All Chapters of The World Beyond You: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

After settling Nola in, Whitney returned home in the early hours of the morning.She sat motionless on the couch, her phone still open to her conversation with Lennox."There's a bit of trouble at the office. Go to bed early and don't wait up for me."The message was followed by a kissy-face sticker.Whitney let out a bitter laugh.When she was dating Lennox, she was in her second year of graduate school, while he had already taken over the family business and become the youngest head of a company in their social circle.Everyone said she was punching above her weight, and even she often felt insecure about their relationship.But Lennox seemed determined to let the whole world know just how much he loved her.For her birthday, he rented out the entire Blue Hour Restaurant and arranged for her favorite band to perform live.When she casually mentioned craving the honey cake from Crestwood's long-established bakery, he sent someone to wait in line for two hours to buy one and deliver it

Whitney took a deep breath, pulled out her phone, and called a real estate agent. She put all the properties in her name on the market for a quick sale.After hanging up, she crumpled the abortion consent form into a ball and stuffed it into her bag.When she got home, she noticed a pair of high heels covered in rhinestones in the entryway.She glanced at the canvas sneakers on her feet but said nothing. She lowered her head and changed her shoes."I thought if he was going to spite me, he'd at least find someone better than me."Winona's voice came from the living room.Whitney looked up and saw her lounging on the couch in a burgundy silk nightgown.Winona lifted her eyes, giving her a once-over from head to toe."Never thought he'd end up with someone so dowdy."Whitney glanced at the shoe cabinet in the entryway.The designer shoes Lennox had bought her filled the cabinet, yet the pair she wore most often was still her canvas sneakers.She lifted her gaze and met Winona's eyes. Win

When the nurse came in to take her temperature, Whitney learned that her procedure was scheduled for the following morning.She had less than twenty-four hours.The nurse had barely left when her phone rang. The call was from the nursing home."Mrs. Graham, your mother's condition suddenly took a turn for the worse. She's receiving emergency treatment. Please come immediately!"By the time Whitney arrived at the nursing home, the emergency treatment had just ended.Victoria lay in bed, her face ashen, her body hooked up to a tangle of tubes.Whitney asked the doctor what had caused Victoria's sudden episode. The doctor said she might have suffered some kind of emotional shock.She turned to the caregiver.The caregiver said a woman had come to visit that morning. Shortly after she left, Victoria suddenly fell ill.Whitney checked the security footage from Victoria's room. There, she saw Winona showing her a news story on her phone about reporters swarming around Winona.The headline re

Lennox walked into the press conference hall and immediately spotted Winona sitting in front of the cameras.She had changed into a champagne-colored suit, her makeup flawless.Lennox paused mid-stride.He glanced down at his black suit, still stained with blood.At first glance, the stains looked almost like a dark red rose deliberately embroidered onto the fabric. It was Whitney's blood.His heart clenched as if an invisible hand had seized it.Winona smiled and waved him over, but a chill ran down Lennox's spine.They had just watched Nola jump from the rooftop. Whitney had lost so much blood that no one knew whether she'd live or die.Yet Winona had already changed her clothes and touched up her makeup. Now she sat there, beaming as she waited for him to announce that the baby she was carrying was his.It was as if none of it had affected her at all.Matthew held out a clean suit jacket. Lennox glanced at it but didn't take it.He walked straight to the cameras.The reporters swung

Whitney lay on a stretcher as the van rattled along for a long time.She drifted in and out of sleep, occasionally waking to find Victoria by her side before settling back to sleep, reassured by her presence.Early on the third morning, the van pulled up outside a secluded nursing home.Whitney woke as the first rays of sunlight streamed in."Winnie, you're finally awake!"Victoria clasped Whitney's hand tightly with trembling fingers, tears streaming down her face.Tears slipped from the corners of Whitney's eyes. "Mom, my daughter...she's gone."The moment the words left her mouth, she could no longer hold back. She threw herself into Victoria's arms and burst into tears.The nursing home was nestled deep in the mountains, surrounded by vast forests and rolling peaks.There was no internet access, and the place was completely cut off from the outside world.Whitney recovered well. During the day, she would wheel Victoria out into the courtyard to sit in the sun.Every now and then, s