I will lose you in the future

“Who are you waiting for?”

The voice came from behind her, just as the door opened. Madison startled.

She hung up the phone quickly, forcing a smile. “No one. I was supposed to have dinner with Ruth, but she had to reschedule.”

At the mention of Ruth, Patrick’s expression tightened. He didn’t press further.

Finished dressing, he leaned in for a kiss. “I need to head to the office early today—some things to handle. And I’m sorry about pushing back the wedding. You’ve been so patient. I’ll make it up to you after we’re married, I promise.”

Madison turned her face away, a bitter smile touching her lips. “It’s fine. Really.”

Patrick ruffled her hair affectionately, said nothing more, and left.

The click of the front door closing finally let her release a held breath.

Her parents and Jeffrey would be back in two weeks. She needed to move out quickly and renegotiate the wedding venue. But the most pressing matter was still the legal paperwork to establish Patrick’s paternity of Ruth’s son.

She still couldn’t quite believe it. Yet… what if the vision from her ‘travel’ was real?

Lost in thought, her gaze fell on the phone on the table.

Patrick’s phone. He must have forgotten it.

Hesitating only a second, she seized the opportunity. She picked it up and began scrolling rapidly.

It was all there, just as she’d seen. The photos in his gallery, the chat logs with Ruth—everything confirmed the truth she had glimpsed that fateful night.

The sound of a key in the front lock jolted her. No time for heartbreak. She placed the phone back exactly as it was and hurried into the kitchen.

“Sweetheart, you’re cooking? You should sleep in. I’ll call the private chef for you.” His voice carried from the entryway. “Forgot my phone. Gotta run. Don’t overwork yourself.”

He left in a rush, not noticing Madison’s silent, turned back, assuming she hadn’t heard.

He didn’t know that the moment the lock clicked shut, her tears began to fall.

Everyone knew Mr. Patrick was a prodigy—a self-made entrepreneur who’d built a renowned company from nothing while still young. Everyone praised his devotion to his wife: cold and aloof in public, yet gentle and obedient only around her.

But only Madison knew the truth. Patrick had carved out his empire leaning heavily on her connections and status as the heiress to the Madison Family Enterprise. His company, though not on the scale of hers, was more than comfortable. Yet he was never satisfied; his greed knew no bounds.

And now, even that famed ‘devotion’ was exposed as nothing but a six-year performance—a calculated act for fame and fortune.

It took her a long moment to steady herself.

Then a thought flashed through her mind. She went straight to the innermost drawer in the bedroom.

Back when she’d been dead-set on being with Patrick—even willing to burn bridges with her family for him—she’d taken all her important documents along. They’d just gotten their marriage license yesterday. The papers should have been right here.

Sure enough, the marriage certificate and both their IDs were gone.

Madison stared at the empty drawer and let out a self-mocking laugh.

How could she have been so naive, swallowing Ruth’s sob story whole? Believing her ‘best friend’ had been betrayed and abandoned by some heartless man, even supporting the mother and child all this time. Little did she know, that ‘heartless man’ was her own husband, and the two of them were busy plotting against her.

Thinking of Patrick brought another wave of bitter laughter.

Saying she wasn’t hurt would be a lie. After all, she and Patrick had been together for six years.

In college, her status as the Madison heiress had brought her nothing but trouble—not a single genuine friend, just jealousy and snide remarks. Young Madison had no idea how to protect herself, desperate just to maintain any semblance of normalcy.

So when those people smiled and invited her to a birthday party, she eagerly agreed. She bought a gift and even paid the bill in advance, only to walk into a carefully orchestrated humiliation.

At the critical moment, it was Patrick who stepped forward and pulled her out of that hell.

They fell in love afterwards. Patrick even introduced her to Ruth, and the two became the closest of friends.

Who could have imagined it was all an elaborate trap, designed specifically for her?

Looking back now, that entire humiliating incident was probably orchestrated by Patrick himself.

Six years of love and hope shattered in an instant. Madison couldn’t hold back a few more tears.

After the wave of grief passed, she wiped her red-rimmed eyes.

If this ‘travel’ was triggered by the future Madison’s obsession, it was clear just how desperate and filled with regret that version of her must have been. The Madison from two weeks later had reached out a hand for help. The Madison of now would not let Patrick succeed again.

The legal process surely couldn’t be completed that quickly. She just had to stop it before the wedding. The hard part was getting the documents. Patrick had clawed his way to the top in the cutthroat business world; his methods were ruthless, and he wouldn’t be careless.

As Madison pondered her next move, she got up and began tidying the room.

She owned few valuables. Ever since the fallout with her family, she’d stopped living the life of a pampered heiress. This place, aside from daily necessities, was filled only with memories of the two of them.

Madison packed some clothes and gathered everything Patrick had ever given her to burn. Love letters from their college days, delicate handmade gifts, protective talismans he’d gotten blessed for her at temples—she threw every last item into the metal basin, watching impassively as the flames devoured them.

The fire leaped waist-high, fueled by six years of her life.

A moment later, the phone rang. Its shrill tone felt especially piercing in the now half-empty apartment.

Madison answered. Instantly, Ruth’s voice came through, choked with sobs and gasps for air.

“Madison, I’m at the end of my rope! You have to help me!”