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My Fading Affection
My Fading Affection
Author: Saying Things

Chapter 1

Author: Saying Things
Even though the heater in the room was blasting, a piercing chill ran straight to my bones. Not caring that my daughter was already fast asleep, I shook her awake.

"Willow, wake up! Tell me, what is this group chat all about? And did your dad make you call another woman your mom?"

Willow rubbed her sleepy eyes, her small face full of exhaustion.

"Olivia isn't another woman. She's my real mom."

Those words struck a nerve. Completely losing control, I screamed, "Willow Parker, I am your real mom!"

Terrified by my frantic expression, Willow burst into heavy tears.

My mom, sleeping in the next room, rushed in the moment she heard the crying. She immediately pulled Willow into her arms and snapped at me.

"Celeste, why are you screaming at a child in the middle of the night?"

Holding up the smartwatch, my eyes bloodshot, I stared straight at her.

"Mom, did you know James has been having Willow call a dead woman her mom?"

My mom had helped raise Willow since day one; there was no way she hadn't noticed.

Sure enough, she froze for a split second, then instinctively averted her eyes.

Seeing that, I let out a bitter laugh. "You knew."

Her gaze kept darting around, refusing to look me in the eye.

"Celeste, it's not what you think. James, he..."

"If it's not what I think, then what is it?" I cut her off mid-sentence, shouting in pure fury, "You're my own mother! How could you cover for him like this?"

Olivia was always smarter, prettier, and far more calculating than me, and I had suffered so much because of her back in the day. She even set me up back then, almost ruining my chance to take the SATs and get into college.

Mom knew all of that, yet she still chose to hide this from me.

A sharp pain suddenly tightened in my chest, making me double over slightly.

Seeing me like this, Mom panicked.

"Celeste, what's wrong? Is your heart acting up again?

"Why do you always get so stubborn whenever it comes to Olivia? She's dead anyway, so she can't threaten your place. Why break your own heart over something so small?"

The more Mom spoke, the more justified she felt, her voice gaining confidence.

"Making a scene like this only hurts your marriage with James and ruins your own health. It's not worth it.

"Willow is still young and doesn't know any better. When she grows up, she'll realize. Why be in such a rush right now?"

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  • My Fading Affection   Chapter 10

    "You need to be a good girl and listen to your dad from now on. I wish you peace and happiness for the rest of your life."With that, I looked up at James."James, don't you love Willow so much? Then love her with all your heart and soul. Stop using her as a bargaining chip for your negotiations. Doing that only makes me despise you even more.""Also, if you refuse to sign the divorce papers voluntarily, I don't mind taking this to court. When all the ugly secrets the Parkers buried can no longer be hidden, don't blame me."James seemed unwilling to accept my words, muttering to himself over and over, "No, Celeste couldn't possibly be this heartless toward me."I walked straight up to him and handed him the divorce agreement."I'm giving you three days. If I don't receive the signed divorce papers by then, I'll see you in court."With that, I turned around and walked back into the guesthouse.Sean flipped him off before slamming the door shut while James remained standing outsi

  • My Fading Affection   Chapter 9

    He rasped out my name, his voice hoarse."Celeste, I finally found you!" As he spoke, he moved forward, wanting to pull me into a hug.However, I frowned and instantly stepped back behind Sean.Seeing this, Sean quickly stepped forward to shield me, his eyes full of vigilance as he stared down the man in front of us."So you're Celeste's ex-husband," Sean said, his tone unfriendly.Then, as if a thought suddenly struck him, he broke into a beaming grin. "Did you come all this way just to finalize the divorce papers with her? Appreciate the hard work, dude!"Sean's words only succeeded in making me chuckle, but they also drove James completely mad. His face darkened instantly. "Who are you?! Stay the hell away from my wife!"After roaring at Sean, his bloodshot eyes fixed onto mine."Celeste, I'm here to take you home! Willow is waiting for us. You have no idea. While you were gone, she cried for you every single day. She doesn't want anyone else but you."I was wrong. I should

  • My Fading Affection   Chapter 8

    "James, you piece of shit!" "Celeste, if you're still alive, please come back! Please give me a chance to make it up to you!"Meanwhile, I was strolling through a small town in Silver Creek.I knew all about the Route 311 bus accident.I had boarded that bus that day only to get away from James pursuing me. So after two stops, I got off and bought a train ticket straight to Silver Creek instead.Before leaving, I even took the SIM card out of my phone and tossed it into a trash can.But I didn't do this to fake my own death. After all, James and I were not officially divorced yet. I simply wanted some time to clear my head. Having so many brutal truths dumped on me in a night was something I needed time to process and digest.Over the past few years, practically everything I did revolved around James and Willow.I gave that father and daughter all my love and time. Yet after loving them with everything I had, I was left with nothing.The fresh flowers in Silver Creek were so

  • My Fading Affection   Chapter 7

    Seeing that Willow finally stopped throwing a fit under Donna's soothing, he was finally able to put his mind at ease.When he returned to the master bedroom, Celeste's unique scent brushed past his nose. A sharp pain hit his chest, and his eyes involuntarily welled up.It seemed Celeste's place in his heart was far more important than he had ever imagined.In truth, aside from basic physical needs, he had always used work as a shield to avoid sharing a room with her. Though he could see the disappointment and heartbreak in the depth of Celeste's eyes, he had simply forced himself to ignore it.Everyone else thought he looked down on Celeste and had married her purely out of obligation to repay a life-saving debt. Only he knew that the truth was nothing like that.He was actually terrified that he would fall hopelessly in love with Celeste. After all, he had promised Olivia that he would never love another woman in this lifetime.When Celeste uttered the word "divorce" today, the

  • My Fading Affection   Chapter 6

    Seeing that Maggie's face was still cold, Donna gritted her teeth and spoke up. "Forget about the torn check. We're all family here, so talking about money all the time makes us look like strangers. It's just that we still need the job promised to Robbie."The mother and son remained completely silent.Having run out of options, Donna frantically winked at Willow.Understanding the signal, Willow immediately wrapped her arms around James' neck and acted spoiled. "Daddy, Daddy, please just agree to Grandma's request, okay?"James furrowed his brows slightly, deeply irritated by Donna's petty calculation. He was only glad Celeste was nothing like her mother.Still, he could never refuse any request from his precious daughter, so he nodded impatiently.Donna's face instantly lit up with a wide smile.This was precisely why she had been willing to stay with the Parkers as a nanny just to take care of a child she wasn't related to. It was a pity Celeste was so hopelessly stubborn and

  • My Fading Affection   Chapter 5

    A loud, sharp slap echoed through the room as Mom's palm landed right across my face."Celeste, keep your mouth shut!"Immediately after, she turned to Maggie and James with an apologetic smile. "Celeste is just talking out of anger and saying nonsense. Don't take a word of it seriously."I pressed my tongue against the inside of my slapped cheek, letting out a self-deprecating smirk.Suddenly, my entire past felt like one big joke.I was unloved by my family and uncherished by my husband. Even the daughter I almost died to give birth to wasn't mine.With that realization, I stopped hesitating. I pulled the wedding ring off my ring finger and placed it gently on the dining table."Celeste!"James, who had remained calm and composed all along, finally changed his expression and stood up abruptly from his chair."You better think this through! Without the Parkers, you're absolutely nothing!" Mom roared in fury beside him. "Celeste, if you dare to get a divorce, you're no longer

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