Fleeting Love Leaves No Trace

Ashley glanced at me in hesitance.

I thought she would have someone help me, but then I clearly heard her shout, "Save Zachary first! Hurry!"

In that moment, I felt an overwhelming urge to give up and stop fighting for air. The cold water surged into my mouth and nose, choking me as I struggled to breathe. My vision started to blur.

As my consciousness began to fade, a bitter thought crossed my mind: Zachary was a swimming champion, while I couldn’t swim at all. Didn’t Ashley know that?

No.

She knew that perfectly well. She just didn’t want to take the risk, even though the chances of Zachary drowning were far slimmer than mine.

***

When I woke up again, it was already the next day.

I was in my bedroom at home and no one was around. I took a deep breath, feeling a sharp pain in my chest. I called out for anyone, but no one responded.

Then, I picked up my phone and saw a bunch of messages from Ashley.

[Hey, honey, the doctor said you only had a mild drowning incident, nothing serious. Just rest and recover.]

[Once you’re better, how about we go out for a walk?]

She didn’t mention anything about why she saved Zachary first.

Just as I was about to put my phone down, a news alert popped up.

A paparazzo had caught Ashley and Zachary secretly meeting at a hotel, where she changed his soaked clothes and made him ginger soup. She even used her body to warm him up—everything she did made her seem more like a devoted wife than Mae ever did.

I ignored it and painfully dragged myself out of bed.

Enduring the ache in my chest, I began tossing all the photos I had with Ashley over the years into a metal basin to burn them. I cleared out the entire album on my phone as well.

Then, I called the cleaning service to come and remove all my things.

In the middle of all that, I finally received the divorce agreement from my lawyer. After printing it out, signing on it, left it on the desk.

Roy also sent me some files that detailed the competition between my family and the Donovans for that one major project. I printed those out as well.

I used my connections to retrieve all the corner surveillance footage from the day of Ashley’s car accident three years ago.

Next, I put the dozens of photos and videos I had taken in that mysterious room onto a USB drive and placed it alongside the divorce papers.

In addition, I had someone pull the security footage from around the pool at the charity event and made the truth of that night public.

Once everything was done, I packed my bags and left for the airport.

On the way, Ashley suddenly texted me.

[Honey, did you see those rumors online? Don’t believe them—they’re just the paparazzi making up lies. They're twisting what actually was happening!]

[I went to take care of Zachary because everyone thought you were the one who pushed him into the pool. I was trying to help you by pleading with him, so you wouldn’t be charged with attempted murder.]

Seeing Ashley's no longer triggered my reaction. I didn't think much and blocked Ashley, Zachary and everyone else from my contact.

***

At the Roth Corporation headquarters, Ashley kept staring at her phone. When her secretary walked in, she finally asked, "Has my husband called the company?"

The secretary shook her head. "No, Ma'am. The Sir knows you're busy. He usually calls the front desk before noon every day, reminding me to tell you to take breaks and eat on time. I have to say that today seems different."

Ashley furrowed her brows, sensing something unusual as well.

"Normally, he would’ve gotten up by now. But forget it—he’s not a child anymore. Let’s not worry about him. How’s the PR situation going? We can’t let Zachary be affected. He’s on the shortlist for the Top 10 Young Talents and this is a very important honor for him."

The secretary was silent, but it was clear something bothered her with Ashley’s statement.

"Ms. Roth, is this fair to your husband? If he ever finds out the truth, how heartbroken do you think he’ll be?" The secretary finally voiced her concern.

Ashley gripped her hands tightly, her thoughts swirling. "This is the last thing I’ll do for Zachary. Once he wins the Top 10 Young Talents award, I’ll step back and focus on being the wife Trevor deserves."

"Also, make sure the 50% stake in Roth Corporation that I own is transferred entirely to Trevor."

The secretary nodded and was about to leave when the office door suddenly burst open. "Ms. Roth! The logistics department just got a message... It says... it says..."

Ashley’s heart sank at the distress in the messenger's voice. "What’s going on? Spit it out!"

"Mr. Trevor... He bought a plane ticket and boarded a flight."