Nothing Left Behind
1079 Words
Emily stared at Adrian's message until the screen went dark.
"You left something behind. Come back to the mansion today."
Her heart skipped.
Did he know?
Had someone from the clinic informed him about the pregnancy?
No.
That wasn't possible. The results were confidential.
Then what had she left behind?
She replayed the previous night in her mind.
Her clothes.
Her books.
The framed picture of her parents.
No, she had packed those.
Her toothbrush?
Jewelry?
None of those seemed important enough for Adrian to message her personally.
After several minutes of debating with herself, she typed a reply.
What did I leave behind?
Less than a minute later, his response came.
Your wedding ring.
Emily instinctively looked down at her left hand.
It was bare.
She remembered now.
She had taken the ring off before signing the divorce papers and left it on the nightstand.
A painful smile crossed her lips.
Of course.
The one symbol of their marriage.
She stared at the message for a long time before replying.
Throw it away. I don't need it anymore.
She pressed send.
Almost immediately, three dots appeared, showing Adrian was typing.
Then they disappeared.
No message came.
Emily slipped her phone into her bag.
She wasn't going back.
There was nothing waiting for her in that mansion except memories she was trying to escape.
...
At Kingston Group Headquarters, Adrian stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows in his office.
The city's skyline stretched endlessly beneath him, but he barely noticed it.
His gaze fell to the platinum wedding ring resting on his desk.
It was simple.
Elegant.
Exactly the design Emily had wanted.
On the day they exchanged vows, she had smiled so brightly that even the guests had whispered about how deeply she loved him.
He remembered asking her afterward, "Why are you smiling so much?"
She had laughed.
"Because I married the man I love."
Back then, he hadn't known how to respond.
Now, the memory lingered in a way he couldn't explain.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in."
His assistant, Daniel Brooks, entered carrying a tablet.
"Good morning, Mr. Kingston."
Adrian nodded.
"What is it?"
"You have a board meeting in thirty minutes."
Daniel hesitated before adding,
"And Miss Sophia Blake is waiting in the executive lounge."
Adrian glanced at the ring once more before slipping it into a drawer.
"I'll see her after the meeting."
"Yes, sir."
As Daniel turned to leave, Adrian stopped him.
"One more thing."
"Sir?"
"Remove Emily's access from the company system."
Daniel looked surprised.
"...Mrs. Kingston's?"
"My ex-wife."
The words felt unfamiliar.
Daniel lowered his head.
"I understand."
When the door closed, Adrian released a slow breath.
It was finished.
There was no reason to think about Emily anymore.
So why couldn't he stop?
...
Across the city, Emily sat inside a small café, absentmindedly stirring her untouched coffee.
She had spent the morning searching for jobs.
Although she had graduated with honors in business management, she had never built a career.
After marrying Adrian, she devoted herself entirely to supporting his life.
Now she was twenty-four, unemployed, divorced, and pregnant.
The future suddenly looked terrifying.
Her phone buzzed.
The caller ID made her sit upright.
Grandpa.
Emily frowned.
She hadn't spoken to Charles Carter in nearly six months.
He lived abroad and rarely called unexpectedly.
She answered.
"Grandpa?"
"My dear granddaughter."
His warm voice instantly softened her heart.
"How are you?"
"I'm fine."
The lie came too easily.
Charles chuckled.
"You've never been good at lying."
Emily closed her eyes.
"I'm really okay."
"No."
His tone became serious.
"You've been crying."
She bit her lip.
There was a long silence.
Finally she whispered,
"We got divorced."
Charles sighed quietly.
"So... he finally let you go."
Emily's eyes widened.
"You knew?"
"I warned you three years ago."
She remembered.
The day before her wedding.
Charles had taken her hands and asked one final time if she was certain.
She had smiled confidently.
"I love him."
Now those words echoed painfully in her mind.
"I'm sorry, Grandpa."
"You have nothing to apologize for."
His voice remained gentle.
"You loved with your whole heart. That is never something to be ashamed of."
Emily wiped away another tear.
"I don't know what to do now."
"You'll come home."
She frowned.
"Home?"
"To Carter Manor."
Emily hesitated.
"I don't want to be a burden."
Charles laughed.
"You could never be a burden."
Before she could answer, he continued.
"I've hidden you from the world long enough."
Her heart skipped.
"What do you mean?"
"It's time you learned the truth."
Emily's fingers tightened around her phone.
"What truth?"
"You were never meant to live an ordinary life."
Before she could ask another question, Charles said quietly,
"I'll be arriving tomorrow."
"And Emily..."
"Yes?"
"Whatever happens..."
"Don't tell Adrian about the baby."
Emily froze.
Her breathing stopped.
"How did you—"
The call ended.
She stared at the phone in disbelief.
Her grandfather knew.
But how?
...
Meanwhile...
Sophia Blake walked confidently into Adrian's office without knocking.
She wrapped her arms around him from behind.
"I've missed you."
Adrian gently stepped away.
"We're at work."
She pouted.
"You've become even colder."
"I've always been this way."
Sophia smiled as she glanced around the office.
"So..."
"It's finally over?"
"Yes."
She walked closer.
"No more Emily."
"No more marriage."
"No more pretending."
She reached up and kissed his cheek.
Adrian didn't respond.
Instead, his gaze drifted toward the drawer where Emily's wedding ring lay hidden.
Sophia noticed.
"What are you looking at?"
"Nothing."
She smiled, unaware of the unease growing inside him.
"You'll forget her soon."
Adrian said nothing.
For the first time in three years, Emily wasn't waiting for him at home.
And for reasons he couldn't understand, the silence felt louder than ever.
That evening, Emily unlocked the door to her apartment.
A large black luxury SUV was parked outside.
Its engine was still running.
She frowned.
The rear passenger door slowly opened.
A man dressed in an immaculate black suit stepped out.
His silver hair caught the evening light.
He smiled warmly.
"Good evening, Miss Carter."
Emily's eyes widened.
She recognized him instantly.
It was her grandfather's personal butler.
The elderly man bowed respectfully.
"Your grandfather has sent me."
"He asked me to bring the future chairwoman of Carter Global Holdings... home."
Emily stood frozen.
Chairwoman?
What was happening?
And why did it feel as though her entire life was about to change?
- Writer
