Love That Drifted Away

My mind went blank in an instant.I stared at Gina Hall, the daughter I'd poured my heart into. Cameras flashed, capturing my humiliation.Finally, I found my voice. "Do you have to ruin me like this?"Plagiarism was the greatest stain on any designer's career. Now I was accused of it, and the one making the accusation was my daughter.This was something we had made together. She had watched me painstakingly work on it.She'd only spoken to Veronica Kelley briefly before the ceremony. That was all it took for her to slander me before the whole design world.Julia Russo, my mentor and the award presenter, eyed me with scrutiny. The trophy I'd dreamed of was within reach.I forced a smile, reaching out my hand. "Thank you, Julia."Her expression froze, and she stepped back, leaving my hand hanging in mid-air.A chill spread through me, and my lips started to tremble."You're a thief!" Gina screamed. "I don't have a mother like you."She pushed me and collapsed, sobbing. "My te

"Was it you?" I asked, knowing the answer.Pain gripped my abdomen, and I felt the baby slipping away."Dad, I'm scared," Gina cried, wrinkling her nose. "Mom is so mean. I don't like her. Veronica is waiting. Let's go."Jeff went over to comfort her. Then he shot me a disapproving look. "Why take it out on her? If it were yours, how could Veronica have the patent?"At the awards ceremony, I had planned to wear this necklace and praise Gina's creativity, but she had betrayed me and ruined it.Now I was desperate to know what had driven her to help Veronica frame me."What did I teach you?" I got out of bed, the discomfort in my abdomen making me gasp, but I forced myself to squat in front of Gina.Her tearful face softened me. I tried to persuade myself that maybe Veronica had deceived her. She was just too young to understand the adult world."Tell your dad that we made this necklace together," I pleaded, staring at her. "Okay?"She pushed me away, screaming, and threw hersel

Jeff took a step back. "I'll come see you tomorrow. Take the time to cool off."They walked away, leaving me without any help.The little life slowly drained from me. By the time the doctor on duty found me, it was too late.The embryo slipped away, and so did my love for Jeff.Gina's betrayal still stung, but it no longer mattered to me. I didn't want to give anything more to them.The next morning, I dragged myself home.As expected, no one was there.I silently changed out of the blood-soaked dress, removed the necklace from my neck, and placed it on the table in the living room.Tears welled up in my eyes, but I blinked them back, looking up at the sky.Girls from the mountains shed blood, not tears.Years ago, Jeff's family asked if I'd leave with him. I chose him, leaving my village.They supported me through school and college. After graduation, I naturally became a designer and married Jeff.In those three years, I suffered a lot before I got pregnant and gave birth

Jeff sped home, hoping that it was all just a bad dream and that I was still waiting for him to come back.The rims of his eyes reddened. He pounded the steering wheel. "Ingrid, let me make this right."If he had known about this, he wouldn't have left me alone in the hospital.Just as he was about to get home, his assistant called. "Sir, we couldn't find Mrs. Hall anywhere, but we've figured out the case with Miss Kelley."Jeff rasped impatiently, "What's with the rambling? Get to the point!""The patent images that Miss Kelley asked us to skip ahead on seem like the necklace Mrs. Hall was wearing yesterday," stammered the assistant.He had been there yesterday to witness everything.I didn't have a lot of works, while Veronica, backed by Jeff's wealth, churned out a new patent every week. So, he had naturally assumed it was Veronica's creation."I see," Jeff said calmly instead of losing his temper.He realized he had wronged me, deciding to make it up to me. He believed I w

Karl fumbled for the right words. "Anyway, it's not your fault."He grabbed my hand and looked at me seriously. "I'm sorry for your suffering. I've been waiting for you to come back."His sincerity touched me, and my nose started to tingle.If I hadn't met Jeff and gotten support from the Hall family, I would have been with Karl now.But I'd been through too much. I didn't want to hurt Karl. "I'm sorry. I can't accept that."Karl lowered his head. "It's okay. You'll see my sincerity."Suddenly, a cold voice cut through. "What are you doing there?"I looked up and saw Jeff standing there with a dark expression. His air was out of place in the mountain village.Gina stood next to him, her face pale from the mountain trek."Mom, we finally found you," she cried, running toward me.Before I could react, Karl stepped in front of me. "Who are you? What do you want with Gigi?""Gigi?" Jeff muttered, scoffing, "What a bumpkin! Ingrid is such a beautiful name, and you call her someth