He Thought She’d Never Leave—Until She Did - Chapter 11

An He didn’t go back to the hospital. Instead, she got off at the nearest stop and went straight to the mall, where she bought a new phone and a new SIM card.
Her very first message was to Tiantian.

[Here’s my new number. Save it.]

Then she sent a few more messages to a handful of important friends.

When she scrolled down and saw the avatar of a starry sky, her hand froze.
That was Song Yu’s contact. She still remembered what happened when they first added each other on WeChat.

He’d looked so cold and composed on the surface—but in truth, he was anything but.
He had pulled her into a secluded corner where no one would see them, and then he kissed her, bit her, and held her so tightly she couldn’t breathe.

Gripping her chin, he had asked, “So? Should I add you?”

An He could never withstand his teasing. Her legs had gone weak, her whole body trembling, and that single word “add” had stuck in her throat, unable to come out.

The man wasn’t in any hurry. He simply tilted her face up and kissed her again, this time deeper, harder.

He didn’t let her go until he had taken every last bit of air from her lungs.

With tears gathering in her eyes, she glared at him. “You… you’re going too far.”

“Now you realize that?” Song Yu’s voice was low and velvety, a dangerous hum against her ear. When his lips brushed her earlobe, heat shot through her entire body. “If I’m being excessive… what can you do about it?”

There was nothing she could do. She could only endure.

“So, are we adding each other or not? Hmm?”

An He could tell he was running out of patience. If she resisted any longer, she knew what kind of punishment awaited her.
So she nodded. “Add.”

As soon as the request went through, Song Yu lifted her up and set her on the windowsill. Tilting her chin, he murmured, “So obedient. You deserve a reward.”

When they finally pulled apart, he still looked unsatisfied. Beneath her collar, her skin was covered in faint marks.

He warned her, “From now on, only I get to see you like this. If anyone else does, I won’t let you off.”

For once, she dared to talk back, voice trembling. “Song Yu, I’m not your property.”

“You’re not?” His lips curved, his eyes dark as they bored into her. “An He, from the moment you stepped into the Song family, you should’ve known—you belong to me.”

“The Song family is mine. That includes you.”

He hated disobedience. And when she tried to protest, he silenced her with another fierce kiss.

Pain and pleasure tangled together, leaving her dizzy. Her hands pressed against his chest, unsure whether to push him away or pull him closer.

After that day, they crossed even more reckless lines—
In every corner of the Song family home.

Song Yu had always been that way: impulsive, untamed, unstoppable. Whatever he wanted, no one could deny him.
Not even her.

The sunlight that slipped through the windows bore silent witness to their entanglement. Back then, she’d thought that if even the light could see them, maybe their love would last forever.

But she didn’t realize—
In this so-called love game, the only one truly lost was her.

Song Yu had always been sober.
Sober enough to control everything—her, their relationship, and the way she fell deeper and deeper until she couldn’t escape.

He really was cruel.

An He went to her own apartment—a modest two-bedroom unit, not very big, but warm enough to feel like home.
It was at least a place where the emptiness didn’t feel so unbearable.

She opened the fridge, grabbed a beer, and sat on the couch, drinking bottle after bottle.

Her phone rang several times. She didn’t pick up. She just let it keep ringing.

On the coffee table sat a handmade craft—a miniature castle model Song Yu had once made for her.

He’d told her, “When we get married, we’ll live in a castle like this.”

Back then, he had treated her gently.
Rough at times, yes—but attentive when it mattered. When she was sick, he would stay up all night to take care of her.

When she cried, he would coax her with infinite patience.

When had things started to change?

Maybe it was that first time she gave blood. She’d cried, saying she didn’t want to.
He had gripped her wrist and said coldly, “An He, stop making a fuss.”

That one sentence—stop making a fuss—was what had sentenced her to a life as a living blood bank.

An He tilted her head back and downed another large gulp of beer.

Her phone rang again. This time, she picked up. “Hello.”

“Hehe, thank God you finally answered!” came Tiantian’s relieved voice.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear it earlier,” An He sniffled.

“It’s fine,” Tiantian said. “Song Yu’s been looking for you. He just called me.”

“Don’t tell him where I am,” An He said quickly. “And don’t give him my new number.”

“Did you two fight?” Tiantian asked, worried.

“No,” An He exhaled. “Tiantian…”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“I’m breaking up with Song Yu.”

That one sentence had taken her ten years to say.

“What?” Tiantian’s voice shot up. “Are you sure about this?”

“I am.” An He let out a self-mocking laugh. “I’ve been lying to myself long enough. It’s time to stop.”

Whatever An He decided, Tiantian always supported her. “Alright. I agree. Song Yu’s too cold. He doesn’t deserve your love, Hehe. You’ll meet someone someday who loves you completely.”

But An He no longer believed in such things. “That doesn’t matter anymore.”

“So when will you tell him?”

“I’m still not feeling great. I’ll rest for a few more days first.” She needed time to sort everything out—and to gather up all the things he’d ever given her.

If they were ending things, then she wanted it to be clean.
Everything he’d given her—she would return.

“Do you need me to help?”

“No.”

“You’re really hurting, aren’t you?”

“I’ll manage.” The hardest part wasn’t today—it was the years she had spent living without dignity, chasing after a man who never looked back.

“If you feel down, call me. I’ll drink with you.”

“Thank you, Tiantian.” But deep down, An He didn’t plan to contact her again anytime soon.
She knew Song Yu too well—if he couldn’t find her, he’d go looking for Tiantian next.

And she didn’t want Tiantian getting caught up in this.

