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Even Though I Was Dumped in My Golden Age, I Still Found My True Love
NovelShort
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"Ms. Lancaster, due to the severe physical trauma you suffered, the chances of you becoming pregnant in the future are extremely small." That medical verdict once made me feel that life was worse than...
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第1章
###Chapter 1
"Ms. Lancaster, due to the severe physical trauma you suffered, the chances of you becoming pregnant in the future are extremely small."
That medical verdict once made me feel that life was worse than death. Yet in the twenty-fifth year of my marriage, I unexpectedly became pregnant at an advanced age.
My husband, Cedric Larkin, wept with joy upon hearing the news. He even set aside a business deal worth hundreds of millions, insisting on accompanying me to a mountainside villa for a quiet recovery.
But on our second day there, my phone suddenly vibrated repeatedly. One notification was a synced update from his sports watch.
[The heart rate you are monitoring has reached 189 beats per minute!]
A second alert immediately followed it.
[Warning! Loss of vital signs detected!]
My vision went black and I felt as if my heart were being violently torn apart.
No, absolutely not! God couldn't take him from me at the happiest moment of my life!
I frantically searched his usual morning running route until I reached the spot where the vital signs had vanished. There, I found the shattered fitness watch.
Still, my husband was nowhere to be seen.
As I trembled picking up the watch, muffled yet familiar panting and whispers emerged from the nearby bushes. My feet were instantly frozen to the spot.
"Didn't that incident ruin her uterus years ago? How can she still be pregnant?"
It was Sandra Lancaster's voice, my adopted sister.
"Who knows? Back then, I clearly instructed them to give her the harshest lesson, to make sure the woman who forced you away would never be able to become a mother. She's already fifty, but she still got pregnant!"
The other was Cedric, the husband I had loved for twenty-five years.
In that moment, my blood felt as if it were flowing backward and the bloody stench of a nightmare from years ago came rushing back.
I collapsed to my knees, unable to stop myself from gagging as my tears fell into the dirt.
How ridiculous.
So the love I had believed in for half my life was nothing more than a meticulously planned scam. In addition, the man I loved most had not only betrayed me long ago, but was also the mastermind who personally pushed me into hell.
I heard Cedric say sweetly, "Now that you're back, I'll make sure she leaves quietly."
There's no need for that, Cedric. This time, I'll grant both of your wishes myself.
***
Hiding behind a large tree, I pulled out my phone with shaking hands and dialed a certain man's number.
It rang only twice before a low, slightly mocking voice came through the receiver. "Who is this? Oh, my dear sister-in-law, what brings you to call me?"
It was Frank Larkin, Cedric's half-brother.
Frank should have been the rightful heir to the Larkin family, but many years ago, Cedric's mother—who was a mistress—used dirty tricks to drive him and his mother out of the house. Not long after, his mother died of depression.
Aside from me, Frank hated Cedric most in this world.
Barely able to breathe, my tears mingled with sobs as the words burst out. "I want to destroy that man, Cedric Larkin! Frank, you're my only hope."
The mockery on the other end vanished instantly. After a moment of silence, the man's voice deepened. "Calm down. Tell me what happened."
Suppressing my trembling, I recounted everything I'd just overheard in broken sentences.
"That sounds just like him," Frank murmured after a brief pause.
Then he suddenly let out a low laugh, tinged with coldness and amusement. "Joining forces for revenge? Interesting. But I think nothing's more satisfying than taking the woman he loves."
He paused, emphasizing every word. "I can help you, but the condition is that you must marry me."
My eyes widened in shock. But as the memories of those heart-wrenching schemes flashed through my mind, the agony scorched away my remaining hesitation.
So, I heard my own hoarse voice. "Okay. Give me ten days to handle the divorce."
"Then, I will come to pick you up in ten days," he replied.
The call ended, but the sickly, intimate sounds from the bushes continued.
Sandra asked flirtatiously, "Then how do you plan to deal with her?"
Cedric's tone was so calm it froze my blood. "In five days, I will be hosting a party for the twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. That night, we'll bring back all those people from back then. History will repeat itself. Everyone will know she's a slut and no one will know whose 'wild man' fathered the child in her belly."
