Life after Goodbye

The day I found out I was pregnant, I accidentally called myself three years in the future. Clutching my pregnancy test report, I asked excitedly, "Was Adrian happy when he found out he was going to be a dad? Is my baby a boy or a girl?" The woman on the other end of the phone answered in a hoarse voice, "The baby was never born. After Jane found out you were pregnant, she gave you abortion pills. Adam even signed the papers to have your uterus removed. And Adrian ignored you completely just to comfort that illegitimate daughter." My mind went blank, and my whole body started shaking. "That's impossible..." I couldn't believe that my beloved older brother, my best friend of 20 years, and the man I had loved for seven years had all betrayed me. A muffled sob came from the other end of the phone. "Adrian had already secretly married Sophia. Everyone knew about it, but they all kept it from you!" I collapsed into my chair. Then my phone received a string of numbers. "If you don't believe me, go see for yourself." Chapter 1 By the time I came back to my senses, I had already arrived at the address in the text. It was a luxurious mansion. Through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, I saw Sophia Prescott happily leaning against Adrian Harrington as she blew out the candles. Adrian, who had held me in his arms and soothed me to sleep just last night, was now kissing the corner of her lips. "Happy birthday, Sophia. You'll always be my princess." I stared at the scene in disbelief. My best friend, Jane Addyman, slipped a bracelet onto Sophia's wrist. "Sophia, this is a matching pair. You get one, and I get one. We'll never be apart!" Tears filled my eyes. When Jane's stepfather used to beat her, I had risked my life to save her. Back then, I had gently touched the scars on her wrist and given her a gold charm bracelet. She had hugged me and cried as she promised, "Audrey, you'll always be my best friend!" I stood there frozen. Then a message suddenly popped up on my phone. It was from three years in the future. "Did you see it? Everyone betrayed you. If you still want to live, take Mom and leave now." "Three years from now, they gave all the company's shares to Sophia. I couldn't even afford Mom's medical bills. In the end, I had to watch her die right in front of me." A surge of panic tightened every nerve in my body and stole my breath. My mother, Isabelle Prescott, was the most important person in my life. I couldn't imagine losing her. When I looked up, I met Adrian's shocked gaze. He hurried outside and dragged me under a tree. "What are you doing here?" I stared at him in disbelief. I thought he would at least try to explain himself when he saw me. Instead, he was questioning me. I shouted angrily, "Adrian, you're such a bastard! If I hadn't come here, how would I have known you were sleeping with my dad's illegitimate daughter?" I tried to slap him, but he grabbed my wrist. "Audrey, don't push me too far!" I let out a bitter laugh. "I'm pushing you too far? My boyfriend and my best friend are hiding here to celebrate the birthday of the illegitimate daughter who almost killed my mom. Tell me, who's actually gone too far?" Adrian's brows furrowed as his grip on my wrist tightened. "Stop calling Sophia an illegitimate daughter. She's a good person." The way he instinctively defended Sophia broke my heart. I gave a bitter smile and shouted. "Adrian, you know how much I hate her! We've been together for seven years. How could you do this to me?" "Audrey, love isn't measured by how much time you've spent together." I stared at him, stunned by how unfamiliar he suddenly seemed. When I first met Adrian, he was just a broke young man with only a few dollars to his name. I had used all my savings and connections to help him start his business. Later, I even drank until I suffered a stomach bleed just to help him secure investors. Back then, he had knelt in front of me and sworn that I was more important to him than anything in the world. Eventually, he became one of Riverview's rising elites. At a press conference, he held my hand and promised all the reporters, "Audrey is the only woman I have ever loved. I'll give her the very best." And now he was telling me that love wasn't measured by time. "Adrian, I hate you!" I completely lost control. Crying and screaming, I clawed at his face and slapped him again and again. But he didn't dodge. Instead, he looked past me. I followed his gaze. And there stood the one person I least wanted to see. Chapter 2 That person was my brother, Adam Prescott. He was holding a cake and several gifts. He had just flown back from overseas, so he looked a little worn out. "Audrey? What are you..." I slowly let go of Adrian and stared at Adam in a daze. Just two hours ago, he had told me he couldn't make it home to spend time with me. Yet here he was, standing outside Sophia's house with gifts in his hands. The moment he realized what was happening, he pulled me away and looked grimly at the scratches on Adrian's face. "Audrey, you're being too childish. How could you beat Adrian up like this? Sophia will be heartbroken if she sees him." I rushed forward and knocked the cake out of his hands. "What does that woman's kid have to do with me? I'm your sister! I'm the one who should matter to you!" "Audrey, how can you talk like that?" Adam's face darkened as he slapped me across the face. Just moments ago, I had secretly felt relieved that he wasn't here. I had thought that at least my own brother, the son of the same mother as me, hadn't betrayed me. But that slap shattered every bit of hope I had left. After Dad, Robert Prescott, died, Sophia and her mother came after our family's money. They pushed Isabelle down a flight of stairs from the fifth floor, triggering a heart attack. She had been in the hospital ever