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Chapter 8

Penulis: Bright Lights
There was no precious family heirloom inside the box. Nothing related to his mother, either. Instead, it was filled with photos of Sean and a woman. Some were taken at an amusement park, some were from school, and others were in shopping malls. Every single photo had his handwriting on the back.

“April 10, 2012–After class placements, I met a girl. Her name is Heather. My heart is racing. Is this what falling in love feels like?”

“May 6, 2012–I finally got Heather’s contact. Ahhh… I’m so nervous. How should I even start talking to her?”

“July 16, 2012–It’s summer break at last. Today was my first date with Heather at the amusement park. She looked so beautiful…”

“December 10, 2012–Heather hasn’t been in school. Everyone says she died in an accident, that she was hit by a car. I don’t believe it!”

“December 16, 2012–Today was Heather’s funeral.”

“March 21, 2013–A judgment has been ruled for the case. The murderer hired a top lawyer and was ruled not guilty. He wouldn’t have to suffer a single day in prison…”

“April 5, 2013–Heather, wait for me. When I become a lawyer, I’ll reopen your case.”

After reading everything, I looked back at the woman in the photos.

Her face bore a slight resemblance to both Brittany and me. In that instant, everything became clear. Brittany and I were nothing more than substitutes for a woman named Heather.

Sean had been searching for her shadow in both of us. Even the reason he became a lawyer in the first place was because of her. No wonder he had hidden this box for so many years, never allowing anyone to touch it. However, why should my youth and my life be used to make up for his loss?

I snapped back to my senses, put the box back into the cabinet, and walked away without looking back. There was nothing left in this house worth remembering anymore.

Faye insisted on having one last meal together before I left, and since my flight was in the evening, I didn’t refuse. I took a cab to the restaurant, but the moment I got out of the car, I saw Sean inside a photo studio nearby. Standing beside him were Brittany and her parents. The four of them looked like a real family, smiling warmly as the photographer guided them through poses for a wedding family portrait.

How ironic. I had been married to Sean for seven years, yet we had never taken a single photo together. Even when my mother was on her deathbed, he had rejected her final wish to take one family photo before she passed.

I sneered, and as I turned to leave, our eyes met. His hand, resting on Brittany’s shoulder, jerked. Brittany had also noticed me, but instead of panic, she gave me a provocative smile.

Then, she walked out of the studio, putting on a look of helpless despair, and said with a pout, “Andrea, I know you hate me, but I just want to live. I just don’t want to be looked down on. There’s no need for you to follow me here or come tell my parents everything.”

The moment those words left her mouth, Sean’s expression darkened. He grabbed my arm and dragged me aside, his voice sharp with anger.

“Andrea, we’ve been married for seven years. How did I not realize you were so vicious? She’s just a weak woman trying to live a decent life. What did she do wrong? Do you really have to destroy her future like this?”

I looked at him, the way he twisted right from wrong, and felt nothing but numb. Then, I turned to Brittany and slapped her.

“I came here to meet a friend. I don’t care about your mess. But if you continue spreading lies, don’t blame me for exposing the truth.”

After that, I didn’t even spare her another glance as I turned to leave. However, Sean quickly caught Brittany, his eyes filled with concern.

Then he grabbed me again, his voice low and threatening. “Andrea, how dare you hit her? Get on your knees and apologize right now. Otherwise… I’ll fire you from the law firm and make sure you’re blacklisted from the legal industry. You’ll never find another job in this country.”

Hearing his threat, I sneered and took out my resignation letter, throwing it straight at his face.

“Sorry,” I said. “I’ve resigned. And as for blacklisting me, you can go ahead and try, Mr. Larson.”
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  • Outgrowing Love   Chapter 30

    The moment Sean saw the photo on my phone, his eyes widened in shock.“You… How do you have a photo of Heather?”After he blurted that out, he seemed to realize he had said the wrong thing. Panic flashed across his face, and he quickly tried to explain.“Andy, listen to me. It’s not what you think. Heather… she was just a memory from my childhood. That’s all in the past now. Right now, you’re the only person I love.”Listening to his weak explanation, I simply looked at him and asked, “In that case, can you swear that when you first got together with me, you never once treated me as that woman’s substitute?”Sean opened his mouth, yet not a single word came out.I chuckled and shook my head. “Sean, stop trying to move yourself with your own lies. Our relationship was a mistake from the very beginning. And I, Andrea Brown, have never wanted to be anyone’s substitute or accessory. And one more thing… if you harass me again, I will call the police.”With that, I walked away, withou

