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Home / Love Once Bloomed, Then Withered / Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

Lahat ng Kabanata ng Love Once Bloomed, Then Withered: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

9 Kabanata

Chapter 1

Maren's POVEvan Prescott's breathing was heavy and uneven, his mind clouded by the drug as he nipped at the woman's earlobe."Maren Hartwell, don't say I didn't warn you. Even if you're desperate enough to throw yourself at me just to help me through this, don't expect me to marry you...""Evan, what are you talking about?"Evan froze.When he finally saw who was beneath him, surprise flashed across his face. "Sienna? What are you doing here?"Sienna Hartwell nestled shyly against his chest. "Maren said you weren't feeling well and asked me to come take care of you."Evan's eyes darkened. He turned and met my gaze through the open doorway.His Adam's apple bobbed as if he wanted to say something.I shut the door before he could and locked it tight.My own body was still burning from the drug, so I filled the bathtub with cold water and climbed in.I shivered uncontrollably, my eyes red as I bit the inside of my mouth until I tasted blood.Yet my mind had never been clearer.In my prev

Chapter 2

Dad made the final call.Since I was apparently so ungrateful and picky, I would be responsible for every meal from now on, and no one was allowed to help me.The mood at the table turned awkward.Mom quickly tried to smooth things over. "Your dad doesn't really mean it like that. He just wants to try your cooking."I lowered my eyes and nodded. "Okay."When I went back to my room, the small bed was a complete mess.It wasn't hard to imagine what had happened there the night before.The sight of the stained sheets made my stomach turn.I went to find Evan."You two made that mess. Clean it up."Evan leaned lazily against the doorframe without moving. A faint, knowing smile tugged at his lips."Maren, so you did come to talk to me about last night."Must've been hard holding out since last night."I turned away. "That's none of your business.""Don't think I don't know what you were trying to pull by drugging me..."He clearly didn't like my attitude. His expression turned cold."What?

Chapter 3

I took some fever medicine, dabbed antiseptic on the cut on my hand, and looked up at Evan coldly."You had food and chose not to eat. Whose fault is that?"The faint curve of Evan's mouth froze.Emotion flickered in his eyes before hardening into disgust."Who knows what else you might've put in the food? I wouldn't dare eat anything touched by your filthy hands."I pressed my lips together.He was the same boy who used to pester me every day, insisting I make him sandwiches to take to school so he could show them off.I put the medicine kit back and swallowed the bitterness in my throat.My voice was steady, but taut as a drawn string. "Fine. Then don't take the stomach medicine either."I turned and headed upstairs without looking back.To my surprise, Evan followed and blocked my way at the stairs."Maren, what exactly are you throwing a fit about?"I looked up at him. "What am I doing?"Evan took a deep breath."I know you've liked me since we were kids. But you were gone for eigh

Chapter 4

There was an important gala that weekend.Afraid I'd embarrass the family in public, Mom and Dad ordered me to learn proper etiquette and ballroom dancing from Sienna."No need. I can manage on my own."Sienna pouted. "Don't you trust me, Maren? Or do you think I'm not good enough to teach you?"In my previous life, I'd practiced with Sienna before this same gala.But when she realized I already knew all the rules and could dance even better than she could, she panicked at the thought of me stealing the spotlight.So she deliberately slipped egg into my food, triggering an allergic reaction that kept me from attending.I looked at her coldly. "Exactly. You're not."The words had barely left my mouth when Evan clenched his fists, his voice cold and mocking."You've spent eight years out in the middle of nowhere. You've probably forgotten every rule of high society by now, Maren. Keep pretending you know what you're doing, and you'll only embarrass the Hartwells."The night of the gala a

