Love Is Never Eternal

During the business meeting, Connor was visibly uninterested.

After being stood up once before, the business partners had a grudge and took every opportunity to urge Connor to drink.

"Mr. Biddle, this isn't very sporting of you," commented one of the partners when Connor only drank half his glass. The man glanced at Anne beside him, still smiling but with a faint hint of displeasure. "If you can't handle it, why not let Ms. Maddison step in for you?"

"Everyone knows how much Ms. Maddison dotes on Mr. Biddle. She always shields you from drinking too much."

Hearing this, Connor's expression softened.

When they first got married, Connor had been in a slump due to Felicia's disappearance, neglecting his work entirely.

It was Anne who held everything together, attending every drinking party herself. Later, when accompanying Connor to negotiations, she would often shield him from drinking excessively, knowing his stomach could not handle it.

Everyone's eyes were on Anne, including Connor's.

This time, Anne simply smiled faintly. "I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well."

The partners showed their disappointment.

Dressed in a wine-red gown that set off her snow-white skin, Anne looked stunning. Her cool, striking face remained expressionless, but they could not help imagining how breathtaking she would look with a flush of drunkenness.

Unable to satisfy their unsavory thoughts, they redirected their efforts to Connor, increasing their pressure on him.

Connor was well aware of Anne's condition. Lowering his eyes, he concealed the emotions swirling within them.

One drink after another, he drank, but a restless irritation churned within him, threatening to explode. Connor's hand tightened slightly around Anne's waist.

"This collaboration is important," Anne softly reminded him, leaning close to his ear when she noticed his growing displeasure.

The deal was worth billions, and it mattered greatly to her. After all, it was her money at stake.

Connor stared at her profile for a moment before loosening his tie and exhaling sharply. Forcing a smile, he endured.

They stayed in the private room for a full hour before the partners finally relented and signed the deal.

After seeing them off, Anne returned to the room, only to find Connor passed out from drinking. She gave him a light kick.

"Help me up," Connor murmured, squinting as he reached a hand toward her.

The moment she pulled him up, he collapsed onto her.

The overpowering smell of alcohol made her instinctively pull away, but Connor gripped her chin and kissed her hard.

It was not a kiss; it was more like a bite.

"Anne, are you hiding something from me?"

"No," she replied calmly, her expression unchanged.

Connor stared at her for a long time, feeling like he could no longer understand her. She used to wear her emotions on her sleeve, and her thoughts were easy to guess.

"I feel like you've been a little distant with me lately."

Perhaps because he was so drunk, Connor rested his head on her shoulder, his voice carrying a rare hint of vulnerability.

In truth, it was not just a little distance. He wanted to say it was a lot.

She no longer shielded him from drinking. Their once-weekly moments of intimacy had stopped.

She used to care about the scandals he stirred up, even arguing with him over them. That changed, and she even pushed him toward Felicia without hesitation.

For the first time, Connor felt that maybe, just maybe, Anne did not love him anymore.

"You're overthinking it."

After a moment of silence, Anne helped him out of the room.

As she anticipated, all it took was a single post on her social media, a photo of Connor's hand, and Felicia had already shown up.