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Todos os capítulos de My Husband Cut Down My Last Memory for His Mistress: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

10 Capítulos

Chapter 1

As I approached the wrought-iron gates of our estate, I saw the groundskeeper directing men to cut down the magnolia tree at the entrance.Mark caught up with me, his voice flat and businesslike, the same tone he used when ordering a hit."Leslie, Megan's pregnant. The scent makes her nauseous. The tree has to go."That tree was planted the day I was born. My parents had died in a rival family's ambush when I was six, leaving me almost nothing. That tree was one of the few things I had left of them.When my eyes reddened, he didn't soften. Instead, he pulled out his wallet."Name your price. I'll compensate you."I didn't answer.What price could you put on a tree? On seven years of marriage? Even our seven years of marriage had become something I no longer knew how to value.I thought back to last month at the ski lodge in Aspen, he'd done the same thing. "Leslie, give Megan your goggles. The glare bothers her eyes. You can use the spare pair."It was always like this. Megan's needs a

Chapter 2

In all our years together, Mark had never spoken to me like this.When I'd oversalted the osso buco, he'd smiled and said everything I made tasted perfect.When I'd interrupted his meetings, he'd patiently asked what I needed.That all changed the day he told me he wanted to sponsor a scholarship student named Megan."Her mother was killed in a drive-by, simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The girl's been working three jobs just to survive. We can't let that talent go to waste."The first time I met Megan, she'd looked at me with those huge, earnest eyes."Mrs. Donovan, I'll work so hard. I promise I won't let you down.""My grades were perfect before... before my mom died. I just need one chance. One chance to prove myself."Looking at her, I'd seen myself at that age.I grew up without parents, endlessly drifting from one family to another.No one ever offered me a chance to change my destiny, so I had learned to rely only on myself.Each day, I awoke to the indiffe

Chapter 3

His brow furrowed, and the abrupt ring of his phone pulled him aside.Megan moved closer, her voice dropping to a whisper, eyes gleaming with malice."Leslie, I have to admit, you're tougher than I thought. Here you are, the laughingstock of every society page in New York, and you still won't leave."“Leslie… remember the day you cried and begged Mark to fly you in a helicopter to see your grandmother one last time?Do you know why he refused?” She deliberately drew out the words, savoring the provocation.“Because that day, he promised to take me to watch the sunset at the beach.See? This is the seaside restaurant I’ve always wanted to try. He went with me. See? Here's a photo from the restaurant. He took me there while your grandmother took her last breath."In that instant, it felt as though an icy hand had clamped around my heart.With a sharp motion, I knocked Megan’s phone from her hand, rage burning through me.I grabbed her by the collar, unable to hold back anymore.In the st

Chapter 4

By the next morning, I was no longer at the Donovan family’s private clinic.I only learned later that when Megan woke, the first thing she asked Mark was:“Is the baby all right?”Mark held her hand and answered softly.“The doctor said the baby is stable. Last night didn’t affect him.”Megan seemed to relax, but she looked at him carefully.“You’ve been quiet since you came in. I thought something was wrong.”Mark did not answer.The house manager told me later that he stayed silent for a long time.Perhaps he finally remembered me under the tree the night before, my shoulder torn open by the broken branch, blood soaking through my dress. Perhaps he remembered the way I looked at him before he carried Megan away.But in the end, he only checked his phone.From the night before until then, I had not replied to a single message.In the past, if he sent even a few words, I would answer at once.Now, he probably thought I was only sulking.After Megan’s examination, Mark personally sent

Chapter 5

The old Don looked at the boxes for a long moment before opening the first one.Inside was a hand-embroidered Donovan crest, stitched in black silk and silver thread, with the names of the family’s founders worked carefully along the border. It was the kind of gift expected at the Founders’ Dinner, formal, respectful, and impossible to dismiss as an insult.For a moment, the old Don’s expression softened.Then he opened the second box.The room went silent.Inside lay the emerald brooch his late wife had given me on the day I married Mark. Every woman at the table knew what it meant. A Donovan wife did not return the matriarch’s jewel unless she was giving back her place in the family.Mark stepped forward before anyone could speak.His face had gone cold.The third box was larger than the first two, but there was almost nothing inside.Only a divorce agreement and a sealed medical report.Mark stared at the papers.For several seconds, he did not move.Then the old Don took the report

