Semua Bab Swallowed by the Flames of Regret: Bab 1 - Bab 9

9 Bab

Chapter 1

Today was the 21st time Atlas Payne had promised me that we would have a wedding ceremony. He had arranged the church, flowers, and fine wine, yet I did not even want to change into my wedding dress.He had broken his previous promises twenty times. I was not the only one smiling mockingly—the guests were, too. However, they were afraid to show it because of Atlas's power."Mrs. Payne, it's time to get dressed up." The butler, Alfred Dane, handed me the wedding dress. When he touched my hand, he was startled to feel my burning-hot skin.A few days ago, Atlas' secretary, Jasmine Scott, called him. He left me by the roadside to go meet her.By the time Alfred picked me up, all my clothes were soaked through. I still had a high fever to this day. I sighed and dizzily went to get changed, but a cold voice came from behind me."Don't rush to get changed yet. Jasmine is in the hospital, and I'm planning to see her first. I'll try my best to come back for the wedding dinner. If I don't m

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Chapter 2

When I woke up again, I was surrounded by private doctors."Mrs. Payne, you have a high fever of 104 degrees Fahrenheit. If we hadn't discovered you in time, you might’ve almost died." Their tone was urgent, but I remained calm.I had almost died, huh?"Hurry and inform Mr. Payne!" Alfred urged from the side.I interrupted, my voice as soft as it could be, "No need. Mr. Payne is very busy right now. He doesn't like being disturbed, even if it's by me."“Mrs. Payne...” Alfred sighed. "Mr. Payne is just seeking a bit of novelty for a while. Once he gets tired of her, he'll come back to you. After all, you two grew up together."His tone was filled with regret because he had witnessed Atlas and me grow up from children into adults. He had witnessed both Atlas breaking his vows to me time and again, as well as us loving each other so much that we were willing to sacrifice our lives for the other.However, all of this was in the past. Atlas had changed, and he no longer loved me. He

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Chapter 3

Atlas sat by the hospital bed and chatted with me for a while. He was unusually patient, but I did not want to listen to him anymore. Seemingly sensing my perfunctory attitude, Atlas did not say any more. He stood up, walked to the window, and lit a cigarette. "Naomi, Jasmine is pregnant."The pungent smell of cigarette smoke spread through the room.I did not expect him to say it so brazenly. "Yeah, I know."Hearing my words, he seemed to forget to breathe. It was not until he choked slightly that he came to his senses. "You don't mind?""It would be useless even if I did, right?" I gave him a bitter smile.Atlas was taken aback. He turned around, extinguished the cigarette butt, walked up to me, and gently cupped my face. "Naomi, don't get mad, and don’t act like I’m treating you badly. Don't worry! Once this child is born, I'll break up with her once and for all. We'll raise this child together."Having said that, he lowered his head and kissed my lips. The kiss was aggressi

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Chapter 4

Atlas came back a day later. This time, he brought Jasmine home.As soon as she entered the door, she looked left and right. Her composed expression made it seem as if she were the mistress of the house. Seeing me, she smirked and caressed her flat belly. "Go pour me a glass of red wine."Hearing her commanding tone, a chill flickered in my eyes.Before I could respond, Atlas frowned. "Drinking while you're pregnant? Naomi, go pour Jasmine a glass of milk."I simply could not believe my ears. My gaze fell on the oil lamp not far away as I slowly headed toward the kitchen.Today was the last day I would be around, so I would let them do as they pleased.Seeing me come out with milk, Atlas raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Why are you being so obedient?"I ignored him and turned around to work on something else. Atlas could not help but glance at me a few more times. Finally, he could not help coming up to me. "I’m not comfortable with Jasmine carrying my child while living outsid

