The Wedding That Never Was Chapter 25

[Adrian’s POV]

On the highway, cars sped past one after another.

Simple and light vehicles had become popular in the last two years, but Adrian still drove his clumsy old car.

Two years ago, after taking revenge on Julian Croft and the others, Adrian stood on the roof of that building again.

He looked down at the city with hollow, blank eyes.

The rumors had been apologized for, Ilara's innocence restored. His father confessed to his deeds, but Adrian was helpless. Ilara's mother went to prison...

And then? What should he do?

Adrian inched little by little to the very edge of the roof. If anyone watched, they would never think he was looking at the scenery.

He pressed his hand over his heart. There seemed to be a beat, yet it seemed empty and silent.

What she took away wasn't just the cries praying for her to fly to heaven, but also a heart that was rotting day by day.

The longer Ilara was gone, the more he felt his soul being extracted from his body. That pain could only be solved by taking one step forward.

Just one step...

Adrian stared at the illusion before him.

Ilara, wearing a blood-red coat, her body broken and tattered, still smiled at him with those warm eyes.

Adrian smiled back. He was about to open his arms to respond to that embrace...

Again, annoying hands grabbed his clothes. Several people pulled the young master, who was bent on dying, back to safety.

Several men in their thirties broke out in a cold sweat.

Adrian looked back displeased, scanning the men his father arranged to "protect" him.

Surveillance, more like, Adrian sneered.

After Adrian retired, his father's fear grew day by day.

He feared his only heir's unyielding desire for death, and he feared that under the gaze of a dead woman... his son would raise a knife against the family fortune saved by selling him out.

The day Adrian returned from the cemetery, holding a stack of photos...

Mr. Hayes would never forget his son's blood-red eyes.

Therefore, more and more people were placed around him.

Adrian scoffed at this.

But later, Mr. Hayes did the most foolish thing of his life.

He found a woman who looked somewhat like Ilara.

When he brought her to Adrian, he said arrogantly, "It's just a woman. I can find a handful of them with a little money."

That day, Adrian raised his hand against his biological father.

He looked down at his palm, seeming to have forgotten the sensation.

But he remembered the feeling. He remembered Ilara.

He used to mock Ilara, blaming her for sending money to that mother who was a mother in name only.

Back then, Ilara admired him so much. After careful thought, although she couldn't bear not giving any money, she limited the frequency and amount.

He was satisfied with this, but never took responsibility for his casual accusations.

Only later, when he saw Ilara's mother making things difficult for her in front of reporters at the concert, did he realize that raising a knife against one's parents comes with a price.

Even if they were unqualified parents.

The bodyguards were shaken after pulling Adrian down. They underestimated the power of love.

If Adrian died in front of them, they wouldn't go home in one piece.

And this was only the first time.

For two years, Adrian's suicide attempts never ceased.

He found a hastily hidden fruit knife in Ilara's sofa, with traces of blood on it.

Adrian remembered that night. Amidst the fireworks that almost shattered the sky, his eyes saw colorful lights, but his ears heard her choked sentence.

She said, Happy birthday, let's break up.

So Adrian revealed a faint smile.

He pressed the fruit knife against the side of his neck. A line of blood emerged—

Of course, he was interrupted again.

Electricity, cutting wrists, holding himself underwater until he suffocated...

The methods he tried were countless.

The bodyguards faced unemployment crises multiple times. By the end, they were somewhat used to it.

Six months ago, after Adrian forced his father to cede power, they were finally liberated—

Sent to guard Mr. Hayes, who was trapped in the old mansion.

Adrian devoured power rapidly. He seemed to have a natural talent for it. Yet he repeatedly abandoned the family business to run all over the world...

Just to chase an ethereal phantom.

Now, the phantom had become substantial, but no longer trapped in Adrian's palm.

The speeding car encountered a curve along the river. Madness danced in Adrian's eyes.

There was a brand new method waiting for him to try.

He let go of the steering wheel.

Boom—

The car flipped sideways and plunged into the river.