Snow Fell, I Walked Away: He Came Back Too Late

Celine Fairmont was the top negotiation specialist in the police force. In ten years on the job, she had never failed a single case.

On one call, she found a young woman sitting on a windowsill, sobbing as she claimed her boss had taken advantage of her.

At a glance, Celine recognized her. It was Lydia Vale, her husband's personal assistant.

Celine's face went ashen, but she forced herself to stay composed. "Hey, don't do anything rash. Talk to me. Whatever it is, we'll help you."

The young woman glanced at Celine, then burst into louder sobs. "I told him I wouldn't be a mistress, but he forced me anyway! He took me home while I was drunk... I couldn't even get out of bed for three days and nights. I don't want to live anymore!"

She sniffled, yet not a single tear fell. If anything, there was a faint trace of... satisfaction on her face.

Celine was about to speak again when murmurs from the crowd caught her attention.

"Her again? I'm sick of this, even if she isn't."

"Exactly. She pulls this stunt every few days, always for ridiculous reasons. Last time, she said her boss insisted on giving her jewelry and it stressed her out so much she wanted to die. Before that, she claimed getting promoted to assistant made her a target at work. And yet she never actually goes through with it. Her boss shows up, and suddenly they're back to being all lovey-dovey. Honestly, who knows if she wants to die or just sleep her way to the top?"

As the words fell, a commotion broke out nearby.

Everyone turned, their expressions shifting into knowing looks.

Celine stood frozen, her nails digging deep into her palm.

Because the man stepping out of the car... was Adrian Lennox, her husband.

Bodyguards in black cleared the crowd. Adrian, dressed in a tailored suit, walked forward with a bouquet in hand.

His eyes were fixed only on Lydia on the windowsill. He didn't even notice Celine standing among the crowd.

"Baby, this is all my fault. I lost control. These are your favorite pink roses, and I've transferred a mansion into your name. Please forgive me."

The scene... looked almost like a proposal.

Standing there, Celine felt her heart sink to the very bottom.

After ten years of marriage, Celine had never known her husband could be this romantic.

But Lydia pouted, still looking dissatisfied. "I don't want your flowers or your gifts. You have a wife. I told you, I'm not going to be the other woman."

Adrian only smiled, completely unconcerned, and pulled out a stack of documents as if he had been expecting this.

"She's already signed the divorce papers. I'll have my assistant file them right away."

In that instant, Celine felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

Divorce papers? When had she signed them?

Then it hit her. Three days ago, Adrian had said the company was facing cash flow issues and needed both their signatures for a loan.

She had been working nonstop for a week back then, so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open. She hadn't even read what she signed.

And it turned out... she had signed divorce papers.

Even Lydia clearly hadn't expected Adrian to actually divorce for her.

She stood there in shock for a moment before rushing into his arms, her eyes reddening. "Adrian... would you really divorce for me?"

Adrian chuckled and ruffled her hair, his tone indulgent. "Silly girl. You're mine. How could I let you carry that kind of reputation?"

Only then did Lydia smile through her tears, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him again and again.

"I love you so much. I won't cause trouble again..."

Adrian didn't stop her. He simply let her cling to him as he carried her away.

The onlookers, unsurprised, began to disperse.

Only Celine remained, trailing after them in a daze.

She needed to ask Adrian what all of this meant.

If he truly wanted a divorce, she would let him go. Why go behind her back like this?

Soon, Adrian placed Lydia into the car and shut the door.

Just as Celine was about to step forward, she saw Adrian hand the divorce papers to his assistant and speak in a low voice. "Take these and file them to the courthouse."

The assistant took them, hesitation flickering across his face. "Mr. Lennox, are you really going to divorce your wife? She's been with you for so many years... are you sure about this?"

Before he could finish, he sensed the shift in Adrian's mood and fell silent at once.

Adrian frowned, but instead of snapping, he did something rare and explained, "I'm not divorcing Celine. These papers are just for show. She may be rigid and dull, always buried in her work, but we grew up together. Our families go way back. There's no way we'd just split like that."

He glanced at Lydia in the car, making sure she hadn't noticed anything, then lowered his voice again. "I'm just calming Lydia down. Once she stops making a scene, I'll withdraw the papers. But until then, Celine must not find out."

