All Chapters of I Chose Not To Get Divorced And Stay Together: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

My husband, Arthur Carter, stared in disbelief. His face froze in shock.“Cadence, do you truly have it in you to accept another woman having my child?”I raised my hand to straighten his disheveled shirt collar. My gaze never left the stiff expression on his face. I smiled gently.“I’ve endured the pain and injections of IVF treatments for years. It was always so you could have a child, wasn’t it?“Now that Lucy is carrying your child for me, why would I say no?”Lucy Lark was my adoptive sister. Her beautiful face turned pale. Her gaze filled with anger as she bit her lower lip.She had probably imagined me becoming hysterical, but she never expected me to celebrate.“Cadence, I thought you’d be furious. I never expected that you’d be okay with it. People might think you don’t even love Arthur anymore.”Arthur’s sharp gaze returned to me.I laughed and patted her shoulder.“Oh, don’t be silly. If you love someone, you love everything that comes with them. That’s still love.

Chapter 2

“Move Mr. Carter’s things to the guest room, too. We wouldn’t want him and Lucy having a long-distance relationship while living under the same roof.”Lucy’s eyes widened. Before she could complain to Arthur, I looked at him with a smile.“Darling, you’re the father. It’s better for the mother’s health and stress levels if you’re close by during the pregnancy. You can’t possibly expect to stay in the master bedroom with me. Think how heartbroken she’d be.”Lucy immediately bit her lip. Arthur glanced at her and wrapped an arm around her waist to console her softly.“I’ll be right here with you and the baby. Come on, let’s go upstairs and get settled.”Arm in arm, they intimately walked up the stairs while leaning against each other.In the past, jealousy, resentment, and rage would have consumed me.I calmly returned to the master bedroom. Then, I dialed a number I had never, in my wildest dreams, wanted to call.“Let’s make a deal. Make me the majority shareholder of your cong

Chapter 3

I had returned to the past on the exact day of my 100th failed IVF attempt.It was a little too late to stop the actions of my past, lovestruck self. Fortunately, I could still choose to live differently.I reached out and hugged Claire. “Never again. From now on, I’m only living for myself.”Claire was happy for me. To celebrate, she took me to the nightclub.As soon as the door opened, I saw two neat rows of tall and handsome young men. Each man had been groomed with a different style.“Caddie, take your pick! This is my treat for everything tonight!“Here’s to you escaping that misery and getting your life back!”I had never been interested in men from places like this.But upon second thought, I realized I truly did need a child. I happened to be ovulating on that day.My gaze swept over the crowd and landed on a young man in a white dress shirt.He had a slender and upright build. The line from his neck to his shoulder was sharp and elegant. His fingers were long and

Chapter 4

“And Lucy, you’re pregnant. You need to stay emotionally stable. No more stirring up trouble, okay?”For a moment, Arthur and Lucy both looked distinctly guilty.I ignored them and turned to the butler.“Starting today, Ms. Lark’s daily care must be exceptionally meticulous.“She’ll have five specially prepared, nutrient-rich meals and shakes daily. Provide her the highest quality prenatal supplements, collagen peptides, and superfoods to ensure both Lucy and her baby receive optimal nourishment.”A trace of surprise flashed across Lucy’s face.“Cadence, I really can’t eat all that...”“Of course you can. You’re eating for two now. Don’t worry about your figure. You need to eat well for the baby’s sake.”Lucy, who had always taken pride in her looks and figure, grew visibly uneasy at the mention of weight gain. She looked at Arthur nervously.“Arthur, I don’t want to...”Arthur, currently irritable and distracted, waved his hand. “Just do as she says.”I affectionately too

Chapter 5

I said coldly, “I did nothing wrong.”Lucy’s sobs grew louder.Arthur glared at me with an icy gaze.“Since you refuse to see reason, all the monthly payments from our agreement are frozen, effective immediately. We’ll discuss reinstatement when you get on your knees and apologize to Lucy.”I let out a self-mocking laugh. I had been foolish to try reasoning with a cheater.I removed the ring that I had worn throughout my three lifetimes and hurled it violently at his face.“Behind every great man is a great woman. You built your success upon me. Now, your downfall will start with how you’re treating me.“You’ve chosen your mistress over me. I hope you can live with that choice.”Having said that, I turned and left. I did not see Arthur’s livid and ashen expression.Over the following days, the servants sensed the shift in power. They paid only lip service to my orders while undermining me. I received mere leftovers and scraps as meals.Online, a continuous stream of alleged

