Chapter 7 — Cashing Out of a Broken Past

Ky Tu Han’s eyes were bloodshot as he slammed his fist onto his mahogany desk, a tide of agonizing regret surging from the very depths of his soul. How had things spiraled into such a disaster? He had agreed to pay her one hundred million, foolishly believing that would settle every debt and wipe the slate clean. It had never crossed his mind that she would simply take the money and vanish into the ether. Only now, as she had completely erased herself from his world, did he finally realize how vital Meng Tue An had been to his existence. All his past indifference, he now understood, had been fueled by the arrogant, misguided assumption that she would always be waiting for him, tethered by her love.

In the grip of his frantic anxiety, a desperate, irrational thought took root in his mind: If only he hadn't forced a divorce, if only he hadn't allowed Lam Hoan to move into their home, if only he hadn't coerced her into changing her name—would she still be by his side? The bitterness of his own stupidity tasted like gall. He had been so blind. Lam Hoan was nothing more than an illegitimate child of the Meng family, a mere stain on their reputation. Why had he sacrificed Tue An, tearing her soul to shreds, all for someone as insignificant as that? With trembling fingers, he picked up the photograph resting on his desk. In the small frame, Tue An looked back at him with a gentle, tender smile, exactly as she had in the years before he had broken her.

Just then, the door creaked open, and Lam Hoan stepped in, her eyes rimmed with red. "Tu Han, you haven't been home for three days. Our son misses his father; he cries for you every single day. Can you please come home to see him?"

Ky Tu Han barely spared her a glance, his voice raw and cold. "Get out."

Lam Hoan lunged forward, grabbing his arm. "Tu Han, she is gone! She was heartless enough to take your money and abandon you; why are you still clinging to her memory? My son and I will take her place by your side. We can be a happy family. If you miss her, you can pretend I am her—I don't mind—"

Before she could finish, Ky Tu Han’s hand shot out, his fingers locking around her throat. He cut her off with a brutal, guttural roar: "Shut your mouth!"

He gritted his teeth, his expression twisting with malice. "You are not her. You are not even fit to be mentioned in the same breath! If it weren't for you, none of this would have happened. You and your family spent three years tormenting her, stripping away everything she cherished—her husband, her home, even the very name she was born with! If you hadn't existed, she would still be here, safe and warm beside me."

Lam Hoan clutched at his wrists, coughing violently as she struggled to breathe, yet her eyes began to flicker with a perverse, distorted light. "Tu Han, are you blaming me now? Do not forget that you were the one who dealt the heaviest blows during those three years. The primary reason she left in such despair was you!"

She clawed at his hands, screaming until her voice cracked. "Wake up, Ky Tu Han! You were the one who willingly slept with me for three years, the one who chose to create a child with me! Everyone in S City knows that I am your wife now, and long ago, the world forgot about Meng Tue An. She is never coming back. You have no choice but to live the rest of your life with me."

Ky Tu Han let out a hollow, chilling laugh, his gaze locking onto her with predatory intensity. "A wife? Do you truly believe that a marriage license makes you my wife? Lam Hoan, in this city, I have more ways to dismantle you than you can even fathom."

His dark eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty madness as he leaned in, his voice dropping to a dangerous, icy whisper: "You had better scurry out of my office and spend the rest of the day praying that I find Meng Tue An. Because if I don't, I cannot guarantee what will become of you."

Fear finally broke through Lam Hoan’s facade. Trembling, she scrambled away and fled the room. Just as she disappeared, his assistant hurried in, his face pale with urgency. "Sir, we have found a lead on her."

The assistant placed his laptop on the desk before his boss. "There was a shooting incident in M Country recently. Take a look—does this woman not resemble her?"

Ky Tu Han’s hands shook uncontrollably as he navigated the cursor to enlarge the image. It was her. His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird, his pulse roaring in his ears. He turned to his assistant, his voice low and commandingly sharp: