sleep early." Arabella stared blankly at him, her nails digging so deeply into her palms they nearly drew blood. "Dorian Wrenford, don't you have anything to explain to me?" Dorian paused, a faint trace of confusion crossing his eyes. "Didn't I already explain everything at the station?" "That doesn't count as an explanation!" Arabella burst out emotionally. "I want you to explain why you were sleeping with Evelina Ardenne!" But Dorian lowered his gaze and calmly unclasped the watch around his wrist, sounding as though he were discussing the weather. "Although it sounds absurd, my feelings toward Evelina are only a doctor's sympathy for a patient. Her condition is extremely rare, and it happens to align with my current research. In extreme situations like that, self-stimulation is the only way she can relieve her suffering. At the time, she even had a knife pressed against her wrist," he said. "I had to save her. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Arabella, you should understand that no matter who the patient is, if they are placed in my care, I will do everything possible to treat them." After saying that, Dorian turned and walked into the bathroom. Listening to the sound of running water behind the bathroom door, Arabella's heart finally sank completely into darkness. She tightened her grip around her brain tumor diagnosis report and made a phone call. "Amelisse... I've agreed to undergo the surgery overseas. Come pick me up in seven days."