since. Back then, Adam had stood outside her hospital room with a knife in one hand while patting my back with the other, trying to comfort me. But now he was protecting the very person I hated most. When he saw the swelling on my cheek, a hint of regret flashed across his face. He reached out to touch me, but I stepped away. "Audrey, don't ever say things like that again. Sophia is my sister too." I let out a cold laugh. "She's your sister? She's the daughter Dad had with his mistress! She and her mother almost killed Mom. Did you forget that you used to say you hated illegitimate children?" Adam lit a cigarette. After a long silence, he said coldly, "Was Mom completely innocent in what happened back then? All of Dad's friends had women on the side. Their wives just accepted it. Mom was the only one who was so stubborn." He took a drag and looked at me. "Audrey, you need to grow up. Be a good wife to Adrian. Don't end up like Mom." I stared at him in disbelief and staggered back several steps. Adam saw this and moved toward me, wanting to hug me. But then a sweet voice caught his attention. Sophia opened her arms toward him. "Adam, you're finally here!" Adam quickly put out his cigarette and walked over to hug her gently. "Don't run. What if you fall? Today is your birthday. How could I possibly miss it?" I dug my fingernails into my palm, barely holding back the bitterness in my heart. Today was actually my birthday too. When I had asked them to come home and celebrate with me, Adrian had refused, "I have to meet an important business partner." Jane had also turned me down. "I have a job interview." Adam had sighed. "I have to go overseas for work." So all this time, I had been the one they were willing to abandon. Jane walked over and sighed. "Audrey, looks like you already know. To be honest, it's been so many years. I don't want to pretend anymore." "Jane, don't." Sophia timidly tugged at Jane's sleeve and shook her head. Jane immediately looked at her with concern. "Why shouldn't I tell her? I don't want you to keep suffering." She turned to me. "Audrey, we've been pretending all these years just to protect your feelings. But I'm telling you now, Adrian and Sophia got legally married a long time ago. They're the real married couple." She looked at me coldly. "So stop acting like an annoying homewrecker." I stared at her in disappointment. Jane used to hide behind me while I protected her. Now she was protecting someone else the same way I once protected her. It took me a long time to find my voice again. I looked at all of them. "You all think the same way, don't you?" No one answered. I nodded. Then I stepped forward and grabbed the gold charm bracelet on Jane's wrist. It struck against her ring by accident. The bracelet snapped in two. "From this moment on, we're not friends anymore." Chapter 3 I took a cab home and started packing while booking the earliest flight I could find. Our bedroom was filled with things Adrian and I had bought as a couple. We had once loved each other deeply. I pulled out my phone and called the number from three years in the future. "When did they get together?" The person on the other end was silent for several seconds before answering. "They slept together on the day of Dad's funeral. Later, Adrian also allowed Sophia and her mother to break into the house and push Mom down the stairs." My hands started shaking. Tears streamed down my face. So, Adrian had betrayed me five years ago. For all these years, I had been the only fool. I gave a bitter, self-mocking laugh, grabbed my suitcase, and prepared to leave. But suddenly, the bedroom door was kicked open. Adrian stormed in with bloodshot eyes and grabbed me by the throat. "Audrey, have you lost your mind? Why did you spread Sophia's private photos? How could you be so cruel?" His grip suddenly cut off my breath. I desperately slapped at his hand and struggled to speak. "I... didn't..." He didn't believe me. "It has to be you!" Jane rushed over, crying as she slapped me across the face. "Sophia is trying to kill herself right now! If anything happens to her, I will never forgive you!" My head spun, and I collapsed to the floor. Everything in front of me became blurry. Then Adam waved his hand. Six or seven men immediately rushed into the room. "Stop wasting your breath on her. Since she likes spreading private photos, let's spread hers too. We'll make her pay for what she did to Sophia." I stared at him in shock. The brother who had once loved and protected me was now treating me like his worst enemy. The men rushed toward me and started tearing at my clothes. Within seconds, my clothes were ripped apart. "You can't do this to me!" Crying, I crawled toward Adrian and wrapped my arms around his leg. "Adrian, I'm pregnant!" Chapter 4 Adrian frowned and looked at me coldly. "You can't be pregnant. I switched your vitamins with birth control pills a long time ago, so there is no way you could be pregnant. You're even making up something like this just to avoid punishment. I'm so disappointed in you." He pried my hands away and let the men drag me deeper into the room. After they shut the door, the men surrounded me and assaulted me. At first, I fought with everything I had. In the end, I could only lie there numbly, staring at the ceiling as I cried. Suddenly, one of the men panicked. "Oh, she's bleeding badly!" Only then did they get off me and throw me aside. I clutched my lower stomach as blood ran down my legs. My sobs had become so weak that they were barely audible. "My baby..." After a long while, Adrian and the others came back into the room. Adrian stepped forward and covered me with a blanket. "I hope you learn from this lesson." He picked me up and placed me on the bed. But when he noticed the blood between my legs, his face changed. "Why are you bleeding? I only told them to