All Chapters of Fading to Zero: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Almost at the same time, Zach Quinn's childhood sweetheart made a post on social media. The photo showed two hands wearing matching couple rings, forming a heart gesture.Inside the heart was a pregnancy ultrasound report showing a seven-week embryo.The caption read: [He said he wants to give us a home.]Zach’s friends liked the post and congratulated them for finally ending up together, saying they would definitely prepare expensive gifts for their wedding. Not a single person mentioned me.It was as though the wedding tomorrow had always been for the two of them and I had nothing to do with it at all.I gave a bitter smile and liked the post. Then, I commented: [Wishing you a lifetime of happiness together!]My comment blended into a stream of blessings and did not look out of place. However, it was deleted the next second.Zach’s call came right after. His tone was full of impatience. “Coco, what are you trying to do? What was your intention behind leaving that comment? Are

Chapter 2

Zach and I simply were not suitable for each other.Zach recalled his earlier message and sent a new one.[I shouldn’t have said that last part. I don't want Ruby to see it. She’s pregnant and tends to overthink things. Just treat what I said as something that needs to be handled. I’ll make it up to you in three years with the rest of my life.]I could not help but let out a laugh.Two minutes later, he recalled that message too.Was he lying to me or to himself? If he was only helping Ruby, why would he care if she was upset over the promise he made to me? The child in her belly was not even his, yet he was willing to go this far for her.If the child were his, what would he be capable of?I shook my head, forcing the irritating thought out of my mind.I casually typed: [Okay.] However, I found he blocked me.So be it, then.I did not care. I posted an update on social media announcing the cancellation of the wedding. Almost immediately, many people messaged asking why.N

Chapter 3

“It’s fine. Just throw it all away. Even if it isn’t disposable, it’ll still rot after three years.”It was just like Zach's love for me, which had faded away with time.After hanging up, I searched for my mother-in-law’s number. My head was already aching. She hated Ruby with a passion. If she found out her son had already registered his marriage with her, she would probably be furious enough to spit blood.I took a deep breath and transferred back the 800,000 dollars she had sent me. I silently counted to three in my head, and the phone rang.“Coco, why did you return the gift?”“Zach and I are not getting married for now. I’m going abroad for three years.”Even though I was telling the truth, the sensitive woman immediately sensed something was off. “Did Zach do something to hurt you? I’m going to find him right now! The wedding must go on tomorrow!”“Mrs. Quinn, the wedding really can’t happen…”However, she had already hung up. Zach would have to deal with his own mother n

Chapter 4

Ruby gently rested a hand on her belly, smiling with unmistakable triumph. “The child in my womb is his biological son.”I lowered my eyes, trying to hide the tears that suddenly surged up.Zach really had betrayed me. Yet he still treated me like a fool, asking me to wait three more years for him.I calculated the timeline in my head. The child in Ruby’s belly was conceived on the night that Zach did not come home. That was the first time he forgot my birthday. He had stayed out to socialize for work instead.The next day, he came back full of remorse and apologized to me. At the same time, he proposed to me. He said he would give me a dream wedding.I had waited eight years for that moment. Happiness overwhelmed me, pushing every trace of unease away.That night, he forgot to lock the bathroom door when he showered. When I walked in, I saw several fresh scratch marks across his back. I asked him what happened, and he calmly said he had been scratched by a cat. He even showed me

Chapter 5

“He’ll pay.”It was because Zach truly intended to marry Ruby.After hanging up, it was already 2:00 am.I abandoned my plan to go home and say goodbye to my mother. Instead, I took a cab to a hotel near the airport. The wedding planner texted me to say thank you, adding that although Zach was angry, he had indeed transferred the payment.I smiled, set an alarm, and fell asleep as soon as I lay down. I did not expect the phone to start blowing up with Zach’s calls. I simply blocked him, turned off my phone, and continued sleeping.However, afterward, a frantic pounding came from the door.“Coco! Open the door!”When I heard Zach’s familiar voice, I suddenly remembered that I had forgotten to turn off location sharing. His voice was filled with fury, and my mind involuntarily flashed back to the scene of Ruby deliberately falling earlier.Had she really lost the baby? Or had he come because I sold my shares?The next second, the hotel room door was kicked open. Zach stormed in

