All Chapters of The End of a Dream: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

The moment I got off the plane, I clutched the hard-won medicine and hurried toward the VIP lounge. But just as I reached the door, I overheard something that made my blood run cold."I heard she went abroad herself to get you this medicine. Don't you think sending someone to stop her was going too far? Arden gives you everything she has. If she ever found out…"There was a brief silence inside before Wayne Kinsey spoke in a casual tone. "She'll never know. And even if she does, I'll just spend the rest of my life making it up to her."I lowered my gaze to the cut on my arm, the one I had taken while protecting the medicine. So the men who tried to rob me at the airport had been sent by Wayne himself. That was when the pain of the half-healed wound finally burned through my numbness.The sensor doors to the lounge slid open, and Wayne rushed toward me in his wheelchair.As he drew near, he immediately caught the metallic scent of blood on me. Panic flashed across his face, and in

From the moment I married into the Kinsey family, Naomi and I had always been compared. She was hailed as the family's blessing, while I was branded the woman who brought only misfortune.After the wedding, Wayne went through a period of deep self-doubt. He became sensitive, paranoid, and reluctant to leave the house or speak to anyone. So I quit my job at the company and stayed by his side every day, helping him with his rehabilitation.Meanwhile, my half-sister Naomi became the project lead at Sharpe Corp. Today, she had both a successful career and two children, while I could never hope to measure up. That was what Wayne must have wanted—to make me nothing more than Naomi's shadow.With his brother, Enzo Kinsey, still abroad, Wayne had been pulled away to entertain guests. The sneers around me grew louder until I could no longer bear it, and I slipped away under the excuse of needing air. Naomi, of course, followed me out with triumph written all over her face."My dear sister,

Immediately, Wayne bolted outside. "Arden! Arden, where are you?"A traffic officer, busy evacuating the crowd, stopped him from going any further. Staring at the wreckage in the distance, Wayne grabbed the butler by the collar. "You got it wrong, right? How can anything happen to Arden?!"It was the first time the butler had ever seen Wayne panic like this. He stammered, "I… I didn't get it wrong. The license plate on that car—it was the one you gave Madam…""What?!" Wayne almost lost his footing at those words. By the time he came to, he was already shoving past anyone in his way, desperate to find her.In a haze, he remembered the time five years ago when he had thrown himself into danger to save Arden. He told himself he could save her again—even if it cost him his legs all over. But no matter how many survivors he searched through, she was nowhere to be found. His steps faltered only when he stopped in front of the mangled wreck of the car.The rescue worker nearby took one l

Wayne's desperate search for his wife had been all over the news, so when he mistook a stranger for Arden, everyone thought he had finally lost his mind. Even his closest friend, Dorian James, wondered if Wayne had gone mad. After all, the woman standing before them was the Henley family's heiress, and she didn't look like Arden at all.Sensing Vincent's rising temper, Dorian quickly tugged on Wayne's sleeve and whispered, "Wayne, you really are mistaken. She's the Henley heiress."Others who were friendly with the Kinsey family joined in, trying to smooth things over. "That's right. Wayne probably just misses his wife too much. Dorian, why don't you take him to rest for a while?"As the atmosphere grew more strained, I finally spoke. "Mr. Kinsey, I truly don't know you, nor am I your wife. I don't want to hear such damaging words again."Wayne stared at me, searching my face for the smallest crack in my composure, but I remained calm. His shoulders sank in defeat, unwilling to acc

"Shut up!" Wayne shoved Naomi aside and clamped a hand over her mouth, his face twisted in disgust. "How do you even know the code to my villa? Get out—now!"Naomi couldn't understand why Wayne had suddenly turned on her. Then she spotted me lying weakly on the sofa, and realization struck. "Don't tell me you're regretting this now. Don't forget—it was my idea to use Arden's mother as bait to test her identity! Without me, how could you have confirmed she was Arden? How would you have even found her?"From her words, I pieced together the truth. Wayne had struck a deal with Naomi to expose me. Her two children had been diagnosed with a rare condition and needed a bone marrow transplant. No one in the Sharpe or Kinsey families had matched, so Naomi had pinned her last hope on me—and this entire scheme was born."Wayne, have you forgotten how much you once loved me?" Naomi cried. "All I'm asking is that she do a match to save our children!"I looked at them, their voices rising as th