take a few pictures. What happened?" Adam gave a scornful laugh. "She's obviously pretending. Audrey has always loved playing the victim. Don't pay any attention to her. Let's go find Sophia. The custom gift we ordered for her is almost here." They left in a hurry. None of them noticed the blood pooling beneath me. I forced myself to get dressed despite the unbearable pain. Just then, the hospital called. "Ms. Prescott, we're not sure what caused your mother's heart condition to flare up. She needs emergency heart surgery, but there's still a 40,000-dollar balance. Please transfer the money as soon as possible!" I rushed to the hospital. I ran to the payment desk and handed over my bank card. But the card was immediately returned to me. "I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money in your account." I froze. My legs went weak, and I had to lean against the wall. I quickly called Adrian. "Adrian, please transfer 40,000 dollars to me. There's no money left in my account..." His cold voice cut me off. "I froze your card. Sophia was so upset because of you that she skipped a meal. So I'm freezing your cards for a year." I grabbed my hair and screamed without caring how I looked. "That's my money! How could you freeze my cards? My mom needs the money for emergency surgery!" It took me a long moment to realize he had already hung up. He didn't even have the patience to listen to another word from me. At the same time, Adrian posted wedding photos of himself and Sophia on social media. They stood arm in arm, smiling happily at each other. I forced myself to swallow my grief and followed the location in the post. Sophia was outside a hotel, posing for the media. When she saw me, she smiled and walked toward me. "Audrey, I heard your mom is dying?" I was so furious that my sharp nails dug into my palm. Sophia leaned closely and whispered with a soft laugh. "Actually, I was the one who posted those pictures. I was also the one who had someone show your mom that interview video. "And those men? I picked them out especially for you." She smiled. "But so what? All I have to do is cry a little, and everyone will take my side. "Adrian is making it up to me by throwing me the biggest wedding ever. He even bought me a three-million-dollar diamond ring." She looked at me with a cruel smile. "You and your mom are nothing but two pathetic women who've been abandoned. You won't be around for much longer!" "Shut up!" My lips trembled with rage as I slapped her across the face. Chapter 5 But before my hand could come down, Adrian grabbed my wrist tightly. His face darkened as he gritted his teeth. "Audrey, what are you causing a scene about now?" Sophia rushed into his arms with tears in her eyes. "Adrian, I only wanted to invite Audrey to my wedding, but she tried to hit me..." I ignored her. My phone kept vibrating with calls from the hospital. I grabbed Adrian's arm and begged him, "Please, give me 40,000 dollars! My mom needs surgery. She can't wait any longer!" "What? Something happened to Isabelle?" Adrian's face turned pale, and panic flashed across his eyes. But Adam rushed over and angrily pointed at me. "Don't listen to her nonsense! Mom's condition has been stable for years. How could anything happen to her?" Jane also glared at me angrily. "Audrey, you've gone too far! You bullied Sophia all through school, and now you're even trying to ruin her wedding?" I was so heartbroken that I didn't want to look at her anymore. She knew perfectly well that Sophia had been the one bullying me at school. Sophia had even pushed me to the edge of depression. But her words suddenly set Adrian off. He kicked me hard in the knee. "You want money, right? Then kneel here and apologize to Sophia. Stay on your knees until the wedding is over, and I'll give you the money." He then ordered his bodyguards to chain me outside the hotel. I waited anxiously as every second crawled by. It felt like an entire lifetime. I was nearly passing out from the heat when Adrian finally walked out of the hotel. He handed me a bank card. "Audrey, don't cause trouble like this again." I pushed his hand away, stumbled to my feet, and ran off to find a cab. I didn't dare waste another second. When I reached the hospital, I immediately shoved the card into the hands of the doctor in charge. "The money is here! Please, operate on my mom!" But he shook his head. "It's too late. There's nothing we can do." I followed his gaze. Isabelle was lying on the hospital bed. Her body had already turned purple, and her breathing was faint. Her veined hand reached toward me. I broke down crying and dropped to my knees beside her, gripping her hand. "Mom, please hold on. I won't let anything happen to you. You're the only family I have left in this world..." "Audrey... I'm leaving now. I can't keep being a burden to you." Isabelle's eyes were already losing focus. A final tear slipped down her cheek. My phone suddenly started vibrating violently. It was a message from myself three years in the future. "What happened to Mom? Is something wrong with Mom?" My hands trembled as I replied. "I'm sorry. I still couldn't save Mom." I turned off my phone and stared at Isabelle's limp hand through my tears. Just like when I was a little girl, I buried my face against her chest. I felt the warmth of her body slowly fading away. "Mom, take me with you..." ... After the wedding ended, Adrian couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He gently removed Sophia's hand from his arm. "I want to go to the hospital and check on Audrey." Before Sophia could stop him, he got into his car and sped toward the hospital. The moment he pulled to a stop, a deafening crash rang out. A body had fallen from the high-rise and slammed onto the hood of his car. Through the windshield, now cracked like a spiderweb, a familiar face appeared...