All Chapters of Love That Came Too Late Is Empty: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

I slumped down in the corner. Behind the wall that stood between my husband, Gerald Brown, and me, tears streamed down my face.The pain in my chest made breathing difficult. To survive, I turned and fled to the guest bedroom.The tiny guest room had no heating, yet Gerald had forced me to live there throughout the entirety of winter.I frantically poured pills from the bottle and shoved them into my mouth. Fortunately, Gerald had only substituted my original pills with weaker heart medication. Otherwise, I would not have survived the night.I had just returned from the hospital. My injuries still throbbed with dull pain.Tears welled up when my fingers brushed against my flat stomach.I still remembered the vicious oath he had sworn when he defied all gossip to marry me. “Hailey, you’re the only one for me. If I ever betray you, may I die a wretched death.”Yet he brought his first love into our home.The cold wind stung, but not as much as this heart-wrenching pain.For a mo

Chapter 2

Gerald’s expression darkened instantly. His earlier concern twisted into contempt.“What’s all the screaming about? People would think someone had died.“What heart condition? You’re just clinging to my money!”Aileen rushed over. “Gerrie! How can you say that?“Hailey, what’s wrong? Is your heart hurting again?”I opened my mouth, but the pain left me speechless. This only elicited Gerald’s mockery.“Who are you trying to fool with this pitiful act? Everyone knows your illness is fake. That minor heart condition never bothered you for years, yet suddenly it flares up now that I’ve brought Ailey home?“Don’t think faking a heart attack will earn my sympathy. Stop deluding yourself. You won’t get a single cent from me.”A sharp pain pierced my chest. Bitter amusement welled up inside me as tears blurred my vision.Just days earlier, when my heart condition had worsened, I went for a hospital checkup, and Gerald confronted me the moment I returned.“So eager to transfer the ass

Chapter 3

When I finally met Gerald, he ignored all the gossip and even turned against his own family to give me a home.I gave him everything.I gave him my time, my youth, and my love.Years ago, when he faced bankruptcy, I was the one who accompanied him day and night to networking events. I drank until I vomited blood just to help save his company.Yet despite everything, we still ended up unable to bear the sight of each other.Perhaps the saying, “Some endings were simply unavoidable,” had truth in it, after all.But I never imagined that after all these years, from childhood to girlhood to where I am now, someone would still cry over my suffering.At this thought, Penny suddenly hugged me. Her sobs grew louder.“Hailey, stop overthinking! You matter a great deal to me!“After my parents died in that crash years ago, I stayed to take care of you. But really, you’ve taken care of me far more. You’ve always been like a sister to me.“So even if it’s just for me, take care of yourse

Chapter 4

During the first year of our marriage, he was already begging me desperately for a child.At the time, my career was flourishing. Yet he deliberately undermined it. He forced me to quit and become a housewife so I could focus on getting pregnant.But after three years of trying, we still had not conceived.I had been so foolish back then. I had been trapped in his honey-coated lies, living what I thought was love but was really a nightmare.Then he brought Aileen home. This happened just as I discovered I was pregnant.The day I returned home with the test results, Aileen cornered me on the staircase. Leaning in with a sneer, she said, “You can’t even have a child. I don’t know how you dare to keep living in this house.“Do you know why Gerald went through so much trouble to bring me back? That’s because I’m carrying his child.”My heart lurched, and the medical report slipped from my fingers.Aileen swiftly grabbed it. Her expression hardened, and without hesitation, she pushe

Chapter 5

Aileen’s voice echoed through the hallway. She said, “Gerrie, stop blaming Hailey because of me. This is all my fault.”Uncharacteristically, Gerald ignored her. His piercing gaze remained fixed on me. “Hailey, explain yourself. How could you have had a miscarriage? Weren’t you infertile?”I met his eyes with a cold laugh. “You want to know how I miscarried? Ask your precious Aileen over there.”Aileen’s face froze at my words. She shrank back nervously when Gerald turned to her.“What miscarriage? Gerrie, don’t listen to her lies! She must be feeling guilty for killing our baby, so she’s making up stories to save herself!”Gerald paused. Then his expression hardened again. “You’re lying! The doctor just said you were never pregnant in the first place! He said you’ve been taking birth control! Aileen! How could I believe anything that you say?!”Aileen seemed caught off guard. Shock flashed across her face before she could hide it.In a flash, she burst into theatrical tears and

