Accueil / The Marriage That Wasn't / Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

Chapter 1

My friend used the wedding plans I'd originally created for my own wedding.Back then, I'd spent six months planning every detail. My wife, Isabel Wilson, had taken one minute to reject it all.After a simple wedding ceremony, Isabel made me a promise. No matter how much she fooled around with other men, I would always be her only husband.Until today, when she showed up at this wedding with her male secretary, Bishop Hart.The moment I walked into the reception, heads turned in every direction.Some people were waiting for a show. Some were eager for gossip. Others looked at me with pity.Only Isabel remained perfectly unconcerned. "You're here."I looked at the young Bishop clinging intimately to her arm and nodded calmly.We'd been married for seven years. This was hardly the first time Isabel had cheated on me.The groom, Samuel Ashley, looked awkward. Clearly, he hadn't expected this either. "Robert, you're here. Come on, have a seat. Make yourself comfortable."I smiled

Chapter 2

"Yeah." To Isabel's surprise, I agreed.Her breathing quickened for a couple of seconds on the other end of the line before Isabel gave an angry laugh. "Fine, Robert. You've got some nerve."I couldn't be bothered to say anything else, so I hung up.Elsa Chase, the housekeeper, was already packing my things for me."Sir, are you sure you don't want any of these?" Standing in the walk-in closet, she looked at the wall of custom suits and watches. Isabel had bought them specifically for me to wear to formal events.She had said, "Robert, I don't care what you were like before. But now that you've married into the Wilson family, you need to cover up that poor, shabby look of yours. Don't embarrass me."I shook my head, my voice light. "I don't want any of the designer clothes or formalwear. Just pack whatever else belongs to me."Elsa looked uncomfortable. "Sir... other than these, there doesn't seem to be much for you to pack."I froze for a moment, then couldn't help laughing.

Chapter 3

A month later, Isabel found out she was pregnant.Three years ago, I asked for a divorce a second time. Isabel went straight back to her family's estate that very night.Right after that, I was allowed to see our son, Noah, only once a week.For seven years, Isabel had always known exactly where my weaknesses were. She knew how to make sure I couldn't let go and couldn't get away.Today was the third time.Maybe Michelle felt sorry for me, because she agreed to take my case after all. But when she took the marriage certificate I'd handed her, her eyes widened."Mr. Carroll, this marriage certificate... is fake. You and Ms. Wilson were never actually married.""What?" I shot to my feet, convinced I'd misheard her. "How could our marriage certificate be fake? Look at it again!"Michelle adjusted her glasses and examined it carefully. "I'm sorry, Mr. Carroll. This certificate really is fake.""Hah." I laughed, even as tears slipped uncontrollably down my face.Seven years.2,55

Chapter 4

This was my child."Noah, when are you coming back? Daddy misses you."There was a lot of noise on the other end, as though they were at an amusement park.Even so, I picked out Noah's voice immediately. "But I don't want to see you, Daddy."The tears in my eyes seemed to freeze. I couldn't believe what I'd heard."Noah, what did you say?"His voice was as clear and bright as ever, but his words struck me straight in the heart. "I said I don't want to see you, Daddy."My grip tightened around my phone. I took a deep breath. "I know you're having fun right now. Keep playing, and when you're done, come see me, okay? No matter how long it takes, I can wait."Noah didn't hesitate. He was every bit as cold as his mother. "No. Mommy said you made her mad. You're a bad daddy! I don't want to see you. Don't come looking for me anymore. I don't like you as my daddy!"The call ended.When the call ended, something in me finally died too. So my child didn't love me either, just like his

Chapter 5

"Robert! Open the door!" Isabel's shrill voice rang out from the hallway, startling me. "Robert! If you've got the nerve, tell me to my face that you want to end this! Open the door!"I sighed.Instead of opening it right away, I changed into something warm and comfortable first.When I finally opened the door, Isabel wasn't wearing a coat. It was still bitterly cold in Ashford in March, but she seemed completely oblivious to it."Come in."I stepped aside, then calmly sat down on the couch. After all those years with Isabel, it took a lot to rattle me anymore.Isabel remained standing, her figure looming over me beneath the hotel lights. "Robert, who gave you the nerve to divorce me?"She stared at me, her eyes blazing with anger.I just gave her a puzzled look, almost speechless. "This isn't the first time I've asked you for a divorce. What's the point of saying that now? Isabel, you don't seriously think I love you so much I can't live without you, do you?”Her expression d

