Love at First Novel by Gu Lingfei

Liberty guided Duncan's wheelchair to the car without waiting for anyone's assistance. She pushed him smoothly, her movements confident. The bodyguard stepped forward to help Duncan into the vehicle, and soon, the family of three settled in.

The sleek luxury car eased out of the Civil Affairs Bureau parking lot and merged into the bustling traffic. As it disappeared into the flow of vehicles, becoming smaller and smaller in the distance, another car parked nearby came to life, slowly pulling out of its spot.

The driver of this car was Hank.

He hadn't planned to interfere with Liberty and Duncan's marriage—he had no right to stop them even if he wanted to. But he also hadn't intended to find himself here. Initially, Hank told himself he was out for a casual drive, with no destination in mind. Yet somehow, his aimless wandering had led him to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

In truth, Hank had arrived well before Liberty and Duncan. He parked farther away, unnoticed among the other cars lining the street. Liberty, now deeply uninterested in her ex-husband, didn't see his vehicle and remained unaware that he had been sitting there, watching, for nearly half an hour. Hank himself didn't fully understand why he was there. He had told his mother he was heading out to visit Jessica, yet instead, he ended up loitering outside the place where Liberty would officially move forward with her life.

an effortless confidence. She reminded him of the sharp, ambitious woman she'd been back when they first met, before he had persuaded her to leave her job to focus on their home life. Before their marriage, Liberty had been a rising star at work, earning admiration and even envy from her colleagues. Hank had felt it too-jealousy. It gnawed at him, seeing her outshine him professionally.

her, she lost the vibrant confidence that had once defined her. She gained weight, stopped caring about her appearance, and became

reveled in the power imbalance. He felt important, superior. But that pride quickly turned into disdain. Disdain

she was now-stronger

a wheelchair, carried

features hinted at a rugged handsomeness. If he ever chose to remove the scar, Hank thought bitterly,

side during her lowest moments. When Liberty was at her