LOGIN"You never loved me, Gerald. You only loved the version of me that suffered for you." For years, Lara devoted everything to her marriage, but when she finally discovers she's pregnant— the miracle she had prayed for after years of heartbreak— she also receives devastating news: she has lung cancer and only six months left to live. Before she can tell Gerald the truth, his first love, Ria, returns from abroad and walks right back into their lives, turning Gerald against her and worse, hurting her till she lost her baby. Lara expects her husband to stand by her. Instead, Gerald accuses her of hurting Ria and refuses to believe she was ever pregnant or dying. Betrayed by the man she loved most, Lara signs the divorce papers and disappears from his life with the help of her best friend, Bryan, who was also in love with her. He stays beside her through painful treatments, shattered dreams, and countless nights when she thought she won't survive. But three years later, Lara returns. She's alive, stronger and no longer the woman Gerald once left behind. Now a successful businesswoman with wealth and influence beyond imagination, she catches Gerald's attention for all the wrong reasons. And he refuses to accept that he isn't her husband anymore. Bryan, the man who loved her when she had nothing, stands by her side as her pretend husband. Gerald fights to get back his wife who he almost lost due to his carelessness. As Ria schemes to destroy her once again, Lara must choose between the past that nearly killed her and the man who helped her live. This time, she won't be the one begging for
View MoreLara's POV
“Is it really incurable?” I asked, my heart in my throat as I squeezed the hem of my gown gently and the doctor nodded.
“In my whole experience as a doctor, Mrs. Stone, lung cancer has never been cured successfully. It has spread too far to be treated. Other hospitals may have developed a cure but not ours.” He responded and I let out a shaky sigh, my heart shattering into pieces.
I remembered brushing my hair days ago and was shocked at the amount of hair I lost. So it was cancer.
“How long do I have, doctor?” I asked shakily, rubbing my pale hands over each other. “How long till this… cancer takes my life?”
“Give or take, Mrs Stone, you have less than six months to live.” He responded and my heart sank into my stomach.
“But… I'm with a child. It hasn't even been four weeks. How will I give birth to her if I won't even make it to nine months?” I questioned, my eyes watering with tears and he let out a defeated sigh.
He placed his hands together on the table as he stared at me with an expression that told me whatever he was about to say wouldn't be good.
“I'd advise you to get rid of the baby, Mrs Stone—”
“No.” I interrupted him, wiping my tears. “There's no way I'll kill my innocent child just because you think I don't have time.”
“If you die, the child dies too. What's the difference if you just get rid of it now? Use the rest of your life to do what you want to do. Live it to the fullest.” He advised, taking off his glasses, and I knew he was right.
But… how could I just let go of a child I've been expecting for months? I had come to the hospital today for a test when I had been showing odd symptoms of pregnancy. But not only did I get a pregnancy result, but I also found out that I had an incurable disease inside me, and it was killing me slowly.
“And what if there's a chance that I can survive?” I asked shakily and he sighed, shaking his head.
“The only chance that you can survive this is 0.1 percent. That's too low—”
“I don't care. If there's a chance at all, even if it's a little one, I'll take it. I'm not getting rid of this child.” Not when I finally found a way to make Gerald notice me again.
Our marriage had been strained when I didn't get pregnant after three years of being together. This would be the bridge to fixing us once again. And I couldn't let it go.
“It's also risky, Mrs Stone—”
“I accept the risks. My child isn't leaving just because I am.” I said defiantly and he let out a sigh of defeat as he nodded in understanding.
“Alright. I'll give you some prescriptions to take. Do not stress yourself during this period no matter what.”
I left the hospital with my heart in my throat as I got into the car. The driver drove home silently and all I could do was think about how I would tell Gerald about my ailment.
I didn't want to lie to him, but telling him the truth that I was dying in six months would only make him paranoid about losing the child. Why couldn't I be happy for once in my life?
I let out a sigh as the car came to a stop and I clutched my purse that had my test results in it. I had to find a way to tell him somehow. But good news comes first.
I made my way inside, my heart beating fast as I made my way to our room when suddenly Gerald burst out of the room, looking like he had gotten dressed in less than ten seconds.
He was hurriedly putting on his shirt and buckling his pants, and I wondered if something had happened that he was rushing so fast.
“Gerald? Is something wrong?” I asked and he finally noticed my presence, turning to me with raised brows.
“Where were you all day? I was worried you disappeared. And why do you look so pale?” He asked, and my heart fluttered in my chest at the thought of him getting worried about me.
“Actually… I went to the hospital.” I started as he finally dressed up and he glanced at me, his brows knitted in confusion.
“Are you sick? Why didn't you call the family doctor?”
“Well—”
His phone rang so loudly that I flinched, interrupting my words, and he immediately took the call, placing his phone to his ear.
“I'll be there in ten minutes, I promise. Something… is holding me back.” He said and then ended the call.
I frowned, looking at him for some kind of explanation and he let out a sigh, shoving his phone into his pocket.
“I'll be out for a while.” He said plainly, and I swallowed, trying not to pry, but I couldn't help myself.
“Where to?” I asked before I could stop myself. “I mean… Is it because of the person who called? Is it some kind of important event? Or business issues?”
“Yeah.” He muttered, like he was trying to think of something. “Business issues. I'll be back before you know it.”
I knew he was lying but I couldn't prove it. He looked like he couldn't wait to leave and I clutched my purse harder.
“I have something important to tell you, Gerald. It's very important.” I said, trying to see if he would at least want to know what was up with me or why I went to the hospital.
“Can it wait till I'm back?” He asked as he stared at his phone. “I don't have the time right now. When I'm back.” He added and started to rush away, making his way downstairs and out of the house.
