Nate ignored the doctor’s protests and rushed out of the hospital room.
His footsteps echoed through the hallway, each one heavier than the last.
In his disoriented state, he’d heard that Sienna was leaving the country.
He drove recklessly, calling her number over and over, but she never answered.
“Sienna, please, just pick up once. Just this one time.”
His vision blurred. He didn’t notice the truck turning ahead.
CRASH!
The sound shattered the rainy night.
Blood trickled down his forehead.
His eyes were wide open, his lips parted, but no sound came out.
His mind went blank as countless voices seemed to swirl around him, everything fading into a haze.
“Sienna…”
He whispered her name, a final gentle tear shimmering in his eyes.
Hours later, Nate was rushed into emergency surgery–severe head trauma, collapsed chest cavity, clinging to life.
Meanwhile, at the airport, I had just checked my luggage when my phone lit up with a message from
Professor Martinez:
[He’s been in a serious car accident. In critical condition now.]
Standing at the boarding gate, my fingers trembled slightly.
After a moment, I put my phone away, my face betraying nothing.
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His ‘Perfect‘ Mistress? A Fraud. His Career? Mine Now.
Chapter 10
I pulled my suitcase forward and walked through the gate without looking back, flying toward my
new life.
Three years later, I stand in front of the new research building at Stanford University, looking up at my reflection in the glass façade. My expression is serene, my steps confident.
This time, I’ve returned as the lead researcher, signing a joint agreement for a national priority project.
No one remembers how I left in disgrace three years ago.
No one knows how that chapter–buried in rain and blood and tears–once stripped me of every
belief I had in love.
“Sienna.”
Suddenly, someone calls my name.
The voice is hoarse and broken, like a throat that’s been scored by a blade.
I turn around.
Nate sits in a wheelchair, backlit by the sun, though the light can’t hide his gaunt, pale face.
His left leg is visibly atrophied. He leans heavily on a metal support frame. He’s so thin he’s almost
unrecognizable.
His features are familiar in shape, but now carry the weight of years and suffering. Even his eyes
seem clouded.
‘You came back…”
He says, his voice quivering, a tiny spark of hope igniting in his eyes.
That accident three years ago left him partially paralyzed, with severe concussion and memory impairment. Even the academic projects he had dedicated his life to had to be abandoned due to his cognitive decline.
Meg took the baby back to their hometown to raise him.
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His ‘Perfect‘ Mistress? A Fraud. His Career? Mine Now.
6.8%
Chapter 10
And Paige? She’s still in prison for falsifying evidence and causing harm.
He’s alone now, his once–proud brilliance dulled by time’s cruel hand.
But I simply look at him calmly, not even the slightest smile crossing my lips.
I step past him, walking toward the man standing behind him.
The man wears a slate–blue suit, radiating quiet dignity. His gaze falls on me with tenderness as he naturally reaches for my hand.
I lean into his embrace, my voice light: “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
I don’t look back.
I know Nate must see the smile that curves my lips.
His hand trembles slightly, as if he wants to reach out but stops himself. He murmurs: “Sienna…”
I have everything I want now.
Except I no longer need his regret or his belated love.
00:53
His ‘Perfect‘ Mistress? A Fraud. His Career? Mine Now.
