Seven Years A Fool, One Day A Queen

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently on another call. Please try again later..." The automated message sounded distant and unfeeling.

Beyond the doors of the courthouse in Gridron, Kristine Green stood stiffly in a slate gray suit. The chill of the autumn wind stripped any trace of warmth from her sharp, elegant features.

Her fingers clenched around a document that had already been wrinkled beyond repair.

This was supposed to be the day she officially tied the knot with her boyfriend, Colton Yates.

From morning until now, she had waited, but he never arrived.

At this point, she could not even count how many times he had left her waiting like this.

Another call went through as she tried his number once more. The same mechanical voice answered her again.

As she finally dropped her gaze, a breaking news alert lit up her phone screen. "Yates Group CEO Colton Yates personally appears at the airport to welcome his girlfriend back from abroad. The couple reunites sweetly and shows open affection."

Curiosity and dread pushed her to open it, and an image filled the display.

The photograph showed Colton in a tailored black suit, standing tall with effortless poise. Even from a side angle, his sharp profile was striking enough to draw attention.

What caught Kristine's attention above everything else was the softness reflected in his gaze.

A faint, bitter curve formed on her lips as Kristine reacted to the sight.

She had never known Colton to look this gentle or this openly tender toward anyone.

It became clear to her that Elyse Lloyd had always been the woman Colton could never let go of. After all, a single call from her had been enough for him to walk away from a day that was supposed to matter more than anything.

Kristine's phone vibrated again, and a new message appeared on the screen. "You saw the news already, didn't you? If you still have any pride left, you should leave Colton immediately."

Elyse had sent it, the woman who clearly held Colton's heart.

Scrolling upward, Kristine came across a message Elyse had sent several days earlier. It was a prenatal checkup report confirming that Elyse was already more than eight weeks along.

The document clearly listed Elyse as the expectant mother, with Colton's name recorded as the father.

When she first saw the report, Kristine wasn't shocked in the slightest.

Year after year, Colton spent nearly half of his time traveling to Eyling, the country where Elyse lived.

Given how long this had gone on, she might have questioned his fertility instead if Elyse had not ended up pregnant by now.

Rather than choosing to walk away, she suggested that they get married.

Maybe it was because she simply could not bring herself to let go.

Back when she was eighteen, love struck her hard the first time she saw Colton standing at the university entrance.

People around her often said Colton was the Yates Group heir, someone unreachable and far removed from ordinary lives.

Still, she refused to accept that. Fueled by passion and stubborn hope, she chased after him without hesitation.

By the third year of pursuing Colton, she finally made it.

Even so, happiness never came.

Because right after she confessed her feelings and he agreed to be with her, a call from Elyse came through, and he left her standing alone in the biting wind.

That was the moment she first heard Elyse's name.

Taking a slow breath, Kristine brought up the call screen once more.

This time, the number she dialed was not Colton's, but her mother's.

The call went through almost immediately. Without waiting for her mother to say a word, Kristine spoke in an even, distant voice. "I'll return and accept the arranged marriage."

The surprise in her voice was unmistakable when Monica Palmer heard Kristine's decision. "So you've finally made up your mind?"

Without pausing even for a breath, Kristine answered, "I have."

After a brief silence, Monica asked, "When will you be coming home?"

"The twentieth." Ending the call right after, Kristine slid into her car and drove back toward Colton's villa.

During the drive, she allowed the ache in her chest to swell without restraint.

In the end, it no longer mattered. This was meant to be the final time.

By the time Kristine reached her destination, exhaustion weighed heavily on her body. Once she finished showering, she fell onto the bed.

She knew she could have chosen to walk away much earlier, but seven years of loving Colton had tied her emotions too tightly to let go so easily.

With less than half a month remaining, she needed to use every remaining day to settle everything and cut him out of her life for good.

Later that night, while she slept, Kristine sensed the bed dip slightly beside her. Moments later, a cold pair of arms drew her into an unfamiliar embrace.

A crease formed between her brows as irritation surfaced. Colton's low, magnetic voice brushed against her ear. "I'm sorry."