Chapter 6

Zach loudly told his mother, “Mom, Ruby is pregnant. You’re finally going to have a grandchild.”I thought that after longing for a grandchild for so many years, Mrs. Quinn would be overjoyed by the news. Instead, her voice shot up an octave as she bellowed, “Bullshit! She lost her uterus when she was a child. What pregnancy are you talking about?”I could not help but freeze in shock. The whole thing felt absurd and ridiculous. However, none of it had anything to do with me anymore.Realizing the call was still connected, Mrs. Quinn hurriedly shouted into the phone, “Coco, don’t go! I’m going to get justice for you right now! Scamming my son into marriage? She’s just as shameless as her mother!”The flight attendant announced that the plane was about to take off, so I hung up and switched off my phone. Just before the line went dead, I thought I heard Zach ask in a trembling voice, “Mom, is that true?”However, I had no interest in the truth anymore. Whether Ruby was really pregn

Chapter 7

Zach stared at his mother in disbelief, his lips slightly trembling. “Mom, is that true?”Mrs. Quinn shot him a look before launching into Ruby’s history. She stood with one hand on her hip and the other pointing straight at Ruby’s face as she scolded her. Gone was the refined, well-mannered elderly woman I once knew.“You're just like your shameless mother. Instead of learning anything decent, you learned how to seduce other people's husbands!“When we were neighbors, my husband felt sorry for you and your widowed mother. He drove you to work and school whenever he could. Your mother kept talking about how she’d never be able to repay our kindness, but behind our backs, she was trying to crawl into my husband's bed!“If Zach’s father hadn’t stood firm, that shameless woman would’ve succeeded after drugging him! For the sake of both our families’ reputations, we buried the whole thing. We thought once you moved away, we’d never have to deal with you again!“But look what happened!

Chapter 8

It turned out that what had been growing inside Ruby was not a baby at all. It was a tumor. In addition, her uterus was removed when she was eight years old to save her life.The reason she deliberately fell yesterday was that she had already been scheduled for a minimally invasive surgery to remove the tumor. She just used the entire situation to scheme against my marriage.I watched Zach’s ice-cold expression on the screen. Even through the video, I could feel the frost in his gaze seemed enough to chill the air. Yet Ruby still had no idea her lies had been exposed.She acted spoiled while clinging to his arm, deliberately pressing herself against him.Zach lifted his eyes and looked at her with a gaze as cold as ice. He pushed her away and ordered the wedding to be canceled.Ruby immediately panicked. Tears streamed down her face as she threw herself against him again.“Zach, I know your mother doesn’t like me, but we’re already married. I’ll work hard to make her accept me. I

Chapter 9

Three days later, I received an offer from a securities firm.The position was entry-level, but I had gone straight into building a business with Zach after I graduated. All things considered, my professional experience was not particularly extensive.Finding a role that matched my background so quickly was good enough.On my first day, my manager told me that what impressed him most was my experience helping build a successful startup from the ground up and that he intended to invest heavily in my development.As luck would have it, the apartment my agent found was also close to the office.I began my new life in high spirits just like that.With my managers investing heavily in my development, I advanced rapidly and soon passed my probation period. Immersed in work, I gradually forgot all the pain and unhappiness of the past.Hence, when Zach suddenly blocked my path outside the office building, I felt more surprised than anything else. I had only been away from him for three

Chapter 10

Zach stumbled and collapsed to the ground, then suddenly crawled over to my feet. “Coco, I’m sorry! It’s all my fault! Hit me, yell at me, do whatever you want, just don’t leave me, okay?“I know you’re mad at me, and that’s why you even walked away from the company we built together. Tell me what you want me to do. I’ll do anything. Just give me one more chance!“I already contacted the wedding planner. We’ve redesigned everything into a grand ceremony and included all your favorites. Come back with me and we’ll get married right away. Please!”The next second, he pulled a velvet box from his pocket. Inside was an expensive pink diamond ring.It was the one I had once glanced at twice. Back then, he insisted on buying it for me, but I refused, saying the company needed cash flow during its early stages. He then promised that once the company grew, he would buy it for me.However, even by the time he proposed, he never fulfilled that promise.Now, it meant nothing to me anymore.

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