There was a clear warning in his tone. The assistant immediately nodded.

Celine stood not far away, a hand clamped over her mouth, her blood turning ice-cold.

Tears slipped down her face, soaking into her clothes.

So this was what it felt like when pain ran so deep it made no sound.

She had grown up with Adrian. She had believed they would stay happy forever.

But it turned out... she had never truly known him.

She remembered their school days. She had always ranked first. Adrian had always come second.

Yet he had never been upset. Instead, he would proudly tell everyone that his girlfriend was the best.

After graduation, she chose to become a police officer. He had supported her completely, shielding her from pressure and letting her pursue what she wanted.

For ten years of marriage, he had been her anchor, supporting her as she chased her dreams.

When irregular meals during missions gave her stomach problems, he sought out specialists to treat her.

When she cried over a girl she couldn't save, he stayed up all night with her, talking her through it.

She never bothered with high-society circles, too busy with work. He handled the gossip for her.

He used to say, "Celine, with me, you only need to be yourself."

And now, all she was to him was rigid and dull.

So everything she had worked for, everything she dreamed of, meant nothing to him.

Her fingers tightened at the thought of those divorce papers.

Wasn't he so unwilling to let Lydia be the other woman?

Fine.

Then she would give him exactly what he wanted.

This marriage... she was ending it.

Celine turned and left, then took a cab straight to the police station.

"Mr. Mercer, I want to apply for the five-year classified training program."

Graham Mercer held his coffee cup in midair, his eyes full of surprise. "Are you sure? You meet every requirement, that's true, but this program is selecting talent for the country. It's brutally demanding, and once you go in, you won't have any contact with the outside world for five years. Weren't things always good between you and your husband? Are you really willing to leave him?"

"Yes. We're already in the middle of a divorce." Celine nodded firmly. "I only have one request. Help me get the divorce finalized as soon as possible."

"No problem." Graham set his coffee cup down hard. "Don't worry. In one week, I guarantee you'll have the divorce decree in hand and be able to leave with peace of mind."

Only after settling all of that did Celine make her way home in a daze.

It was already dark, and the house was silent.

She turned on the light and immediately saw the note on the table.

"I have a business dinner tonight, so I won't be back. There's porridge in the pot. Don't forget to eat."

At the sight of his familiar handwriting, it felt as if an invisible hand had seized her heart and squeezed.

She was always too busy with work to eat on time, and worried she would run herself into the ground, Adrian had taught himself to cook for her.

He had done it for ten years.

She had thought that was love.

But in the end, it turned out it had all been nothing more than wishful thinking on her part.

Her throat tightened. She looked at the pot of cold porridge in the kitchen, and it felt just like their marriage, long stripped of warmth, reduced to something bland and shapeless.

In the end, she calmly reached out and dumped the entire pot into the trash.

It was not until early the next morning that Adrian hurried home, carrying takeout from Celine's favorite spaghetti place.

They had once made a promise that no matter how busy work got, they would still sit down together and have a proper breakfast.

Today was no different. By the time Celine got out of bed, Adrian was already in the kitchen with everything ready.

"You're up? Come eat. I went out to get your favorite spaghetti."

Celine stood in the kitchen doorway without moving.

She looked at Adrian bustling around the kitchen in matching loungewear, dressed like the picture of a perfect husband.

If not for the red mark on his neck giving him away, she might still have been trapped inside the dream she had built for herself.

When she said nothing for a long moment, Adrian frowned.

"Busy with work again?" There was irritation in his voice. "Why didn't you eat the porridge last night? If you skip food again today, your stomach's going to act up."

As he spoke, he stood and reached for her hand.

"Are you done acting?"

Celine stepped aside and avoided his touch, the four words leaving her lips cold and sharp.

"What?" Adrian clearly didn't understand.

"Yesterday... I saw everything."

Celine lifted her head, her gaze locked on him.

Adrian stiffened all over. His expression shifted several times before he finally let out a soft laugh. "Celine, why did you have to drag it into the open? I know this is hard for you to accept right now, but what man in our circle doesn't do this? I've stayed faithful to you for ten years. Don't I deserve a little freedom now?"

