Semua Bab Unfulfilled Promises: Bab 1 - Bab 9

I had known Adrian Foster for eight years and had been married to him for six when I finally got what I’d longed for: a child.Then, I learned that he already had a two-year-old son with a famous actress, Chloe Shaw.Did that mean all the years of sweet memories between us had been nothing but a lie?…I had no idea how long I sat outside, lost and hollow, until a sudden downpour jolted me awake. Soaked through, I stumbled into a nearby mall for shelter.There she was—Chloe Shaw. Her giant advertisements covered every wall, her arrogant half-smile mocking me, taunting my naivety.Back when Adrian and I got engaged, rumors swirled that the bride-to-be joining the Foster family empire was none other than Chloe.However, Adrian had scoffed at the idea. "Lauren Hayes, don’t listen to that nonsense. A little starlet could never step foot into our family."He’d held me close, his gaze unwavering. "You’ll be the only wife I’ll ever have."He’d called it protection when he insisted ou

I was jolted awake by the sting of tiny hands slapping at my face.Before I could make sense of what was happening, Chloe rushed in and scooped the child into her arms."Liam’s still little. This is the age when he’s always running wild. Don’t take it to heart, Miss Hayes."Adrian appeared next, his eyes narrowing the moment he saw me still in bed. Disgust twisted his expression. "I reminded you yesterday that today is Liam’s welcome luncheon at the Foster estate. And you’re still lying around? Honestly. Chloe, let’s go. Don’t bother with her. What kind of hostess waits for the guests to wake her up?"I had barely fallen asleep at dawn, my night plagued with nightmares. Now my head throbbed viciously from the rude awakening."Chloe knows Liam too?" I asked abruptly.As Adrian faltered, his expression softened and he stammered, "Uh… yes. Liam’s parents were mutual friends of ours."Liam’s features were carved straight from Chloe’s. The resemblance was uncanny, yet Adrian still th

Adrian tore apart the narrow, suffocating basement, but all he found was a dark stain that hadn’t been scrubbed away.That was the only proof that my child and I had ever existed.He seized the doctor, Dr. Bart Collins, by the collar, fury shaking his hands. "Dead?! Where is her body?"Dr. Collins stammered, his eyes wide with fear, "Ms. Shaw said since she was dead, we should get rid of the body, so I've…"Adrian staggered back, disbelief hollowing his face. He dialed Chloe again and again, but every call returned only a busy tone.Meanwhile, the media splashed yet another story of Chloe caught late at night with a male stripper; their scandals this month alone were too many to count.Every time, she would soften her voice, insisting she was framed, begging Adrian to suppress the rumors. Now, he no longer knew whether any of it had been true.His mind spun, a chaos of lies and fragments. One truth remained: he might have gotten into serious trouble.Adrian sat in the basement

Stepping once more onto the streets of Westbridge, a storm of emotions surged through me.A little inquiry was all it took to learn that Adrian had drowned himself in grief, consumed by the belief he had lost the love of his life. He neglected the Foster Group entirely, and even he and Chloe had grown hollow and estranged.I laughed coldly.If Adrian had ever cared enough, how could he not have noticed that the corpse was not me?If even a shred of conscience had remained in him, would my child have been reduced to nothing more than a pool of blood?I had already ordered a DNA test report to be placed neatly on the desk in his study. By now, he should have seen it.Sure enough, the Foster mansion soon blazed with lights.Suspicious as he was, Adrian would never take anything at face value. He would insist on doing his own test, and in the end, he would discover the truth: Liam was not his son.My suspicion had first been sparked by how Liam so perfectly mirrored Chloe’s featur

Adrian’s eyes bulged in disbelief."You dared to scheme against me? Lauren, why? You always loved me the most…"He lunged, trying to grab me, but Shane and the police were faster, pinning him to the ground.I removed the recording earpiece and miniature camera, handing them back to the officers. Then, I stepped closer to Adrian, my voice steady and cold as I said, "You should have known this day would come the moment you swapped my supplements for birth control. Adrian, no one loves you. No one ever will."His face twisted as I delivered the final blow. "You thought seeing me outside the house was an accident? No. That was your retribution beginning. Now go to hell."It had all been part of my plan.I knew once Adrian discovered Liam, his so-called "son", wasn’t his, his mind would crack. Rage would consume him, and afterward, he would desperately cling to the memory of the child I had once carried, deluding himself with the hope of rewinding time.That was when I allowed the