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Chapter 5

(Third-Person Perspective)"What?! It's on fire? Doesn't the villa have fire-extinguishing facilities?!" Atlas roared down the phone line."Mr. Payne, the fire extinguishing facilities in the villa seem to be broken. They’re no use! The entire villa is engulfed in flames! But everyone seems to have escaped."Atlas heaved a sigh of relief. It was just a villa which meant nothing to him.Just then, a scream suddenly came from the phone. "Wait, no! Mrs. Payne doesn't seem to be here! Have you seen Mrs. Payne?""What did you say?" Atlas shot up immediately. "What happened to Naomi?"There was a commotion on the other end of the line, making it impossible for him to hear the other person's response clearly. He hung up abruptly and ran out at full speed.Jasmine quickly hugged his waist and acted coquettish, like a clingy kitten. "Atlas, don't go! I want you to stay with me a little longer."Before she could finish speaking, Atlas shook off her hand. He frowned, full of impatience, b

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Chapter 6

(Third-Person perspective)Atlas had grown up with Naomi, and he had always thought of her as nothing more than his younger sister. He was the heir of the family, while Naomi was just the child of a housekeeper.His father was very strict, so Atlas was never allowed to make friends. Apart from the people chosen for him by his father, Naomi was the only friend he had.Every time his father hit him as punishment, Naomi would share her cherished candies with him. Even though the sweets were junk food, they were precious to Naomi. She would always offer them to him, even though she could have kept them to herself. Though he thought the candies were too sweet, he would be too reluctant to even throw away the candy wrappers, saving a large jar.Because of his noble status, everyone who approached him had ulterior motives. She was the only one who treated him sincerely. Years of companionship made him highly dependent on her. Thus, he later risked his life to defy his father and marry her

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Chapter 7

(Naomi’s perspective)Four years later, I returned to visit my deceased mother, but I unexpectedly saw a familiar figure.Although we were far apart, I still recognized Atlas at a glance. He had lost a lot of weight, and his face no longer looked the same. I had heard news about him after the fire and was a little surprised to learn that he had suffered severe burns.Felix could not help but lament, "Naomi, he seems to love you more than you realize."I remained silent, but deep down, I was in denial. If Atlas had loved me, we would not have come to this.I did not pay much attention to that and devoted myself wholeheartedly to my new life. Felix and I opened a store for a small business we ran together in Buldaria. Perhaps because I had helped Atlas handle his family affairs over the years, I could handle the business with ease. In the second year, I achieved some success in my career and reached financial freedom.Atlas had a child now, but he did not seem very happy at the pre

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Chapter 8

Atlas finally recognized me. I let my guard down for a moment and mentioned that he had given me a black card before.For some reason, I was not at all panicked as I met his gaze calmly and openly.He almost rushed to me as if he had lost his mind. He held me tightly in his arms. "It's you! It's really you! You're still alive!"His voice trembled violently as his immense strength almost crushed my spine.Felix punched him and pulled me behind him. "Who allowed you to touch her?""She's mine. Why can't I touch her?" Atlas looked coldly at Felix, his jealousy about to spill over.The atmosphere instantly tensed.It was not until my sneer that the tension broke.I pulled Felix behind me and looked at Atlas disdainfully. "Yours? Mr. Payne, when did I become yours?"I raised my right hand, showing off the diamond ring on my ring finger. "Legally, I'm Felix's wife."At that moment, I saw Atlas's eyes redden.He took a few steps back in disbelief. "Y-you're married?"His voice was

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Chapter 9

Ever since Atlas found out my true identity, my life had been in turmoil.He somehow found my address, and all kinds of gifts piled up at my doorstep: flowers, jewels, and handwritten letters.Of course, I did not read a single word and threw them all into the trash can.I once gave Atlas chances—twenty-one chances, to be exact—but he failed to seize them each time. If he could easily win back my heart, those five miserable years would have been nothing.I thought Atlas would give up after my repeated indifference. After all, he was a proud man.However, I seemed to have underestimated his patience. On Christmas Day, he just stood in front of my house all night.I stood by the window, swirling the mulled wine in my hand and watching the heavy snow fall all over his head.Perhaps Atlas's actions were so ostentatious that they caught Jasmine's attention in less than half a month. She rushed straight into my house with their child and cursed me viciously. She even spread rumors abo

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