Semua Bab Ashes Before Dawn: Bab 1 - Bab 10

In the hospital room next door, Sheila Jenkins lay frozen in bed, as if she had been dropped into a world covered in ice.Cecilia Zeller was the poor student the Stewart family had sponsored. She was also Joshua Stewart's secretary.Joshua had always been famous for being hopelessly devoted to his wife. They had grown up together as childhood sweethearts, and everyone believed he loved Sheila more than anything.She had believed it too. She never imagined that their marriage had been nothing but a lie from the very beginning.He had never loved her. The reason he had pursued her so relentlessly and married her was because he did not want the Stewart family going after Cecilia.The car crash had never been an accident, either. He had deliberately crippled her legs, all so he could secretly hold a wedding for the girl he truly loved without her ever finding out.Even the child she had loved and raised for five years was not hers. The boy was the child of Joshua and Cecilia.As for

A few days later, Joshua took Sheila and Max to a formal banquet.The invitation had been addressed only to the president of the Stewart Group and his family. However, standing quietly in a corner, Sheila spotted Cecilia.As Joshua's personal secretary, Cecilia accompanied him to all kinds of business events. Sheila had never questioned it.On Cecilia's birthday, she had even bought a gift herself and asked Joshua to deliver it, thanking Cecilia for taking such good care of him over the years.Looking back, Cecilia had always seemed so gentle and fragile.Joshua had pitied her, and even Sheila had felt the same.Now, thinking about it, she felt nothing but bitter irony.Lost in thought, Sheila did not realize Joshua had already pushed her wheelchair over to Cecilia.Their eyes met and, for a fleeting moment, it felt as though a thousand unspoken words passed between them. Then, just as quickly, the moment was gone.Joshua entrusted Sheila to Cecilia before picking up a glass o

As the last of the ashes emptied from the urn, Cecilia let out an obvious sigh of relief.Joshua looked up at her and gently coaxed, "Now that he’s gone, you should finally be able to get a good night's sleep."The three of them walked out hand in hand like a happy family.Only after they had completely disappeared from sight could Sheila no longer hold herself together.Crying uncontrollably, she rushed outside. As if heaven itself were mocking her, it began to rain. The wind scattered the ashes, and the rain soaked them, washing them away little by little amidst the flowing water.Sheila fell out of her wheelchair and hit the ground. Ignoring the pain, she crawled toward the drain, desperately trying to gather the ashes with her hands.It was hopeless."My baby… My baby..." She could only watch as her child's ashes slowly disappeared.There was nothing she could do. It felt as though someone had torn her heart apart.She knelt in the mud, sobbing as she reached deep into t

There was a saying that if two people in love kissed beneath the fireworks at midnight, they would stay together forever.As such, long before midnight arrived, most of the couples at the banquet had already found a spot to watch the fireworks.After Joshua wheeled Sheila outside, there were only a few minutes left before midnight.Then, all at once, he was gone.Sheila slowly pushed her wheelchair through the crowd, searching for him.Just as she had expected, in the hotel's garden, she found Joshua kissing Cecilia.The fireworks burst across the night sky, dazzling and brilliant, bathing the two of them in shimmering light.Standing beside them, Max looked up with a face full of happiness. The three of them looked like a warm, loving family.Sheila remained quietly in the shadows, watching from a distance. It was as though her heart had already been corroded beyond repair. She did not even feel pain anymore.After returning home, Sheila washed up and went to bed early.Joshu

The day before Joshua and Cecilia's wedding, Sheila finally received the call she had been waiting for.Her immigration paperwork had been approved.For days, she had wandered through life like an empty shell. Only after answering that phone call did a trace of color finally return to her face.After hanging up with the embassy, she immediately booked a flight to Francoria.Once everything was arranged, she slowly packed her belongings, pushing her wheelchair from room to room.There was nothing in this house worth taking with her. Other than her identification and important documents, she planned to leave everything behind, including every gift Joshua and Max had ever given her — from the little crafts Max had made with his own hands to the expensive jewelry Joshua had bought for her.Once upon a time, she had treasured every single one of them, carefully storing them away as though they were priceless…Until she entered that forbidden room yesterday. Only then had she realized