Chapter 6

He did not go home before flying to London.In Mark’s mind, I was angry, humiliated, perhaps hurt more deeply than before, but still his wife. As long as he found me, he believed there would be a way to bring me back.So he came with what he thought counted as an apology.A young magnolia tree had been delivered behind him, its roots wrapped in burlap, its white buds still closed. Beside it was a black velvet case from the Donovan vault, holding the necklace I had returned at the Founders’ Dinner.He stood outside the Hampstead townhouse, travel-worn and sleepless, rehearsing the first sentence he thought would soften me.Then the door opened.I walked out laughing.The late afternoon light fell across the steps. A man stood beside me, tall and dark-haired, one hand resting lightly at my back. He said something I didn’t hear, and I looked up at him with a smile Mark had not seen on my face in years.The words Mark had prepared died in his throat.“Who is he?”My smile faded when I saw

Chapter 7

“What is he to you, Leslie?”Mark’s voice was low, but the control in it had begun to crack.I did not answer right away.Elliot stood beside me, close enough that I could feel the steadiness of him, but he did not speak for me. He never did.That alone made the answer easy.“He is the man I chose.”Mark’s face changed.“No.”“You don’t get to say no.”His jaw tightened. “Nine years, Leslie. You don’t just stop loving someone after nine years.”“I didn’t just stop.”“Then what is this?”I looked at him for a long moment.“This is what was left after you taught me how to leave.”Rain began to fall, thin and cold, darkening the stone path between us.Mark’s eyes reddened.“You loved me.”“Yes.”The answer seemed to give him hope.I let it live for only a second.“I loved you so much everyone in that house could see it. I waited outside operating rooms for you. I learned your world, kept your secrets, stood beside you through every bloody thing the Donovan name brought to our door.”His t

Chapter 8

I never asked when Mark finally left the gate.But he did not return to New York.Later, Elliot’s people told me he had rented an entire floor at the end of the street, close enough for his windows to overlook the road I used whenever I came and went.Every day, he handled Donovan business remotely. The rest of the time, he waited wherever I might appear.Flowers, jewelry, old books, music boxes.All things I had once mentioned in passing, all things he had never given me when I still wanted them.I accepted none of them, and I did not change my schedule for him.Work continued. Dinners continued. Life continued. Nine years of marriage had taught me one thing: never rearrange your life around a man’s emotions.At first, I thought the old Don had ordered him to stay and beg for my forgiveness, so I called New York myself.I told the old Don that I had a fiancé now, and a new life. I asked him not to make Mark waste more time in London.After a moment of silence, the old Don only said, “

Chapter 9

Mark answered the call and put it on speaker.Megan’s crying filled the room at once.“Mark, please help me. Your men came to the apartment. They said I have to leave tonight. They won’t even let me take the things from the estate. I’m pregnant. You can’t do this to me.”Mark did not look at the phone.He looked at me.“Megan,” he said, his voice flat, “I know about the drug.”The crying stopped.For a few seconds, there was only static.Then Megan’s voice shook. “What?”“The night you climbed into my bed. You drugged my drink.”“Mark, no, I—”“I know you lied about the allergy. I know you sent Leslie those photos. I know you used the pregnancy to make her look cruel every time she refused you.”My fingers tightened around the doorframe.Mark’s eyes stayed on me, as if every word were proof he was finally choosing the right side.“I’ve had them removed. The people involved have given statements. From now on, you will not use the Donovan name, the estate, or my protection.”Megan began

Chapter 10

The ceremony was held in a small stone chapel outside London. There were no crime bosses, no armed men at the doors, no family elders watching to measure which alliance my marriage would strengthen. There were only flowers, morning light, a few close friends, and Elliot standing at the altar with quiet certainty in his eyes.When the priest asked if I would take him as my husband, I looked at the man who had never asked me to shrink myself for him.“I do.”Elliot’s fingers tightened around mine.The doors opened behind us.Mark stood there in a black suit, rain still clinging to his coat. He looked as if he had driven too fast and slept too little, his face pale, his eyes fixed on my wedding dress like the sight had physically hurt him.“No.”His voice broke through the chapel.“Leslie, no.”The guests turned. Elliot moved slightly in front of me, but I touched his arm and stepped forward myself.Mark walked down the aisle like a man who had forgotten everyone else could see him.“You

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