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All Chapters of When I Let Him Go, He Fell Apart: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

The long table, the candlelight—everything was exactly as I remembered. It was the same dinner where I'd taken those bullets for Conrad.In my previous life, when an assassin sent by Conrad's enemies aimed a gun at him, I threw myself in front of him without a second thought.When I woke up, I learned I could never have children.After that came the wedding, and Alice leaving for Antarctica.And Conrad in the fire, saying, "In the next life, don't take a bullet for me..."After 20 years of loving him and ten years of marriage, those were the last words he left me with.That was my previous life, but remembering it still made my chest ache so badly I could barely breathe.When I saw the man ready his gun, I still lunged forward on instinct.But Conrad moved first. He shoved me aside with one hand and flipped the table with the other. The bullet grazed his arm. Guards rushed out of the shadows and tackled the assassin.Screams filled the hall.I lay on the floor, stunned. Conrad seemed t

Chapter 2

Alice's brother had given his life for the Kincaid family. Before he died, he left his sister in Conrad's care.To repay that debt, Conrad brought her to the estate and looked after her himself. He gave her whatever she asked for. He even walked away from a deal worth hundreds of millions to take her traveling and help her heal.Rumors that he and Alice were together spread quickly. Conrad did nothing to stop them. He even began taking Alice to more and more events.No matter how much I cried or how many scenes I made, he refused to see me. Only after I nearly died protecting him from the assassin did he promise to marry me.But everything that happened in my previous life proved that marriage was a mistake. It made all of us miserable.In this life, I didn't want to make the same mistake again.Before long, Conrad gathered the whole family and announced his engagement to Alice.Once he'd made the announcement, he didn't take his eyes off me, as if he were afraid I'd do something drast

Chapter 3

That night, Graham knocked on my door holding a tube of ointment. "Miss Vera, Mr. Kincaid asked me to bring this to you. He knows you're sensitive to smells, so he even had the formula adjusted for you."I looked at the ointment, and against my better judgment, I was touched. I was just reaching for it when Alice suddenly appeared in the doorway.She snatched the ointment and tapped at a few bright red marks on her neck. "Vera, these marks just won't fade. You don't mind if I use this first, do you?"I stared at the glaring hickeys, my eyes stinging. I pulled back my trembling hand and forced myself to say, "Sure. Take it."Alice froze. "Vera, you're not mad?""Of course not. You're engaged. It's normal for the two of you to be intimate. I have nothing to be mad about."Only then did I notice Conrad. I had no idea when he'd come upstairs. He stood there staring at me, his hands clenched into fists at his sides and a storm in his eyes, as though he were holding something back.I ignored

Chapter 4

The engagement party went ahead as planned. Alice moved through the crowd on Conrad's arm as though she'd won.But halfway through the party, the strap of her gown suddenly snapped.Alice clutched her chest, turned pale, and threw herself into Conrad's arms. "One of the maids said Vera sent me this dress as an engagement present. I never thought..."Every eye in the room turned to me."I heard she's the girl Conrad took in. She's been clinging to him this whole time!""I've seen plenty of girls like her. He's engaged, and she still has the nerve to live here. Now she's humiliated his fiancée in front of everyone. What a nasty piece of work!"As the guests jeered, I opened my mouth to defend myself, but then I saw Conrad's face darken. He spoke in a low voice."Vera, did you do this?""No." I lifted my chin and met his eyes, trying to keep my voice steady. "I never sent that dress, and I never asked anyone to pass on a message."Conrad studied me for a long moment, then pressed his lips

Chapter 5

Meanwhile, at the wedding photo shoot with Alice, Conrad couldn't focus.After rushing through a few shots, he hurried back to the estate.On the way, he had the driver make a detour through the old part of town and stop outside a little shop.The window was full of hand-blown glass flowers on hammered copper stems, their petals so thin the light shone through them.Whenever Vera went into town, she'd make a special trip to buy one. She said real flowers wilted, but these lasted, and she loved them.He bought a glass daffodil, put it in a box lined with soft cloth, and held it carefully in his arms the whole way.He thought the flower might cheer Vera up.By the time he got back to the estate, it was completely dark. Holding the box, he went straight to Vera's room.He knocked, but no one answered. Frowning, he pushed the door open. There was no one inside. No Vera. Just a terrible emptiness.His unease turned to panic, and his grip on the box tightened.He called Graham in and demande

Chapter 6

After that, Conrad buried himself in work from dawn until dark: file after file, contract after contract, meeting after meeting. He slept only when exhaustion forced him to. No one could make him stop. It was as though he thought he could work hard enough to forget Vera had left.Alice sent people to find him several times, but Conrad turned them all away.One night, Conrad returned to the estate late. As he reached the corner of the second-floor hallway, he heard Alice scolding Emma in her room, her voice shrill and grating."Emma, you take what we did with that gown at the engagement party to your grave. No one can know we framed Vera."If you dare say a word, I'll stop paying for your mother's treatment."Emma answered quietly, "Yes, Ms. Brooks. I won't say a word."Conrad froze where he stood, his blood running cold.His eyes red, he shoved the door open and glared at Alice.At the sight of him, Alice dropped her teacup. It shattered on the floor.He crossed the room in a few strid

Chapter 7

The estate was quiet again, but Conrad couldn't sleep. He pushed open the door to Vera's room.Everything was just as she'd left it. The bed was untouched. The old shirt she hadn't taken still lay at the bottom of the closet.He crouched and hugged the shirt to his chest. It still carried the faintest trace of her scent. He held it for a long time, his shoulders slowly sagging.He remembered the bloody nail marks in her palm, her hoarse cries from inside the cell, and her hands scooping the ashes into that metal box, one handful at a time.For every wound she'd suffered, he was the one who'd handed over the knife.He sank to the floor, his forehead pressed against the boards. An inhuman sound tore from his throat as he called Vera's name again and again.Her name lodged in his throat like a blade, cutting him every time he said it.At dawn, he picked up the phone, his voice raw. "Find her. Turn the whole country upside down if you have to. Find Vera."I'd gone to Harbor City, a small t

Chapter 8

On the third day, Conrad woke up. He grabbed my hand and said hoarsely, "Vera, I was wrong. Come back with me, okay?"I looked at the bandages around his shoulder and stayed quiet for a long time. Then I said softly, "Uncle Conrad, focus on getting better first. Once you're well, we'll talk."He smiled. "Okay."I cared for Conrad for three more days, then hired a caregiver to take over and went back to work.The moment I walked into my classroom, the kids crowded around and hugged me. "Miss Vera, we missed you so much," they kept saying.I hugged them back. "I missed you too."A week later, Conrad was discharged, and I asked him to meet me so we could talk.We met at a café.He was already there, waiting. He'd grown so thin he barely looked like himself. When he saw me, his eyes reddened. He stood quickly and said softly, "Vera."I said, "Uncle Conrad," and sat down across from him.He slid a box over to me. "I had people gather everything they could find and recreate a family photo li

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