Chapter 6

That day, though, the sun came out. The sky was blue, and a gentle breeze blew, perfectly matching my mood.I was filled with an indescribable mix of joy and excitement.I'd arrived at the Wilson estate early that morning and waited for three full hours before someone finally opened the door.The butler didn't look pleased to see me. I didn't care. At the time, all I could think about was finally seeing my son.Once I was inside, I waited in the living room for who knew how long.It wasn't until the clock struck noon that Veronica appeared, carrying three-year-old Noah.The moment I saw his little face, my eyes filled with tears. This was the child I'd dropped to my knees to save, the child who'd been taken from me as soon as he was born.As usual, Veronica greeted me with contempt. "If Isabel hadn't asked, I never would've let a poor, pathetic man like you anywhere near my grandson."Remember this. Noah is a Wilson."Getting to see him at all is a privilege. Behave yourself,

Chapter 7

I paused, remembering the cool, rational woman from my past.I was an orphan and had grown up in a group home.I'd always been fiercely driven. Determined to be able to stand on my own, I'd studied relentlessly and earned a place at the best university in Ashford.I chose one of its top programs.In my sophomore year, I managed to join Professor Pierce's research group, even though I was little more than an assistant doing whatever odd jobs needed to be done.The woman he was talking about was one of the key researchers in that group, Ava Morgan. She was also the woman I'd once had a crush on.Unfortunately, she'd gone abroad to continue her studies during my junior year. Before I'd ever had the chance to tell her how I felt, it was over.When I didn't respond, Professor Pierce continued, "Back then, you and Ava were the two students I had the highest hopes for. You were two of the best I've ever taught. It's a shame you got married after graduation."His voice was full of regr

Chapter 8

"He'd trail after all of you every day, asking question after question. I remember thinking, this kid is going places."Professor Pierce didn't finish the thought.I lowered my eyes and quietly took a sip of my drink.After dinner, I didn't leave right away. Once most of the others had gone, I took my notes out of my bag."Professor, I want to get back into research."Professor Pierce looked surprised. He took the notebook and spent a long time reading through it carefully.When he finally set it down, his face was full of approval. "Robert, I knew I wasn't wrong about you. I've looked through your notes. There's some real foresight here. Let me think about it tonight. I'll recommend a few good research institutes where you can interview."Ava suddenly spoke, "Can I see it?"Those were the first words she'd said to me all evening.I nodded and handed her the notebook.Ava tucked her long hair behind her ear, her expression serious. "Would you be interested in working with me?

Chapter 9

"Robert! Are you done with this yet? If you're unhappy about something, just tell me. I'll change, okay?"It was the first time Isabel had ever backed down.Claire's eyes widened.But I felt nothing. I politely asked Isabel to move so I could leave.Instead, she grabbed my hand. "Robert. Come home with me."Before I could answer, a hand reached past me and pulled hers away."Ma'am, please keep your hands to yourself." Ava stood behind me with a coat in one hand, coldly pulling Isabel away."Who the hell are you?" Isabel's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and she spun around as if she were about to hit her.I sighed and stepped in front of Ava. "Enough."The quiet word stopped Isabel in her tracks. She stared at me in disbelief. "Robert, you're defending her? Who is she?"I looked directly into her bloodshot eyes. "Does it matter? Isabel, we're already over."Her lips moved as though she wanted to say something, but I didn't want to hear it.I smiled and said goodbye to Clai

Chapter 10

Isabel's expression eased a little.The apartment was already less than four hundred square feet, and with all my books piled everywhere, it looked even smaller.Isabel's face remained cold as she reluctantly sat down on the tiny couch. This was probably the first time in more than thirty years that she'd ever found herself somewhere so cramped.She casually picked up one of the books and flipped through it, then paused. "I thought you'd lost interest in all this a long time ago."I took a bottle of milk from the refrigerator, warmed it, and handed it to Noah. "All right. You've seen me. If there's nothing else, take Noah home."Noah held the milk and looked uncertainly at Isabel.She pulled him onto her lap, her voice gentle. "Robert, can we really not go back to the way things were?""The way things were?" I leaned back against the couch, relaxed. "You mean I keep pretending to be your husband? Forget it. I'm tired of it."Noah seemed to understand what we were talking about.

Scanner le code pour lire sur l'application