Letting Go of Maisie

 

Chapter 1: The Browser Tab That Broke Me

For two years, Maisie had been traveling abroad for work. I never questioned it. She was meticulous, professional, and always returned with gifts—souvenirs that felt more like obligations than affection. I trusted her. Blindly.

That night, I opened an old social media app I hadn’t touched in ages—just to transfer some files. It was supposed to be routine. But fate doesn’t knock. It slips in quietly.

A string of notifications caught my eye. One account, liked by Maisie every single night. The username was eerily familiar. A variation she’d used years ago. The tone of the posts? Unmistakably hers. And the IP address? A perfect match.

My heart slowed. Then stopped.

She had a secret alternate account.

And on it, she had documented every tender moment with her first love. Not me. Him.

Each post was a scalpel. Precise. Deep. Cold.

Then came the one that shattered me.

“Six abortions. All for him. The tenth time, I kept the baby.”

Lightning. Straight through my chest.

We’d been together for ten years. Married for seven. And from the beginning, she laid down her rules:

No unprotected sex. No kissing. No children.

She said it was a mix of physical and psychological obsession with cleanliness. I believed her. I respected her boundaries. I never questioned the distance.

Ten years. Not a hug. Not a hand held. Every attempt at closeness was quietly deflected.

I thought she had OCD. I thought I was being supportive.

I was wrong.

That night, she called.

“Honey, I was supposed to come back tonight, but something came up last minute. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

Normally, I’d have said, “Be safe. I love you.” But this time, my voice felt foreign.

“Hmm.”

She paused. “Honey, what’s wrong? Something bothering you?”

“No. Just tired. Gonna rest early.”

“Okay. Take care of your body.”

After hanging up, I sat in front of my computer, eyes closed, trying to calm the storm inside me.

Then the account came online.

Two new posts.

“Finally back in the country. I can finally eat the hometown food I’ve been craving.”

“Sharing this food with the person I love most—this is life’s greatest happiness.”

I told myself it was coincidence.

Until I saw the location tag.

Marquess Road. Renner Corporation Tower.

Our office building.

She’d gone there first. And then posted a string of photos.

In them, she rested in Luca Vance’s arms, gently cradling her pregnant belly. Her smile was softer, brighter than anything I’d seen in a decade.

I closed the browser. I couldn’t take another frame.

The betrayal wasn’t sudden. It had been growing for eight years. I just hadn’t seen it.

The next morning, I showed up to work like nothing had happened.

But the whispers were impossible to ignore.

“Did you hear? President Renner is pregnant. And that baby might not even be Weston’s.”

“No way! Where’d you hear that?”

“Shh! Don’t talk so loud! What if he hears you?”

“What’s he gonna do? He’s just a live-in son-in-law, living off her anyway.”

I didn’t respond. But I wasn’t deaf.

Maisie’s return had leaked. Something was off.

I called my assistant.

“Find out who’s spreading these rumors.”

Even he gave me a strange look.

And I knew—this was only the beginning.

Chapter 2: The Announcement

“President Blackwood, this… doesn’t look like a rumor.”

I turned to my assistant. “What do you mean?”

She hesitated, then pulled out her phone and opened Instagram. One photo. Maisie and Luca, fingers laced, walking hand in hand. The caption read:

“With you two in my life, I need nothing more.”

I didn’t need to guess who the “two” were. Luca—and the child in her womb.

After just one night back in the country, she had made it public. No hesitation. No shame. She cast me—her husband—into the shadows with a single post.

That image spread like wildfire. I became the company’s silent joke.

My assistant’s voice was cautious. “Do you still want us to investigate?”

“There’s no need,” I said, my voice low and cold. “Get back to work.”

But the photo wouldn’t leave me. It burned behind my eyes, a torment sharper than anything I’d ever felt.

That afternoon, we had a mandatory meeting for all department heads. I arrived early, took my seat, and waited.

Then Maisie walked in.

Every head turned. Every eye flicked toward me, hungry for a reaction. She had just shared her betrayal with the world—and now she strolled in like nothing had happened.

She smiled sweetly. “Honey, did you sleep well last night?”

I sneered inwardly. Not really.

But this wasn’t the place. I wouldn’t air our filth in public.

“Not too bad,” I replied, voice flat.

