Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Accident That Exposed My Husband's Lie: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 8

Through the thin fabric of the privacy curtain, Nathaniel Cross' voice drifted over, thick with a mix of heartache and reproach."Why didn't you call me right away? Did you think I gave you my personal number just for show?"Madeline Hart forced herself to sit up, her face the picture of obedience. "But you said your wife only gave you three chances. I couldn't—""What chances?" Nathaniel snapped, his temper flaring. "Call me whenever you need me. What am I supposed to do if something happens to you?"I sat quietly in the adjacent bay, listening to every word, my vision blurred with tears.When the car crash happened, I had managed to keep a clear head and dialed his number first. Yet, 26 consecutive phone calls went completely unanswered.Madeline had called him exactly once, and he picked up on the very first ring.That was because Nathaniel knew that I had no family to turn to and no one to rely on. He knew I would always wait for his late callbacks, no matter how long it too

The metallic taste of blood instantly bloomed in my mouth.Nathaniel held up his hand, which was visibly shaking, a fleeting look of guilt crossing his eyes."How dare you put your hands on Madeline? That woman started this by running her mouth. Is this how you were raised?"I blinked away my tears, unable to believe the words coming out of his mouth.Everyone loved to look down on orphans, treating us like wild, uncultured animals raised with zero manners.Years ago, he had been the one to smash a liquor bottle across a counter to shut up anyone who dared to mock me.When he saw my eyes pool with tears, a flicker of heartache crossed Nathaniel's features.But Madeline threw herself into his chest, trembling. "Nate, if you hadn't gotten here right when you did, the two of them would've teamed up on me…"Nathaniel pictured a vivid image of Madeline being brutally attacked, disgust coloring his gaze."Tomorrow night, you're going to publicly apologize to Madeline at the charity

"Call emergency services! There's a massive fire!"The crowd dissolved into chaos, people scattering in every direction as the flames roared higher, waves of intense heat rolling toward them.Nathaniel stared at the scene before him, a sudden wave of panic hitting him as my face flashed through his mind."Where's Caroline?" he asked. "Does she know the orphanage is on fire?"His assistant, Rowan Ashford, frantically dialed my number, only to shake his head. "Mr. Cross, she isn't picking up." "But this place is out in the middle of nowhere," Rowan added quickly. "The kids left for school hours ago and aren't back yet. The building should be empty."Hearing that, Nathaniel finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Get the fire department out here immediately to put it out. Save whatever you can."Just as he was about to try calling me himself, Madeline quietly reached out and grabbed his hand."Nate, do you think Mrs. Cross started the fire herself? She knew we were scheduled to visit

As I was drifting in and out of consciousness, my childhood friend, Simon Vance, risked his life to pull me out of the roaring flames.Since he was on his own, he had no choice but to leave behind Rebecca, who had already taken her last breath. He had grown up in the orphanage with me, sharing a bond with Rebecca that ran deeper than blood.We held each other and cried, but even then, he didn't forget to comfort me."Caroline, this isn't your fault," he said. "They did this, not you."By the time I was discharged from the hospital, Simon had already contacted the staff and collected Rebecca's remains.Together, we laid her to rest at the cemetery.I placed a bouquet of sunflowers, her favorite flowers, beside her headstone, my eyes red."Help me," I whispered. "I want to make Madeline pay for this."Simon used his connections to hand over every piece of evidence to the police. The moment I saw the surveillance footage, my heart completely shattered.Madeline and her men had