"Freedom?" Celine suddenly lowered her head and laughed. "Sure. I'll give you freedom."

But Adrian clearly missed what she meant. Instead, he let out a breath of relief, his face easing into satisfaction. "I'm glad you understand. Don't worry. No matter what happens, you're still my legal wife. That will never change."

There was no need for that. They would be divorced soon enough.

Celine shook her head with a bitter smile, but she never said the words out loud.

She was about to leave for classified military training, and the last thing she wanted was more complications.

Looking at the hypocritical man in front of her, Celine did not want to stay there for even one more second.

She turned to change, but Adrian refused to let it go and caught hold of her.

"Celine, eat before you go. Your health comes first."

Just as Celine was about to shake him off, Adrian's phone suddenly rang.

"Okay. I'm on my way."

After hanging up, Adrian grabbed his coat and rushed toward the door.

"There's something urgent at the office. I need to go deal with it." Even on his way out, he still remembered to say, "Eat the spaghetti on the table. If you really don't have time, take the sandwich with you."

The front door closed behind him. Sitting alone in the empty house, Celine felt utterly exhausted.

She had heard it clearly just now. Lydia had been the one on the other end of the call.

But she hadn't said a word.

What was the point of saying any of it now?

In just one more week, she would be gone.

Celine left the breakfast untouched and didn't take the sandwich either. Remembering there were still things at the station she needed to hand over, she changed her clothes and was about to leave when a call from a colleague came in.

"Ms. Fairmont, get here now. Your husband's in a fight!"

By the time Celine arrived at the hotel where it had happened, the police had already cleared the crowd.

Talia Quinn, the new colleague, spotted her and hurried over at once.

"Celine, you're finally here!"

"What exactly happened?"

Frowning, Celine looked around. Adrian was nowhere in sight. The only person she saw was an injured man sitting off to the side, cursing nonstop.

Talia quickly explained, "That business partner got handsy with your husband's assistant. He couldn't stand it, so that's how the fight started. You should've seen him. He went absolutely savage, like he didn't care what happened to him. I've never seen him hit someone that hard before."

"Where are they?" Celine cut in.

"His assistant got slightly hurt during the fight. Once the lawyers got there, he rushed her to the hospital in his arms..."

Talia's voice grew quieter and quieter until she trailed off, as if she had finally realized something was off.

Looking at Celine's silence, she spoke again, clearly flustered. "Celine, that's not what I meant. Don't read too much into it..."

"It's fine." Celine said it evenly, "We're getting divorced soon."

Talia's eyes widened in shock. "How is that possible? You two were so good together. How could you be getting divorced?"

That was true. In everyone's eyes, they had been the perfect couple.

Rain or shine, whenever Celine needed him, Adrian had always shown up without hesitation.

More than once, when Celine ran into danger on an assignment, Adrian had thrown money, influence, and every resource he had at the situation to get her out.

To support her career, he had even gotten a vasectomy so she could focus on her work without worry.

And yet even a man who seemed that devoted could whisper forever-promises to another woman behind her back, and trick her into signing divorce papers.

Celine said nothing more. She only let out a self-mocking laugh. "People change. Nothing is impossible."

After wrapping everything up, Celine took a cab to the hospital alone.

In the hallway outside the VIP hospital room, Adrian was standing there, his face dark as he gave orders to one of his men. "Blacklist that partner. No company connected to Lennox Group is to do business with him again. I want him wiped out of this circle completely."

The man bowed his head at once. "Yes, sir. I'll take care of it right away."

Standing at the corner, Celine watched his fury with numb eyes.

So he was capable of throwing everything aside for another woman too.

The next second, the door to the hospital room was pushed open. Lydia was leaning weakly against the headboard, her face drained of color, her eyes rimmed red.

Adrian immediately reined in his anger, walked over, and took her hand. "How are you feeling? Does it still hurt?"

Lydia's eyes brimmed red as her voice caught. "It's all my fault. I ruined such an important deal. You should just stop worrying about me and let me deal with this on my own..."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Adrian scolded her in a low voice, but his tone was unbearably gentle. "Right now, you're what matters most to me."