My teeth clenched so hard they pierced my lip, stifling my scream.
Just when I thought it couldn't get any more cruel, Cedric's ragged breathing paused. He seemed to remember something, telling the woman in his arms with a tone of delight. "Oh, right. The latest assessment report from the hospital is out. Macie's physical condition is currently the most ideal surrogate carrier we can find."
Sandra cried tears of joy. "Really? So, we can finally have our own child?"
After that, they began calmly discussing how to get rid of the life growing inside me, implant their embryo into my womb and then tell me it was the fruit of my love with Cedric.
Their tone was as casual as deciding the flavor of a cup of coffee.
My heart felt like it was being clenched by an icy hand. I clutched my belly tightly with both hands, backing away step by step.
Even if he had never loved me, we had shared twenty-five years of days and nights together. How could he treat our unborn child and me this way?
"Once the child is born, I will divorce her," Cedric said indifferently.
Sandra seemed to hesitate, cautiously whispering in his ear, "But can you bear to? After all, it's the flesh and blood you two finally managed to conceive. Given my sister's age, she might never be able to conceive again."
Cedric let out a scoff. "It's nothing more than a fertilized egg she obtained by sheer luck."
第2章
###Chapter 2
My heart pounded wildly in my chest, as if it would explode at any moment.
In my desperate quest to conceive a child, I had swallowed countless hormone pills over the years. As a result, my once slender figure became bloated and misshapen and my skin lost its natural glow.
More painfully, I found myself lying on cold operating tables time and time again for procedures like fallopian tube recanalization and uterine adhesion release. Each excruciating pain from the instruments churning inside me pushed me to the brink of unconsciousness.
When I emerged from the surgery, drenched in cold sweat and pale-faced, Cedric would always hold me tightly in his arms immediately.
"It's all those bastards' fault, making you suffer like this!" His voice choked with sobs, full of heartache. "I wish I could cut them into a thousand pieces, but they've already vanished without a trace."
At the time, I felt blessed to have such a gentle husband, believing he was the only light shining into my dark life. But now, I finally realize that the child I am risking my life for is nothing more than a "fertilized egg" to him.
A chill ran down my spine as I listened to him confidently tell Sandra. "Your brother, William, will also support us. After all, when Macie returned to the Lancasters, she used despicable means to drive you away out of jealousy. Although you're just an adopted daughter, you're the only family he truly loves."
The irony was that twenty-five years ago, when the Larkin Enterprise was facing a crisis, Sandra took half of my parents' inheritance and abandoned Cedric without a second thought.
And on that same night, Cedric received a video.
In the footage, Sandra, dressed in tattered clothes, knelt on the ground. That woman sobbed as she begged, "Macie, please don't do this to me! I've already left Cedric. Isn't that enough? Please, they're going to kill me!"
By the end of the video, she was assaulted by several men.
Back then, I desperately tried to explain that I had nothing to do with it and Cedric just gently stroked my hair as he said, "Macie, how could I not believe you?"
Still, just a few days later, I was dragged into a dark alley after working late.
Humiliating videos of me were spread all over the internet and everyone mocked me as "damaged goods."
Despite the scandal, Cedric knelt by my hospital bed with a ten-carat diamond ring to propose, using his "devotion" to protect my "reputation."
When the doctor declared it would be difficult for me to conceive, he wiped away my tears. He hired the world's best specialists, promising, "Macie, we will have our own baby."
During my long nights of insomnia, he stayed by my side, repeatedly vowing to love me for a lifetime.
The whole world believed Cedric cherished me above all else. I never doubted it either—until I realized he'd orchestrated this entire charade himself.
It was all a lie.
For twenty-five years, I have lived as a joke perfectly directed by him. I wonder what he felt as he watched me, his pawn, struggle and act foolishly from the front row.
I staggered away, fled in my car at full speed back home and the moment I stepped through the door, I vomited a mouthful of blood.
Lying face-down on the icy floor tiles, my face smeared with blood and tears. I felt despair nearly tear me apart, but for the sake of my child, I had to stand up.
Throughout these years, I was the one who helped Cedric through every crisis. Half of the Larkin Enterprise's success was built on my hard work.
