All Chapters of When the Years Took Our Love: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Dustin Horne froze on the spot, panic flashing across his face."Lily, listen to me..." he started."Do these clothes need to be washed?" I interrupted, gesturing toward the pile of shirts and pants on the sofa.His face turned ghastly pale as he scrambled to grab my hand."Lily, don't be like this. Just let me explain.""Like what? Isn't it a good thing I'm staying out of your way?"I looked at him, a faint smile touching my lips. He shook his head, his voice tentative and cautious."You're... not angry?"I knew why he was so confused. Six months ago, the day I had caught him cheating with Hattie Shields, I had lost my mind.I had printed over a dozen explicit photos of them and plastered them all over his firm's front entrance. And when he brought up divorce, I stabbed him three times before running up to the rooftop.That day, my parents and my best friend, Ophelia Cameron, dragged a bloodied Dustin in front of me, clutching my ultrasound results."Lily, you're pregnant,"

Panicked, I immediately called the department head at the hospital."I used to respect you," the voice on the other end said coldly. "I had no idea even your research papers were fabricated. If Mr. Horne hadn't brought the evidence of your misconduct to us, we would have been completely fooled."Dustin Horne...Rage shot through me like wildfire. Ignoring my parents' shouts, I bolted straight back to the hospital.Inside the room, Dustin was softly lulling Hattie to sleep. I flung the door open so hard that the baby in the bassinet burst into tears."Dustin Horne, how dare you sabotage me with false reports?" I yelled. "Being a doctor and saving lives has always been my dream! You know how hard I worked to get that position!"He instinctively cupped his hands over Hattie's ears and gave me an annoyed glare. "Belithburg Hospital only had one open position this year, and Hattie wanted it to boost her resume. It's a good experience for her."My furious confrontation clearly meant n

The whole crowd rushed to the police station, only to find the baby safe and sound in the arms of a nanny."What kind of parents are you?" the officer said, frowning at Dustin. "You checked your baby into a post-natal care center and forgot about her? How are you going to manage raising a child with this level of carelessness?""Wait, are you saying Rosalie wasn't kidnapped?" Dustin blinked. "She was just dropped off at the care center?"The officer nodded and pointed to the security footage on the monitor. "Your wife dropped her off in person."Dustin whipped his head around to stare at Hattie. She pressed her lips together, putting on an innocent expression. "I've just been so exhausted lately...""Why are you blaming her? The baby is fine, isn't she?" Ophelia spoke up in annoyance, yanking Hattie behind her back.Dustin's face drained of color in an instant. He spun on his heel and rushed toward the door."We need to check on Lily right now. I think I saw her bleeding earlier

I clapped my hands, and Julian immediately brought out Hattie's father, Thomas Shields.The old man had graying hair at his temples and a stooped back, his clothes splattered with mud from his long journey. Yet despite his disheveled appearance, he couldn't hide the gentle warmth radiating from his face.He stepped forward, reaching out to take Hattie's hand. "Hattie, you got married and had a baby. Why didn't you tell me? When you came back home last time and said you were disowning me, I was sick with worry."I tried heading over to find you, but I took a fall down a steep mountain trail and broke my leg. Could you please tell me? What did I do wrong?"Hattie bit her lip and shrank back, panic written all over her face. Ophelia immediately stepped in front of her, glaring at the old man."How dare you even ask that? Hattie finally managed to get out of the slum, and you tried to force her to move back!"Thomas looked up helplessly, rushing to defend himself. "I never said any s

Julian had been holding his tongue the entire time, but he finally reached his boiling point.He rolled up his sleeves, took off his glasses, turned around, and landed a hard punch right across Dustin's face.Dustin stumbled backward, wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth, and swung back with a defiant fist of his own. The two men quickly locked into a fierce brawl, throwing heavy, brutal blows."You scumbag! How dare you show your face here and keep harassing Lily?" Julian growled. "If I'd known you were going to hurt her like this, I would have taken her away with me back then!""Both of you, stop it!" I shouted. "Have you no shame, fighting each other in the middle of the street like this?"I rushed forward and kicked Dustin hard."Lily!" Dustin's eyes were terrifyingly bloodshot as he grabbed onto the hem of my pants, refusing to let go. "I was wrong. Please... just give me one more chance!""For what?" I stepped back, shaking off his hand with cold indiffere