  • Outgrowing Love   Chapter 29

    Meanwhile, I had just finished work at the law firm and was getting ready to head home. Without Sean’s interference over the past month, my career had taken off. I’d won several cases in a row, and everything was finally falling into place.On the way back, I stopped to buy some ingredients for steak to treat myself to a proper meal. However, just as I turned to leave, a familiar voice suddenly called out from behind me.“Andy…”Even without turning around, I knew it was Sean. Still, I didn’t look back. I didn’t even slow down. I had no intention of getting involved with him again. All I wanted was a simple, peaceful life of my own.However, just as I picked up my pace, he caught up to me and stepped in front of me, blocking my path.“Andy, you’re still mad at me, aren’t you? I know I was wrong. I really do. I just found out that Brittany’s pregnancy was fake. Her parents aren’t like what she said either. They were never going to kill her. And everything she did to target you at t

  • Outgrowing Love   Chapter 28

    Brittany’s cheek stung from the stack of papers that had just been thrown at her. However, she barely noticed the pain. Her eyes locked onto one of the pages in the pile, a medical report. Specifically, it was her blood test report. In clear black-and-white letters, it stated that she was not pregnant.In that instant, Brittany realized everything. All of her carefully maintained disguise had been exposed.“Sean… please, I can explain!”The next second, she dropped to her knees with a loud thud. Clutching Sean’s leg tightly, she burst into uncontrollable sobs.“I didn’t mean to do it… I only did it because I love you so much! I was afraid of losing you! I was afraid you’d never be able to leave Andrea, so I had no choice but to do this! I was jealous of her! I was jealous that she got to stay by your side for seven whole years! I just wanted to take you away from her! Please forgive me this once… for the sake of what we once had…”“What we had?”Sean looked at her as if he had ju

  • Outgrowing Love   Chapter 27

    Sean gripped the mouse so tightly his knuckles turned white, disbelief written all over his face.I had gone through so much, and what had he done? At the very moments I needed his trust the most, he had chosen again and again to stand with the abuser. He had helped outsiders drive the knife deeper into his own wife’s heart.“Sean, you really do deserve to die.”He slapped himself hard across the face. However, the sting on his skin was nothing compared to the pain tearing through his chest.The next second, his gaze fell on Brittany’s current location sent by the private investigator. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. As a lawyer and as my husband, he would personally make things right for me.… Meanwhile, inside Private Room 888, Brittany was dressed in a tight spaghetti-strap dress. A slim cigarette rested between her fingers, while her other hand held a glass of whiskey. She was drinking and laughing with a group of shady friends, her cheeks flushed, looking nothing like som

  • Outgrowing Love   Chapter 26

    Brittany wasn’t pregnant?The moment he heard the doctor’s words, Sean’s mind went blank.Inside the consultation room, Brittany was still pestering the doctor relentlessly, her tone casual and dismissive.“Oh, come on, doctor, just help me out a little! It’s not like I’m trying to do anything bad with it. I just want to marry my boyfriend. That old hang of an ex of his has been kicked out. As long as I keep the lie going for a few more months, I’ll just say I had a miscarriage. No one will ever know! Please! This concerns my future!”Sean’s fists clenched instantly. So that was the truth. There had never been a situation where she got pregnant out of wedlock and was abandoned by a jerk, nor one where she’d be beaten to death by her parents. From the start, it had all been a lie—a carefully crafted deception Brittany created to force me out and take her place. Meanwhile, he, a top-tier attorney known for winning impossible cases, had been played like a fool by this woman.For a

  • Outgrowing Love   Chapter 25

    To numb himself, Sean entered his old routine after returning to the law firm, working insane overtime hours. This time, however, without me by his side, every case suddenly felt far more difficult. He had to handle everything himself now, from checking every detail to correcting every typo. The successes he once thought came easily now demanded several times the effort.It was eleven o’clock at night. The entire firm was empty, and only the light in his office was still on. Suddenly, a violent bout of heart palpitations struck him. Cold sweat poured down his back as his breathing grew labored. This was the lingering illness he had developed after years of pushing himself too hard with work.“Andrea, get my medicine for me…”Clutching his chest, Sean stretched out a trembling hand beside him, his face pale.In the past, whenever his heart started acting up during late-night work, I would notice immediately. I would place the pills by his lips, then press my warm palm against his ch

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