Fleeting Love Leaves No Trace

"Help me check what happened three years ago too, Roy. The day of my dad’s car accident and what's going on between my family and the Donovans."

The fake love between Ashley and I... it’s time for it to end.

The next day, a news story popped up on my phone. Curious, I clicked on it and found out that there was a charity gala in the city that night.

The gala itself wasn’t anything special, but what caught everyone’s attention was the appearance of a very rare international exhibit. It was a one-of-a-kind diamond, named "Immortal Love".

The value of the diamond was immense, but it was no where a match for the meaning carried in its name.

I thought this had nothing to do with me, but later that night, I received a call from Ashley.

"Honey, dress sharp tonight. I’m taking you to the charity gala. Wait for me to pick you up."

An hour later, Ashley had a driver come pick me up. When I arrived at the charity event, I realized she was already there. She wore a deep V-neck gown, stunning and captivating, drawing admiring glances from many men.

Just as I was about to approach, I noticed she was engaged in conversation with someone. The said person was none other than Zachary.

"It’s been a while. You’re still as beautiful as ever." Zachary’s compliment made her blush. What a rare sight.

"And you? How’s married life treating you?"

Zachary’s expression was unreadable, his gaze cold yet filled with unmasked ambiguity. "It’s going well. Mae’s pregnant and we’re very happy."

Ashley forced a smile, but there was a faint, almost imperceptible sadness in her eyes, which I caught from a distance.

I tightened my grip on my wine glass, feeling a sour pang in my chest.

At that moment, onlookers, noticing Ashley and Zachary, began to praise them.

"That handsome man, could he be Ms. Roth’s husband? What a perfect match!"

"Absolutely. She’s gentle and graceful and he’s strikingly handsome. They’re the most perfect couple I’ve ever seen."

"I’ve heard Ms. Roth dotes on her husband. Seeing them together tonight confirms that the rumors were true."

Hearing the murmurs around her, Ashley felt a flash of secret delight. In the next moment, her eyes met mine and she froze on the spot.

As I walked away, Ashley hurriedly chased after me. “Trev, wait!”

She lifted her gown and ran in front of me, ignoring the surprised looks from others, her expression flustered as she tried to explain.

“Trev, why did you leave when you just saw me? Is it because you were upset that I was talking to another man? I won’t do it again, okay?”

“You know Mr. Donovan is an important client for our company. We were just exchanging pleasantries—don’t misunderstand.”

Looking into her earnest, pleading eyes, I couldn’t help but chuckle softly. If I hadn’t seen everything that happened in that mysterious room, perhaps even I would have been fooled by her convincing performance.

Oh, Ashley. Love can be bold and open, grand and unapologetic. Why go to such lengths to hide it?

You like him, didn't you, Ash? I could just step aside.

As I stayed silent, Zachary approached, wearing a smirk that was more condescending than amused.

"Trevor, in front of all these people, how could you let a beautiful girl like her chase after you like this? How can you even call yourself a man?"

"A real man should be cool headed, not petty." His mocking tone had the crowd laughing and some looked at me as if I were the punchline of a joke.

With his usual charm, Zachary only succeeded in making me feel smaller.

Meanwhile, Ashley stood there, completely still, showing no sign of stepping in to defend me.

In that moment, I suddenly felt a sense of relief and smiled faintly.