I Stopped Waiting for His Reply

Chloe called a car and followed him. Thirty minutes later, his car stopped at an upscale residential complex. In the bright sunlight, Chloe saw a woman with a pregnant belly shuffling slowly out of the building, her face pale. From her silhouette, she looked young. Leon hurried over, listened to her cry for a few moments, then carefully scooped her up in his arms. "The baby will be fine. Don't be scared..." That low, soothing voice reached Chloe's ears. She gripped the car window so hard her nails broke, beads of blood seeping out. She hadn't known that her husband of 5 years—the man she'd lived with day in and day out—could respond instantly to a messaging app notification. That he could wear a worried expression. That he could be this tender. That he could have... another woman. And a child. Chloe trembled all over, laughing through her tears. Of all days, it had to be the day she lost her baby that she witnessed this. She stumbled home in a daze and collapsed onto the bed. The child she'd lost came to her in a dream, calling her "Mommy." Chloe apologized to her over and over. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her wrist. The child vanished, replaced by Leon's ice-cold face. "Mandy lost her baby because you went crazy and smashed my phone. I didn't see her messages in time to arrange anything." The calmer his tone, the tighter his grip. Chloe's wrist felt like it would shatter. She let out a laugh. "Dead? Good. Why should my baby be gone while yours lives?" Leon stared at her, his expression terrifying. After a long moment, he climbed onto the bed and started pulling off her clothes, speaking like a man possessed. "You owe her a child. Get pregnant and miscarry to repay her." "Leon!" Chloe screamed, her heart already numb with pain. She was telling him their child—hers and his—was gone. And he hadn't heard. So his world wasn't open to her, even face to face. Even then, she was left on read. She struggled violently. Her fingers brushed the fruit knife on the nightstand. She grabbed it and drove it hard into the man's chest. She hated him. She wanted him dead. But Leon didn't die. Only a minor wound. Chloe visited him at the hospital with her lawyer. He was on a video call with a client and didn't even glance at her. He never tolerated interruptions when he worked. Suddenly, his phone emitted a special notification tone. Leon picked it up, glanced at it, paused the meeting, and typed out a long reply. Chloe caught the name on the chat window: Mandy. Her heart turned cold and hollow. So this was how far Leon would go to reply promptly—even an important international meeting could be put on hold. They chatted for a full 10 minutes before the meeting resumed. An hour later, the meeting ended. Chloe finally had her chance to speak. "Let's divorce. You're at fault. I want more compensation in the asset division." Leon looked up at her, a flicker of surprise in his cold eyes. "Mandy's child isn't mine. There's been nothing physical between us. There never will be." Then his tone shifted. "But I will do everything I can to take care of her. You'd better not think of doing anything to her." That guarded look stabbed at Chloe's heart. "How long have you two... Why..." "One year." Leon ignored her second question and pulled a photo of Mandy from his wallet. Then, without another glance at her, he signed the divorce papers. "I hope I'll actually see you at the law office in a month." His words dripped with sarcasm. Chloe didn't react. She just stared at the wallet, as if she could burn a hole through it. Her photo had never been in there. After a long moment, she looked at Mandy's face. She froze, then drew a deep breath. "I'll be there." Leon didn't believe she would actually go through with the divorce. Maybe he was just used to her chasing him. After all, she had endured five years of a marriage where she sent 10,000 messages and got zero replies. But this time, she was truly awake. She turned and walked to the door. Leon frowned and called after her. "The villa in the west district you liked. I transferred it to Mandy. The forest air there is good for her postpartum recovery." Chloe clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. "I told you, that house was the first gift I gave our baby. Even though... she's gone now." There was no response behind her. She looked back. Leon was typing on his phone, his attention long gone from her. Chloe left the hospital room quickly, as if putting distance between herself and that place could put distance between herself and this failed relationship. In the car, she took out the photo again. Her fingers trembled. They looked so alike. Mandy was the twin sister of Leon's dead first love, Tanya. After their parents divorced, Tanya had gone with their mother into the Bennett family. She was the woman Leon had truly wanted to marry. Five years ago, the Lancaster family's finances were in trouble. Only the Bennetts extended a hand. The condition was a marriage alliance. Chloe liked Leon. Vincent Bennett had noticed and wanted to help his daughter's happiness. The families met. Chloe looked at Leon boldly, stars in her eyes. But when he spoke, he said he wanted to marry the Bennett family's stepdaughter—Tanya, the daughter Chloe's stepmother had brought into the family. That was when Chloe learned they loved each other. But blood was thicker than water. Risking investment in the Lancasters for a stepdaughter wasn't worth it. Vincent withdrew the marriage proposal and urged Chloe to give up on Leon. "Sweetheart, mutual love is the only good marriage. That way you won't suffer." Chloe had been ready to let go. But Leon wanted to save the Lancasters. He contacted her privately and expressed interest in marriage. He only took her to dinner once, and she fell. She forgot her father's words. She was confident that Leon's change of heart meant he liked her. She was beautiful and good-natured. It was only a matter of time before he fell in love. Their wedding, funded by Vincent, was grand. It should have been a day she could look back on with bubbling happiness. But before the banquet ended, news came that Tanya had killed herself. The beauty shattered. All Chloe remembered of that day was Leon's back as he ran out of the hall, her stepmother's wailing, endless whispers, and her father's pained gaze. Their honeymoon was canceled. Everything fell apart. In the first half year of marriage, Leon simply didn't reply to messages. He said he preferred calls. Six months later, the Lancasters rose rapidly, unstoppable. He stopped answering calls too. He was like a black hole. She poured her joys and sorrows into him and got nothing back. Chloe broke down. She confronted him, demanding to know why. Leon threw the chat logs from their wedding day at her. Tanya had messaged him before she killed herself. But Chloe had been dragging him onto the dance floor, making him miss the chance to save her. He hated himself. And he hated Chloe. Now he had found her twin sister to pour his feelings into. He treated even this woman a hundred times better than he treated Chloe. Chloe snapped out of her memories, crumpled the photo, and tossed it away. She looked at herself in the rearview mirror. Pale, hair frizzy and disheveled. Like a madwoman. For 5 years, she had clung to Leon, unwilling to let go. The more he didn't reply, the more she sent. She was obsessed with forcing him to respond just once. But she only forced herself. Countless breakdowns, madness, then calming down and healing alone. Chloe pulled out her phone and dialed a number she hadn't contacted in five years. "The promise from 5 years ago—does it still hold?"