The safest way was to cut contact.

“Tiantian, listen… let’s not talk for a while.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want him to find me,” An He explained. “I don’t want him to know where I am.”

Tiantian understood. “Alright. I’ll wait. Once you’re settled, we’ll talk again.”

“Okay.”

She didn’t just cut contact with Tiantian; she even disconnected from the orphanage. Then she locked herself in her apartment, replaying the past over and over like a film reel.

Every memory of Song Yu hurt so much she could barely breathe.

No one knew how deeply she loved him.
Not even Song Yu himself.

He was her everything.

She had even sworn once that as long as Song Yu stayed safe, she would do anything he asked.

But love that cheap is never cherished.
The one who gives the most is always the one who ends up bleeding.

All she had done—all her sacrifices—were nothing but a joke.

When she finished packing up the last of his gifts, she boxed them and shipped them off.

It was a same-city delivery. If nothing went wrong, Song Yu would receive it tonight.
And knowing him, she knew exactly how he’d react.

Which was why she planned to leave tonight.

There was nothing left here for her to stay for.

After sending the package, she grabbed her suitcase and left. One last look back—and then she closed the door behind her.

The streets weren’t busy, and she reached the airport quickly.

Her stomach was upset, so she went to the waiting area, bought some desserts, and ate slowly.

Lately, she’d felt bloated all the time. Even when she hadn’t eaten much, nausea would strike out of nowhere.

She’d never experienced that before. Maybe she was sick.

She decided she’d see a doctor once she got settled.

Nearby sat a pregnant woman chatting with a friend.

“Hey, what does pregnancy feel like?” the friend asked.

“Sleepy, tired, moody. My stomach’s uncomfortable all the time—I feel nauseous,” the woman said.

“Even your tastes change when you’re pregnant.”

“I used to hate sushi, but now I crave it every day.”

“Wow, pregnancy sounds magical—turning dislikes into cravings!”

The pregnant woman laughed. “Exactly. It’s wild.”

“Can I touch your belly?”

“Sure.”

An He watched quietly, her gaze narrowing slightly behind her glasses as something clicked in her mind.

Wait—how long had it been since her last period?

It seemed… late.

Her cycle was never regular. Being a few days late was normal. A couple months ago, stress from work had delayed it by twenty days—she’d even thought she was pregnant then, but it came eventually.

Still, this time… it had been more than ten days late.

Could it be?

No—surely not.

She took a sip of her coffee, but strangely, even her favorite Americano tasted good again today.

Pressing a hand to her lips, she went to the restroom. She didn’t come out for a long time.

When she finally did, the two women were still there. One of them looked up. “Miss, are you pregnant too?”

“Huh?”

“You look pale and nauseous, just like I was early on. You’re expecting, right?”

An He fell silent.

She thought back carefully. She and Song Yu had always used protection. It was impossible.

Right?

Then she remembered—
There had been one time. Just one.

It couldn’t be that coincidence… could it?

“Excuse me,” she muttered, grabbing her bag and leaving.

She went straight to a nearby pharmacy and bought a pregnancy test. But just as she stepped out, two men blocked her path.

“Miss An, please come with us.”

She didn’t recognize them and stepped back. “Who are you? What do you want?”

“Our boss would like to see you,” one of them said.

“I don’t know your boss.” She backed away. “Stay away from me.”

“You do know him.” One man gestured toward a nearby Maybach. “Our boss is Mr. Song.”

An He turned to look. Through the shifting light, the Maybach’s window lowered slowly, revealing that familiar, cold side profile.

His jaw was tight. His lips pressed into a hard line.

He looked furious.

“Tell your boss there’s nothing to talk about,” she said, turning to leave.

But the man stepped in front of her. “Sorry, you can’t go.”

She tried to push past. “Move.”

The car door opened. Footsteps followed.

Before she could react, a strong arm pulled her in. A chill voice brushed her ear.
“What, my people call you and you still don’t come?”

It was Song Yu.

She struggled. “Everything I have to say is in the letter. I have nothing else to discuss. Let me go!”

“The letter? You mean this?” Song Yu pulled a folded envelope from his pocket, ripped it open in front of her, and tossed the pieces into the air. “You think a letter means you can walk away from me?”

“Song Yu.” An He lifted her chin defiantly. “I said I’m breaking up with you.”

“Breaking up?” His fingers traced along her cheek, then slid down the curve of her neck. His voice was a dangerous murmur. “Who agreed to that? Who gave you permission?”

“You don’t even love me. Why keep me trapped?” Her eyes glistened. “Song Yu, can’t you just be reasonable?”

“Reason?” He let out a short, humorless laugh. “You really think you can reason with a madman?”

Before she could answer, he scooped her into his arms. “If you dare make a scene here, I won’t hesitate to kiss you in front of everyone.”

The airport was crowded. If he did that, they’d make headlines in no time.

An He didn’t want to be tied to him anymore—not even by a rumor.

Gripping his collar tightly, she hissed, “Fine, we’ll talk. But not at your place.”

Being alone with him meant losing control. She couldn’t risk it.

“An He,” Song Yu looked down at her, eyes dark, “you really think you’re in a position to bargain with me?”

“I never said I didn’t want you. So you’ll always be my woman.”

“You want to leave?” His voice dropped into a low snarl. “Then you’ll have to wait until I’m dead.”

(t/n: “Hehe” is a nickname for An He, used affectionately by her friends. The theme of this chapter mirrors a popular “chasing his wife’s ashes” trope, where the male lead realizes too late what he’s lost.)