Wrapped in darkness, Kristine did not open her eyes. Her lashes quivered as she lay still.

Colton spoke quietly. "How about we get married tomorrow morning?"

Almost immediately, the phone resting on the nightstand lit up.

Colton loosened his hold on her, and his tone turned gentle. "Don't cry. I'll come over right now."

The rustling of him changing clothes reached Kristine's ears from behind. She reacted with a silent, humorless laugh.

Moments later, she turned on the bedside lamp and called out to him as he reached the doorway. "Colton, don't go."

Despite her words, Colton kept moving.

Without hesitation, he turned the handle, pulled the door open, and walked out.

As his footsteps gradually disappeared, Kristine forced a smile onto her lips. She held it there until one tear slipped quietly from the corner of her eye.

Morning came, and when Kristine woke up, she realized someone else was in the house.

Bobby Davis, Colton's assistant, had arrived.

"Miss Green, Mr. Yates asked me to deliver these to you," Bobby said, motioning toward the neatly arranged jewelry on the table.

Instead of excitement, Kristine responded with calm detachment, "I see."

A flicker of surprise crossed Bobby's face.

In the past, Kristine had always reacted with visible delight whenever Colton sent gifts.

Never before had he witnessed her greet them with such clear indifference.

"I'll excuse myself, then." Keeping his tone professional, Bobby chose not to ask questions and quietly left.

Left alone, Kristine glanced at the gemstones shimmering under the light, yet her expression did not change.

She was fully aware that Bobby had selected every single piece.

Whenever Colton tried to make amends, sincerity was never part of the effort.

Thankfully, she had stopped expecting anything from him.

With nothing left to hope for, the ache in her chest had no reason to linger anymore.

A gentle chime sounded from her phone, drawing her attention to a new message.

Elyse's name appeared on the screen. "You received the gifts Colton sent, didn't you? You should be thanking me. If I hadn't convinced him to apologize with presents, he wouldn't have done anything at all."

Kristine's fingers curled tighter around the phone in her hand.

The only reason Elyse was still not blocked was that she intended to gather every single message and forward them to Colton once she left Gridron.

She wanted him to finally see the truth and realize how vile the so-called pure and innocent Elyse was behind his back.

After drawing in a slow breath, Kristine lifted her eyes toward the surroundings.

The estate belonged to Colton, and there was barely anything of hers inside, so packing was not something she felt pressed to do.

What truly worried her was her own home.

When her feelings for Colton had been at their strongest, she truly believed she would spend her life in Gridron, the city he belonged to.

Because of that belief, she had purchased things freely and without much thought.

As for appliances and everyday items, she did not care much. Those could always be sold.

What hurt Kristine the most to leave behind was those priceless antiques.

Still, before she returned home, a visit to the hospital was unavoidable.

Over the past few days, her stomach had been giving her trouble, and nearly everything she ate came right back up. Even so, she had delayed seeing a doctor just to go to the courthouse to make their marriage official.

Eventually, she drove herself to the hospital. Just as she was about to step out of the car, she noticed the entrance swarming with people, and a voice rang out above the noise. "They're coming out! Mr. Yates and his girlfriend are coming out!"

A slight tremor ran through Kristine's lashes as her eyes locked onto Colton, who was carefully guarding Elyse while they pushed through the crowd beneath flashing lights.

Previously, Kristine had only seen the two of them together in a photograph. This time, she was witnessing it unfold in real life.

From where she stood, she could clearly catch the sharp warning etched into Colton's cold, penetrating gaze.

"Back off, or you'll regret it!" he shouted.

An unmistakable threat followed his words, and the commanding presence he exuded forced the crowd into sudden silence.

After a brief pause, a reporter finally gathered enough courage to ask, "Mr. Yates, who is this lady to you?"

Although rumors had long painted Elyse as Colton's girlfriend, he had never personally acknowledged it.

Every pair of eyes fixed on Colton, including Kristine, who watched from inside the car.

Rather than responding right away, Colton reached out and seized the reporter by the neck with his long fingers.

Shock spread instantly through the crowd.

In the middle of the day, had he completely lost control? Was he really willing to go this far just to protect a woman?

