When Leaving Became My Blessing

In the dim corner of the bar, I was pinned against him, breathless from his cold, ruthless kiss.

He whispered against my ear, "No one can hear us, why are you shy?"

I clung to him, swept away by the torrent of longing. But just then, his phone rang, shattering the chaos.

He frowned, glancing at the caller. I looked down-it was his best friend Edmend.

"Are you really getting back with Elena?"

"After everything she did to you... and now you're going back to her?"

"If I don't marry her, her family will force her to marry that gambler. I can't let her suffer."

"And what about Ava?"

"She stood by you, gave everything for you. Can't you see her heart breaking?"

"She'll never know. I'll handle this."

A beat of silence, then Isolde's voice quickened. "Seal this."

Just as I was about to speak, Isolde's phone lit up with a new message.

He glanced at it, his expression softening for a second. "Ava, there's an urgent matter I need to attend to. Go home first, okay?"

I nodded, tears silently falling as memories shattered like broken glass.

Isolde, so high above, and I, just the daughter of a maid.

That day, when I followed my father into the grand mansion, I saw him-Isolde, standing in the garden, staring into the distance as if the world couldn't touch him.

One glance, and he was etched into my heart.

But I knew-he already had someone. Elena.

For her, he had sacrificed everything, even his ability to walk in a crash. Afterward, Elena erased him from her life, moving on to someone new as if he had never mattered.

And I? I stayed. Ten years. I cooked, cleaned, stayed by his side even when he pushed me away, even when he was cruel. I told him, "I'll always be here. I'll never leave."

Then, I heard of a renowned surgeon in southern France, known for curing the incurable. I went, worked for him, did everything to gain his trust.

Eventually, I succeeded. The surgeon treated Isolde, and his legs regained some function. He rose back to the top, becoming the heir of Iso Group.

But the first thing he did when he regained power? He married Elena, the one who had abandoned him.

I wiped away my tears and picked up my phone.

"Sara, I'm leaving Isolde"

"Make sure he never finds you."

She had used every tactic in her arsenal-bribes, threats, guilt-but I always stood my ground.

Sara's laugh was low, victorious. "Good. One week, Ava. One week, and you will never look back."

The line went dead.

The moment I opened my phone, my eyes locked on a headline that struck me like a slap: "Isolde and Elena's Relationship Revealed, Wedding Photos Leaked!"

The images were everywhere. Elena, smiling radiant and carefree, her hand adorned with the ring Isolde had picked for her.

I paused, then clicked 'like'-not because I wanted to, but because it was the final act of farewell.

The next morning, I saw yet another post on my feed-pictures of Isolde and Elena in their marital home. The life I thought was mine.