Lahat ng Kabanata ng Old Dreams Fade: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

As expected, Vanessa never came back that night. Even so, when my hand brushed against the cold, untouched half of the bed, my chest still tightened painfully.The knocking at the door grew louder and louder.When I opened it, one of the McBride household staff stood there with barely concealed disdain."Madam McBride wants you and the child at the estate."The old matriarch of the McBrides, Edith McBride, had never liked me. No matter how many times I tried to explain our relationship status, she saw me as nothing more than an immoral fraud who had tricked his way into the family.Her contempt extended to my daughter, Sadie, as well. When the family head behaved that way, the staff naturally followed suit.By the time Sadie and I arrived at the estate's main hall, all the McBrides' elders had already gathered.Vanessa, who had disappeared all night, stood off to one side, supported by Derek. The tenderness in her eyes was impossible to miss.Edith looked at Vanessa's stomach,

Excitement surged through me as I held out the latest message for Sadie to see."Sadie, look! Mommy remembered."Her head snapped up, her face instantly breaking into the brightest smile I'd seen in days."Mommy must've gotten me lots of presents! Daddy, let's go!"With Vanessa's message as proof, Sadie spent the entire drive chattering excitedly beside me, guessing what gifts her mother might have prepared.However, the moment we arrived at the McBride estate, my heart sank. The gardens were overflowing with roses. This wasn't what a little girl's birthday party was supposed to look like.Oblivious, Sadie grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the entrance.I followed behind her, unease settling heavily in my chest.'Vanessa, please don't do something we can't come back from.'Inside the ballroom, Sadie's eyes lit up the moment she spotted Vanessa standing beside the cake."Mommy!" She ran straight into her arms.Vanessa stiffened. Her eyes widened in shock. "What are you doi

Vanessa frowned as the cold automated message repeated through her phone for the third time.She impatiently urged the driver on, "Can't you go any faster? The McBrides can afford a few traffic tickets."The driver wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Miss McBride, it's not that I don't want to. It's January 7, the start of the new term after winter break. Just look at the traffic.""January 7?" The words seemed to catch her off guard.Today was January 7, our anniversary, and she had forgotten.She had told herself she would explain everything after the wedding. She planned to go home and comfort me once the ceremony was over.She had prepared excuses. What she hadn't prepared for was Sadie and me leaving without waiting for her.Outside, impatient horns blared endlessly through the winter streets. A bitter wind slipped through the cracked window.Suddenly, she remembered our early days years ago. Back then, she would come over in weather just like this.And every time, I wou

Third-Person POVThe car rolled to a stop in front of the villa.Vanessa stepped out, straightened her clothes, and slipped her usual expressionless mask back into place.She told herself that while she would apologize this time, Grant needed to learn something too. He couldn't keep taking Sadie and leaving every time they argued.She pushed open the door, fully expecting Grant to pull her into his arms the moment he saw her.Instead, the person standing there with his head lowered was Derek. His eyes immediately reddened."Vanessa, where did you go? I was so scared you'd abandoned me..."Vanessa frowned. For the first time, she found Derek unbearably annoying. Impatient, she pushed past him and headed upstairs."Grant..."But Grant wasn't there. Not upstairs or anywhere. More than that, everything connected to him had disappeared from the villa.Half the closet stood empty. The suits that had once filled it were gone. So were the racks of colorful children's clothes.The pl

The moment we heard Vanessa had arrived, the smiles vanished from Sadie's face and mine.With the McBrides' resources, I hadn't expected to stay hidden for long.I straightened my clothes and headed toward the entrance.Long before I arrived, I could already hear the women teasing her."So you're the woman Grant chose? You don't look very useful.""No kidding. You're not tanned, you're not sturdy. Someone like you wouldn't even get a second glance around here.""Look at those soft hands. She probably spent her whole life letting Grant support her. Women are supposed to provide for the family, not spend their days acting delicate."Vanessa's voice cut through the crowd, cold with anger. "A bunch of country bumpkins lecturing me? That's rich. I'm not here to argue with you. Go get Grant."That only made the women laugh harder."Listen to that. The pretty little thing thinks she can't be criticized.""Someone who spends her days drinking coffee and chatting has the nerve to look