Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

Declan's mother, Anita Jackson, pushed a folded bill toward the table. "Sonia, sit down and eat first."She smiled politely, but her gaze shifted from my coat to the tip of my shoes. "Restaurants raise their prices during the holidays. Our family isn't rich or powerful. Before you're married, it's better to keep track of who owes what."I stared at the crystal lamp in the living room and remained silent.Rachel scooted her chair closer to Declan, as if she had only just realized there was no room for me."Sonia, sit there." She pointed to the folding stool by the door.Declan glanced casually at me. "Don't be fussy. We have elders here."I sat down.The stool was a bit shorter, so my elbow kept bumping against the table edge when I picked up the food.Rachel sat next to Declan, and her plate was soon filled with shrimp.Anita served her a portion of shrimp, and Declan did the same.Before I could touch the shrimp, Rachel took the last two pieces and smiled sweetly. "Isn't Son

I woke up in pain at 2:00 am.It felt like a rusty knife was stabbed into my stomach, slicing into me again and again.I curled up by the bed, cold sweat running down my forehead. My phone slipped to the floor. The glaring light from the cracked screen was piercing and painful to my eyes.I waited for a while before reaching for the phone and calling for emergency help.When I arrived at the hospital, the nurse asked me, "Where's your family?"I opened my mouth, my first thought still Declan.How ridiculous! When a person was in deep pain, the body would be slower than the heart to accept reality.I did not want to contact him, but the emergency contact section in the patient record system was still Declan.The doctor handed me the consent form. "It's not looking good. We need to act quickly. Contact your family first."I leaned back in the chair, my fingers shaking as I pressed three times before finally dialing his number.The first call went unanswered. The second call was

Declan checked the accounts until the early hours of the morning.At first, he just wanted to prove that I was not being treated as unfairly as I thought. However, the more he went through the records, the paler his face became.Three years ago, he said the rent was 2,400 dollars, so we each paid half.The actual rent was 1,600 dollars. The extra money was transferred to Rachel.He said his mother needed a caretaker after her surgery, so I transferred 800 dollars every month. However, the hospital records showed that Anita never stayed at that hospital.The one who was hospitalized was a distant relative of the Fletcher family. The money was eventually collected by Rachel on their behalf.He said the company could not afford the salaries, so we had to save on food. I ate sandwiches with him for two months.At the same time, he bought Rachel a dress worth over 3,000 dollars.Remark: [Good luck with your interview, Rachel.]Declan sat in the study, staring at the screen, his fin

I had not planned on going to Declan's public apology dinner, but he said that the items had been delivered to the venue. It was the original box of my mother's bracelet.Hence, I went.The venue was booked at a very expensive hotel. The crystal chandelier was so bright that it was dazzling. There were flowers and desserts on the table.Relatives of the Fletcher family came. His friends came. Even Rachel came, but she was sitting in the far corner, her eyes red, as if she had suffered a great injustice.Declan held this banquet not just to apologize. He wanted to publicly humiliate Rachel and also publicly clear my name. Up to now, he still did not understand that the last thing I wanted was to be gawked at by everyone all over again.As soon as I entered, the big screen lit up. It showed the bills for the past three years: rent, water and electricity, caretaker fees, nutritious meals, every penny I saved, every penny I transferred to him.Even my memo was included: [I don't want

Later, Declan started to accumulate points. He made a scorebook himself.[Apologizing on time: +1.][Leaving me alone: +1][Blocking the Fletcher family's calls for me: +1][Sending Rachel out of the company: +1]I heard that Rachel made a scene. She cried downstairs at Fletcher Group's building, saying she loved him and that I had no right to keep clinging to him since I did not want him anymore.Declan did not see her.The security guard asked her to leave, and Declan passed a message along through his assistant. "What I owe Sonia has nothing to do with you."He finally learned to draw a clear line, but this realization came too late.I began to live my own life. I ate on time and had my follow-up examinations on time. I bought drinks whenever I wanted and ate cake whenever I wanted. When I saw a dress I liked, I no longer looked at the price tag first. When a friend invited me on a trip, I said yes.When I took my first flight to the seaside, I stood in the sea breeze and