All Chapters of 57 Marriage Proposals: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

I gazed at my mother's icy body lying in the morgue, my tears flowing ceaselessly down my face.My mother, Mariana Heimann, had raised me alone and never asked for anything in return. On the contrary, I had never done anything for her.I could not even fulfill her only wish before she passed.Knowing that my mother was dying, I begged Hayden Weatherford—the man with whom I'd been mutually in love for seven years—to marry me. I wanted my mom to rest assured that even after she was gone, someone would take care of me.I begged him for a total of 57 days, but Hayden always failed to give me a proper answer.On the first day, his childhood friend Scarlett Needham's mother fell sick, so he had to rush over to visit her.On the second day, he was helping Scarlett move some furniture, so the talk about marriage had to be postponed to another day.…On the 57th day, Scarlett was going on a trip, so he had to drop her off at the airport.If not for Scarlett posting an intimate photo of

Chapter 2

I evaded Hayden's grasp and stepped back. "It's office hours right now, Hayden."Hayden frowned. "I know that you're still angry with me. How about I drive you over to the hospital to visit Mrs. Atwell after work?"I snorted coldly. "That's no longer necessary."Mom was no longer around, and he didn't deserve to see her anymore, regardless.If she knew that I was being criticized for being someone's mistress because of him, she would be angry and upset.Hayden felt that I was behaving strangely. He paused for a moment before saying, "In just a few more days, I'll be able to divorce Scarlett. We can get married after that."He then retrieved two gift bags from under his office desk. "I especially asked a friend to buy these from abroad. They're supplements for Mrs. Atwell."I gazed at him and took a deep breath.It was too late. Mom could no longer accept his sincerity.Hayden was rather confused by my silence, but just as he was about to ask about it, his phone suddenly starte

Chapter 3

It was quiet around the cemetery at night.I hadn't walked around alone at night in a long while.Mom used to hold my hand in the past, and later on, I would hold onto Hayden's arm instead.From now on, though, I would be moving forward alone. I believed I would be able to adapt to it.I only arrived home at 1:00 am.Hayden wasn't asleep yet. Instead, he was staring at his phone screen and typing messages.His nervous expression dropped as he saw me return, and he immediately rushed over to hug me. "Where have you been? None of my calls went through, and you didn't reply to any of my messages. If you hadn't come back, I would've gone to the police and reported you missing!"I was stunned for a moment, after which I broke free from his embrace. "I just wanted to spend some quiet time with my mother."A trace of guilt flashed across his face at my words. He had even promised to visit Mom earlier.Suddenly, his expression shifted. He pulled out an exquisite little gift box from h

Chapter 4

Early the next morning, I visited the company to settle the handover of affairs.As soon as I entered the building, many people whispered and cast curious gazes at me behind my back.It was no wonder that they were all giving me strange looks. As it turned out, Scarlett was already sitting at my desk.Although the other employees were looking straight at their computers, they couldn't help glancing at us out of the corner of their eyes.Scarlett declared arrogantly, "I've come to work at the company. I've decided that this spot is pretty decent, so you can pick somewhere else to sit instead."I glanced at her and nodded. "Alright. I'll move my documents elsewhere."There was nothing special about our conversation, but our colleagues all assumed that I didn't dare to argue with her because she was Hayden's legitimate wife.They couldn't discuss their views openly while I was still here, but it didn't stop them from casting me disdainful looks as they worked.Although I wanted to

Chapter 5

When the plane landed, a warm sea breeze brushed against my cheeks. Seagulls flew in the sky, and there was greenery everywhere.I put all the rumors and hearsay behind me. My new life without Scarlett and Hayden in the picture was about to begin.Clusters of tropical plants flashed past the cab window, contrasting sharply with one particular snowy night in my memories.There had been a heavy snowstorm on the day Hayden confessed to me. His breath had come out in white clouds, his eyelashes and hair had been frozen, and his face had been completely red from the cold."Be my girlfriend, Lucy," he had declared. "I'll definitely give you the best life I possibly can!"…I unlocked my phone and saw 20 unread messages in a row. The newest one was from three minutes ago."I've been waiting for you at the city hall for a long time, Lucy. When will you be here?"I stared at the screen and laughed bitterly.57 days of pleading with him, only for him to constantly put off his agreement

