บททั้งหมดของ Giving Up Our Love: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

My hand tightened around the phone as I hung up. When I turned around, I met Leo’s slightly nervous gaze, and my chest tightened with a mix of bitterness and pain.“It was a friend,” I said. “He’s about to become a father… Do you want to be a father?”Leo visibly relaxed. He stepped forward and pulled me into a deep embrace.“It’s okay,” he said gently. “I’m not in a hurry.”A bitter taste spread through my mouth.He’s not in a hurry? If he wasn’t, why was he so eager to get Ariel pregnant?The affection in Leo’s eyes looked the same as always, warm and sincere.“Life is better with just the two of us anyway,” he continued. “I’ve bought tickets for us to go on a cruise three days from now. Let’s travel around the world together, okay?”The itinerary he described was tempting. However, in three days, I would be leaving him.I gently pushed him away, suppressing the ache in my chest as I asked, “Leo… what if I gave you a child?”My hand unconsciously rested against my lower abd

I stared at her in disbelief. I knew Leo’s mother had never liked me, but I had never imagined she would lie outright and frame me like this.She avoided my gaze, guilt flickering across her face, yet her voice remained stubborn.“She can’t even have children herself,” she snapped. “Of course she’d be jealous of Ariel and do something like this.”Leo closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, only a cold indifference remained.“Fawn, you’ve disappointed me,” he said flatly. “Go reflect on your actions. Someone, lock the madam in the basement. Without my permission, no one is to let her out.”I stood there, feeling like life was sucked out of me. “Leo, you don’t believe me?” I asked.He didn’t answer. Instead, I watched him lift Ariel into his arms and walk away without looking back.Two unfamiliar bodyguards stepped forward and dragged me toward the basement door. The basement was cold and damp. There were even clusters of writhing larvae crawling across the floor in

The ambulance rushed the injured to the hospital. Leo’s mother arrived shortly after, panic written all over her face. When she saw Leo barely clinging to life, she broke down in tears.“Leo, you have to accept reality,” she cried. “Fawn is dead! There’s no way anyone could’ve survived in that basement. Stop searching for her!”Half of Leo’s arm had been severely burned, wrapped tightly in thick layers of bandages. Yet, he sat on the hospital bed like a man who had lost his soul, staring blankly into space. He had experienced what it felt like to be burned alive, and knowing I was someone who would cry out in pain from nothing more than a small cut from a fruit knife, he couldn’t fathom how I could ever endure pain like that. If he hadn’t locked me in there, I would never have suffered such agony. Regret gnawed at him relentlessly, torturing him every single second. Meanwhile, Ariel arrived at the hospital carrying a fruit basket. She was dressed in a pure white dress, the slight

After Will brought me back to Casetta, the emotional shock hit me all at once. That very night, I came down with a severe fever. I was unconscious for an entire day and night and nearly lost my child.Will stayed by my side the whole time. He barely slept, his eyes bloodshot, his face drawn and exhausted. When I finally woke up, he even managed to joke with me.“Ms. Jossa,” he said, “if you had slept any longer, I’d be taking my men to wipe out Leo’s territory.”He hated Leo for betraying me and for hurting me this badly.I shook my head weakly. “There’s no need. From now on, he and I have nothing to do with each other. Just take him as a stranger.”Will was silent for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh. “As you wish, Ms. Jossa.”“Call me Fawn, Willie,” I said.I looked straight at him, stubbornly waiting for him to change how he addressed me. He gave in quickly. In a voice so soft it was almost inaudible, he called my name.I smiled, this time, genuinely.“You’re not an

Will glared at him, his anger finally exploding.“For the past two years, Fawnie has blocked out the past. In fact, she wishes she’d never met you,” he snapped. “You were involved with two women at the same time. You even locked her in a dark, damp basement and almost got her and the child killed. After everything you’ve done, how do you have the nerve to come looking for her?”Leo’s face darkened instantly. Every word Will said stabbed him straight in the heart. The humiliation and frustration boiling inside finally exploded. With a furious roar, he swung his fist at Will. However, he had underestimated Will, who had grown up in bloodshed and violence. In just a few swift moves, Will beat Leo until he was barely conscious, curling up on the floor in agony.Will had wanted to hit Leo for a long time. Now that Leo had delivered himself right to his doorstep, Will couldn’t stop. He only halted when I finally spoke.“Will, that’s enough.”Leo lifted his head, hope flickering in his e