She caught the chill in my tone and frowned, but didn’t press. Instead, she leaned in and whispered, “Focus on the meeting. I’ve prepared a surprise for you.”

A surprise—or a blow?

I studied her. Stunning, as always. Sensual confidence carved into every movement. She didn’t need to speak to command attention. Every man in the room was already hers.

I used to wonder how I ever won her heart. Now I knew—I hadn’t. I was the fool who mistook proximity for love.

Eight years of lies. Ten years of devotion. And still, I had given her everything.

The meeting dragged on, but the whispers never stopped. Soft laughter. Hushed gossip. They circled me like flies.

Then, near the end, Maisie stepped forward and took the podium.

She smiled. “I have an announcement to make about me and Weston.”

She stood beside me, gently took my hand, and lifted the microphone.

“I’m pregnant. Very soon, Weston Blackwood will become a father.”

Silence.

You could’ve heard a pin drop.

Eyes darted across the room—shock, speculation, disbelief. Everyone had seen the post. Everyone knew. And now, she was making it official.

To outsiders, it looked like joy. Like I was being swept into fatherhood.

But I didn’t move.

Her smile faltered. “Weston, this is our child. Shouldn’t you at least look happy?”

Expressionless, I met her gaze. “Hmm. Congratulations.”

Her voice sharpened. “What kind of attitude is that? I know how much you’ve wanted a child for years! That’s why I kept it a secret—to surprise you!”

“A surprise?” I said quietly. “You sure it wasn’t just to make me sick?”

First the post. Then the announcement. Now this performance.

I no longer understood what she was trying to do.

She snapped.

“Weston, do you have any idea how disappointed I am in you? These ten years with you—they’ve been the biggest mistake of my life!”

I didn’t flinch. “Oh, right. Being with Luca would’ve been perfect. I was just the fool who ruined your happiness.”

Her voice cracked. “You… What are you even talking about?”

I didn’t answer.

Because for the first time in ten years, I had nothing left to give.

Chapter 3: The Illusion Cracks

Maisie’s gaze faltered. Her voice, once polished and composed, now carried a guilt she could no longer hide.

I pulled out my phone, opened her Instagram feed, and held it up.

“Did you really think I’d never check your account?”

She had confused her burner with her main profile—posting sweet, intimate nonsense with Luca on one, and the child announcement with me on the other. But now that I’d seen it, she didn’t bother pretending.

“Yes, fine. I did get involved with Luca. But do you really think I did it for myself? I did it for the company. For our future.”

I nodded slowly, lips curling into a bitter smile.

“How noble. All for the future, right?”

“Are you going to tell me next the child is mine? That you’ll even give him my last name?”

“Why not? Since you can’t have children, he can call you Dad.”

I laughed. Not out of amusement—but disbelief.

Maisie Renner, born into wealth, shaped by elite education, had just said something so twisted, so shameless, it left me speechless.

She pressed on, trying to soften the blow.

“Weston, stop being so stubborn. We still have a long future ahead.”

“Do you even remember why I said I didn’t want children?”

“Because you can’t have any. That’s why the child in my belly will care for you when you’re old.”

She said it like it was a gift. A solution. As if betrayal could be repackaged as charity.

For ten years, she claimed she was obsessed with cleanliness. I respected that. Never touched her. Never crossed a line.

She said she didn’t want kids. I agreed instantly.

But what I thought was a compromise… she saw as confirmation of my infertility.

Love really does blind people.

But the one she loved now wasn’t me.

Maybe… she never had.

I turned to leave the meeting room, but she grabbed my arm.

“Weston, what’s wrong with you today? Why are you acting so cold?”

“What do you expect? That I’d welcome another man’s child with open arms?”

“I already said he’ll call you Dad someday.”

“No thanks.”

I pulled away and walked toward the door without a glance back.

Just then, Luca walked in—and slammed into my shoulder hard enough to stagger me.

I nearly lost my balance.

He gave a sheepish grin. “Sorry, didn’t mean to.”

He reached out his hand. I ignored it.

Maisie rushed over, concern flashing in her eyes.

“Luca, are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

“Maisie, I’m not that fragile.”

“But you just got out of the hospital…”

Then she turned to me, eyes sharp.

“There’s a whole person standing right at the door, and you didn’t even see him?!”

I froze.

Wait—I was the one who got bumped.

