He Thought She’d Never Leave—Until She Did - Chapter 1

An He was born into an unhappy family. Her father drank, her mother gambled, and the two of them fought almost every day—sometimes shouting, sometimes physically hurting each other.

From a very young age, An He understood one thing: she had to behave, or her parents would turn their anger on her.

Every day, she had endless chores to do.

In winter, when other children were still nestled in their warm blankets, she was already up making breakfast.

In summer, when everyone else was resting, she was still kneeling on the floor, scrubbing.

Even after being treated like that, she never dared to complain. She told herself her parents were just in a bad mood. When they felt better, they would surely love her again.

But she never waited for that love.
What came instead was news of their deaths.

They’d died in a car accident.

The driver paid a large compensation.

An He was too young to handle such matters, so her relatives took over.

She didn’t know those relatives well. When her family had been poor, none of them had bothered to visit. Now they appeared, all for one thing—to fight over her parents’ compensation money.

Each one, in private, approached her and said they wanted her to live with them.

But An He knew—it wasn’t out of kindness. It was because of the money.

Too timid to speak up, she just stood there as they argued.

In the end, she was sent to live with her grandmother.

The old woman she’d never met turned out to be kinder than expected—at least she didn’t hit or curse her.

There was still endless housework, but at least she could eat her fill. That, An He thought, was enough for now.

Someday, she would study hard and leave this place behind.

Her grandmother’s temper was unpredictable—sometimes gentle as spring sunshine, other times like a storm tearing through the house.

Five years later, An He was kicked out.

Or rather, her uncle’s family kicked her out—because what little remained of her compensation money was gone.

That was the hardest time in her life.

Later, she was sent to an orphanage. And after that, she was adopted by a wealthy family. From then on, her life completely changed.

The Song family treated her well. She even had a brother she had never met before.

Her adoptive parents didn’t force her to change her name, so she remained An He.

She called her adoptive father “Dad.”
Her adoptive mother “Mom.”
And her brother—Song Yu.

But what no one knew was that their relationship wasn’t as simple as it appeared. In secret, they had long since crossed that line.

Song Yu was known as Nancheng’s young tyrant—a spoiled, privileged heir who could have anything he wanted. And the moment he laid eyes on that timid, delicate girl, he had wicked thoughts.

He couldn’t stop imagining her trembling beneath him.

The pure white rabbit and the big bad wolf—it was a perfect match.

So after An He’s college entrance exams, he finally claimed her for himself—branding her with his mark.

The tattoo on her chest bore the single letter “Y,” the initial of Song Yu’s name.

It was placed right over her heart.

He was the one who had taken her to get it. His exact words had been, “I want to stay here forever.”

An He didn’t know if it was fear or something else that made her voice tremble as she whispered, “Okay.”

The pain had been unbearable. She’d nearly fainted several times, but endured it all.

Later, whenever they were together, Song Yu loved kissing that spot.

He would murmur, “Hehe, in this life, you can only belong to me.”

And for a long time, An He believed she would spend the rest of her life with him—until that day.

It was her birthday. Song Yu had told her that morning he was planning a surprise for her.

He was always one for elaborate gestures, so when he promised a surprise, he meant it.

An He loved him, and all day her heart was light with anticipation.

Her friend Tiantian teased her. “It’s been forever since I’ve seen you this nervous. What’s going on?”

An He told her what she suspected.

Tiantian covered her mouth. “Seriously?”

An He wasn’t sure. “Maybe.”

“Ha! Babe, congratulations. Looks like your patience is finally paying off,” Tiantian said with a laugh. “I’ve got a feeling Song Yu’s going to propose.”

An He’s cheeks flushed pink. “That’s just a guess. Don’t say it so loud.”

Her guess wasn’t baseless—Song Yu had taken her to a jewelry store just days ago and had her try on a diamond ring.

He’d even tried one on himself.

They hadn’t bought them in the end, but An He couldn’t help thinking the “surprise” and the ring must be related.

And a ring could only mean one thing—a proposal.

Maybe… he really would ask her to marry him.

“If he does propose, are you going to say yes?” Tiantian asked.

An He hesitated. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know? Of course you should say yes.” Tiantian sighed. “You can’t stay his secret forever.”

An He wanted to make their relationship public too—but their identities didn’t allow it.

“I haven’t told Mom and Dad yet…”

“The Song family loves you,” Tiantian said. “If you become their daughter-in-law, they’ll be thrilled. Trust me—just tell them.”

An He still hesitated. “Maybe later.”

She knew her place. Everything she had came from the Songs. If they ever took it back, she’d have nothing left.

Someone like her didn’t deserve Song Yu.

“I know what you’re afraid of, but it won’t happen,” Tiantian said reassuringly.

An He nodded softly. “Mm.”

Her gentle, indecisive nature was both her flaw and her charm—and the reason she always avoided facing matters of the heart.

“Let me guess what he’s going to say,” Tiantian laughed, taking her hand and mimicking Song Yu’s voice. “Hehe, I love you. Will you marry me?”

