جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 80

A thunderous crash erupted outside, followed by the maids' terrified screams."Something's wrong! Something's wrong! Ms. Carter tried to kill herself by slitting her wrist! Someone come quickly!"Alan's body went rigid, his mind going completely blank. The paternity test no longer mattered. He flung the document onto the hospital bed and rushed for the door.He moved too suddenly and tore at his wounds. Sharp pain shot straight to the bone, and cold sweat soaked through his clothes in seconds, but he ignored it.Guilt pressed against his chest like a massive mountain, crushing the air from his lungs.Sandra had sacrificed so much for him and for the family, yet he had failed to protect her and allowed things to spiral to the point of desperate suicide. If anything happened to her today, he would never forgive himself for the rest of his life.Alan sprinted toward the guest room as fast as his body allowed. What greeted him was a floor drenched in horrifying, vivid blood.A scarl

"Such a warm, romantic home. There isn't a woman who wouldn't like it. Besides, every corner of this place is arranged according to Isolde's preferences." Jane clicked her tongue. "No wonder you refused to give me this house when I asked for it. So you were saving it to hide your beauty, Bruce? Trading loyalty for lust!""It's close to her office," Bruce replied casually.The closer it was, the more minutes she could sleep in the morning.Jane dramatically cupped her face. "Jealous! Envious! Furious! Now I suddenly want a husband who'll decorate a love nest for me too!"Bruce shot her a sideways glance. "As long as you accept men."Jane choked at once, looking as if she had swallowed a fly. She kicked off her heels and flopped lazily onto the sofa. "Forget it. Sexual orientation is predestined. I still prefer cute girls."Back then, the so-called deep bond between Bruce and Jane was, in truth, a purely platonic friendship.…That night, Isolde returned to the apartment.To her

Alan's face twisted with pain. "Isolde, do you know how I've been living lately? Every day, every night, it's worse than death. Only when I drown myself in alcohol and get completely wasted can I barely close my eyes. Even then, when I finally fall asleep, you are the only thing in my dreams. All of our past. Every single moment."Isolde, I love you. You are the only one I have ever held in my heart. I can't live without you. Let's stop torturing each other, please. Let's start over. Just this once. Just this once, I'm begging you."Isolde let out a furious, mocking laugh. The whole thing felt absurd. "I should understand you? How am I supposed to understand you? Should I understand that you'll marry Sandra and now want me to be your secret mistress?"Alan, did you drink so much that your brain grew mold, or do you really think I am that cheap? Do you think that's even possible?"Her words cut like knives, shredding his self-deceiving fantasy without mercy.The pain surged so viol

The car came to a smooth stop at the entrance of the apartment building."Thanks," Isolde said and stepped out.Once she had her footing and turned back, she saw him still sitting in the car, showing no sign of getting out.He was not coming with her?"Something urgent came up at the company," Bruce said calmly.Isolde did not doubt him. He truly had been extremely busy lately. She spoke politely. "Drive safely, and remember to rest while you work."Bruce hummed quietly. The window slid up, and the car pulled away with steady ease."Sir, are we going back to the company, or…" Walter asked with caution.Bruce rubbed his brow, his voice edged with restrained irritation. "Go to the bar."Walter sighed helplessly. "Sir, you can't keep hiding like this. It won't solve anything."'Leaving early and coming back late every day, then sleeping either at the company or in bars. That's not living at all. It's plainly running away,' Walter thought."Hiding?" Bruce let out a cold laugh, d

How had things between them ended up like this? In the end, Alan had truly and completely lost his Isolde.…The next day, Isolde slept in until she woke on her own.She stretched, relaxed and unhurried, then picked up her phone. An irritating message greeted her on the screen.It was from Sandra.The photo showed Sandra linking arms with Alan at an airport boarding gate. She smiled brightly, her posture intimate and triumphant.Sandra: [I'm going back with Alan to hold our wedding. Isolde, Alan belongs to me alone now. Don't ever think about him again in this lifetime, or I won't let you off. And don't come back to Southbridge either. Just stay in Preta until you die of old age.]Isolde read the boastful provocation and found it laughable. "A marriage built on scheming, deception, and manipulation. What was there to be proud of? And how long could it possibly last?"She tapped the screen once and blocked the number.In any case, it had nothing to do with her anymore. This tim