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Home / Romance / Goodbye to the Ball and Chain; Hello to Me / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of Goodbye to the Ball and Chain; Hello to Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

30 Chapters

Chapter 1

Inside a hospital located at the city center of Bruniera, Estelle Stafford was seated in an examination room. Her clothes were stained with blood, and she stared blankly at the back of her hand as a nurse stuck a needle there to fix up a drip for her."Move! Out of the way!"The air was filled with the stench of blood and the distinct smell of gasoline.As several medical staff pushed a stretcher past where Estelle sat, she could see that a large shard of broken windshield glass was stuck inside a person's leg, which was twisted at an unnatural angle. That person's clothes were completely soaked in blood.Estelle could hear the doctors' voices now and again as more and more casualties were brought to the hospital. The sound of people sobbing and wailing went on almost incessantly.As she curled her fingers, Estelle noticed that the white powder released into the air when the airbag inflated was still stuck to her palm."Where are your family members? Are any of them here yet?"S

Chapter 2

Nathaniel patted Kathleen's head and said in a gentle voice, "We spent the entire afternoon at the amusement park, and it's time for us to come home. Mommy got into a car accident and needs someone to take care of her.""We have Jodie, right? Can't we just ask her to take care of Mommy? We're not doctors, so we won't be of much help anyway."Kathleen was still trying to reason with Nathaniel, making Estelle feel like she was about to suffocate as she listened to those words."Besides, have you forgotten that Mommy is a superhero, Daddy? She's not afraid of pain."At that moment, the memories of what happened three years ago flashed through Estelle's mind.One of Nathaniel's business competitors tried to acquire a deal Lockhart Group had secured by orchestrating an incident in which a large piece of glass fell from a high place.Estelle used her own body to shield Kathleen from the falling glass, causing several shards of broken glass to be embedded deep in Estelle's flesh.Kathl

Chapter 3

Outside, the grass was wet with early morning dew. Estelle slowly moved her body, which felt a bit stiff. She smirked as she glanced at all the calls she made to Nathaniel, who didn't bother picking up at all.If he knew that Estelle was just trying to ask him to come home and sign the divorce agreement, would Nathaniel still ignore her calls like this?Still, Estelle didn't want to wait around anymore.As Estelle brought her suitcase downstairs, Jodie clutched onto her apron and hurried out of the kitchen when she saw her. There was a worried look in her eyes as she said, "Mrs. Lockhart, what are you…""Jodie, I'm planning to look for a job… I probably won't be coming back anymore. This is a gift for you."Estelle handed Jodie a wooden case.The case contained a necklace that Estelle had planned to submit to a competition seven years ago. However, Nathaniel broke the necklace when they found out about her unexpected pregnancy.It was Jodie who had stayed up all night gathering

Chapter 4

Sam was one of the very few people who was aware of Estelle and Nathaniel's relationship, and Nathaniel trusted him a lot.Even the sapphire tie clip fixed on Sam's tie was actually the birthday gift Estelle had carefully picked out and given Nathaniel recently.The sapphire's smooth surface reflected the news that was shown on the huge TV screen behind Estelle at the moment."The up-and-coming jewelry designer, Lynette Jefferson, will be attending a jewelry show next month with Nathaniel Lockhart, the CEO of Lockhart Group. Some say the two may be tying the knot soon.""Estelle!" While Estelle was momentarily distracted, Nicole, who finally caught up with her, snatched away the envelope she was holding."What is it you're trying to do? Are you going to trick Nate and claim that you came up with the designs by showing him your childish, silly doodles? Do you think he'll buy it?"Estelle regained her composure as she took in the flustered look on Nicole's face. "Why do you look

Chapter 5

With her mother, Grace Stafford, as a major influence in her life, Estelle had gradually developed a deep interest in jewelry design.She had always wanted to follow in Grace's footsteps and carry Grace's distinctive jewelry design style through her creations.Therefore, Estelle and her senior started a company not long after she graduated from college.Even though they started the business small, their business eventually grew and expanded due to their hard work and relentless effort.However, just as their company was about to go public, Estelle suddenly decided to get married and become a housewife.Consequently, the company had to compensate its partners, who came to them specifically for Estelle's designs, for the breach of contract. They even nearly failed to take the company public.Most of their company's employees were exasperated after learning of Estelle's decision. Although she still owned shares in the company, most employees had decided not to keep in touch with her