On our tenth anniversary, he had insisted on gifting me 25% of the shares. Although I declined at the time, he told me he would keep that contract for me forever.
I entered Sandra's birthday as the code and sure enough, the safe clicked open.
Reaching inside, the first thing I touched was a box of condoms of a brand I'd never used, with only a few left. Looking further down, I found his insurance policy, where the beneficiary had already been changed.
Sandra Lancaster's name pierced my heart once again.
I wiped my face and hesitated no longer as I signed my name on the share transfer agreement. Fortunately, Cedric was so certain I would never touch this "gift" that the signatures and company seal were already complete.
After calling my lawyer and having him draft the divorce agreement, I sent him a photo of the share transfer contract.
His reply came quickly. [The agreement is authentic and valid. It can take effect immediately.]
A cold smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. "Very well, but I need you to wait a few days before making it public."
Just then, familiar footsteps sounded behind me as Cedric walked in, his brow furrowed. "Make it public? What are you planning to make public?"
第3章
###Chapter 3
I quickly smoothed my expression and turned around with a gentle look. "I wanted to tell everyone the good news about my pregnancy as soon as possible."
Cedric's brow remained furrowed, his tone carrying his usual commanding presence. "Why didn't you stay at the villa? Why did you come back alone?"
The strong scent of perfume coming from him churned my stomach, but I steadied my breathing and said softly, "The baby was kicking quite hard and I felt a bit unwell, so I came back first."
Only then did Cedric give a slight nod and casually toss his coat into my arms. "Alright. We'll have your mother come stay then."
I paused for a moment at the mention of her. My adoptive mother was a woman who, for as long as I could remember, had never given me a single warm look.
I once thought she was simply cold by nature, until my parents passed away and she took me back to the Lancasters to acknowledge my relatives. It was then that I saw her true self: how she doted on Sandra, tending to her every little hurt with tears and attentive care, serving tea and water with meticulous devotion.
That was when I knew it wasn't that she lacked love. She simply wasn't willing to spare even a shred of it for me.
And what about my "brother," William Lancaster?
The way he welcomed me "home" was by stuffing me into a dark servant's room. There was no joy of reunion in his eyes, only undisguised disgust and contempt.
"I've spent twenty-five years with Sandra. She is my only sister," he told me. "Blood relations? They mean nothing."
Even the family servants dared to mock me to my face, sneering, "She doesn't even know table manners. She's such a peasant. Look at Miss Sandra, that is true noble grace."
When Sandra and my adoptive mother eventually left after embezzling half of my parents' inheritance, the accusations against me came like an overwhelming tide. "You wicked woman! You drove Sandra away! You won't get a single penny of the Lancasters' wealth! You even kicked out the mother who raised you. You're utterly heartless!"
At that time, only Cedric stood by my side. He insisted on honoring the marriage agreement made by our parents, holding my hand and saying, "You are the true bloodline of the Lancaster family. My wife can only be you."
But last year, after Sandra had squandered the money, she officially returned. It was only now that I understood that not only did I never have a family, but even my marriage was an illusion.
As I hung up Cedric's coat, he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. His breath was so tender it made me shudder. "Darling, I want to announce our good news to the whole world on our twenty-fifth anniversary. I've prepared the grandest party for you and the baby."
Instantly, the cold, calculated words I had overheard in the bushes flashed through my mind. I suppressed the chill in my heart and forced a smile.
I reached for the divorce papers on the bedside table, flipped to the signature page and handed them to him. "Honey, I want to renovate the house, so I need you to sign for the payment."
Just as he took the pen, his phone rang.
Sandra's trembling voice came through. "Cedric, the rain is so heavy and it's so dark. I'm so scared, what should I do?"
"Don't move," he said urgently. "Send me your location. I'll be there right away!"
Cedric hurriedly signed his name on the agreement, tossed the pen aside and rushed out. From afar, he threw back a single sentence. "Sandra's place is leaking. She'll stay at our house for a few days."
He didn't even bother to ask my opinion, as if I weren't the lady of the house here.