He did it on purpose. Yet now I was the one being blamed?

Luca tried to calm things down.

“Maisie, don’t be mad. It was my fault. Nothing to do with Weston.”

“Why are you defending him? I’m not blind. I saw everything clearly.”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s my fault, alright?”

At that moment, I saw it clearly.

Maisie had become irrational. The man she cheated with was being defended in front of the entire room. And I—the legal husband—was being pushed into the fire.

What was left to hold on to in this so-called love?

“Oh, so I’ve been too nice to you, huh? Just a few words, and now you’re upset?”

“You make money from the Renner family, and now you dare throw a tantrum at me?”

I stared at her.

“You think I’ve been living off their money? Then what about everything I’ve done for the Renner family?”

The room was silent.

And for the first time, I realized—

I wasn’t just betrayed.

I was erased.

Chapter 4: Twelve Hours of Silence

All those years at Renner Corporation—I gave everything. Not just effort, but excellence. I secured major deals, brought in revenue others only dreamed of. I never slacked. Never coasted.

But to Maisie, it meant nothing.

“If it weren’t for me,” she scoffed, “you wouldn’t even qualify to join Renner Corporation.”

I had always believed she saw me differently. That behind closed doors, beyond the whispers, I was more than just a name on her payroll.

Turns out, I was wrong.

Looking into her cold, unfamiliar gaze, I realized: Maisie Renner had become a stranger.

“So now that it’s all out in the open,” I asked quietly, “you can’t even be bothered to pretend anymore?”

Even when I sensed her contempt before, she’d at least put on a show. Now, she humiliated me openly. Mercilessly.

“Have you finished throwing your tantrum?”

She must’ve realized the scene was spiraling. Her tone softened.

I sighed.

“How about this—we sit down and talk tonight. Just the two of us.”

“Where?”

“At home. Let’s lay everything on the table.”

It wasn’t love that made me ask.

It was the need for closure. Ten years of my life—ten years of loyalty, restraint, and blind devotion. I couldn’t walk away without facing it head-on.

Maisie hesitated, then nodded.

“Alright. I’ll go home after work.”

The farce ended. The department heads scattered like waves receding from a storm. And I? I became the company’s running joke.

But I no longer cared.

As soon as I stepped outside, I called Jett Ellison.

“Dig into Luca’s past. And while you’re at it… arrange a little accident.”

Jett didn’t ask questions. He never did.

“There’ll be better days ahead,” he said simply, then got to work.

CEO of Nova Group’s U.S. division. Supplier to half the country’s major firms—including Renner. Heir to a fortune, and a man who lived like indulgence was a birthright.

I never liked him. But I trusted him.

Back home, I began packing.

I left behind everything tied to our memories. Took only my clothes and the documents that mattered. No photos. No keepsakes.

Then I waited.

I imagined the conversation. The shouting. The slammed doors. Maybe even something worse.

But I waited all night.

Maisie never came.

I called. Once. Twice. Each time, declined.

A part of me—ridiculous as it was—worried. Had something happened?

Just as I reached for my phone again, it rang.

3:00 a.m.

Maisie.

Her voice was light. Casual. No trace of guilt.

“I’m not coming home tonight. Don’t wait for me.”

Before I could respond, she hung up.

I stared at the dark screen and laughed. Bitter. Hollow.

Twelve hours. And this was all I got.

I dialed again. And again. Until finally, she picked up.

“Are you done yet?! I already said I’m not coming back!”

Then, through the speaker, another voice.

Luca.

“Maisie, hand me my underwear.”

I didn’t speak.

I didn’t scream.

I just sat there, phone still pressed to my ear, listening to the sound of everything I’d built collapse.

Chapter 5: Let’s Leave It at That

The line fell silent.

Then Maisie’s voice came through—flat, composed, rehearsed.

“I’m working late at the office. No time to come home.”

“As for your suggestion to sit down and talk… I don’t think there’s any need anymore.”

She hung up.

Just like that.

Working overtime?

Did she really think I hadn’t heard Luca’s voice in the background?

Or did she believe I was just some pathetic man who couldn’t live without her?

Fine.

I had hoped we could end things with a shred of dignity. But clearly, that wasn’t necessary.

I deleted every trace—photos, messages, chat history. Wiped it clean.

Blocked her number.

Grabbed my suitcase.

And walked away.