Chapter 5

When Evan told the Hartwells about the call, all three of them could barely contain their excitement.Howard Hartwell was the first to grab Sienna's hand, looking both thrilled and relieved."I was worried your sister might have offended the Ashfords after causing a scene at their gala tonight."But if you know someone in the family, that changes everything."By the way, Sienna, when did you get to know someone from the Ashford family? Why didn't you ever tell us?"Sienna looked just as bewildered, though excitement quickly crept across her face."I... I don't know. Maybe I helped one of them somehow without realizing it?"Kate Hartwell smiled warmly."That sounds like you. You're such a sweet, kindhearted girl. Maybe they came all this way just to thank you."Sienna smiled shyly and cupped her cheeks in both hands."I wonder which member of the Ashford family came..."The Ashford name carried enormous weight across the country and around the world.The Ashfords ranked among the wealth

Chapter 6

Sienna's words convinced Evan, and he finally looked away and followed her into the ballroom.Most of the guests had already left, and the staff was cleaning up.Howard stopped one of the employees and demanded, "Where's Mr. Ashford? Take us to him."The employee gave him a disdainful look."And who exactly are you? You think you can just demand to see Mr. Ashford?""You..."Howard couldn't stand being looked down on. He immediately pushed Sienna forward, his face red with anger."My daughter knows Mr. Ashford personally. Is that any way to speak to me?"He sounded so certain that the employee hesitated.After looking Sienna up and down, he frowned."If she really knows him, how does she not know he's already gone?"He pointed toward the empty plaza outside."His helicopter was parked right there earlier. It took off not long after."Evan and the Hartwells stared at him in shock.Gone?Hadn't Mr. Ashford said he was looking for one of the Hartwell daughters?Why had he left without mee

Chapter 7

Maren's POVI opened my eyes to the sharp smell of antiseptic.Lying on my stomach was uncomfortable, and for a moment, I couldn't quite figure out where I was."You're awake."A cool, clear voice came from beside me.My whole body stiffened.Ignoring the burning pain across my back, I turned my head and saw the man standing beside the hospital bed.Nolan Ashford wore a casual suit that showed off his broad shoulders and lean waist, his striking features as handsome as ever.I stared at him for a moment.So the person I'd seen right before I passed out hadn't been a hallucination after all.I still remembered the cool touch of his fingers as he'd gently wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth.He'd apologized in a low voice, saying he'd gotten there too late.I cleared my dry throat."How come you're here... N-Nolan?"I'd called Vivian.Nolan's lips twitched faintly. "I told her to report anything involving you directly to me.""Oh."So that was why.I buried my face in the pillow.

Chapter 8

My phone was full of unread messages and missed calls.Evan: [Where are you?]Evan: [Maren, please pick up. I've been going crazy trying to find you.]Dad: [Where did you go? Answer me. Now!]Mom: [Maren, don't scare me. Did something happen to you? I've already called the police...]Standing beside the bed, Nolan glanced down at the messages on my screen.He let out a cold laugh."Weren't you the one who insisted on going back to your biological parents and that childhood sweetheart you were supposed to marry?"You ended up badly hurt and nearly died. Happy now?"Maren Ashford, don't tell me you still haven't faced reality."I could hear the warning in his voice, along with the frustration underneath it.I sniffed. "You're so mean."Nolan fell silent.After a long pause, he noticed that I was still tapping away at my phone.He finally frowned, his voice quiet and cool."Are you replying to them?""No. I'm blocking them everywhere."Nolan said nothing.As it turned out, that was what c

Chapter 9

A week later, I was discharged from the hospital.After Howard and Kate left looking completely defeated that day, no one, including Evan, came to bother me again.I was more than happy to have the peace and quiet.Later, I heard that Sienna had suddenly lost it at home. Seeing her like that, Evan eventually gave in and agreed to move their wedding up.No one knew what had set her off.When the invitation arrived, I tore it up without a second thought.Meanwhile, I'd asked Vivian to dig up a few more interesting things for me.I scheduled everything to be emailed to Evan.It was my wedding gift to him. I hoped he'd enjoy the surprise.The wedding day soon arrived.The moment Evan finished going through the files, his face darkened with rage.They contained years' worth of evidence showing that Sienna had been involved with other men.She played the sweet, innocent daughter around the Hartwells, but behind their backs, she was a regular at nightclubs. She'd even been seeing Blake on the

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