As I've grown older, my sleep has become restless. In the middle of the night, while I was drifting in a daze, I heard a faint rustling in the hallway.
Had Cedric returned?
Immediately after, muffled gasps and whispers drifted through the crack in the door.
"Tomorrow, I'll remove her from her position at the company and give it to you. As long as I say it's for her to have a peaceful pregnancy, she'll do it obediently."
The silhouettes of two figures pressed together were cast onto the floor. The woman's voice was soft and tearful. "But I can't bear a child for you myself. The thought of having to rely on her makes my heart ache so much."
She even guided my husband's hand to press against her breast.
It was her own years of recklessness and multiple abortions that had ruined her health. Yet Cedric immediately comforted her gently, dialed a call on the spot and bought a star in her name. He even made a generous donation to the observatory, with their names engraved side by side.
Outside the door, the woman's moans became more melodic. I could only bury my face in my pillow, letting my tears quietly soak through the cloth.
Once upon a time, Cedric had done the same things for me.
On my twenty-fifth birthday, when he learned that my adoptive mother had never celebrated it, he made it up to me with twenty-five gifts, from the longevity lock of my first year to a luxury yacht for my twenty-fifth.
That man said he wanted to make up for all the warmth I had missed.
I still remember him kissing my cheek on that yacht deck, his eyes so sincere I felt I could drown in them. He whispered, "Macie, from now on, I will be your harbor. I want to give you the happiest home."
I believed him. I offered up half my life and a heart full of passion, only to find that at fifty years old, it was all nothing more than a fleeting illusion.
第4章
###Chapter 4
The next morning, just as I stepped out of the bedroom, I saw Cedric coming out of the guest room.
He carefully helped Sandra to the living room sofa and instructed the maid, his voice unusually tense. "Sandra caught a chill after standing in the rain last night. Quickly call Dr. Lane!"
Meanwhile, I hadn't slept a wink, my face ashen from morning sickness, yet he seemed oblivious.
Standing at the turn of the stairs, my eyes locked onto Sandra's. She was dressed in a thin silk nightgown that revealed her fair, dazzling legs, while her neck and collarbone were covered in suggestive red marks.
Although we are the same age, she had been so meticulously cared for and pampered that she looked barely thirty, radiating charm and elegance.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught my reflection in the wall mirror. I didn't realize when my dark hair had begun to turn gray, or when wrinkles had quietly crept onto my face.
I clenched my fists and walked toward them, step by step. I said, "Cedric, I don't want to attend that party."
The man, who was busy peeling an apple for Sandra, suddenly looked grim. "This is a thoughtful gift Sandra prepared for us. Don't let her down," he replied coldly.
A thoughtful gift? Was it including the "thought" that destroyed me?
A dull pain throbbed in my chest as I muttered, "You two can go yourselves."
As soon as she finished speaking, Sandra's eyes reddened, her voice pitiful. "I know you hate me for taking the position of the Lancaster Family's daughter, but wasn't what you did to me back then enough?"
Upon hearing this, Cedric's face grew even colder.
He pulled the pitiful Sandra closer, his gaze like a knife shooting at me. "Macie, are you going to use the same old tricks again? Are you only satisfied with using those despicable methods to drive Sandra away once more?"
"I didn't … "
"Shut up!" His icy gaze pressed against my belly, each word uttered with undeniable pressure. "Tell me you will attend."
Tears welled up in my eyes, but I bit my lower lip hard. Under the weight of his stare, I finally gave a difficult nod.
His expression softened slightly at that.
When the family doctor arrived in a hurry, Cedric draped his coat over Sandra's shoulders and turned to me. "From today on, you will stay home and focus on your pregnancy. Sandra will take over your duties as my secretary. She will do a great job."
Before I could object, he had already led Sandra towards the doctor.
I sat alone in the empty living room for a long time, then remembered I had left some personal belongings at the company, so I decided to retrieve them.
When I arrived outside the CEO's office, I found the door slightly ajar. Looking inside, I saw Sandra sitting in Cedric's leather swivel chair, livestreaming on her phone.
She wore a brand-new ruby headband, her smile elegant yet sorrowful. "The position of Mrs. Larkin should have always belonged to me. It was my stepsister who stole my happiness with dirty tricks. I wasn't the 'other woman,' she is."