Chapter 6

Estelle sat there and stared at the notification that indicated her submission was successful for quite some time.She had never felt so unsure and worried about her work.Estelle could easily decide to come back to working in the industry. However, alongside rapid economic development, the jewelry design industry had also evolved rapidly.For the past six years, other than the times Nicole had asked for design sketches from her, Estelle had hardly practised drawing in her free time. Recently, even Nicole had started criticizing her design sketches, saying that Estelle's designs had become poorer in quality.It was only then that Estelle realized how rusty and poor her skills had become.Back then, she left the company despite knowing the consequences of her actions. How could she shamelessly ask them to take her back if she no longer had anything to offer now?While she was deep in thought, the sound of her phone's ringtone made Estelle jump.She pursed her lips when she saw th

Chapter 7

Nicole was absolutely certain of it. After all, during the past few years, Estelle would avoid pretty much anything they told her that Nathaniel didn't like, no matter how trivial or insignificant it might be."Then, you should—"Nicole cut her off impatiently when Estelle had only said a few words. "Enough. I shouldn't be wasting my time talking to you here. My friend is waiting for me."Estelle followed her gaze and spotted a lady, around the same age as Nicole, sitting at a table not too far away. She was gazing in their direction.Before she walked over to that table, Nicole lowered her voice and said, "You have three days to hand over the design sketches. Otherwise, I'll tell Nate about what happened today."After saying that, Nicole headed to where her friend was without even pausing to hear Estelle's response.After Nicole sat down, the lady glanced at Estelle and asked, "Nicole, do you know that person? Why didn't you invite her to join us?""I know her, but she's just a

Chapter 8

Meanwhile, Kathleen had pressed her ear next to Jodie's phone as well. She had a triumphant smile on her face, already imagining how Estelle must be rushing to come home and make soup for her.After all, Estelle would always drop whatever she was doing and rush over to where Kathleen was, even if the latter had just whined a little.The fingertips of the hand Estelle was using to hold her phone turned slightly white. As she stared at her laptop screen, Estelle felt as though the jewels in the design sketches that Julian had sent her were sparkling.Estelle could see the designers' intent and effort in the beautiful lines and subtle details that showcased their creativity.She suddenly recalled how she used to spend long nights in the studio working on her design sketches.Back then, her hands weren't marred with scars left from when she accidentally touched a scalding hot soup pot and burned herself. Instead of oil residue, the substance that Estelle often found stuck to her finge

Chapter 9

"Yay! Awesome!" As Kathleen exclaimed with excitement, she suddenly thought about Estelle.Somehow, she was a little glad that Estelle had refused to come home earlier. Otherwise, Estelle would surely nag her about a lot of things, like how Kathleen should practise playing the piano or be mindful of her own safety.Estelle might even get so upset that Kathleen was having too much fun with Lynette that she decided not to let Kathleen watch the musical with Nathaniel and Lynette.At the thought of that, Kathleen somewhat understood why Nathaniel had refused to call Estelle just now.Since Estelle didn't want to come home yet, Kathleen figured she could let her be away for a few more days. Next week, when she had had enough fun, Kathleen would just ask Estelle to come home then.…The next evening, Estelle looked up the address Julian had sent her and headed to the second floor of the Blue Whale Hotel.However, just as she reached the hotel entrance, Estelle spotted Nathaniel getti

Chapter 10

Estelle's heart skipped a beat. For some reason, that gaze from Nathaniel made her feel a little flustered and uneasy.However, Estelle couldn't help finding herself pathetic when her gaze drifted toward Lynette, who was beside Nathaniel.She wasn't even the one having an affair, so why was Nathaniel giving her that look?"Estee?" Julian noticed that her knuckles had turned white. "You can leave first if you're not feeling well."He had invited Estelle to the reception so that she could see the work of budding, talented jewelry designers. Estelle could leave at any time once she was done looking at the jewelry on display.Estelle slowly shook her head as she stared at Lynette, who stood somewhere not too far away."I'm alright, Jules. It's just that seeing an enemy wearing and flaunting a piece that I've created feels a bit funny."Estelle averted her gaze and looked at Julian instead. She managed to force a smile."It's nothing. Didn't you say that there were some designers yo

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