All I Ask Is a Quiet Life

Celeste Lodge hurried to the hospital to volunteer for a blood match and donation after learning that Terence Ford fought in 12 consecutive boxing matches, suffering organ damage.

She was taken to a hospital ward after a series of tests, and 1000cc of blood was taken from her.

She felt her consciousness fading as the blood left her body. She didn't know how much time had passed before she vaguely heard familiar voices as her head spun.

"Are you that into Winona Ford, Terence? She's not even related to you! You put your life on the line in those boxing matches to get a necklace that she flippantly said she liked! You fought in 12 consecutive matches—were you actually trying to kill yourself?

"That's not all. You drew 1000cc of blood from Celeste, and you're going to take a huge patch of her skin just because Winona burned her leg in an accident! We've all seen everything Celeste has done for you and your family over the years. Don't you think you're crossing the line with this?"

Celeste's fingers dug into her palms. So, it turned out Terence had fought in 12 consecutive boxing matches to get a necklace that Winona liked. He even lied to her about having organ damage so he could take her blood to save Winona. Last but not least, he had her drugged and strapped to an operating table so he could graft her skin onto Winona's burns.

The room fell silent for a long time.

"Nothing I do can be considered crossing the line when it comes to someone like Celeste," Terence said hoarsely. "She forced me to marry her three years ago, leading to Winona leaving the country. I couldn't find her, no matter where I searched. I've lived like a zombie for the past three years.

"Just yesterday, Winona returned to the country. And today, she got into an accident. Think about how much blood Celeste has on her hands—how am I at fault for taking some of her skin and blood?"

He growled, "She can't complain even if I wanted to take her life, let alone some blood. It's what she deserves for forcing Winona away. She owes me this! Anyway, I'm not interested in her life. I have more important things to do."

Celeste's blood ran cold, and she trembled uncontrollably.

"You're married now. What do you have up your sleeve?" Eugene Kane asked, sounding hesitant and wary.

"I'm going to fake my death in a month," Terence said firmly. "I'll give up being the Ford family's sole heir so that Winona and I can be together forever."

Celeste struggled to keep her eyes open as she turned to look at him. He was covered in wounds, and it was difficult for him to speak. Still, he held on as he wiped the blood from his fingers and clutched a necklace tightly.

His eyes were swollen and bloodshot, but that did nothing to hide the love and stubbornness in his gaze.

It had been three years since she'd seen that gaze. Terence never let his emotions show when he was with her; he only became a different person when dealing with anything related to Winona.

A scalpel sliced into Celeste's skin. The pain almost made her stop breathing, but the agony from her broken heart smothered her more.

Terence had always been one of Jeriton's elite. He was outstanding in every way, and every woman his age liked him.

Celeste was one of them. However, she knew he wasn't interested in her. He only had eyes for Winona, with whom he'd grown up. They shared the same surname but weren't related.

He would run home right after school let out to bring her her favorite ice cream, and he would skip school to stay by her side when she was burning up with a high fever. He'd even fought in boxing matches for years because she'd said that she was attracted to boxers.

Terence had turned everyone down for Winona's sake, so Celeste had never imagined that she would stand a chance with him.

But one day, Terence's grandfather, Francis Ford, discovered his feelings for Winona. He'd sent Winona away and forced Terence to marry Celeste, threatening him with death if he didn't do as told.

After Francis was hospitalized over and over again, Terence finally gave in and stopped resisting. Later, when he heard Francis congratulating Celeste on a dream come true, he became convinced that she'd told Francis about his feelings for Winona out of selfishness, forcing the marriage and driving Winona away.

From then on, Terence had harbored only hatred for Celeste. However, he had no idea Winona herself was the one who'd told Francis about his feelings.

Back when Terence was abducted by an enemy, leaving his life hanging in the balance, Winona had immediately gone to Francis to strike a deal with him. She'd demanded a hundred million dollars in exchange for her leaving the country and Terence forever.

Ford Group's stock price had plummeted after news of Terence's abduction had gotten out. Celeste was the one who'd stepped up to act as guarantor without a care for the consequences, keeping Ford Group afloat and later getting Terence back.

To calm the media storm, the Ford and Lodge families had agreed to a three-year marriage alliance.

Celeste had tried explaining things to Terence, but he'd treated her like his nemesis throughout their three years together. Being under the same roof at the same time was hard enough—getting him to listen to her explanation was out of the question. She'd laid out all the evidence before him, but he hadn't even spared it a glance.

And now, he was sure that she'd gotten someone to go after Winona, getting her into an accident when she'd only been back for a few days.

Tears flowed down Celeste's face, and she felt like she had something lodged in her throat. She could barely breathe.

…

Celeste was wheeled to a hospital ward after Terence left with a nurse. Once the effects of the anesthesia wore off, she called her brother, Hayden Lodge.

"Hayden, I'm giving up on Terence. I'll move abroad to live with you."