Chapter 6

Arthur walked toward me with a glare.His voice was warped by sheer disbelief.“Where did you get that kind of money? The capital for Henzon’s expansion isn’t pocket change! You’re just a woman, and I’ve cut your financial resources off. How did you get your hands on that much money?!”“Where did it come from?” I tilted my head and offered a perfectly innocent smile. “From you, of course, dear.“The addendum to our marital agreement is very clear. Given the health toll my fertility treatments took and our current unique family situation, you voluntarily transferred several properties and liquid assets into my name in advance as security.“It’s all there, in a legally binding contract.”Arthur’s face instantly turned pale.“That still doesn’t add up to that much...”“No, it doesn’t,” I agreed.“So, I also had the 3% stake in Lark Group that my father originally gave me as a wedding gift. The dividends weren’t huge over the years, but they added up.“Oh, and I’ve dabbled in a f

Chapter 7

“Doctor, the baby...” Arthur rushed up.“The procedure is complete. I’m sorry about the baby.”The doctor removed his mask and spoke in reproach.“Mr. Carter, how exactly have you been looking after her? Her progesterone levels were critically low. This borders on negligence.”“No! That’s not what happened!”Lucy had woken up at some point. She said weakly, “It was her! My sister! She made me take those prenatal supplements every day! There was something in it! She killed my baby, Arthur! She did!”...Arthur said furiously, “Cadence! Were you so jealous that you poisoned her supplements?”Facing the accusation, I replied calmly, “I was just trying to take care of my sister. Why would you accuse me of being so jealous that I’d poison her? The doctor is right here. Don’t you think he’d know if she’d been poisoned?”The doctor frowned and said, “Mr. Carter, many things could trigger a miscarriage. But in this case, the medical evidence points primarily to the patient’s own cho

Chapter 8

The moment I refused to sign the divorce papers, I had already set my plan in motion, putting the entire Carter family in grave danger.Behind him, his assistant said cautiously, “The board... is demanding an immediate resolution, Mr. Carter.“Otherwise, they’ll start emergency proceedings to remove you as CEO.”Arthur closed his eyes. After a long moment, he spoke hoarsely. “Get the car ready.”When he returned home, he went upstairs and searched for me. When he looked at me, those eyes, once filled with pride and cunning, held nothing but wretchedness.“Cadence.“You win.“I give up.“Spare Carter Group. It was my father’s life’s work. I can’t be the one to ruin it.“Name your terms. Whatever it is, if I can do it, I’ll agree.”I looked at him quietly.“Get on your knees.”...Arthur looked up instantly. “What?”“I said, get on your knees,” I repeated, my tone calm. “If you’re going to beg, then beg properly.”His face turned red from anger. “Cadence! You’ve cr

Chapter 9

“You never loved me. You loved Lark Group’s connections. You loved the properties. You loved having a gullible woman around to make you look good.“The game is over now.”The last shred of his pretense was ripped away.He swiftly signed it.The divorce proceedings concluded with surprising smoothness.After Arthur signed the papers, Carter Group formally entered bankruptcy liquidation within two weeks.All its assets were frozen and auctioned to repay debts.Every property, car, and even the collectible watches under his name were wiped clean.On the day we finally filed the divorce, the sunlight was dazzling.I stood outside the courthouse and pulled out my phone to call Claire.I wanted to celebrate my newfound freedom.I was about to make the call when a black sedan eased to a stop before me.The tinted window descended, revealing a face that was both familiar and unsettling.It was Silas....He was the young man who got me out of the nightclub that night and later h

Chapter 10

It was Lucy. Her identity as a fake heiress had been completely exposed.My father, Theodore Lark, personally held a press conference. He stated that he had already terminated the adoption relationship with Lucy three years prior for ‘improper conduct and repeated damage to the family’s reputation.’The statement included several pieces of evidence.There was evidence of Lucy embezzling funds from the family foundation, forging her academic credentials, and chat logs of her seducing my ex-husband.The media was in an uproar.The hashtags #FakeHeiressUnmasked and #LarkFamilyDisowns surged to the top of the trending list.Lucy yelled through the line, “Cadence! Are you happy now?! You’ve ruined everything for me! Arthur wants nothing to do with me now! You win! You can have him back!”I slowly cut into the steak on my plate as I said calmly, “No thanks. I don’t want trash.“And I certainly don’t take other people’s trash.”...I then heard wailing and the sound of objects bei

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