Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 9

Chapter 1

The smile on Zachary White's face froze instantly. The arm he had wrapped around that woman went rigid and dropped to his side. He strode toward me with his brows furrowed, as if I were the one who had done something wrong."Cece, what are you doing here? Why didn't you answer my messages?"I finally recognized the woman behind him, the one the staff had called 'Ms. Anderson'. Emma Anderson, the daughter of his late mentor whom he always talked about.She wore a simple white dress with her long hair loose over her shoulders. Her face was pale. She looked utterly pitiful.I did not answer Zachary's question. I simply shifted my gaze from the screen that recorded another woman's preferences in such detail and slowly raised my eyes to his face.My voice came out calm, betraying nothing. "Weren't you working late?"Zachary took a deep breath, as if struggling to suppress some emotion. He did not answer directly. Instead, he stepped forward and tried to take my hand. Yet I instinctive

Chapter 2

"For my sake?" I almost laughed out loud. "So that means using my money to arrange exclusive, personalized services for her?"My question made him lose his dignity, and his tone turned cold."Cecilia, do you have to be so unreasonable? Em's father showed me great kindness. On his deathbed, he asked me to look after her. What else could I do?"She's an orphan with no family, and her health is poor. What's wrong with helping her? It's just a few thousand dollars in treatments. That's nothing for our household. Can't you be a little more generous?""Generous?" I repeated the word. It felt absurd.He always had endless reasons.Emma was his mentor's daughter, so she needed his care. Emma's health was poor, so she needed his concern. Emma was alone in the world, so he had to give her the warmth of family.What about me? I was carrying his child. What did that make me?In the end, this standoff concluded with my retreat. I did not want to make a scene in public like some shrew. That

Chapter 3

"Can you have my mom go with you to the checkup? I'll head straight to the hospital as soon as I'm done here."Emma again. Her emergencies always came at such convenient times.I looked at his anxious face and asked calmly, "Is it that important? More important than our child?"He froze, as if he had not expected me to ask that."Cece, how can you say that? These are two completely different things. This is a safety hazard. There could be danger! The prenatal checkup is just a routine examination. With Mom there, you'll be fine. Be good and don't overthink it."He leaned down and kissed my forehead, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I'll be back soon."With that, he grabbed his car keys and left without looking back. The moment the door closed, the living room fell into dead silence. He said to have his mom go with me, but his mother was on vacation in the tropics. Zachary knew this better than anyone.Half a month ago, he had personally driven her to the dock, smiling as

Chapter 4

"You gave my car to her?" My voice echoed through the empty garage, carrying a thread of desperation I had not even realized was there.I had chosen every ornament hanging in that car. No one other than my parents and Zachary had sat on the passenger seat, and now, just like that, he had handed over something so precious and personal to another woman."It's just a car." Zachary's patience had clearly run out. "Cecilia, can you not make things difficult for me right now? There's water everywhere over here! I'm hanging up. Get a ride yourself. I'll reimburse you for it."The line went dead. I stood there holding my phone in front of the empty parking space, feeling like the world's biggest fool.Reimburse me? Did he think everything could be measured in money? Did he think my dignity, my feelings, could all be given a price tag?In the end, I called for a ride. Sitting in the back seat, I watched the city scenery blur past the window. The winter sunlight in Halfort was pale and weak

Chapter 5

An accident that never should have happened was caused by someone who never should have been driving my car, and it was all because of the man I once loved more than life itself.Tears slid down my face silently, soaking the pillow in moments.The nurse sighed and handed me a tissue. "We've been trying to reach your husband, but his phone keeps going to voicemail. Do you have contact information for any other family members?"My husband. Zachary. The word jolted me from my grief like a shock.Right. Zachary.I needed to tell him what the woman he was so desperate to save had done.My hands shaking, I grabbed my phone from the bedside table. The screen was shattered but still worked.I found his number and called. This time, he picked up right away."Cece? What is going on with you? I've called you multiple times, but you didn't answer! Do you have any idea how worried I've been?" His voice was frantic, dripping with reproach.I had no energy left to wonder if he meant any of i

Chapter 6

After sending that message, I deleted every trace of Zachary from my contacts. Then, I dialed another number—one I had rarely called since getting married. It was answered almost immediately.A steady, authoritative voice came through, tinged with barely concealed concern. "Cece, what's wrong?"Hearing that familiar voice, the tension I had held for hours finally snapped. I could not hold back anymore. I broke down sobbing. "Dad, I lost the baby."Dad's voice immediately grew urgent. "Where are you? I'm coming right now. Don't be afraid."After he hung up, I lay in bed, my mind blank. Half an hour later, Zachary burst into my hospital room like a madman. His face was ashen, his hair disheveled. His expensive tailored suit was wrinkled and creased. He looked like a mess.He rushed to my bedside and grabbed my hand, his eyes bloodshot, his voice hoarse. "Cece! What did that text mean? What happened to the baby? You're lying, aren't you?"I did not look at him. I simply pulled my ha

Chapter 7

Zachary stared blankly at the divorce papers, completely stunned. "This can't be right. Cece, let me explain! Em and I really don't have anything going on! I just feel sorry for her! I...""Feel sorry for her?" I finally spoke after staying silent this whole time. My voice was soft, but every word pierced like an icicle. "Zachary White, you feel sorry for her. Did you ever feel sorry for me? Did you ever feel sorry for our unborn child?"I lifted my eyes and looked at him directly for the first time."You left me home alone to fix her plumbing, forgetting your mother wasn't even in the city. You gave away the car my father gave me without a second thought and told me to get a ride to my checkup on my own."I watched her from that rideshare. She was driving my car like a maniac, swerving all over the road. Then, she crashed into me. I was lying there, bleeding, and when I called you, you were too busy worrying about her scraped arm. You were planning to pick up her favorite pasta fo

Chapter 8

The smell of disinfectant hung in the air, wrapping around a deathly silence. I leaned against Dad's shoulder."Cece." His voice was hoarse. "Leave everything else to me and Logan. The only thing you need to do right now is rest and recover."I nodded without speaking.Dad arranged for me to be transferred to a penthouse suite in a private hospital partially owned by Sinclair Group. Security was tight. No one could get near without clearance.He canceled all nonessential meetings and spent most of each day by my side, clumsily learning to peel apples for me or simply sitting quietly, wrapping my cold fingers in his broad, warm palm.Leah burst into my room the day after I transferred. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. The moment she saw me, she threw her arms around me and cried harder than I had."Cecilia, you idiot! Why didn't you tell me right away when this happened? That bastard Zachary, I'm going to destroy him!"She was my college roommate, and we came from simil

Chapter 9

Two weeks later, I was discharged from the hospital to recover at home.The house still held traces of pregnancy and baby supplies everywhere. Martha Rivers, our housekeeper, had carefully packed everything away before I returned.The place felt terrifyingly empty and quiet. Every corner triggered a memory, good and bad alike, each one a sharp thorn lodged in my heart.Zachary tried to contact me countless times during this period.When his calls would not go through, he switched numbers. He sent long text messages that ranged from confessions and justifications to emotional breakdowns and curses, then finally devolved into desperate pleas.I rarely read them in full. Usually, I just glanced at the opening lines before deleting.He tried to force his way into the house once, but security stopped him and called the police. I knew then the adulterous pair were running out of options.Logan updated me daily on the progress. The damage lawsuits had been filed. A court summons had be

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