Sandra lifted her hand to wipe away tears that didn't exist, her eyes full of melancholy. "She married Cedric only for money. As for me? I had already chosen him from a very young age."
I opened my own phone and saw her supporters flooding the screen with heart-wrenching comments. In contrast, others launched a barrage of abuse at me, even demanding I be sent to prison.
Later, Sandra shook her head tolerantly. "But she is still my sister in name, so let's just leave it be."
Her performance was enough to put Oscar-winning actresses to shame.
Just then, Cedric walked out of the private lounge. Sandra immediately ended the livestream, smiled sweetly and naturally sat down on his lap.
Watching their entangled figures, I no longer fled in panic like I had the day before. Instead, I raised my phone, aimed the camera at them and pressed the record button.
第5章
###Chapter 5
Suddenly, Cedric's sharp gaze swept over and his expression shifted in an instant. He abruptly pushed Sandra aside and strode toward me, snatching the phone from my hand.
"Password!" that man demanded, his voice low and thick with suppressed rage.
Ever since the day we started our relationship, the password to every device I owned had been the date he proposed to me.
However, I remained silent, my lips pressed firmly together.
He tried several combinations, but after they all failed, his face grew increasingly grim. "Tell me! What is the password?"
"It is the day you first told me 'I love you,'" I replied.
Cedric was stunned. The anger on his face froze, then twisted into a mixture of confusion and a desperate attempt to remember.
It was clear that he had long forgotten it completely.
Strangely, I didn't feel the disappointment I expected. I simply reached out, took my phone back and tapped the screen to unlock it.
Cedric's lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something. Still, in the end, he grabbed the phone back and roughly deleted the video.
I looked up and stared at him, asking, "Is there nothing you need to explain to me about what you and my adoptive sister were doing in there?"
Cedric's expression shifted, from guilt to anger, finally settling into a harsh tone. "It was just a joke between friends, is it worth making such a fuss about?"
A joke? Was it a joke when she sat on his lap? Was it a joke that he cheated and betrayed me over and over again?
Staring at the man I'd loved for half my life, a bitter sadness welled up inside me. Just then, my brother, William, walked in, unaware that I was behind the door.
He exclaimed, "Congratulations, my dear sister! You're finally going to have a child! I've already prepared the best gift for my future nephew, a castle. He's going to love it."
Of course, his "nephew" wasn't the one in my belly.
William draped an arm around Sandra's shoulders, looking radiant. "After all these years, that woman is finally useful for something. At least her belly … "
My heart tightened again and again.
So, it turned out that my own blood-related brother had known everything all along. Not only did he tacitly allow it, but he even cheered for them.
Noticing the strange atmosphere, William finally sensed something was wrong. He turned his head and saw me standing there. His smile instantly vanished, replaced by undisguised disgust.
"Macie, why aren't you at home resting during your pregnancy? What are you doing here, causing trouble?" he sneered.
Sandra pointed a trembling finger at me, her voice breaking. "I didn't know Macie hated me this much. She was hiding outside the door, secretly filming me. Is she trying to do something to me again?"
William's eyes turned colder. "I have never seen a woman as wicked as you. Apologize to Sandra now!"
At some point, a crowd of employees had gathered at the door, their whispers surging like a tide.
"Can't she keep a little dignity at her age? Back then, she was the one who used dirty tricks to force Sandra away," someone mocked quietly.
"Yeah, I heard it was on the very day Mr. Larkin was supposed to propose to her. Sandra was tormented by two men for a whole day and night. I don't know how she survived," another added.
"You just can't stand seeing Sandra doing well, can you?" another sharp voice interrupted, Cedric's eyes burning with rage. "Twenty-five years! Why won't you let her go?"
Those harsh accusations and contemptuous glances pinned me to the spot, leaving me nowhere to escape. I could barely breathe.
"I didn't. She was the one who orchestrated all of that." I tried to defend myself, but the surging murmurs drowned out my voice.
Cedric's face darkened even more. "Macie, do you think everyone is as shameless as you? You have no dignity, but Sandra does!"
