Chapter 1
Words started popping up in the diary one by one.
“You’re Adrian? You want to leave me?”
“Impossible, how could you be Adrian? He’s standing right next to me!”
“Who are you really? How can you appear in my diary?”
Three questions appeared out of thin air. I was so startled I dropped the diary.
It took two minutes for me to calm down. Looking at the words, I picked up the pen and replied: “I really am Adrian, 30-year-old Adrian.”
“And I know you’re 17-year-old Lily. The future you will betray me. So, 17-year-old you shouldn’t get close to me either.”
The diary suddenly went quiet.
This was a magical notebook that I found in the attic while packing my bags. It happened a few days after my 30-year-old wife, drunk for the thousandth time, called out Marcus’s name and said she regretted marrying me. She said if she had married Marcus instead, she could have been a mother by now.
When I opened it, I saw it was full of 17-year-old Lily’s love and devotion to me.
Growing up, because of my looks, I always had many admirers.
But because my parents divorced early, I never had much hope for love. No matter who confessed to me, I always refused: “I’m sorry, I just want to focus on my studies. I’m not interested in dating.”
Until I met Lily.
Unlike others, she pursued me relentlessly from middle school to college. After facing rejection after rejection from me, she only became more determined. She even participated in a dangerous car race just to win a watch I liked.
Seeing her nearly lose her life, I finally opened my heart.
When I discovered this notebook could update in real-time, I realized it was connected to 13 years ago.
But when I remembered that two months ago, when I went to find her, I heard her and her new assistant passionately making love on the couch in her CEO office.
And that person was Marcus, our high school classmate and her former neighbor and childhood friend.
At that moment, the beautiful memories of the past were shattered by the cruel reality, becoming nothing but bubbles.
Since then, I hadn’t communicated with the girl in the diary.
Because I knew that no matter how passionate the love recorded in the diary was, it would eventually be betrayed.
Just as I was bitterly printing out the divorce papers I had prepared long ago, signing my name stroke by stroke, ready to fulfill what I had said before - if she betrayed me, I would disappear from her world forever - I heard the jarring sound of paper being torn in the diary.
“Impossible, I love him!”
The pen tip, carrying the girl’s emotions, carved into the paper stroke by stroke, “I’ve loved Adrian for six whole years, how could I possibly betray him.”
“You must be lying to me, you can’t possibly be Adrian! Who are you really?”
“Tell me, are you Marcus?”
Through the diary, I could almost see 17-year-old Lily’s angry and stubborn expression as she spoke of vows she would inevitably break in the future.
Back then, her love was pure and determined. Of course, she couldn’t have imagined that at 30, she would become so cruel and heartless.
I picked up the pen to reply, when suddenly the door was pushed open. The wind that came in flipped the pages of the diary.
I calmly closed the diary. 30-year-old Lily came in and started rummaging through drawers and cabinets.
In the past, every time she came home, she would excitedly jump into my arms, nuzzling me like a little kitten.
Sometimes when I pushed her away because I was ticklish, she would cling even tighter, her big eyes sparkling as she whispered sweet nothings that made me blush.
But now, her gaze didn’t even linger on me for half a second.
After searching for nearly ten minutes without finding what she wanted, Lily finally turned to me in frustration and demanded:
“Adrian, have you seen the family heirloom my mom left me?”
“I’m pregnant, and I want to give the heirloom to Marcus, to bless our family of three.”
Family of three?! My heart suddenly ached.
On our wedding day, in front of all the guests, she had personally handed the heirloom to me for safekeeping.
Lily’s brother was very dissatisfied, “Sis, Mom’s heirloom was meant for you to give to your baby. Everyone knows your husband is useless now, why give it to him?”
13 years ago, I had an accident that injured my body, leaving me unable to have children for life.
No one had ever dared to mention this in front of Lily, but on our wedding day, her brother pointed it out in front of everyone.
The atmosphere instantly became extremely awkward.
Everyone focused their gaze on me, starting to whisper.
I turned away in embarrassment, but Lily held me even tighter, slapping her brother across the face and declaring publicly,
“Even if Adrian can’t have children, he’s the only one worthy of keeping the heirloom. He is the only man for me, Lily.”
At that moment, I was grateful I had bet on the right person.
For five years of marriage, I had carefully preserved it.
But now, I laughed bitterly and pulled out the jade pendant engraved with the words “Peace and Safety” from the drawer.
Lily snatched it, smiling happily,
“Finally found it! After the baby is born, I want Marcus to put this on him personally.”
Only then did she deign to look up at me, the coldness in her eyes unconcealed.
“My mom said the heirloom needs to be put on by the child’s father to be effective. Now that I’m pregnant with Marcus’s child, this pendant should be in his care.”
“Today I still need Marcus to accompany me for a prenatal checkup, so I have to go now. I’ll celebrate our wedding anniversary with you when I get back.”
At the door, she suddenly stopped, glancing at me with a look of condescension.
“Don’t worry, even if Marcus and I have a child, you’ll still be the nominal father. You’ll always be my husband.”
Giving a slap followed by a sweet gesture was her usual trick in recent years.
Watching her leave happily, I smiled bitterly.
She says I’m her husband, but she’s having a child with another man.
Opening the diary again, I saw another line had appeared:
“Because I was waiting for your reply, I missed getting the spot in front of him.”
I immediately picked up our graduation photo and was shocked to find that 17-year-old Lily’s position had indeed changed.
I couldn’t help but hold my breath, my hand trembling uncontrollably.
Could the Lily on the other end of the diary change the future?