Only after an extended moment did Colton release the reporter. The man's face had gone pale as Colton swept a frigid glance across everyone present.

At last, Colton spoke. "If you're all that desperate to know, then I'll make it clear what our relationship is," he said. "But this will happen only once. Do not expect an answer again!"

At his words, the entrance of the hospital plunged into complete silence.

An oppressive sense of fear settled over the scene.

Cutting through it all, Colton's deep, commanding voice rang out alone. "She is someone I guard. If any of you dare bother her again, you'd better think twice about what follows!"

At that moment, Elyse slowly raised her head and appeared gentle and reserved. She looked at him with open admiration.

Watching this unfold, the reporters immediately grasped the situation.

Inside the car, Kristine felt her resolve to see a doctor vanish completely. She pressed down on the accelerator and drove straight back to her own place.

More than a dozen trucks were needed to clear every antique out of Kristine's house.

Standing inside the nearly vacant space, Kristine felt a strange sense of relief settle over her.

Reaching for her phone, she checked the calendar and only then noticed something she had completely overlooked. The day before her departure happened to be her birthday.

Over time, every day of celebration had turned painful for her, because each one inevitably came with a call from Elyse to Colton, and that was how she ended up forgetting her own birthday altogether.

Still, once Colton was out of her life, she could finally return to something resembling normalcy.

That night, she went to sleep holding onto that fragile hope. When morning came, she headed to a house. She and Colton had planned to live there after they got married.

Originally, Colton had purchased the house in full, yet she had insisted on paying half.

In her mind, a place could only be called home if both of them contributed to it equally.

Back then, she had little cash available, but she still chose to sell her most treasured pair of ceramic figurines. They had been truly irreplaceable.

After she entered the passcode, the lock flashed an error.

A frown immediately crossed her face.

She herself had chosen the passcode. It was made by combining both of their birthdays.

There was no logical reason for it to fail.

Suddenly, a middle-aged woman's voice came from inside the house. "Who is it?"

Seconds later, the door opened slightly, and a confused face appeared.

Caution crept into her tone as Kristine asked, "Who are you?"

Without hesitation, the woman replied, "And who might you be?"

Brushing past her, Kristine stepped inside and caught sight of Elyse emerging from the bedroom in a nightgown.

It became painfully clear that Elyse was already living there.

Annoyance surged through Kristine as she asked, "Who allowed you to move into this house?"

Seeing Kristine did not surprise Elyse in the least.

She had chosen to move in on purpose, fully aware of what this place meant to Kristine.

With a calm smile, Elyse replied, "Colton told me to live here. Don't you understand yet? I'm the only one who matters to him."

Elyse waited, expecting Kristine to lose her temper, but instead, Kristine calmly pulled out her phone and dialed property management. "Hello, this is the homeowner. There is an unauthorized occupant in my house. How exactly are you handling your responsibilities?"

Nearly an hour passed before someone finally arrived.

Instead of property management, the person who walked in was Colton.

A cold presence clung to him as he stepped inside, his sharp features hardened by impatience. The moment he noticed Kristine, irritation flashed openly in his eyes. "What are you causing trouble over this time?"

A sudden ache struck Kristine's chest, and the pressure made it hard to breathe.

She had honestly believed she would feel nothing.

With restrained anger, she snapped back, "This is our house. What gives you the right to decide on your own and let her move in?"

The air between them grew heavy with tension.

Watching from the side, Elyse appeared more than pleased with how things were unfolding.

She put on a fragile expression and spoke gently, stirring things further. "Colton, I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I didn't realize this was the place you shared with her. I'll move out immediately."

Suddenly, she pressed a hand to her chest and began coughing hard, as though she might faint at any second.

Without hesitation, Colton rushed to her side and held her up. "Kristine, can you try to be reasonable for once?"

The sight of his hand supporting Elyse sent another sharp pain through Kristine. When Kristine spoke again, her voice sounded unexpectedly calm. "She doesn't have to leave. I paid for half of this house. Just return that half to me in cash, and we'll be done."

She had been worried about how to deal with the house.