Chapter 6

Hayden snorted at Scarlett, then bellowed, "In the 57 days that Lucy begged me to marry her, you experienced ten stomachaches, 19 colds, seven car breakdowns, and six instances of domestic abuse."You were kicked out of your house eight times—heck, even that toy poodle you're raising had four cases of acute gastroenteritis!"You're treating me for a fool, aren't you, Scarlett?"The couples lining up at the city hall had taken out their phones and were secretly filming Hayden and Scarlett.Scarlett paled, and cold sweat beaded her forehead. "You voluntarily took care of me, so why are you pretending to love her so deeply now? Why didn't you say the same when Lucy was still—""Shut up!" Hayden yelled, throwing his phone to the ground and smashing it into pieces."You're obviously aware that her mother…"He deliberately ignored the memories that came to his mind at Scarlett's mention of my mom, his expression fierce.He recalled watching me from behind as I worked overtime in fron

Chapter 7

"Ms. Needham wishes to see you again, Mr. Weatherford," Hayden's assistant, Erica Shearsby, said with clear discomfort on her face."Tell her to get lost! The sight of her makes me sick," Hayden snapped, slamming the documents in his hand onto his desk.Just then, Scarlett's sweet voice carried through the air. "Oh, my! For you to be throwing such a huge tantrum, Lucy must have really forgotten all about you, Hayden!"She was wearing the latest Chanel suit, and her red lips were curved up in a mocking smile."Everyone now knows that you abandoned your new wife just to reconcile with your ex-girlfriend. What devotion.""How dare you bring her up?" Hayden yelled angrily.He tightened his hand around her wrist before harshly tossing it aside, leaving angry red marks on it."If you hadn't lied that you were being forced to get married and begged me to fake a marriage with you, would Lucy have gotten angry and left me?"Scarlett rubbed her aching wrist even as she smiled derisively.

Chapter 8

In the studio, I carefully sketched out the last line of the drawing before looking up to see Leo leaning against the doorframe. He was gazing at me and had two cups of coffee in his hand.The corners of his eyes crinkled slightly as he smiled and commented, "The wing pattern of the bird in the final draft of the 'Rebirth' series has one more crack in it compared to the initial draft."The wings of the flying bird depicted in the drawing were extremely lifelike. It was beating its wings and trying to break free of its shackles, just like how I felt back when I sketched the initial draft.I accepted a cup of coffee from Leo and took a small sip. "The cracks in its wings are the price it has to pay to be free. Once it soars into the skies once more, those cracks will become a badge of honor representing its hard-earned freedom."Leo traced the edges of the drawing with his slender fingers.He leaned down, his face coming very close to my ear. The faint scent of sandalwood drifted in

Chapter 9

"You have to believe that you can fly freely on your own wings, Lucy," Leo said warmly.…On the night before Fashion Week began, I was struggling to reach the zipper at my back when I heard someone knocking on the door of the dressing room.Leo's warm laughter sounded from that direction. "Does the beautiful princess need a knight to come to her rescue?""Why is your chivalry only making an appearance now, Leo?" I asked in embarrassment, walking over to open the door for him while holding awkwardly onto the zipper behind me with one hand."Don't move," he instructed, holding down both sides of the zipper for me. "Relax. I used to help my mother with the zippers on the back of her clothes, so I won't end up scratching you."In the instant he pulled up the zipper, I could feel his breath on the back of my neck.The lights in the dressing room suddenly flickered, and I could see how our figures were practically touching each other in the mirror.Just then, stage music suddenly st

Chapter 10

Scarlett showed up at the airport, dragging her suitcase behind her. She looked haggard, and instead of her usual extravagant attire, she was only wearing a set of sportswear and a pair of sunglasses.She looked at the scars on her wrists, which she had deliberately marked herself with to convince Hayden that she was a victim of domestic abuse."People like you are so damn disgusting that they deserve to go to hell," she muttered before turning and blending into the crowd.The news that made headlines the next day was particularly eye-catching."Plane Bound for a Small Town in Nylasia Involved in Unfortunate Crash"The list of victims published in the news was dense and lengthy, but among them was a line of small letters that clearly read, "Scarlett Needham".…The typhoon swept through the island without warning.Heavy rain and strong winds beat against the glass window. I rushed downstairs while shielding the design drafts in my arms, only to see Leo standing by the car with

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