Ten years. In the end, I lost everything.

Meanwhile, nestled in Luca’s arms, Maisie was still complaining.

“I thought he’d understand. Didn’t expect him to be so petty.”

“Back then, I went against my parents just to marry him. Even brought him into the company. And this is how he repays me?”

Luca stroked her hair.

“Maisie, you still have me. And our baby.”

“Yeah… luckily, I still have you.”

But her eyes betrayed her. Uneasy. Calculating.

She had never truly planned to cut ties with me.

Luca might’ve been her first love, but their bond was built on mutual gain, not tenderness. They clashed often. Fought loud.

With me, it had been different.

I had always yielded. Treated her like something fragile. Precious. As if she’d shatter from the slightest hurt.

Forget it. I’ll go back for a bit, she thought.

At worst, she’d act pitiful. Maybe offer a raise.

He only stayed for the money anyway.

Maisie dressed lazily.

“Want me to drive you back?” Luca asked.

“No need. You showing up would only make it worse.”

To put it bluntly—Maisie wanted both.

Her first love. And her loyal doormat.

She had no intention of letting go of either.

When she returned, she even brought my favorite snacks.

“Weston, guess what I brought you?”

But the apartment was quiet.

No shoes by the door. No coat on the rack.

Her smile faded into irritation.

Then she noticed the missing items.

Her face changed instantly.

She rushed to the property office.

“Miss Renner, it looked like Mr. Blackwood was heading out for a business trip.”

In the footage, I was dragging a suitcase.

Maisie understood immediately.

She started calling. Again and again.

But I didn’t answer.

So she drove straight to the airport.

Smart as ever, she guessed right—and waited at the entrance.

Seeing her there felt surreal.

“Weston, what are you trying to do? Just leave without a word?!”

She snatched my suitcase, shouting loud enough to draw stares.

“We’ve been together for ten years—and you’re just going to leave like this?!”

Before I could respond, her phone rang.

It was Luca.

Vomiting. Trembling. Gastroenteritis. Sounding like he was on the verge of death.

Maisie froze. Panic surged across her face.

Without hesitation, she turned to leave.

“Go home first. I’ll be back once I take care of this emergency.”

I wasn’t a fool.

I saw Luca’s name flashing across her screen.

And his voice—clear as day.

So in the end, even my decision to leave couldn’t compare to one pathetic, whimpering call from Luca.

I stood still.

Watched her back as she disappeared.

Then whispered under my breath—

“Let’s leave it at that.”

And walked into the airport.

Chapter 6: The Vanishing Act

Maisie burst into the hotel suite, heart pounding, dragging two doctors behind her in white coats. Only after they confirmed Luca’s condition was nothing serious did she finally exhale.

She tapped his forehead lightly, scolding with a hint of affection.

“I told you not to eat random things. Next time, I’ll cook for you myself.”

Luca smiled weakly.

“Maisie, didn’t you go see Weston? Where is he?”

She brushed it off.

“Why are you still worried about him? Just lie down and rest.”

And just like that, she spent the entire day fussing over Luca—feeding him, fluffing pillows, adjusting the curtains. She never left his side.

It wasn’t until dusk settled outside the window that she remembered.

She had promised to come back to me.

Before leaving, she reminded Luca not to eat carelessly again. Then, reluctantly, she stepped out of the hotel.

But when she got home and found the place still empty, her patience snapped.

She stormed to the property office to check the surveillance.

I had never returned.

Panic crept in.

She called me—again and again. No answer.

She reached out to our mutual contacts.

Finally, a message came through:

The number you have dialed is no longer in service.

She walked out of the office in a daze, then began digging into the flight I had taken.

The records were vague: a foreign aircraft, temporary landing, no passenger list updates. Only one detail was clear—I had boarded and gone abroad.

“What? He went overseas? And he blocked me too?”

Maisie stared at the screen, stunned.

Why would I leave so suddenly?

And once I left… what could I even do over there?

Sweep streets? Wait tables?

That night, Luca comforted her gently.

“Don’t worry. If it comes to that, I’ll send people to track him down.”

He spoke of international contacts, of the life he left behind just to be with her.

Maisie was moved to tears.

She placed a hand on her baby bump and whispered,

“It’s good that our child will have a father like you.”

But just then, breaking news flashed across the TV.