Now, the problem had resolved itself.

Kristine's sudden rationality was exactly what Colton wanted, yet for some reason, it left him feeling uneasy.

"No problem. I'll have Bobby transfer the money to you once I get back," he said.

"Okay." After that, Kristine turned and left without looking back.

As Colton watched her retreating figure, a flicker of panic rose in his chest, but he quickly pushed it down.

Kristine loved him deeply. Even if she was upset, it was nothing serious. She would work through it on her own.

Later that afternoon, a transfer from Colton appeared in Kristine's account.

The figure totaled ten million, an amount that doubled what she had originally paid for the house.

Despite his many shortcomings, Colton had never been the type to hold back when it came to money.

Not long after the transfer, a message from him came through. "I will pick you up tomorrow."

There was no room for discussion in his words. It was a declaration.

This was how he had always behaved.

The message contained only a few words, offering no hint about their destination or who else might be present.

To him, adding details clearly felt unnecessary.

Without giving it much thought, Kristine dismissed the message. She slipped her phone away and returned to preparing everything she needed for her departure.

At exactly ten the following morning, Colton's car arrived downstairs on schedule.

Genuine surprise crossed his face when he realized Kristine was staying in her own house. "Aren't you living in Crestwood?"

Colton's villa was located in a neighborhood called Crestwood.

Kristine had only been permitted to move in during the third year of their relationship.

In contrast, rumors said that on the very first night Colton met Elyse, he had already brought her there.

That alone showed the gap between being cherished and merely tolerated.

With little emotion, Kristine answered, "I stayed there long enough. I got tired of it."

No further comment came from Colton, and the car filled with silence.

About thirty minutes later, the vehicle finally stopped in front of a high-end car dealership.

A brief emotion flashed through Kristine's gaze.

Just a month ago, an automotive company revealed a brand-new sports car to the public.

She had fallen in love with it instantly and had brought it up to Colton more times than she could count.

Since the model had not yet gone into mass production, only three units existed in the entire world.

Not long ago, this dealership had secured one of them, and the news had quickly spread everywhere.

Excitement surged in Kristine's chest as she stepped out of the car and followed Colton inside.

The instant she entered and noticed Elyse encircled by staff like the focal point of the room, her mood collapsed completely.

Just as Kristine was about to leave, Elyse spoke up in a gentle, deliberately sweet tone. "Colton, Kristine, you're here!"

Gesturing toward the very sports car Kristine adored, Elyse continued, "I've already chosen one, Colton. I want this one. Is that alright?"

Affection colored Colton's voice as he answered, "Sure."

When his gaze shifted to Kristine, the softness disappeared entirely. "You can choose one as well."

Kristine shifted her gaze toward Elyse, whose expression openly carried pride and provocation. Lifting her hand, she responded calmly, "I want this one as well."

A frown appeared on Colton's face. "Pick something else."

Without backing down, Kristine answered with resolve, "This is the one I want."

As she watched Kristine slip back into what she considered her former stubbornness, a faint curve appeared at Elyse's lips.

A glance was enough for Elyse, since she knew Colton would not approve.

As expected, Colton's expression tightened. "Don't be unreasonable, Kristine. There are so many cars here. Why can't you just choose a different one?"

Gently, Kristine echoed his words. "Right. Why can't I just choose another one?"

After that, she raised her head, and a bright smile slowly formed. "Don't be so tense. I was only joking. Of course, I wouldn't compete with your precious sweetheart. I want this one instead."

Following the direction of Kristine's gesture, Elyse turned to look, and her expression immediately darkened.

What Kristine had chosen was another sports car, one with a price tag of one hundred million.

"Miss Lloyd!" the dealership manager shouted when he saw Elyse collapse to the floor.

Before anyone else could react, Colton was already in motion. He rushed straight to her, lifted her into his arms, and carried her out without hesitation.

A trace of ridicule slowly spread across Kristine's lips.

After Colton drove away, she was left with no option except to find a cab on her own.

Unfortunately, getting a taxi near the dealership proved to be nearly impossible.

Wearing her high heels, Kristine walked for an entire hour before she flagged down a taxi.

