The sky was dimming, smeared with streaks of orange and pink, as if the world itself mourned quietly.

Rui Yi Cheng stood in front of the hotel room door, his hands trembling. The message had been simple, anonymous, and cruel:

“If you want to know where your husband is, go to Room 577.”

He told himself not to believe it. Even after four years of cold stares, of silence at the dinner table, of perfunctory touches without warmth—he still hoped. He still believed Ming Yu Yuan wouldn’t betray him, not like this.

But when he pushed open the door, the scene shattered whatever illusion was left.

Yi Ran was there, arms wrapped around Yu Yuan, lips pressed against his. The soft lighting of the room made it worse. It made it look romantic. Intimate. Like something sacred.

Yi Cheng’s breath caught in his throat. The air seemed to disappear.

Yu Yuan pulled away, startled, turning toward the door. His eyes widened when he saw Yi Cheng standing there. But before a single word could leave his lips, Yi Cheng turned and ran.

He didn’t think. He didn’t hear the footsteps behind him. He didn’t notice the cars. His vision was blurred by tears and disbelief, his chest tight with pain so sharp it was almost numbing.

The street was busy. Horns blared.

A scream echoed.

Then everything went silent.

Cold metal. A sudden, bone-breaking impact. The scent of asphalt and blood mixed with his lavender pheromones. A scream that sounded like Yu Yuan’s. A warmth against his skin, a pair of shaking hands trying to hold him together.

“I’m sorry—I didn’t know—I never meant—Yi Cheng, please—”

But he was already falling. Deeper and deeper into that final darkness.

When Rui Yi Cheng opened his eyes, it was to the familiar white ceiling of the Ming family villa. The chandelier swayed gently above him, just as it always did.

For a moment, he thought it was a cruel afterlife. That he’d returned to the place that hurt him most.

Then the door slammed open.

"Yi Cheng!" Mu Chen rushed in, eyes wide and brimming with relief. "You're awake! Do you know how long you’ve been out?! Oh god, you scared me to death!”

Yi Cheng blinked. His chest hurt—but not from an accident. It was… a pressure. Something… different. His hand drifted downward instinctively.

"You… you’re pregnant," Mu Chen said with a trembling smile. "You’ve been unconscious for two days. The doctor said stress. You need rest—"

Yi Cheng sat up slowly, ignoring the pounding in his skull.

Pregnant?

This moment—Mu Chen’s face, this room, these words…

It had happened before.

But it wasn’t two days. In his memory, he had died on their fourth anniversary—after planning a party, after learning about the pregnancy, after that kiss between Yi Ran and Yu Yuan.

This wasn’t just déjà vu.

His hands clenched the bedsheet.

He was back.

Ten days. Ten days before everything fell apart.

“I… I came back,” he whispered. His voice was hoarse.

Mu Chen blinked. “What?”

Yi Cheng looked at him, and this time his eyes were clear.

“I’m going to leave,” he said quietly.

“Leave?” Mu Chen looked confused. “Leave where?”

“I’m going to divorce Ming Yu Yuan.”

Mu Chen stood frozen, like someone had slapped him. “Yi Cheng—what are you talking about? You—do you even know what you’re saying? You just found out you’re—”

“I know what I’m doing.” Yi Cheng got out of bed, his legs weak but his resolve strong. “This time, I won’t wait for him. I won’t beg. I won’t live as someone’s substitute again.”

Tears stung at his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.

He had loved Yu Yuan with everything he had. Loved him enough to smile through loneliness, enough to keep cooking his favorite meals, enough to protect him even when it meant losing himself.

And what had he gotten in return?

A man who never looked at him with love. A man who smiled only when Yi Ran appeared.

No more.

“I’ll raise my child on my own. I have my degree. I can work. I can survive without a mate,” Yi Cheng said firmly, looking Mu Chen in the eye. “Will you help me?”

Mu Chen stared at him for a long moment. Then his expression softened. “Of course I’ll help. You don’t even have to ask.”

Yi Cheng let out a slow breath. The pain was still there. It probably always would be. But there was something new too—something stronger.

Resolve.

He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

He would live this second life for himself. For his baby.