The report was about that temporary international flight.

Mid-flight, the plane suffered internal failure and crashed into the ocean.

Tragically, there was only one U.S. national on board.

Maisie shot up from the bed, eyes locked on the flight number and time.

It matched exactly.

Her face drained of color.

“No way… This has to be fake news…”

But the flight in the report was the same one she had investigated.

Still, she refused to believe it.

Sensing her distress, Luca asked gently,

“Maisie, why are you so upset? Was there something about that flight?”

“That was… that was the flight Weston took this morning… How could this happen?”

The thought of me plunging into the ocean shattered her.

Her memories of me flickered like a haunting slideshow.

Luca wrapped his arms around her.

“My condolences… but I’ll always be here with you.”

“It’s my fault… I shouldn’t have argued with him…”

Unable to face the truth, Maisie buried her face in Luca’s chest.

But she didn’t know—

The tragedy was an illusion.

Crafted by my brother.

I only wanted a clean break. And this was the most flawless way to do it.

After stepping off the plane, I spotted Jett waiting at the private terminal.

A full-blown reception awaited me.

A line of stunning greeters stood poised.

A rare, limited-edition Rolls-Royce waited to whisk me away.

Inside the car, Jett grinned.

“Weston, I’ve got a welcome gift for you.”

And just like that—

I disappeared.

Chapter 7: The Welcome Gift

I was about to say, “We’re brothers—it’s only been two years; why so formal?”

But then I saw the file Jett handed me.

A welcome gift.

Inside were photos and videos—ten years’ worth of Luca’s private life overseas. I opened the file and started watching.

That’s when I realized Luca didn’t just have Maisie.

He had three, maybe four other women scattered across different countries. Nightclubs. Hotel suites. Always flanked by someone new. He didn’t even try to hide it.

Did he really think Maisie wouldn’t find out just because she stayed in the U.S.?

Jett grinned wide.

“Bro, tell me—was this welcome gift solid or what?”

“Solid,” I replied without hesitation.

My feelings for Maisie were gone. But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t settle the score.

Jett slid me another file.

“This one’s about his job overseas.”

I opened it.

Luca wasn’t a star investor. Wasn’t even employed.

He was still an intern.

All those stories—Wall Street, unicorn projects, global acclaim—they were lies. Fabricated to impress Maisie. And she believed every word.

This guy? Really?

Jett clapped me on the shoulder.

“Just tell me what kind of woman you want. I’ll find her for you—guaranteed.”

I gave a bitter smile and shook my head.

“Forget it. I’m not looking to get into a relationship anytime soon.”

“Fair enough. Then just eat, drink, and hang out here for a few days.”

Through it all, Jett never once mentioned recruiting me into Nova Group.

But I knew he wanted to.

“I want to start from the ground up. Is that okay?”

“What?”

Jett looked surprised. Then clapped his hands, eyes gleaming.

“I’ve been waiting for you to say that!”

“But starting from the bottom? No way. The lowest I’ll let you go is department head.”

Nova was one of the top 100 global companies. Even among giants, it stood tall.

A department head’s salary and benefits were five times better than anything Renner Corporation ever offered.

Jett had wanted to poach me for years. He just never pushed.

In the blink of an eye, a week passed. My mood lifted. My mind cleared.

Before officially joining Nova, I sent the two “welcome gifts” anonymously to Maisie.

By then, she had emerged from her grief. She even staged a funeral for me.

At my gravestone, she put on a show—promising to live strong, to honor me as the child’s godfather.

Then she threw away our shared memories. Photos. Keepsakes.

Luca told her holding onto those things would only bring sorrow.

But his motive was clear.

He wanted to marry Maisie. Work his way into the Renner family. Slowly take control of Renner Corporation.

Maisie was their only daughter. The Renner family wasn’t wealthy by global standards, but in their region, they held weight.

If Luca waited long enough, the company would be his.

Just as Maisie was about to return home, she received the anonymous files.

With nothing better to do in the car, she opened them.

The first thing she saw was a photo album—Luca in and out of nightclubs.

That didn’t surprise her.

She already knew.

Luca never bothered to hide that much.

But the next file?

That would be the one to crack her.

Chapter 8: The Second Collapse

Luca had once told Maisie that when he got bored overseas, he’d step out for a drink or two. He swore he’d never betray her.