Seated inside the car, she looked down at her sore, blistered feet and let out a quiet sigh of relief.

At least the pain stayed in her feet, because her heart remained untouched.

...

Since the incident at the dealership, several days passed without Kristine crossing paths with Colton.

There was no reason for her to reach out or ask about him.

Elyse took it upon herself to deliver every detail anyway.

"At 9:05 this morning, Colton sat with me and spoon-fed my soup. He was so careful."

"By 6:23 this evening, Colton peeled an orange just for me. It looks perfect. Do you want a bite? What a shame you will never get the chance."

Under the message, Elyse attached a photo of the neatly peeled orange.

"At 10:35 tonight, Colton is lying beside me and already asleep."

Beneath that text was a photo showing Colton resting on the bed next to Elyse, his arm supporting his weight as he leaned close.

Kristine skimmed through the messages before dropping her phone back into her bag.

Maybe she had already gone numb, because Elyse's constant updates about Colton now felt no different from watching a ridiculous drama.

After opening the car door, she stepped out and headed straight into K&C Entertainment.

K&C Entertainment had once been built by her and Colton side by side.

At the beginning, her reason for doing so was simple: she wanted something that would bind her closer to him.

She truly thought that creating a company together would make it harder for Colton to walk away from their relationship.

What she never expected was that it would eventually become the chain that trapped her instead.

"You're planning to leave for Peudon?" Vance Bailey, the VP, looked at Kristine with open disbelief. "Does Colton know anything about this?"

Without hesitation, Kristine answered, "I haven't told him yet. I need you to keep this confidential."

"Naturally." Vance nodded, though disbelief still lingered on his face. "Weren't you completely devoted to Colton? Are you really able to walk away from him like this?"

For seven long years, Kristine had stayed by Colton's side. She had handed over the most precious years of her life without holding anything back.

"I'm done with him," Kristine said calmly. "Once I leave, I will hand over the remaining work related to the company's equity division to you. I really hate to bring you trouble like this."

"There is no need to sound so distant," Vance replied, lowering his head as a faint look of satisfaction passed through his eyes. "We graduated from the same school, after all. I was able to join the company because you strongly recommended me."

A quiet sense of appreciation rose in Kristine as she faced Vance.

In truth, while the company was registered under her name, the burden of keeping it alive had fallen squarely on his shoulders.

Without his efforts holding everything together, the business would have fallen apart a long time ago.

After making one final round through the office space, Kristine made the decision to leave.

At the entrance of the building, Vance walked her out himself and stood there until her car disappeared from view, only then turning back upstairs with reluctance.

...

During the drive, Kristine unlocked her phone and marked off the second-to-last note on her list, which was the division of the company's equity.

Soon after, her attention shifted to the final task waiting beneath it, which was moving out of Colton's villa in Crestwood.

Once that step was completed, there would be nothing left tying her to Colton.

The drive continued without a single word spoken.

Inside the car, the air slowly became stifling and tense.

As soon as she arrived at his villa, Kristine went straight up to the second floor.

When Kristine stepped inside, the household staff behaved as though she did not exist, and no one came forward to acknowledge her presence.

Everyone in the house was aware that Colton did not love her.

Since the day she moved in, he had rarely returned home.

Instead of heading to the master bedroom, Kristine went straight to the guest room, because she and Colton had been sleeping in separate rooms.

Inside the closet were rows of clothes from well-known luxury brands. Every single piece had been given to her by Colton.

To Kristine, none of it carried any meaning.

Slowly, she crouched down and dragged her suitcase out from beneath the bed.

Just as she began placing items inside, a sharp car horn sounded from outside downstairs.

"Mr. Yates."

Polite voices floated upward from the front entrance.

Colton had come back.

At once, Kristine shoved the suitcase back to where it had been.

She had no intention of letting him find out that she was preparing to leave.

Once she finished what she was doing, Kristine raised her head and found him standing at the doorway, his tall frame filling the space.

Weariness lingered in his eyes, yet the soft glow of the hallway lights sharpened his features and made him undeniably striking.

