The Husband She Left Behind

Chapter 6

The words shattered the room and Vanessa stood frozen. For several long seconds, she simply stared at him.

The color drained from her face before rushing back in an angry crimson. Her lips parted, yet no words emerged. Shock, humiliation, and fury fought for dominance in her expression.

“You…” She pointed at Darren with trembling fingers. How could you say something like that?” Her voice rose uncontrollably. “Have you lost your mind?”

She took several hurried steps toward him, her eyes burning. “You're insane! I've done nothing to deserve being humiliated by my own husband like this!” Her chest rose and fell violently.

“I've tolerated your suspicion all morning, but these words… Do you know how insulting they are?”

Her eyes reddened.

“They make me furious and disappointed in you.” She looked at him as though she hardly recognized the man before her.

Darren remained silent until she finished speaking. His fists clenched at his sides, then slowly loosened as he fought to keep the anger threatening to break free.

“Vanessa. You know Adrian has become a problem in our marriage. You know it, but you simply refuse to admit it. Every time I tell you how I feel, you dismiss it, defend him, and even ask me to understand.”

His eyes grew colder. "Every single time, you do exactly what you want. If you continue remaining ambiguously entangled with Adrian, then divorce will be the only path left for us.”

Vanessa's eyes widened. “Divorce?” She almost laughed from disbelief. “You're talking about divorce on the second day of our marriage? Over this?”

She shook her head repeatedly. “This is ridiculous. This isn't the Darren I know.”

Darren answered without hesitation.

“If you truly cared about me in your heart, then you already know what you need to do.”

Vanessa's expression gradually hardened. Her earlier guilt disappeared beneath growing resentment.

“No.” She folded her arms. “You're the one who needs to calm down. In my eyes, I've done absolutely nothing wrong. I don't need to change anything. Not my work. Not my treatment of Adrian. Nothing.”

She looked directly into Darren's eyes. “The problem isn't me. The problem is your imagination. You're becoming overly suspicious, seeing things that simply aren't there.”

For a long moment, Darren merely looked at her in disappointment.

“Think carefully about your actions.” He said, as he turned and left. The door shut with a heavy click.

Vanessa remained standing for a few moments before the last of her strength gave out. She sank onto the sofa, overwhelmed by a storm of emotions—anger, frustration, and lingering guilt all twisting together inside her.

"How did things end up like this...?" she whispered.

...

Across the city, Darren arrived at a quiet café that had not yet opened for regular customers. A man in a dark suit stood the moment Darren entered.

“Commander.” He bowed respectfully.

Without another word, he produced a sealed document folder and handed it over with both hands. “The documents you requested.”

Darren accepted them. Inside lay the freshly prepared divorce agreement.

The subordinate hesitated before asking quietly, “Commander... have the injuries you suffered three years ago completely healed?”

Darren closed the folder.

“My external injuries have recovered.”

That was true. The countless scars covering his body no longer affected his movements. What he chose not to mention was the more serious truth. The internal damage left by the final battle still remained. His meridians required another six months of careful recuperation.

Once those hidden injuries fully healed... His cultivation would break through to an entirely new realm.

The subordinate spoke again. “Should I arrange a military aircraft to escort you back to the Shadow Titan Legion?”

Darren shook his head. “Not yet. We'll discuss my return after everything here has been resolved.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“One more order.”

The subordinate immediately straightened.

“Activate the Backup Supplier Plan.”

The man's expression became serious.

“At once.”

The order carried enormous consequences. Very few people knew the truth.

Nearly sixty percent of Vanessa Hartwell's business empire—particularly her highly profitable arms division—had never truly belonged to Hartwell Corporation alone.

Every major breakthrough had originated from Darren. He had quietly guided entire research teams under anonymous identities.

No one knew the mysterious consultant behind countless innovations was actually the retired commander of the Shadow Titan Legion. Nor did anyone know that the remaining forty percent of Vanessa's pharmaceutical division had also benefited from research directions and foundational formulas Darren had privately provided.

He had never asked for recognition. He simply wanted to help the woman he loved. But now, he intended to sever those ties completely.

His concern, however, extended beyond Vanessa's company.

If Hartwell Corporation's weapons production collapsed because of internal failures—or poor decisions influenced by Adrian—numerous military units and mercenary organizations depending on those supplies would suffer shortages.

As commander of the Shadow Titan Legion, Darren could not allow that. Therefore, the backup factories secretly registered under his own network would quietly assume production if necessary.

The subordinate saluted sharply. “It will be done.” Then he departed.

The café became quiet once again. Darren sat alone with the divorce agreement resting on the table before him. He lowered his eyes toward it and a quiet sigh escaped his lips.

His thoughts drifted to three years earlier as he remembered the final great war.

Although NIGHTREIGN had defeated the enemy war god, victory had come at a terrible cost. He had survived barely, covered in wounds that never fully healed.

While recovering anonymously in this quiet city... he met Vanessa who had laughed the first time they met.

“You look like some refined nobleman from an old painting,” she had teased. “But you don't have the background to match.”

She never knew that beneath his elegant appearance lay countless scars. Every movement had felt like invisible bullets tearing through his body.

Yet somehow... being around her dulled the pain. Love came naturally afterward, and Vanessa loved passionately. Sometimes almost possessively.

She insisted on planning every detail of their future, including how many children they would have. Together they laughed while imagining names, birthdays, family vacations, and even growing old together.

Darren had even made a secret promise to himself after their wedding that he would take Vanessa to visit his late mother's grave. He wanted to kneel there and tell his mother that he had finally found happiness.

But everything began to change half a year ago when Adrian entered the picture.

At first, Vanessa merely tolerated him. Then she came to admire his dedication. Before long, their conversations became more frequent, stretching into late-night discussions, until concern for him gradually became a constant presence in her life.

Every time Darren voiced discomfort, she ignored it.

Memory after memory flashed before him.

Being left alone at the airport, watching Adrian embrace her during the company banquet, countless interrupted evenings, the honeymoon suite, and then, Vanessa walking away from him on their wedding night.

His heart tightened painfully.

Could everything truly return to what it once was? He slowly closed his eyes, hiding the grief buried deep inside.

...

Meanwhile, Vanessa sat alone in the living room, emotionally drained. After staring blankly for several minutes, she finally picked up her phone, and selected a familiar contact.

“Anita.”

The call connected quickly.

“Vanessa?”

The gentle female voice immediately sensed something wrong.

“What happened?”

Vanessa's voice sounded exhausted.

“I... had a fight with Darren.”

On the other end, Anita fell silent. As Vanessa's cousin—and a psychologist—Anita had never been particularly fond of Darren.

Ever since Vanessa introduced him to the family three years earlier, Anita had privately believed he lacked the background, influence, and accomplishments worthy of her cousin.

Even so, she certainly didn't want the newlyweds becoming the subject of gossip on the second day of their marriage. Such a scandal would damage not only Vanessa's reputation but the entire Hartwell family.

Keeping her tone patient, Anita asked, “Tell me everything.”

Vanessa leaned back weakly against the sofa and her voice trembled with anger and hurt.

“Darren suddenly went completely crazy. He's actually talking about divorcing me.”