I Walked Away With His Love Child

Chapter 1

My husband jumped off our honeymoon cruise the moment he heard his ex had died. "Even in death, you still choose her?" I whispered as the ocean swallowed him whole.

Then I woke up seventeen again, standing in the hallway where it all began. This time, when he turned to me, there was no hesitation. He let go of my hand without a word and walked straight toward the girl he could never forget. Fiona."

I watched them leave. Then I turned around and walked the other way.

From that day on, our lives ran on parallel tracks, never meant to cross again.

Until a decade later.

We ran into each other at a high-profile gala in Ocean City.

He stood tall in a tailored suit, Fiona by his side. Gone was the awkward boy I once knew. Now, he was polished, magnetic, untouchable.

Around him, people fawned and flattered.

"Young Master Gideon is incredible, landing that huge contract so young!"

"And this must be your fiancée? You two look amazing together."

Fiona smiled up at him sweetly, her voice gentle.

"We're planning to get married by the end of the year. If you're free, we'd love for you to come."

More congratulations followed. Someone asked what I'd been wondering too:

"You two have been together for ten years, right? Why wait until now to tie the knot?"

Gideon's smile froze for a split second before he smoothly recovered.

"Career before marriage. I wanted to build something solid before giving Fiona the life she deserves."

He looked at her then, eyes warm and full of affection, too full.

I remembered how many times I had asked him when we'd get married.

Back then, he only agreed when his family pressured him into it.

It turns out, love, or the lack of it, isn't something you can hide.

I was turning to leave when a flash of movement caught my eye, a tiny figure darting past the crowd. I instinctively followed.

"Watch it!"

A tray of champagne glasses toppled, splashing everywhere. The waiter holding it glared at me.

"Are you blind? Where'd you come from?"

His voice was loud enough to draw a crowd.

Then I heard a familiar voice.

"Adeline?"

I looked up. Gideon was staring at me, stunned.

"I'm here looking for someone," I said softly, glancing down.

Someone nearby whispered, "You know her, Gideon?"

He gripped his glass tighter, his voice clipped.

"Yeah. Just an ex-girlfriend."

A hush fell over the circle. Someone chuckled awkwardly.

"Wait, I thought you and Fiona were high school sweethearts, each other's first love?"

Fiona's smile faltered for just a second before she leaned into him and laughed lightly.

"We had a brief breakup in college. Youthful mistakes, you know?"

Gideon said nothing. His eyes flicked to the waiter.

"Put the damage on my tab. Let her go."

He didn't even look at me again. Just turned back to Fiona, cool and composed.

The waiter huffed and tugged at my arm.

"Young Master Gideon's being generous, cleaning up your mess. Don't expect a second chance."

He sneered at my wrinkled pajamas.

"This isn't a shelter. People like you don't belong here."

I pulled my arm free, trying to stay calm.

"I'm not here to cause trouble. I just need to find someone. Then I'll leave."

He rolled his eyes.

"Save it. I've seen plenty like you trying to sneak into events like this. Keep pushing, and I'll call security."

"Wait."

Gideon's voice came again.

He sighed, looking at me with a complicated expression.

"She's here to talk to me. Give us a minute."

Fiona wrapped her arms around his shoulders possessively.

"Adeline, Gideon and I are getting married. A woman with self-respect wouldn't come running back to her ex at a time like this."

Gideon's face tensed.

"You need to let go. Whatever we had, it was a mistake. I've been given a second chance, and I'm not going to mess it up. So please, stop holding on."

Fiona looked me up and down, her eyes gleaming with mockery.

"I get why you came. Gideon's successful now, who wouldn't want a piece of that?"

She scoffed at my outfit.

"You graduated from one of the top schools, right? How did you end up like this? Honestly, if I were you, I wouldn't have shown my face here."

Gideon frowned and pulled out his phone, clearly growing annoyed.

"If you're still upset about the breakup, I can compensate you. How about five hundred thousand?"

He started tapping something on his phone, then froze.

"You... deleted my number?"