For a moment, Kristine forgot to breathe.

"What are you doing?" Colton asked, fixing her with a penetrating look that felt impossible to hide from.

Blocking the suitcase with her body, Kristine answered, "I was trying to find something."

Without pressing further, Colton stepped inside the room.

"The past few days have been a mess," he said. "I spoke with Bobby earlier. I'm free on the nineteenth, so we will get married that day."

Once again, he spoke as though he were delivering a decision rather than opening a discussion.

With a slight tilt of her head, Kristine responded, "The nineteenth happens to be my birthday."

A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes before disappearing.

"I already made plans for that day," she continued.

"You usually do not celebrate your birthday, right?" he said.

He had simply never marked the occasion with her.

That realization stayed unspoken, yet it kept circling in her thoughts.

"Then we can choose a different date." After saying that, Colton adjusted his tie and walked toward the bathroom.

Roughly half an hour passed before he stepped back out, the warmth of the shower still clinging to him.

A towel was wrapped loosely around his waist.

Beads of water traced a slow path from his chest down over his defined abdomen.

Those contours had once stirred something fierce in Kristine, but now they left her unmoved.

From across the room, Colton watched her sit with her head lowered while she scrolled through her phone.

A faint crease appeared between his brows.

There was a time when showing off his physique would make Kristine hurry over, unable to resist touching him.

"We should sleep." With that, Colton reached over and turned off the lights.

Surrounded by darkness, Kristine rose to her feet. "I should get going."

A frown settled on Colton's face as he watched the door swing open and then shut.

Darkness filled the room once more.

For an instant, unease gripped him, yet he forced it down and convinced himself that everything would remain under control.

...

Over the following days, Kristine did not catch even a glimpse of Colton.

From what Vance told her, Colton had likely left town for a business trip.

Not even Vance had managed to get in touch with him during that time.

If this had happened before, the news would have crushed Kristine.

This time, however, it felt like a small mercy.

Because Colton was away, she finally had the opportunity to visit his villa and gather her things in peace.

Very little there actually belonged to her.

What remained were mostly items she had bought for Colton, including matching watches, clothes, a stuffed bear, and other things like that.

To Colton, all of it had seemed immature, so he had shoved everything into the farthest corner of the wardrobe.

One by one, Kristine pulled those items out and placed them carefully into her suitcase.

With the suitcase packed until it could hold no more, she walked out of the villa for the last time.

A member of the household staff noticed her departure but assumed she was leaving for work and did not stop to ask questions.

Before she realized it, the nineteenth had arrived.

By then, Kristine had already settled everything that needed her attention.

All she had left to do was wait for the twentieth and finally leave Gridron behind.

That night, Kristine went by herself to a cake shop in the city. She carried the small cake to a nearby park, chose a quiet corner, and ate it slowly on her own.

The sweetness lingered on her tongue.

This time, there was no need to worry about Colton leaving halfway through.

Leaning back, she lifted her gaze toward the darkened sky, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

At that moment, a sharp explosion sounded above her as fireworks suddenly bloomed across the sky.

Colors exploded across the sky as fireworks bloomed in dazzling patterns above her.

Kristine remained there for so long that her neck began to ache before the final burst faded into silence.

A sudden vibration broke the stillness.

Reaching into her bag, Kristine pulled out her phone and checked the screen.

A message from Colton appeared. "Did you like the fireworks? Happy birthday."

Tears rushed up without warning, blurring Kristine's vision, because she had never received a birthday wish from Colton before.

She never imagined that the first one would arrive on what was meant to be her very last day in this city.

After opening the message, Kristine had barely finished typing the word "thanks" when a new alert appeared on her screen.

The notification turned out to be a photo sent by Elyse.

With a light tap, Kristine opened it and saw an image of a slice of cake.

"Colton baked this cake for me with his own hands. I heard today is your birthday, so I deliberately asked him to make one just for me. I get to eat birthday cake, and you do not. What a pity for the birthday girl!"

While reading the message, the tears that had filled Kristine's eyes slowly disappeared.

Switching to Colton's chat, she typed out a short reply. "I want you to make a cake for me."