All I could do was stare at his retreating figure until the car drove out of the house. When would he ever treat me as someone important to him?
I let out a sigh, making my way to the room as I prayed he would return early so we could come up with a situation. I didn't want to die so I wanted to be sure there was a way I could survive more than the six-month deadline that the doctor had given me.
Minutes turned to hours, and I spent most of my time researching Lungs cancer. It was deadly… and incurable. But after seeing a few success stories about patients who survived, I couldn't help but feel the flower of hope that blossomed in my heart at knowing that I could survive too.
I would survive. And so would my baby.
I glanced at the clock, seeing that it was already past eleven, close to midnight and Gerald still wasn't back. I was worried that something might have happened to him because the way he left earlier was of urgent need.
I tried calling him but I kept getting directed to voicemail every single time. I had no idea when I fell asleep on the couch, but when I woke up, he still wasn't back, and it was past two in the morning.
Strands of my hair were on the couch where my head laid seconds ago and I sighed in despair.
After realizing that he wasn't coming home tonight, I made my way to our room while scrolling the internet for anything interesting.
Then I saw it.
The headline was written so boldly that it made my eyes hurt for a minute.
“Famous Billionaire Was Last Seen With Who Appears To Be His First Love That Escaped Death By An Inch.”
My heart nearly stopped as I scrolled down and the first image I saw had the phone slipping out of my hands, straight to the
RIA'S POVIt had been two days. Two fucking days, and Gerald hadn't come home!"He couldn't be with that bitch, right?" I bit my nail hard, my feet tapping against the floor repeatedly. My eyes drifted to the vanity mirror, and I saw how dark the circles beneath them had become and how messy the room was. I had been waiting for him ever since the next day to apologize for everything I had said.I had thought I was overthinking things and that Gerald would never return to her. He had always picked me instead of her. Even when she had been bleeding to death, he had chosen me!This time wouldn't be any different, or so I had thought. But to my dismay, he wasn't around. I texted him repeatedly and even called him, but he never answered. I had started thinking something terrible had happened to him..."No... no." I gripped my hair, my eyes darting around the room. "Staying in here won't give me the answer I'm looking for."I shot to my feet, quickly changed into a fresh set of clothes, and
Lara's POV He stared at me. “What is it?” “Um…” I was about to reply when my phone buzzed. “Excuse me.” I quickly left the kitchen and went upstairs. My eyes remained fixed on my phone, my heart racing wildly. I could have answered it in front of him. God. What’s wrong with me? I checked the message and frowned when I saw it was from Gerald, asking if I had gotten home safely. I stared at the message for a few seconds before pressing the power button and switching off my phone. “He still hasn’t gotten the fact that this is none of his concern,” I cursed under my breath before turning around to return to the kitchen. The aroma of dinner greeted me before I even stepped inside, and my stomach immediately reminded me that I had barely eaten all day. Bryan stood with his back to me, casually picking up a plate. His strong forearms glistened faintly with sweat from the heat filling the kitchen. He glanced over his shoulder the moment he heard my footsteps and smiled. “There you a
Lara's POVThe first week nearly broke me.Running one company had always demanded everything I had. Running two at the same time felt like torture but I loved every second of it.By Monday morning, my schedule had become a blur of board meetings, investor calls, strategy sessions, and endless reports waiting for my approval. Every hour brought another decision that only I could make. Every department seemed to need something from me.The merger was moving faster than anyone had expected.People called it impossible only a few weeks ago.Now it was happening.I walked from one conference room to another, answering questions before they were fully asked. Financial projections, staffing plans, marketing campaigns, legal reviews, expansion proposals. One document barely left my desk before another replaced it.Somewhere along the way, I stopped noticing how exhausted I was. Success had a strange way of making fatigue feel worthwhile.By Wednesday, the media had already begun following ev
GERALD'S POVI arrived twenty minutes early.Old habits were difficult to break.The receptionist greeted me with a polite smile the moment I stepped into the lobby."Good morning. May I help you?""I'm Gerald Stone ," I replied. "I'm here to report to Ms. Robert."She typed something into her computer before looking back at me."Of course, Mr. Stone . Someone will be with you shortly."I nodded and stepped aside.The lobby was larger than I remembered.The last time I had been here, I had walked through these doors as an equal. People had greeted me with respect because I had been sitting across the negotiation table from the woman who owned the building.Today, I was reporting to her.The thought settled heavily in my chest.A young woman hurried toward me with a tablet tucked beneath one arm."Mr. Stone ?" she asked politely."Yes.""My name is Emma. I'll show you to your desk."Desk.The word sounded strange.I followed her through the open office. Employees moved quickly between
LARA“I didn't do anything, Gerald!” I pleaded, tears burning in my eyes. His eyes burned with hatred as he carried Ria up, her hands hanging limply. “She tried to hurt herself, and I stopped her.”“Stop lying!” he thundered, and I flinched. “Ria has no reason to hurt herself. You're so selfish and
Lara's POV “Your lies weren't enough and now you're trying to blame poor Ria? She doesn't even know what we're talking about. Must you be so shameless?” Gerald asked in annoyance and I gasped, shaking my head in disagreement.There was no way the results would just disappear into thin air. Somethi
Lara's POV I never got the chance to tell Gerald that I was pregnant. Or that I was dying in six months. I didn't want to believe that he would actually bring Ria to the house, so I didn't clean the room as he told me to.The doctor specifically told me not to stress myself and I wouldn't do that
Lara's POV My vision blurred as tears welled up in my eyes, but I quickly wiped them off, picking up my phone again. The picture was still there, proving that I wasn't going insane.In Gerald's arms was the one lady I recognized too well without needing to look too much. She was my sister. My youn






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