“Don’t read too much into it,” he’d said.

But the next set of photos shattered that illusion.

There he was—arms wrapped around a voluptuous woman, walking out of a nightclub, heading straight to a nearby hotel. What happened next needed no explanation.

Maisie swiped through twenty-some photos.

Five different women.

Same pattern. Same carelessness.

Her hands trembled so badly she nearly dropped her phone in the car.

Still, she summoned her courage and opened the videos.

She had steeled herself.

But the moment she saw hotel surveillance footage—Luca tangled with another woman—she smashed her phone in fury.

Her so-called first love had betrayed her.

She told the driver to step on it.

When she got home, she slipped silently into the bedroom—only to catch Luca red-handed, flirting on his phone.

She snatched the device away.

Lewd, explicit messages. Hotel bookings. Underwear colors. Breast sizes.

“What is this? What the hell are you doing?!”

Luca jumped up, scrambling.

“Maisie, calm down! I was just bored and messing around, that’s all.”

“Oh, bored? So you chat with other women about hotel rooms? About their bodies?”

“This is normal! I never actually went through with anything!”

He didn’t take her fury seriously.

He thought, like before, a few sweet words and some gifts would smooth things over.

He even reached for the phone.

Maisie roared.

“You really didn’t mean it? Or are you just pretending? How many women have you slept with over the years abroad?!”

“Maisie, what are you saying? I’ve always been loyal to you!”

“Loyal?! How can you say that kind of nonsense with a straight face?!”

Luca paused. Something was off.

“Maisie… did someone say something to you? That person must be trying to drive a wedge between us!”

“We’ve been together for ten years! Don’t you know how much I care about you?”

He shouldn’t have said that.

Maisie exploded.

The truth was, in those ten years, they barely saw each other.

Sometimes, an entire year passed without a single meeting.

Their relationship had always felt fresh—like a never-ending honeymoon.

There was simply no time to grow tired of one another.

But now, undeniable proof of betrayal surfaced.

Right after my supposed death.

The double blow crushed her.

She couldn’t stop thinking about how, over the past decade, I had cared for her quietly. Sacrificed without complaint.

And now, with me gone, she broke down in helpless sobs.

“Maisie, there must be some misunderstanding. I… I admit I slipped up abroad, but it was only once or twice, I swear…”

“Only once or twice? I can’t even forgive one time! And you’ve been with countless women over the past ten years!”

The more she thought about it, the deeper her disgust grew.

She couldn’t believe someone like her—so obsessed with cleanliness—had ever shared a bed with a man like this.

Six abortions.

And this time, she had decided to keep the child.

The weight of it all tore her apart.

Her mood swung wildly.

Luca hurried to soothe her.

“Maisie, you’re pregnant. Please don’t let this overwhelm you. I’m sorry. Truly.”

She cried long and hard.

And Luca stayed by her side, offering comfort as her tears slowly eased into quiet.

But the silence wasn’t peace.

It was the beginning of collapse.

Chapter 9: The Final Reveal

Another file arrived on Maisie’s phone.

She hesitated.

Then tapped “accept.”

What unfolded froze her in place.

It was Luca’s full overseas work history—no filters, no embellishments. From low-level temp jobs to janitorial shifts, even stints as a waiter.

I had sent it in two parts.

Because slow poison stings deeper than a single blow.

And just as I expected, this one hit harder.

Far worse than the betrayal she’d uncovered before.

Maisie hadn’t chosen Luca just because he was her first love.

She had believed him.

Believed the grand tales of Wall Street triumphs, of powerful connections and global prestige.

She had wanted to prove to her father that she could lead Renner Corporation on her own.

Knowing her limits, she leaned on Luca.

She believed he’d help the company flourish—even if he never returned from abroad.

“What exactly were you doing overseas?” she asked, voice icy cold.

Luca glanced nervously at her phone, trying to guess what she’d seen.

“I already told you. I was a top investment analyst on Wall Street.”

“Maybe someone deliberately sent you false information?”

Still, he refused to confess.

Maisie rubbed her forehead, helplessness clouding her eyes.

Ten years.

Ten years of deception.

Ten years of sacrifice—six abortions, and now a child she had planned to carry.

“Maisie, please don’t get upset! Be careful, you’re pregnant!”

Luca’s fear was real.

The baby was his last hold on her.

