All Chapters of Left In The Past: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

I held my breath outside the study. My heart ached with every word uttered inside.The conversation carried on inside.“Mr. Brody, Lulu has a gentle heart and a trusting nature. Please, take care of her.”“Don’t worry, sir. If Lulu hadn’t risked her life to save me from that fire five years ago, I wouldn’t be here today. I’ll protect her for the rest of my life.”Cole Brody paused for a moment before continuing, “However, getting Lulu pregnant was just repayment for her kindness, nothing more. Bethany is threatening to break up with me over it. Who knows what other crazy things she might do out of jealousy?”My father, Adrien Theroux, appeased him with a smile.“Please don’t take it to heart, Mr. Brody. She’s just being childish. A few harsh lessons will set her straight.“Vincent Holt is not only crippled, but he is also infamous for being a violent madman. Even an idiot like Bethany wouldn’t be stupid enough to throw herself at him. Anyone with half a brain knows who to choose

Chapter 2

His brow furrowed in irritation. “You were the one who insisted that you’d marry no one but Cole. When he finally agreed to marry you, you wanted to break up with him. I arranged the Holt match to secure your future, and you wailed like a banshee. Now, when Cole offers to take you back, you refuse again! What do you actually want?”His words felt like a knife twisting in my chest.I never imagined my own father would be so willing to throw me into the fire just to clear the way for his illegitimate daughter.A bitter laugh escaped me as tears streamed down my face.Just as my father was about to unleash his anger at my silence, his phone rang and broke the tension.He answered it with visible irritation. When the caller introduced themselves, all color drained from his face.“You’re the… the Holt family?”A calm, authoritative voice said, “Yes. Congratulations, Mr. Theroux. Your daughter, Bethany, has been chosen by Mr. Vincent Holt himself. Someone will be delivering the weddin

Chapter 3

I leaned against the wall with a sneer as I pondered something.What price would Vincent Holt, the man they called “the Devil,” exact when he learned his wedding gifts had been stolen?My father returned home in the evening after failing to glean any information from the Holt family. He paced the living room with his phone clenched tightly in his hand.He wanted this alliance desperately, yet the stories of Vincent’s ruthlessness slithered through his mind like poison. What if he ended up crossing him?Then, suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, as if something had just occurred to him.“Didn’t the Holt family say they were sending over some wedding gifts? Why aren’t they here yet?”I shook my head. “No idea.”A wave of relief washed over his face. “That’s actually a good thing. Maybe they’ve changed their minds. Families like ours were never meant to reach that high. Maybe it was a misunderstanding.”Muttering to himself, he suddenly turned and fixed his sharp gaze on me.“In t

Chapter 4

I sneered. “You seem awfully sure I’m going to marry Cole.”“What does that mean? Don’t tell me you still think you’re marrying Vincent Holt!” My father’s face turned stormy. Then, he let out a scornful chuckle.“Even if you really wanted to marry that cripple, it wouldn’t matter. The Holt family is clearly playing with you. If they were serious, the wedding gifts would’ve arrived by now. Let me make this clear once more: marrying Cole is your only option.”With that, he shot me a glare and turned upstairs.The wedding day arrived before long.I was in my room getting my makeup done when Cole walked in with Lulu, who was draped in glittering jewels from head to toe. Lulu said in a wounded tone, “Bethany, you’re not wearing the bracelet I gave you. Do you not like it?Cole glanced impatiently at his watch, then snatched the bracelet and tossed it at me.“Lulu gave you a gift. Instead of being thankful, you’ve got the nerve to turn your nose up at it. Just put it on! This wedd

Chapter 5

Cole kept shaking his head. “This can’t be real. There’s no way the Holt family would choose her.”Lulu’s shrill scream cut him off as she shoved her phone in his face. “Look! It’s all over the trending searches. ‘Bethany Theroux to Wed Vincent Holt in Billion-Dollar Ceremony!’ And the wedding gift list is ten pages long!”Cole stared at the screen and watched the headlines refresh one after another. His face twisted as he turned furiously to Adrien. “How did this happen?”Adrien’s face had gone ghostly pale. He shook his head and said, “I… I don’t know. They called to say Bethany had been chosen, and that they’d be sending over the wedding gifts, but they never showed up! I just thought they’d changed their minds, so I didn’t take it seriously.”Cole’s eyes widened as a sudden realization hit him. The eight sandalwood chests they had taken from the house came to his mind.Had they actually been the Holt family’s wedding gifts, not Bethany’s wedding gift for him?Panic surged t

Chapter 6

The wedding car pulled into the Holt family estate as the heavy iron gates slowly opened.My palms were damp with sweat. I took a deep breath and forced myself to stay calm.Then, Vincent suddenly rose from his wheelchair in one fluid motion. His movements were smooth and steady without any sign of the crippled man that he claimed to be.He walked over and opened the car door for me with a gentle smile.“Welcome home, Mrs. Holt.”His voice was rich and gentle, and he was nothing like the cruel and violent “Devil” I had heard so much about.My eyes widened in disbelief. My mind short-circuited.How was this possible?Everyone in the city knew that a car crash had left Vincent crippled. As he was desperate for an heir after the accident, he launched a public search for a wife. Was none of that true?The way he carried himself at the moment was calm and gentle. It was a far cry from the ruthless, temperamental tyrant everyone spoke of.I was completely taken aback by the shock.

Chapter 7

I could not recall ever meeting him before. Yet, the raw disappointment in his eyes was unmistakable.He lowered his gaze with a quiet chuckle. “No matter. Get some rest. I’m going with you to your home tomorrow morning.”Before I could even process his words, the door had closed behind him.The next morning, I found Vincent making breakfast in the kitchen when I came downstairs.I was a little stunned.He slid a glass of warm milk in front of me. “Not hungry? You don’t like the food?”I quickly shook my head. “No. It’s all my favorites.”After breakfast, the driver was waiting outside.He greeted me respectfully. “Good morning, ma’am.”I gave a small nod in return and climbed into the car.When we arrived at the Theroux residence, Vincent had to answer a phone call. He motioned for me to go inside first.I had just stepped into the living room when I heard my father’s anxious voice. “I wonder if Mr. Holt has found out about the wedding gifts. If he has, why hasn’t he made

Chapter 8

Adrien collapsed to the floor as his legs gave out. All the color drained from his face.His mouth twitched, but no sound came out.Before Cole could even process what was happening, Vincent turned to him and said, “The person who pulled you out of the fire five years ago was Bethany, not Lulu.”He tossed a stack of surveillance stills onto the floor.The images told the truth in brutal detail. In front of a building engulfed in thick smoke, I was covered in blood and was dragging Cole out of the fire with every strength I could muster, until I finally passed out.Then, Lulu took advantage of my condition and helped a barely-conscious Cole to safety and stole the credit for saving his life.Cole’s face grew darker as he looked at the photos. His shock slowly gave way to a seething, explosive rage. After finally learning the truth, Cole lunged toward Lulu with bloodshot eyes. He grabbed her by the throat.“You’ve been lying to me all along, you lying trash!”Lulu’s face turned

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