Sandra curled up against my brother's shoulder, looking utterly pitiful as a victim. Meanwhile, I became the only clown and sinner in this whirlpool.
Then, she let out a terrified gasp, though a glint of triumph flashed in her eyes. "I'll get on my knees and beg you, okay? Please don't hurt me anymore! I'll give William and Cedric back to you, Macie."
Her knees buckled as she made a show of kneeling before me.
"Sandra!" Cedric cried out.
As he rushed to catch her, his arm slammed violently into my stomach. Caught off guard, I fell heavily to the ground, yet they did not spare me a single glance.
Cedric quickly scooped up the terrified Sandra and rushed to the hospital with her.
Suddenly, a stabbing pain shot through my lower abdomen and I felt a sudden dampness between my legs.
No, my baby!
I reached out toward Cedric in a desperate plea. "Cedric, my stomach hurts so much."
But he continued carrying the person in his arms, his figure quickly vanishing at the end of the hallway without a single backward glance.
第6章
###Chapter 6
No one was willing to help me. So, in the end, I had to call the ambulance myself.
I awoke from my daze and heard the nurse's gentle voice beside me. "Don't worry, the baby is stable for now."
Only then did half my heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settle.
After the nurse left, hushed footsteps were heard outside the door. Immediately after, I heard Cedric giving orders. "Today, get rid of the thing in her belly."
The doctor hesitated. "Mr. Larkin, at Madam's age, conceiving is truly difficult and her body can't withstand such trauma. Perhaps you could reconsider …"
Still, Cedric interrupted him with a tone that allowed no room for argument. "Sandra is emotionally unstable because this woman provoked her. A child of ours is the best way to comfort her."
The doctor lowered his voice even more, filled with pity. "But Madam has been on medication for years and has undergone multiple surgeries. Her uterus is fragile. If we force an abortion and immediately perform embryo transfer, her body may not be able to handle it."
Cedric's voice remained as cold as a heartless machine. "Use whatever medicine is necessary and whatever means required. I know this will damage her significantly, but this is what she owes Sandra and she should have repaid it long ago. Once the child is born, I will give her a generous sum of money. After all, isn't that exactly what she wants?"
Lying on the hospital bed, I clutched my belly tightly with both hands as silent tears soaked my pillow. After twenty-five years of marriage, it turned out that in Cedric's heart, I was nothing more than a greedy piece of merchandise that could be paid off with cash.
As the conversation outside faded away, I forced myself to sit up and dialed Frank's number. My voice cracked with suppressed sobs, "I can't wait ten days anymore! He wants to destroy everything I have right now!"
The man on the other end was silent for a moment before his steady, reassuring voice came through. "Give me two more days. In two days, I will definitely come to get you."
That promise finally allowed me a small moment to breathe.
Just as I hung up and prepared to run away, the sharp sound of high heels approached.
Sandra, dressed in a champagne-colored haute couture suit, walked in with a smile, carrying a thermos. "Macie, shall we make peace? Look, I personally went to the kitchen to cook some soup for you."
She opened the lid to reveal thick seafood soup. That woman knew that I was severely allergic to seafood. She was doing this on purpose.
"Eat it yourself!" I snapped, angrily slamming the thermos open. With a loud "clatter," the container tumbled to the floor, splashing seafood soup everywhere.
Sandra immediately clutched her hand, pinching it hard with the fingers of her other hand.
Instantly, she appeared to be in pain, her eyes brimming with tears as she cried out and stepped back. "I came here to apologize to you. Why do you still want to hurt me?"
Cedric rushed into the room. The moment he saw the red marks on the back of Sandra's hand, he didn't even stop to think before raising his hand and delivering a harsh slap to my face. "You malicious woman! You brought this on yourself!"
My cheek stung with a burning pain and my ears rang. Before I could even react, a group of people in white coats swarmed into the room and reached for me.
"What are you doing? Let me go! Cedric! You can't do this! This is your child!" I screamed.
An unprecedented terror swallowed me whole. I struggled wildly, crying and shouting. Alas, I was like a moth caught in a spider's web and all resistance was in vain.
