Chapter 9: Encountering the Ex-Boyfriend After the Wedding

Due to the terrible weather and the inability to find a taxi, Malcolm carried me all the way to the hospital and looked after me for two days while I was unconscious. When I woke up and saw his distressed and haggard face, I was touched, thinking this was exactly what I had always wanted but never received. From that day on, Malcolm and I grew closer and naturally came together. The peace and comfort that Malcolm provided was something Roderick had never made me feel.

Roderick stared intently at my happy smile, trying to detect a trace of a lie. But he found none. At that moment, he felt his world was crashing down around him. He looked at me with reddened eyes for a long time. I thought he would say something, but instead, he silently turned and left. I never saw him again after that day.

Later, a former colleague told me that Roderick fell seriously ill after returning to the country and had become even more cold and ruthless than before.

A year later, Malcolm and I got married! The wedding, organized by Malcolm, was grand and romantic. That day, I received a message from Roderick. "Elaine, I wish you happiness. And I will always be here for you." He didn't attend my wedding but sent a wedding gift worth millions of dollars. I turned to Malcolm, who gently touched my head and said, "Since it's a blessing, let's keep it."

After the wedding, I took Malcolm to visit my mother's grave. There, I encountered an unrecognizably thin Roderick. Malcolm considerately gave us space to talk and kissed my forehead before he turned to leave. Since my arrival, Roderick had been staring intently at me. Seeing Malcolm kiss my forehead, his eyes reddened, but he forced a smile and said, "Elaine, how have you been this year?" I smiled, "Pretty good." We kept silent for a long time. Finally, I broke the silence, sighing, "Roderick, I truly wish you happiness as well." As time passed and with Malcolm's presence, my heart was filled with happiness and love, and my hatred for Roderick gradually faded. Now, seeing him was like looking at someone from the past. My mind was peaceful.

Roderick did not expect to hear this from me. He smiled, but his smile was incredibly bitter. "Elaine, I would rather you continue to hate me because at least that would mean I still occupy a place in your heart." He knew when the hatred no longer existed, he no longer had a place in her heart. I was stunned for a moment. Roderick said no more and silently walked away. Only after he had left did Malcolm come back to stand by my side and take my hand firmly. I shook my head slightly, completely getting Roderick off my mind, and grasped Malcolm's hand as we looked at my mother's smiling photo on the tombstone. "Mom, I will definitely be happy. You can rest in peace now."

Roderick's POV

It wasn't until I lost Elaine that I realized how important she was to me.

I admitted that initially, my attention to her was because she would do everything I said and wouldn't cause any trouble. Being with her was comfortable.

But little did I know that she was utterly unhappy by my side and even suffered a lot!

And the person who caused her suffering was me.

I took advantage of her affection for me, ignoring her feelings, treating her coldly, and repeatedly abandoning her for others.

I always treated Lindsay as a sister, a responsibility I had borne for many years. I promised her parents to take good care of her.

I was too arrogant and believed Elaine would never leave me, leading me to unconsciously favor Lindsay over her.

But it wasn't until Elaine left that I realized how outrageously wrong I had been.

Later, I secretly went to see her.

That man treated her well.

He would drape a jacket over her shoulders every time he picked her up from work, fearing she might catch a cold.

When they walked together, his right hand was always tightly holding her left hand.

It was then that I shockingly realized I had never once taken the initiative to hold Elaine's hand.

By his side, she smiled warmly and radiantly.

I couldn't even remember the last time she had laughed so heartily with me.

So, I really treated her poorly, didn't I? I regret it, but she didn't want me anymore!