But Maisie’s lips curled into a cold, hollow smile.

“Baby? What baby? Have you lost your mind?”

She stood abruptly and rushed toward the door.

At first, Luca didn’t follow.

But when she declared she was going to have an abortion, panic seized him.

He dashed after her, grabbed her arm.

Maisie struggled fiercely.

In the chaos, she stumbled and fell.

Maybe this was fate.

At the hospital, the doctor shook his head solemnly.

The child couldn’t be saved.

Surprisingly, Maisie felt relief.

She had wanted to cut all ties with Luca.

Now, she finally could.

From that moment on, she drew a firm line in the sand.

But even that wasn’t enough.

Maisie took Luca to court—fraud, sexual coercion, and more.

She succeeded.

He was sent to prison.

Yet each time she returned to the empty house, her mind wandered back to me.

The me she believed was lost forever.

Until one day, she saw me on TV.

Nova Group press conference.

Without hesitation, she booked a ticket.

Flew overseas.

I was already settled into the rhythm here.

I asked my secretary to prepare for the afternoon meetings.

Just as I stepped out of the elevator, I bumped into her.

Maisie.

Standing at the reception desk.

Face flushed. Eyes wide with anxiety.

The receptionist filled her in.

And when she saw me—truly alive—tears welled and spilled down her cheeks.

I hadn’t expected her to find me.

Much less come all this way.

But compared to before, my emotions remained steady.

No anger.

No longing.

Just clarity.

Chapter 10: Wildflowers and Silence

Maybe I had truly let go.

Maisie stepped closer, but I raised a hand.

“If you have something to say, say it from there. No need to come any closer.”

She froze, then spoke with a tremor in her voice.

“Weston… it’s me. Maisie.”

“Is it because I look too worn down now? You didn’t recognize me?”

She even pulled out her makeup kit, ready to fix her face right there in the lobby.

Her stubbornness made me chuckle quietly.

I raised an eyebrow.

“I know you’re Maisie. Now tell me—why are you here?”

“Weston, why are you so cold to me? I’ve searched for you endlessly. I’ve already left Luca.”

“I even put him behind bars for you. I knew how much you hated him.”

Her desperation was palpable.

But to me, all of this was her own doing.

“You don’t have to tell me that. It doesn’t interest me.”

She refused to give in.

Dropped to her knees right in front of the receptionist.

“Weston, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me. We can still go back to how things were, can’t we?”

“Look—I don’t have a child with Luca anymore. We can have a healthy baby together someday.”

I said nothing.

Then warned her: if she came bothering me again, I’d call security.

She didn’t believe me.

Thought I was bluffing.

Only when security actually appeared did she realize—

I truly didn’t love her anymore.

Her face drained of hope.

“Weston… tell me this isn’t real. Tell me you still love me.”

“I could give you the Renner Corporation. I… I could give you everything. Just say the word.”

“Oh really?” I replied. “Then I ask you to leave my world forever.”

That was my only request.

And surprisingly, she honored it.

Returned to the U.S. that very day.

I thought she had finally settled down.

But the next morning, she somehow added my overseas social media account.

She began flooding me with confessions of love.

Looking closer, I saw her approach mirrored exactly how I once chased her—down to every detail.

Some people, once lost, are lost forever.

No matter how hard you try to accept it, some things simply cannot be undone.

She kept it up for three months.

Then vanished.

No calls. No messages. No sign at all.

Until one day, Jett handed me his phone.

A news article.

Maisie had committed suicide.

Sleeping pills. At home.

“Bro, I just came to give you the news. I don’t mean anything by it. I just think you deserve to know.”

I nodded.

“Thanks.”

He patted my shoulder and left.

I had thought the news would stir something.

But I was far calmer than I imagined.

Looking at her profile felt like reading about a stranger.

I felt regret.

But no emotional attachment.

As Jett once said—Maisie hurt me the most.

So much so that when I finally let go, it was sharper and more final than any average goodbye.

Whenever I returned to the U.S. for business, I still made a point to visit her grave.

At her tombstone, I’d quietly place a small wildflower picked from the roadside.

Back when we were together, she told me her favorite flower was the wildflower.

Free and wild. Without a care.

From then on, I had nothing more to do with Renner Corporation.

I married abroad.

Had children.

And began a life of quiet, peaceful happiness.