Chapter 2
Chapter 2
“Ms. Lane, you suffered severe abdominal injuries in that car accident. Getting pregnant at all is nothing short of a miracle. If you terminate this pregnancy, I’m afraid you may never be able to conceive again.” The doctor looked at Freda with concern. “Please think this through carefully. Maybe discuss it with your husband first.”
Freda’s fingers curled slightly, a sharp pain stabbing through her heart. Cyril had never told her about this. Whenever both families pressed them about having children, he’d always taken the blame, saying he wasn’t ready to give up their alone time and didn’t want a baby disrupting their perfect life.
Freda’s eyes welled up. He’d always been so thoughtful, always trying to spare her feelings.
But no matter how good he was to her, it couldn’t change the fact that he’d been cheating on her this whole time.
“Thank you, doctor. I’ll think about it.”
Freda walked out of the office in a daze, only to run into Cyril and Jolie in the hallway–they were back from Ireland.
Cyril was carefully helping Jolie out of the ultrasound room, his face etched with nervous concern. His tender, adoring gaze was fixed on Jolie’s face, unwilling to look away for even a second.
“You don’t need to be so worried, babe. I’m pregnant, not dying.” Jolie’s eyes crinkled with a smile.
“This is our first baby. I have to take good care of you both.” Cyril’s lips curved upward, unable to hide his joy.
Freda gripped her appointment slip tightly, coldness spreading through her entire body. She could almost hear the sound of her heart shattering, her eyes burning but unable to produce tears.
When despair runs this deep, even tears abandon you.
As Cyril helped Jolie into the elevator, Freda slowly unfolded her appointment slip and returned to the office to schedule surgery for the day after tomorrow.
She wouldn’t allow her child to be born into a world built on lies, and she wouldn’t let him grow up without a father.
In the underground parking garage, Freda encountered Cyril and Jolie again. Something compelled her to follow them in her car.
Cyril took Jolie to the revolving restaurant.
Freda’s heart sank. The revolving restaurant was something Cyril had personally designed and built for her birthday last year.
He’d promised that only she would ever dine there.
Inside the revolving restaurant, Jolie sat in Freda’s favorite spot, desserts spread across the table in front of her. In the distance, Cyril emerged pushing a serving cart.
Chapter 2
He elegantly removed the flower from his lapel and handed it to Jolie. Dangling from the flower was a diamond–encrusted necklace. “Congratulations to my little princess on becoming a mom–to–be.”
“Oh my God… this is incredible. I can’t believe this is really happening.” Jolie’s eyes filled with tears. “And you cooked for me yourself.”
“Let me just have one bite, then you should go. I’ve hogged you for way too long–you need to get back to Freda.” Jolie. blinked hard, forcing out a few tears.
Cyril’s heart ached as he pulled her into his arms. “Don’t be silly. I’m not going anywhere today. I’m staying right here with you.”
“But what about Freda? Tomorrow’s your wedding anniversary. If you don’t go home to her, she’ll be devastated.”
“I’ve already taken care of everything. You don’t need to worry about that.” Cyril stroked her hair and fastened the necklace around her neck. “You’re my wife now. From now on, I’ll make more time for you and our baby.”
Around the corner, Freda stumbled back two steps until her back hit the cold wall, her entire body trembling from
the cold.
That’s right–Jolie Hart was Cyril Prescott’s legal wife.
And she was just some nameless fool.
She remembered the first time Cyril brought her to this revolving restaurant. He’d prepared a diamond necklace for her too, and to cook for her himself, he’d secretly trained with a Michelin chef for a whole month.
“Babe, taste this! I’m gonna cook for you every single day from now on.”
“I’m going to love you for the rest of my life–only you.” He’d fastened the necklace around her neck and whispered that promise in her ear.
Now Cyril had simply copy–pasted all that love and devotion for Jolie Hart.
Her chest felt tight and painful. Apparently Cyril’s definition of “rest of my life” was pathetically short.
She turned and fled in heartbreak, tears streaming down her face by the time she left the restaurant.
At the law office, she had her attorney liquidate all her assets and return anything connected to Cyril back to him.
The inheritance from her parents was enough to last several lifetimes–she didn’t need his money. She just wanted to cut all ties with Cyril as quickly as possible.
By dusk, she finally drove home.
The empty mansion had only a single light left on by the housekeeper. She collapsed exhaustedly onto the sofa, staring at the countless photos of her and Cyril covering the walls. Her heart felt like it had a boulder pressing down on it, each beat sending waves of excruciating pain.
She rubbed her temples and stood up to take down an entire wall of picture frames.
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Chapter 2
Their very first photo as children–she was wearing a pink dress, and he’d called her the most beautiful princess.
Their first dance together–his arm gently around her waist as he made her promise to only dance with him.
Their first official date–him spinning her around and around, shouting he was the happiest man in the world.
She pulled out each photo and fed them one by one into the paper shredder, watching all their memories get torn to
pieces.
All night long, she repeated this mechanical motion, systematically destroying every trace of their past happiness.
By dawn, her arms had gone completely numb.
冬一
C
