Fleeting Love Leaves No Trace

It recorded the first time Ashley and Zachary met at university.

The first time they held hands.

Their first kiss.

Her first heartbreak.

The first day she drank for seven days and nights because Zachary was getting married.

What Zachary liked to eat, what he enjoyed doing—everything was meticulously detailed.

Every stroke of the pen carried her subtle affection.

I flipped through the pages to the very end, but my name wasn’t there—not even a single mention. The diary in my hands suddenly felt unbearably heavy.

After taking a photo of it, I walked out of the room, leaning against the wall and gasping for air.

As my blurred vision gradually cleared, I picked up my phone and made an international call. "Hey, Sis, I’m thinking of going abroad. Dad has always said he wanted to travel the world, right? I’m going to fulfill that dream for him."

My sister, who was far away in another country, detected the sorrow in my tone and fell silent for a few seconds.

"Trev, you get into a fight with Ash, don't you? She’s so good to you—why not try being a bit more understanding?"

I gave much explaination to my actions.

In the end, my sister sighed softly. "Alright. Alright. Whatever decision you make, I’ll support your choice," she said.

"After Dad passed, the Rollins family's business went downhill. Recently, Ash transferred all of it to me. I’m planning to move the assets overseas. When you come back, I’ll hand everything back to you."

"But you have to know, the financial settlement will take three more days to finish. I’ll pick you up at the airport by then."

I nodded in agreement. "Okay. I’ll book a flight for three days from now."

After hanging up, I heard high heels tapping against the floor behind me.

Ashley wrapped her arms around my waist, her chin resting on my shoulder as she smiled sweetly. "Buying a plane ticket? What for?"

I quickly came up with an excuse to brush it off, "My sister just called. She’s planning to buy a ticket to visit me."

Ashley was thrilled when she heard this. "That’s great! I haven’t seen your sister in ages. It’ll be nice to catch up."

She stepped in front of me and gently placed my hand on her stomach, softly rubbing it. "Honey, haven’t you always wanted a child? Tonight, let’s skip the protection."

I was momentarily stunned.

In the three years we’ve been married, I’ve brought up wanting to have children at least 99 times, but she always turned me down, citing concerns about her figure. Our intimate life had become so rare I could count it on one hand. This was the first time she had ever taken the initiative to bring it up.

Before I could process it, she grabbed my hand and led me to the canteen area, where all eyes followed us with a mix of envy and curiosity.

"I’m hungry. You wouldn’t mind if we ate here, would you?"

I didn’t refuse and sat down across from her.

Ashley didn’t show me the menu. It wasn’t until the food arrived and she saw me frowning that she finally asked, concerned,

"What's wrong? Is the food not to your liking?"

I looked down at the shrimp soup in front of me, a cold chill running through me. I’m allergic to seafood and I can’t eat anything with it.

Once, Ashley had carelessly added shrimp to a soup she made and after I ate it, I was rushed to the hospital—barely surviving.

What shocked me now was how completely she had forgotten about that incident.

Meanwhile, I distinctly remembered that Zachary was also allergic to seafood. But she had made sure to keep that in mind.

Maybe, in Ashley's mind, I was never someone she needed to care about. My well-being, my survival—it didn’t matter to her.

After a few half-hearted bites, Ashley excused herself, saying the company was busy and that I should continue eating. She seemed eager to leave.

The moment she walked out, I immediately called legal consultant that my family had always hired.

"Roy, draft a divorce agreement for me…. Yes, I want a clean break."