Sandra snuggled into Cedric's arms, looking at him with a dependent and sorrowful expression. But when she turned her gaze toward me, a victorious smile played on her lips.
"Madam, we are just giving you a checkup. Please do not get too excited," the lead doctor said, averting his eyes.
"Liars! You are all murderers!" I cried.
As they pinned me down and pushed me toward the surgical gurney, I used every ounce of my strength to grab the hem of Cedric's coat. "Cedric, I beg of you ... for the sake of these twenty-five years."
He looked down at my fingers, which had turned white from gripping so hard. Even so, there wasn't a hint of emotion in his eyes. Then, one by one, he pried my fingers away.
The last bit of warmth vanished as his fingertips detached from mine.
As I was pushed toward the operating room doors at the end of the hallway, desperate tears blurred all the light around me.
第7章
###Chapter 7
I have lost my child forever.
Even as I lay in the hospital ward, the warm sunlight streaming in could not melt the ice around my heart.
At that moment, Cedric paced into the room. "The party the day after tomorrow will proceed as scheduled. After all, it represents the reputation of the Larkin Enterprise and many members of high society will be attending. You cannot be absent."
When I offered no response at all, he reached out to brush a strand of hair from my ear and added, "If you behave yourself, I will find a way to let you conceive another child."
I wanted to laugh. Did Cedric really think I was unaware of the schemes they were plotting?
I looked at him, but my eyes no longer held even a trace of lingering affection; instead, they were filled with deathly indifference.
For some reason, his heart tightened slightly. Just as he was about to say something comforting, the doctor called him out.
A moment later, the familiar sound of high heels entered the room. I closed my eyes and ignored Sandra's presence.
"Look at you, half-dead and barely alive. How pitiful," she mocked.
That woman leaned close to my ear, but no matter what tricks she played, I had decided not to respond. Still, her breath slid into my ear like the hiss of a poisonous snake.
"I think you'd be interested in knowing the truth about your parents' deaths back then," she whispered again.
My head began to throb. Hadn't my parents died in an accidental yacht explosion? Could it be?
The terrifying thought had barely surfaced when Sandra's voice continued in my ears. "Sigh, I didn't want those two old bastards dead either. If you want to blame someone, blame them for discovering that I wasn't their biological daughter."
"They even caught me partying with some guys at a bar and they actually told me to get lost, saying they'd bring you back!"
Sandra continued callously, "Those two old fools ... I called them 'Mom' and 'Dad' for over twenty years, yet they were so heartless. So, I had someone tamper with their yacht. I didn't expect it to actually work. What a pity, the only two old folks in this world who loved you are long gone."
Anger surged through my veins and I could no longer control my rage. I leapt from the bed and lunged at her, grabbing her neck tightly. "I'm going to kill you, you bitch! I will avenge my parents, avenge my child!"
At that moment, Cedric returned, holding a small, palm-sized box. Seeing me trying to strangle Sandra, he grabbed me by the collar and dragged me into the bathroom without a shred of mercy.
He scoffed, "You never change! I originally wanted to give you something to remember the child by, but now, there is no need."
With those words, he opened the box. My body shuddered violently as I saw it. That was a tiny life that had come out of my own body.
"No, don't do this! Cedric, I beg of you!"
I clung desperately to his legs, pleading in a frenzy. However, my husband did not even look at me. Instead, he turned toward the toilet and, with chilling indifference, flushed that small mass of flesh away.
In that instant, I coughed up blood. My parents, my child, I used to have them all, but now, they are all gone.
Seeing the pool of bright red blood on the floor, Cedric hesitated for a brief moment, shock flashing across his face.
"Macie." He stretched out a hand, seemingly about to pull me up from the floor of my despair.
"My neck hurts so much, I can't breathe!" Sandra cut in, clutching her neck before collapsing into Cedric's arms.
The sight of the vivid red marks on her neck instantly snapped him back to his senses. "Don't be afraid. I'll call a doctor to look at you," he comforted her.
Cedric's gaze turned cold again as he looked at me. Without hesitation, he withdrew his hand, protecting Sandra as they walked away.
Watching their retreating figures, I was no longer disappointed; only hatred filled my chest.