An He’s cheeks turned an even deeper red. Her lashes fluttered. “He would never say it like that.”

“Why not? I bet he will.”

Tiantian gave her a playful push, and An He instinctively leaned to the side—accidentally knocking over a cup.

It shattered on the floor. Her heart skipped a beat.

A sudden sense of dread washed over her.

Then her phone rang. The caller ID read “Mom.”

An He steadied herself and answered. “Mom.”

Song Mother’s voice was anxious. “Hehe, where are you?”

“I’m out. What’s wrong?”

“It’s that matter again. Can you come now?”

An He pressed her lips together. “Okay. Send me the address. I’ll take a cab.”

Tiantian noticed her pale expression and asked after she hung up, “What happened?”

“It’s nothing,” An He said. “Mom needs me for something. I have to go.”

“Alright, go ahead then.”

But seeing An He’s uneasy face, Tiantian pressed, “Babe, are you sure you’re okay?”

An He shook her head lightly. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine. Did something happen?”

An He smiled faintly. “Probably just tired lately. Don’t worry.”

“You’ve looked pale for days. Take care of yourself, okay?”

“Mm.”

She left and got into a cab. As her sleeve slipped down, the pale skin of her arm showed faint pinpricks—tiny needle marks.

An He had a secret—one she had never told anyone, not even Song Yu.

Every month, she went to donate blood.

She’d started the same month she entered the Song family. It had been ten years now, never once interrupted.

Once a month.

She didn’t know who the blood was for, but judging by how nervous her adoptive parents always were, it must have been someone they cared deeply about.

An He didn’t mind donating. What she did mind was—did Song Yu know?

She’d never said anything, but perhaps someone in the Song family had.

If he knew, would he still let her do it?

An He shook her head. Song Yu had said he loved her—surely, he couldn’t bear to see her hurt.

The thought warmed her heart again. Maybe she really was loved.

This time, though, was different. They took more blood than usual. By the end, she could barely stand.

She lay there for a long time before she could get up.

None of the Songs came to see her.

Of course, they never did.

She gave a small laugh. After all this time, she still hadn’t learned her lesson. How foolish.

The assistant approached. “Miss, are you alright?”

An He nodded. “I’m fine.”

“Madam asked me to drive you to the villa outside the city for a few days to rest.”

An He thought of Song Yu and hesitated. “Can I not go?”

“No.”

“I have something important tonight,” she said quickly. “Really important. Assistant Feng, I promise I’ll go after I finish.”

“Sorry,” Feng Hai said. “Madam’s orders were clear. You have to go now.”

An He’s eyes reddened. “Can’t you make an exception?”

Feng Hai shook his head. “You know Madam’s temper. If she gets upset, she’ll have an episode, and you—”

Song Mother always seemed calm, but her episodes were terrifying.

She would break things. Sometimes, she even hurt herself.

An He had witnessed it once and hadn’t slept well for weeks.

“I thought Mom’s condition was under control.”

“That’s just what it looks like.”

“Please don’t make it harder for me, Miss,” Feng Hai urged.

An He knew there was no use arguing. She sighed softly. “Alright, I’ll go with you.”

She went—but once they arrived, she escaped.

Climbing out a second-floor window, she slipped away unnoticed.

She got in a cab and left immediately.

She was going to see Song Yu.

There was so much she wanted to tell him—and most of all, she wanted to know what the “surprise” was.

If it really was a proposal, she wanted to be brave for once and say yes.

The orphanage director used to tell her: people like them weren’t doomed; they also had the right to chase happiness.

So she would. Even just this once.

She wanted to hold on to Song Yu—tightly.

At the meeting spot, An He waited quietly.

Ten minutes passed.

Twenty.

Half an hour.

An hour.

Song Yu still hadn’t come.

She took out her phone and called him. No answer.

She called again. Still nothing.

Unwilling to give up, she kept trying until finally—someone picked up.

“Hello?” It was a woman’s voice.

An He froze. She didn’t recognize it. “Is this Song Yu’s phone?”

“Yes.”

Her heart sank. “Wh-where is he?”

“You’re An He, right?”

She hesitated, then said, “Yes.”

The woman laughed softly. “Aren’t you curious how I know who you are?”

An He’s hand trembled around the phone. She forced her voice steady. “Not really.”

“But I still want to tell you,” the woman said gently. “I’m your Song Yu’s—”

The call cut off.

An He stared at the dark screen. The woman’s soft voice echoed in her mind, exploding like thunder.

She had been the one to end the call.

She didn’t even know why.

Numbly, she left the restaurant.

Not long after, it began to rain.

She walked aimlessly through the downpour.

Until a blaring horn split the air—followed by blinding headlights.

A black car swerved out of control—heading straight for her.

Bang.

The world went dark.

(t/n: “Hehe” is Song Yu’s intimate nickname for An He. “Chasing His Wife’s Ashes” is a popular online trope describing a man’s desperate regret after losing the woman he once hurt.)