And if Ming Yu Yuan wanted to find him again… this time, he’d have to fight for it.

To be continued......

The scent of antiseptic still lingered faintly in the room, but Rui Yi Cheng had already changed into his casual clothes. His hands moved with purpose as he packed a small bag—just the essentials. He didn’t want anything from the Ming family, nothing that smelled like coldness or silent suffering.

Mu Chen stood by the door, biting his lip. “Are you really going through with it?”

Yi Cheng didn’t pause. “Yes.”

“You haven’t even talked to him yet.”

“There’s nothing left to say.” His voice was calm, but inside his chest, his heart was thudding loud and fast.

Mu Chen sighed, stepping closer. “At least let me come with you to the lawyer.”

Yi Cheng zipped the bag closed and finally looked at his friend. “I would never ask for anyone else but you.”

The silence between them held a thousand unspoken things. Mu Chen had always been there—for every tear Yi Cheng never cried in front of others, for every late-night phone call, every time he needed someone just to listen. He was the only person Yi Cheng trusted now.

And trust, he had learned the hard way, was sacred.

It was late evening by the time Yi Cheng stood in front of Ming Yu Yuan’s study door. The halls of the Ming villa were quiet, just as they always had been. Expensive, spotless, and lifeless. Like a mansion built to impress, not to live in.

He knocked once.

“Come in,” came the voice from inside—deep, low, unreadable.

Yi Cheng pushed the door open.

Yu Yuan sat at his desk, reading through some documents. He looked the same—sharp suit, clean features, perfectly groomed. Cold as ever. He didn’t even look up at first.

“I need to talk to you,” Yi Cheng said simply.

Yu Yuan looked up then, brows faintly drawing together. “You should be resting.”

Yi Cheng placed the envelope on the desk. “I want a divorce.”

Silence.

The words lingered between them, heavier than anything they’d said in the past four years.

Yu Yuan’s eyes slowly dropped to the envelope. “Why now?”

Yi Cheng smiled faintly. “There’s no ‘now.’ There’s only ‘too late.’”

His hands were steady even though his heart wasn’t. But this time, he wouldn't beg for scraps of affection. He wouldn’t humiliate himself waiting for warmth that was never offered.

“You said nothing when they mocked me as a substitute. You never denied it. You never even asked how I felt,” Yi Cheng continued quietly. “You gave me a ring and a contract. Not a life. I won’t live like that again.”

Yu Yuan’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t speak.

Yi Cheng took a slow breath. “I’m pregnant.”

That made Yu Yuan flinch—visibly. His head snapped up, expression darkening. “You’re—?”

“Yes,” Yi Cheng said. “And I’ll be keeping the baby. But I don’t need you to raise them. I don’t need anything from you. Just your signature.”

Yu Yuan stood up, the chair scraping softly against the floor. “Don’t make impulsive decisions just because you’re upset.”

“I’ve been upset for four years,” Yi Cheng said, his voice soft but cutting. “Now I’m done.”

Yu Yuan took a step closer, as if he didn’t quite believe the scene playing out. “Yi Cheng—”

But Yi Cheng stepped back. One hand protectively resting on his abdomen. “I won’t be your substitute anymore. Not for Yi Ran. Not for anyone.”

For a second, something flickered in Yu Yuan’s eyes—confusion, or was it regret? But it vanished as quickly as it came.

“If that’s what you want,” he said, finally.

Yi Cheng nodded. “I’ll send my lawyer’s contact. I’ll be out of the villa by morning.”

That night, Yi Cheng couldn’t sleep.

Even though he had made the right decision. Even though he knew this was the only way to protect himself and his child. Even though he had already died once for this man.

His heart still ached.

Not because he still loved Yu Yuan—but because he had loved him so much.

He stared at the ceiling in the guest room Mu Chen had arranged for him. It was small, far from luxurious, but warm. Safe.

He placed his hand over his belly.

“I won’t let you feel unloved,” he whispered. “Not like I did.”

He meant every word.

Because this time, he was going to live. Not as someone’s shadow. Not as someone’s regret.

But as someone whole.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

To be continued......

The morning sun poured through the wide windows of the Ming family villa, but its warmth didn’t touch Ming Yu Yuan.

