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
RIAPain.That was the first thing I felt when I opened my eyes.For a few seconds, I didn't know where I was. My head throbbed, and a sharp pain ran through my side every time I tried to breathe. I blinked several times, trying to make sense of the darkness around me.Then I remembered.The car.Daniel.The road.The crash.I tried to move my arm, but something was pressing against it. When I looked down, I realized I was still trapped inside the car.The vehicle had overturned.Broken glass covered the seats and dashboard, while smoke drifted through the cabin and made my eyes sting. Somewhere nearby, something was leaking, and the faint smell of gasoline filled the air."Daniel?"My voice came out barely above a whisper.I turned toward the driver's seat.Daniel was slumped over the steering wheel. Blood ran from a cut on his forehead and disappeared beneath his hair."Daniel?"He didn't move.I stared at him for a moment, unsure whether I should be relieved or worried.He had trie
RIAI sat rigidly in the passenger seat, staring at the unfamiliar phone in my hand. My fingers were still trembling from everything that had happened, but the messages on the screen had nothing to do with the shaking. They had frozen me in place. Devil was alive. Somehow, despite the bullet I had fired into his side, he was alive, and he had managed to get this phone into my possession without me even realizing it."Ria?" Daniel called, glancing at me from behind the steering wheel. "Are you okay?"I looked at him, but the question seemed impossible to answer. How could I tell him that the man who had kidnapped me was already contacting me? How could I explain any of this without sounding insane? I looked down at the phone again, hoping the messages would somehow disappear, but they remained exactly where they were."I'm fine," I finally whispered.Daniel gave me a skeptical look. "You don't look fine.""I just need a hospital."The moment I said it, I realized how badly I needed one
RIAI ran until my lungs felt as though they were going to burst. I had no idea where I was going, and at that point, I didn't care. All that mattered was putting as much distance as possible between myself and Devil, his men, and that horrible room.My footsteps echoed through the narrow corridor as I stumbled forward, one hand pressed against the wall to keep myself upright. The gun was still clutched in my other hand, and when I looked down at it, my fingers began to tremble. There was blood on them. His blood.I swallowed hard as the realization settled over me again. I had shot him. I had actually pulled the trigger.A door appeared ahead, and I rushed toward it, grabbing the handle with desperate hope. It didn't move."Locked."I twisted it again, harder this time, but nothing happened.Behind me came the sound of shouting."Find her!""She's somewhere in the building!""Check every room!"My heart slammed against my ribs. They were coming for me.I looked around desperately and
RIAThe first thing I felt when I opened my eyes was something cold brushing against my leg.I froze.For a few seconds, I couldn't understand what I was feeling. My head was heavy, and everything around me was dark. My wrists ached, and when I tried to move them, I realized they were tied tightly behind my back.Then something moved against my ankle.Slowly, I looked down.A pair of pale eyes stared back at me from the darkness.My breath caught in my throat.A snake.I jerked backward instinctively, but there was nowhere to go. My shoulders slammed against the wooden wall behind me, and the movement caused several other shapes to stir around my feet.There wasn't just one.There were several."No..."My voice came out as a broken whisper.I looked around frantically, trying to make sense of where I was. I was inside a wooden box barely large enough for me to sit upright. The walls were rough, and the only light came through several narrow openings near the top.Snakes crawled across
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 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
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












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