Chapter 6

He confined me to a pitch-dark guest bedroom, where I endured scorn and abuse from the other maids.On the day that Penny and I had planned to escape, Aileen got discharged and came home. She caught us red-handed.She threw a tantrum. She wailed, rolled on the floor, and demanded to know why Gerald had not kicked me out yet.Gerald shot me a look of disgust. It was as if he were blaming me for not staying hidden in the guest bedroom and under his control.Aileen turned her aggression on me. She kicked and hit me until Gerald pulled her away, though her rage continued.Gerald conceded. “Anyone but her. Take your anger out on whoever else you want.”When she saw him defend me, Aileen’s face darkened. Suddenly, she turned her gaze to Penny.“What are you doing?”Weak from days without food, I clumsily shielded Penny while glaring at Aileen. It was the first time I had shown her hostility since she entered the house.I had already lost my parents and my child. Penny was like a lit

Chapter 7

It did not matter anymore. I had only half a month left to live. Once Aileen brought back the confidential documents from the rival company and the contract was signed, he could easily comfort her then.After all, I was still his legal wife and the daughter-in-law of the Brown family. The maids would not dare to truly mistreat me.At first, the maids hesitated to assign me heavy work. They just handed me a rag for window-cleaning as a perfunctory task.That changed when Aileen arrived with her maids. They dumped the trash from her room onto me and splashed dirty toilet water across the floor.The other maids grew visibly uneasy. One of Aileen’s lackeys, who was flaunting her borrowed power, sneered, “What’re you staring at? This is an order from Mr. Brown. He said our young mistress demands spotlessness; not a single speck of dirt is allowed. So, get cleaning, Mrs. Brown.”Aileen forced Penny to watch me be humiliated. Penny yelled, “Clean? Please! Your precious mistress doesn’t m

Chapter 8

I let out a cold laugh, finally finding my voice after struggling to speak.“Gerald, tell me, all these years when you called me ‘Elly’, were you really saying ‘Ailey’?”Gerald wept uncontrollably as he pressed his forehead against my hand. He cried so much that his tears drenched my fingers.“I’m calling you! Only you, Hailey! Please, don’t go!”With all my remaining strength, I pulled my hand away. I was bitterly amused that at least I had not been a complete fool all this time.I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly. “Gerald, you owe me. I promised I’d make you repay it. Just wait for the ‘gift’ I’ve prepared for you.”My strength drained away with my final word.Gerald still refused to give up on me. He desperately demanded that the ambulance rush me to the hospital for further resuscitation.Only after seeing the hospital director’s head shake did his body finally give way and collapse.My body was sent for cremation while Gerald sat in the hallway. His eyes were vacant.Ai

Chapter 9

At twenty years old, Aileen returned to the country without hesitation after Gerald said, “Ailey, the company is going bankrupt. I don’t know what to do.” She infiltrated their rival company as a spy and stayed there for five years.Instead of receiving news that Gerald would bring her out of the company, she received an invitation to his wedding.No matter how many times she confronted him, he only ever replied, “Grandpa adores Hailey. I had no choice.”Yet during countless sleepless nights, when he deluded himself into using Hailey as a substitute, his feelings started to become real.Aileen recognized the tenderness in his eyes when he looked at me. She knew that look all too well.But everything had changed.As she watched him wallow in grief over me, Aileen screamed hysterically, “Gerald, how could you do this to me?”He only murmured, “Elly, I was wrong. I failed you.” His calmness made her seem like the mad one.... Gerald arranged an extravagant funeral for me. Th

Chapter 10

Gerald wandered the streets like a lost soul, circling aimlessly until he finally stopped before my gravestone. He stood there for a long time without saying a word.Every death anniversary after, he would kneel at my grave for a full day, as if attempting to atone for his sins.In the years that followed, he traveled across mountains and rivers with my ashes, using what little money he had left.He had once promised to take me traveling around the world when we had time. It was to make up for our missed honeymoon.But later, he spent most of his days with Aileen. He had long forgotten that old promise of ours.It seemed like his memories had returned as he tirelessly journeyed through different cities and countries.He spent ten full years fulfilling his promise. However, death had already taken away my chance to share the journey with him.On the day he completed his world tour, he returned to my grave with a bouquet of red roses. Red roses were my favorite when I was alive.

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