He stood alone in the dining hall, a place that had once held silent meals and unspoken distance. Across the table, the chair Rui Yi Cheng used to occupy was empty—clean, cold, and quiet.

He stared at it for a long moment.

Then slowly, he sat down.

The housekeeper approached cautiously. “Sir, should I prepare Mr. Rui’s breakfast?”

Yu Yuan’s fingers clenched around his cup before he set it down. “No. He won’t be returning.”

The woman hesitated, then nodded and disappeared.

It felt strange—how the emptiness weighed heavier than presence ever had. Rui Yi Cheng had always moved softly, never demanded attention, never raised his voice. But now that he was gone, the silence roared.

Yu Yuan looked at the message his assistant had just forwarded.

“Attached: Divorce Documents - Drafted as requested by Mr. Rui Yi Cheng’s legal representative.”

His thumb hovered over the file but didn’t open it.

There had been no shouting, no begging. No accusations or tears.

Yi Cheng had simply left.

And somehow, that made it worse.

Yi Cheng sat across from the lawyer, his hands placed gently on his lap.

The office smelled of leather and ink, and a faint scent of peppermint from the secretary's diffuser in the corner. It was unfamiliar, yet strangely calming.

Mu Chen sat beside him, tense and protective, like a silent bodyguard.

The lawyer was young, efficient, and professional. “All the terms are clean. You’ve refused spousal support and inheritance. The only thing you’ve kept is the right to raise the child without interference.”

Yi Cheng nodded. “Yes. That’s all I want.”

The lawyer hesitated. “Mr. Rui… if I may ask—are you sure you want to give up all marital claims? The Ming family—”

“I don’t want anything with the Ming name on it,” Yi Cheng interrupted softly.

The lawyer blinked, then nodded and made a note.

“Once Mr. Ming signs, the divorce will be finalized in two weeks.”

Yi Cheng’s stomach turned at that. Not because he regretted it—but because it was real. Permanent.

Still, he lifted his chin.

He wouldn’t falter. Not now.

That evening, Yu Yuan sat in his study with the divorce papers open on the desk.

He had read them five times. Every word. Every clause.

Yi Cheng had asked for nothing. Not even money.

And in the section marked “reason for divorce,” he had written only one word:

“Irreparable.”

Yu Yuan closed the file and leaned back in his chair. His fingers rubbed his temple.

He hadn’t expected this.

Not from Yi Cheng. The omega who had clung silently to their marriage like it was a lifeline. The one who smiled when Yu Yuan ignored him. The one who made ginger tea when he had a cold, cooked meals without being asked, and never once complained when Yu Yuan failed to return home on time.

The one he had always thought would… stay.

It never occurred to him how easy it had been to overlook someone so quiet—until they were gone.

A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts.

It was Han Jun.

He walked in, dressed casually, his eyes narrowing the moment he noticed the files.

“Divorce?” he asked bluntly.

Yu Yuan nodded once.

“You let him go?”

Silence.

Han Jun sat across from him, scoffing. “You’re an idiot.”

Yu Yuan didn’t argue.

“You had someone who was ready to give you everything,” Han Jun muttered. “And you let rumors and that Yi Ran brat come between you two.”

“He said he’s pregnant,” Yu Yuan finally said, voice hoarse.

Han Jun looked up, stunned. “What?”

Yu Yuan’s hands trembled faintly. “He said he’s pregnant… and he’s keeping it. Alone.”

Han Jun sat back slowly, processing. “And you still let him walk away?”

“I thought I was doing the right thing,” Yu Yuan said, almost to himself. “He never said anything. Never complained. I thought… maybe he didn’t mind.”

Han Jun stared at him for a long time before speaking. “You don’t understand love, Yu Yuan. You think it’s supposed to be loud. Obvious. Yi Cheng was never loud—but he loved you more deeply than anyone ever could.”

Yu Yuan stayed quiet.

Han Jun stood and walked to the door.

“He’s finally choosing himself. If you ever want another chance—this time, you’ll have to earn it.”

And then he left, leaving Yu Yuan alone with nothing but the scent of lavender lingering faintly in his mind.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

To be continued...

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