Feelings That Never Change

Iril gazed at her best friend with an unreadable expression.

Even though Iril knew that there had never been anything between Ren and Serena in the past, the way they acted and the expressions they sometimes showed made him certain that there was something between them—something called "feelings." But because Serena was someone's else wife, they had never crossed the line.

Serena might have been able to suppress her feelings because she was too busy with household matters and her family, but for Ren, it was different. He sometimes couldn't hold back his emotions, to the point that Serena's husband eventually found out about Ren's feelings for his wife.

Andre Shine, Serena's husband, then threatened Ren. Iril didn't know what kind of threats Andre had made, but not long after that, Ren left—disappearing completely, never showing himself before Serena again.

"You..."

Iril wanted to ask about Serena's feelings, but she stopped herself. Looking at her now, she could tell that she wasn't okay.

"I'm fine, Ril," Serena finally said, not wanting to make her best friend worry.

"But..."

"Maybe it's just because I haven't seen him in so long... it's making me feel a little uneasy," Serena cut in.

Iril fell silent again.

"You know, S... your status is different now," Iril tried to give her a hint.

Serena smiled bitterly at his words.

"Ril... from the beginning, there was never anything between us. So my status doesn't change anything at all," Serena said calmly as she looked at her best friend.

Iril remained silent, then slowly nodded, signaling that he wouldn't bring up Ren anymore.

********

The days passed quickly, and Serena soon forgot about her encounter with Ren, returning to her daily routine.

"Madam... The Master called earlier and requested that you and the young master join him for dinner at the main residence," Ratna reported to Serena, who was currently reviewing the financial reports of her store.

"Hmm."

Serena responded briefly.

Ratna left after hearing Serena's answer.

Serena took a deep breath, massaging her temples as they started to ache. Then, she let out a small, knowing smile at Ratna's words.

Ratna had said "requested," but the truth was, it was more of a command.

Serena and her father - in- law , Mr. Shine, had never gotten along. Maybe it was because he had a patriarchal mindset—he never saw Serena as someone worthy of respect.

Serena picked up her phone and called Adrian.

"Mom," Adrian greeted as he answered the call.

"Are you busy?" Serena asked, hearing the sound of papers being signed in the background.

"A little, Mom. What's up?"

"Your grandfather has invited us to dinner at his place tonight."

Adrian fell silent. He really didn't want to deal with his grandfather.

"If you're busy, don't force yourself. I'll just go alone," Serena added after a moment of silence.

"And let Grandpa lecture you and find faults in everything you do?" Adrian said, irritated.

Now, it was Serena's turn to be silent.

When Serena married Andre, Adrian had already been quite grown, but she had raised him wholeheartedly. Their bond was like that of a real mother and son. In fact, Adrian was closer to Serena, his stepmother, than to his own biological father.

"You know I don't like to talk much. Just let him say whatever he wants," Serena said, trying to explain her attitude toward her father-in-law.

"That's not how it should be, Mom," Adrian complained. "If you keep letting him be, he'll think he has the right to treat you like that. Fine, I'll make time to go. Do you want me to pick you up?"

"No need, I'll pick you up instead," Serena refused gently.

Adrian fell silent. He had to admit, even though there wasn't a huge age gap between them, Serena always treated him like a mother—one who was much older and wiser. The love she gave was so genuine.

Serena's maturity never failed to amaze him. That's why he respected her so much.

"Okay," Adrian muttered.

Once Adrian agreed, Serena ended the call so as not to disturb his work any further.

At the same time, but in a different place...

Ren Shield stood by the window of his office, gazing at the view of City B from his high-rise building.

Beside him, Ben, his secretary, was reporting the latest updates.

Ben occasionally stole glances at his boss. Over the past few days, he had noticed something strange—Ren didn't seem like himself.

Normally, Ren worked tirelessly, always focused, never neglecting his responsibilities despite being the owner of the company.

But lately, it felt like his attention was elsewhere.

"And the meeting with Director X will be scheduled..."

"Ben."

Ren suddenly interrupted him.

"Sir?"

"Wrap it up later."

Ben was slightly taken aback but quickly exited the room.

Now, Ren was alone in his office.

His thoughts drifted back to his unexpected encounter with Serena at the café a few days ago.

The young girl he had once known had now grown into a mature woman. But to Ren, she was still the most beautiful woman in the world.

No matter how much time had passed, Serena was still the only one in his heart.

"How have you been, S?" Ren whispered to himself, a softness in his gaze as he thought of her.

Back then, after leaving City B, he had tried not to look for any news about her. He had focused on building his career.

But then, he had accidentally learned about the death of Serena's husband from a fellow businessman.

Ren couldn't describe how he felt upon hearing the news—shock, disbelief, relief, and worry, all mixed together.

He worried because, despite knowing that Serena and Andre's marriage was merely a business arrangement between their families, Serena had never treated it as fake. She had always respected her marriage.

Maybe, after all the years they had spent together—and with Ren having disappeared from Serena's life—she had developed feelings for Andre. His death must have devastated her.

If Ren had never heard about Andre's death, he might have remained focused on expanding his business in City M. But once he knew, he couldn't think the same way anymore.

That was when he decided to expand his company to City B—the city where the woman he loved still lived.

And yet, after successfully establishing himself there, Ren still hadn't gathered the courage to contact Serena.

Perhaps it was guilt.

He had left without even saying goodbye.

Even though he had been in City B for two years now, he had never once seen her—until a few days ago.

The moment he saw her again, Ren felt an overwhelming joy. He had wanted to run to her, to speak with her.

But then he saw Serena looking away, deliberately avoiding his gaze.

And in that moment, Ren realized—everything had changed.

Maybe, for him, Serena was still the woman he loved the most.

But for Serena... maybe everything was different now.