The Bride He Betrayed: He Gave Her the Ring, I Gave Him Goodbye

In the lab, Adrian carried out his experiment as usual, but his mind kept drifting.

Ever since he had left the hospital, something had felt off, like a piece of him was missing. The unease lingered, making it hard for him to focus.

At this hour, Clara should still have been recovering in the hospital. He wondered if she was still angry.

He took out his phone, about to check on her, when Sienna suddenly threw herself into his arms.

"Adrian, what are you doing here? I woke up and couldn't find you. I was so scared." She clung tightly to him and whispered, "There's no one around right now… don't you miss me? Wouldn't it be exciting if we stayed here a little longer…?"

Something flickered in Adrian's eyes. He set aside the vial and lifted her onto the table, pulling her close without hesitation.

Over the next week, they kept sneaking into the lab whenever it was empty, unable to keep their hands off each other.

Sometimes, they stood by the one-way glass, reckless and daring, with people working just beyond the other side.

The hallway, the lab, even the rooftop balcony all bore witness to their entanglement.

That day, after yet another intense encounter, Adrian lit a cigarette, an unexpected emptiness settling in.

He had grown up restrained and disciplined. It was Sienna who had brought chaos and indulgence into his life.

But this time, when it was over, the thrill faded quickly. Without meaning to, his thoughts drifted back to Clara.

He glanced at his phone and suddenly realized a full week had passed.

She must have been worried sick, unable to reach him for so long.

As long as she stopped being so petty and learned to overlook things between him and Sienna, he could go back to treating her the way he used to.

With that thought, Adrian opened his phone expectantly, only to find no messages from Clara at all.

He frowned and opened her chat window, staring at it for a long time. There was nothing new. Their last message was from half a month ago.

She hadn't contacted him for this long? Was she still sulking? Since when had she become this petty?

That hollow feeling returned, sharper this time. Frowning, Adrian finally dialed Clara's number.

After two rings, a mechanical female voice answered.

"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later."

He called again. And again.

Each time, the same cold message repeated.

Adrian's expression darkened instantly. He got into his car and drove straight to the hospital.

But when he arrived, the room was already empty.

"Where is the patient who was staying here?"

"You mean Miss Whitmore?" the nurse replied. "She was discharged by her family nearly a week ago."

She had gone home?

That made sense. As the Whitmore family's daughter, she would have better care with concierge doctors.

She was probably just ignoring him out of spite.

With that thought, Adrian relaxed slightly and returned to the lab.

Over the next few days, he continued seeing Sienna in secret, waiting for Clara to calm down and reach out first.

One day, a colleague from the institute joined them for a meal.

At the table, he suddenly asked, "Adrian, don't you know the Whitmore family's daughter? The Whitmore family and the Sinclair family in Kingshaven are about to form a marriage alliance. Did she tell you about it?"