ANMELDEN“No matter what happened, Reba refused to say who the father was. The family pressured her to get an abortion. She refused and said she would rather die. Even gave an ultimatum: Either they accepted the child… Or they let her go. Her life or death, she said, had nothing to do with them.”“At that time, the head of the family was the old matriarch. She was strict and traditional. She couldn’t tolerate Reba’s behavior at all. So she ordered her son, Daniel, to take Reba to the hospital.”“But before the procedure, the doctor told him something. Reba’s health was already weak. If she went through with the abortion… She might never be able to have children again.”“Daniel had always spoiled his younger sister. He couldn’t bear it and when she cried and begged him… said she would never marry… Said she only wanted this child… so He gave in and He sent her to England instead. The old matriarch was furious and felt ashamed. She cut her off completely and even banned her from ever returning to
I probably looked terrible at that moment.Like a small, angry animal backed into a corner.My eyes were red, my chest tight, and I was glaring at Hayes like he had done something wrong… even though he hadn’t.I was just taking all my anger out on him.Normally, with his personality, he would have told me to get out of the car by now.Or he would have shut me down with that cold, distant tone of his until I had nothing left to say.But… he didn’t. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a checkered handkerchief, then he held it out to me.Another one, I stared at it for a second.A grown man… always carrying clean handkerchiefs? For some reason, I found that strangely… comforting. But I was still angry so I didn’t take it.Also last time I used his handkerchief, I had planned to wash it and return it.I still couldn’t find it.There was no way I was going to take another one.When Hayes saw that I didn’t move, he let out a quiet sigh, clearly losing patience.Then he leaned
The moment I stepped out of the restaurant, something inside me felt… empty.A strange feeling lingered in my chest, then the pain came.Slow at first and then stronger. It spread across my chest in waves, dull but heavy.I pressed a hand against my chest, my steps slowing as the pain got worse.I quickly moved to the side and grabbed onto a billboard for support. My breathing became uneven, sweat formed on my forehead.Just as the pain peaked, a hand suddenly held my arm.“Where does it hurt?” A deep, steady voice came from above me causing me to look up.It was Hayes.His face was calm as always, but his eyes were fixed on me. When I didn’t answer, his brows drew together slightly.“Eloise,” he said, his voice firmer, “I’m asking you… where does it hurt?”“My chest,” I said, pushing his hand away lightly. I straightened up. “I’ll be fine after a rest.”He stood beside me, his face cold, one hand already in his pocket. “I’ll take you back,” he said.It wasn’t a question, rather it wa
When I heard that, my mind went blank.For a second, a strange thought crossed my mind that maybe my father had something to do with Rite.But I immediately pushed it away because it made no sense.Rite grew up abroad and barely came back. My father had always lived in Melbourne. There was no way their lives could have crossed like that.It just wasn’t possible.Before I could think further, Rite suddenly grabbed her cup and smashed it hard on the floor. The sharp crash made me flinch.Pieces of ceramic scattered across the ground. People at the next table turned in shock, and the waiter nearby froze, clearly unsure whether to come closer.Rite’s chest rose and fell quickly, her anger spilling out without control. “What right does he have?!” she shouted.Her voice was loud and emotional. She looked exactly like a woman who had been abandoned. But that only made it more ridiculous.How could my father have anything to do with her?I felt anger rise in my chest and I slammed my hand on
I held her gaze and didn’t look away.“I do want to know,” I said calmly. “But shouldn’t you first tell me what you actually achieved?”For a second, anger flashed in her eyes and I saw her fingers tightened around her cup.But she quickly forced it down. She took a deep breath, then looked at me again, her eyes sharp.“Because I was angry,” she said. “I stayed away for over a year, and that useless Julian still couldn’t win you over.”Her voice grew colder. “He was still being looked down on by your father. Still acting like your obedient dog… while you lived happily like a princess.”She leaned forward slightly. “That made me very angry.”I frowned, confusion rising in my chest, I opened my mouth to speak— But she cut me off.“Especially when I was suffering,” she said through clenched teeth, “seeing you happy made me even more unhappy.”That was it.I couldn’t hold back anymore.I leaned forward too, my brows tightly drawn together. “Is something wrong with you?” I asked, my voice
I listened quietly as Rite spoke. I didn’t interrupt her, I didn’t rush her. Hell, I didn’t even ask why she chose Julian, or why she targeted me.I just sat there, fingers resting lightly on my cup, waiting. I knew I would get my answer today.Rite leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs casually. “Back then, I already lost interest in Julian,” she said, glancing at her coffee. “He was too easy. No backbone at all and I hate men like that as they are shallow.”She lifted her cup and studied the latte art inside.“So I didn’t want to play with him anymore. I thought you could keep him. After all, you liked him so much. I even thought… when you finally saw who he really was, it would be interesting.”I watched her quietly, my expression calm. “That morning,” she continued, “I ate breakfast at the hotel, then I sent him away. After that, I blocked all his contacts and took a flight back to England in the afternoon.”That was their first breakup.I tilted my head slightly, studyin
In the following days, Julian continued acting like a devoted husband.He ignored my cold attitude, kept apologizing and trying to please me, pretending that he had suddenly realized his mistakes.Soon, the anniversary of my father's death arrived. Every year when I went to visit my parents’ graves
As if he was worried that the old witch would interfere, Julian bought a train ticket the next day and sent his mother to the bus station.The air in the house felt much lighter after that scumbag left.I heated a glass of milk and wrapped my fingers around the warm cup. Then I put on my headphones
“Miss Vale, life isn’t a novel,” Josh said, leaning back slightly. His eyes were calm, but I could feel the weight behind his words. “These rich kids who grow up seeing backstabbing and scheming are not all innocent. Rite comes from a family like that. Her life isn’t something she can control. Eve
I feigned pain and responded to Julian’s performance.“Julian, I want to forgive you too,” I said, my voice trembling as if my heart were splitting open. “But what about the future? Every time I think about your betrayal, it feels like someone is stabbing me from behind.”In truth, the image in my