I staggered back to the bedside and dialed Frank's number. I told him everything that had happened, my voice dripping with blood and tears. "I want them to experience a hundred times the pain I have suffered! I want them to pay a price in blood!"
The man replied with absolute certainty, "I swear, I will make them pay back this debt of blood in full."
第8章
###Chapter 8
After hanging up the phone, I took a taxi home and quickly packed my luggage. As for the things Cedric gave me, I didn't want any of them.
Then, I waited quietly for the day of the party—the very moment of my departure.
I put on a black dress, which shocked the maid when she saw me. "Madam, today is your wedding anniversary party with Mr. Larkin. Isn't this dress a bit inappropriate?"
I just replied nonchalantly, "Should I wear extravagant clothes to 'mourn' my child when her first week of passing hasn't even ended?"
The maid's eyes instantly reddened. "Madam, please accept my condolences."
I handed her a USB drive and instructed, "Once the party begins, play this. It contains memories of Cedric and me being 'deeply in love.'"
"Yes, Madam, I will make sure it's done," she said, carefully tucking the drive away before heading out.
The back garden was dazzling with lights. Sandra, arm in arm with Cedric, dressed in matching silver outfits, greeted the guests with a beaming smile. It was as if she were the true hostess.
Seeing me dressed in all black, Cedric frowned and warned me impatiently, "Tonight is very important. If you want to keep your status as Mrs. Larkin, you'd better behave."
My seventy-year-old foster mother was also there. She scanned me with an arrogant gaze and remarked, "Still such a low-class thing, even after all these decades."
Before I could answer, Sandra offered a polite smile.
"Don't take it to heart," she said softly. "Macie just feels that I stole Cedric away after I came back. Ultimately, it's all my fault."
Her generosity only deepened his sympathy for her and Cedric's disgust toward me.
"You're the one who did something wrong," he said coldly, staring at me. "You can't blame anyone else."
Yes, I was wrong.
Wrong for being blind and foolish, for trusting false affection and for not handing over the empty title of "Mrs. Larkin" sooner.
I slightly twitched the corner of my mouth and walked silently to the corner.
Cedric stared at my retreating figure, suddenly realizing that I had lost a lot of weight in just a few days. The silhouette before him seemed to merge with the memory of the first time he had seen me, lonely as a ghost at the Lancasters' residence years ago, making his heart twitch inexplicably.
I sat alone in the corner, waiting for the party to officially begin and counting down until Frank's arrival.
Suddenly, a terrified scream from Sandra echoed from the pool area. "No! Who are you? Did my sister send you? Cedric, help!"
Cedric, who was greeting guests, spun around to see her being dragged away by two men. The dress over her chest had been torn to shreds, exposing a large area of skin.
The man's eyes widened in fury and he rushed over, punching the two men to the ground several times.
The bodyguards quickly secured the scene. Meanwhile, the two men collapsed to the ground, pointing at me in the corner. "It's Madam Macie. She paid us to ruin this lady at the party!"
I backed away, knowing something was wrong. This must be another of Sandra's schemes.
Cedric's gaze shot toward me as if he wanted to swallow me alive. "Seize her!"
Not long after, I was bound hand and foot by the bodyguards and thrown into the dark, damp warehouse.
The door opened again and Cedric appeared, protecting the tearful Sandra, followed by several burly men. When I saw those faces that had haunted my nightmares, my blood froze and I trembled uncontrollably.
Right then, my wicked sister secretly flashed a malicious smile.
I shook my head frantically with tears in my eyes. "Cedric, it wasn't me ... it really wasn't me! Please, don't do this!"
But the coldness in Cedric's eyes just deepened. "This is just giving you a taste of your own medicine."
After saying that, he stopped looking at me and led Sandra out the door.
In the darkness that isolated me from everything, those filthy laughs drew closer. "You're getting old, but I didn't expect you to still have such charm."
"Get away, you jerks!" I screamed.
Unfortunately, my arms were pinned down by hands like iron claws and my desperate struggles were in vain.
At that moment, a loud crash shattered the window glass. Several tall, swift figures burst through and subdued the men in an instant.
It was Frank! He had finally arrived.
That man strode over and pulled me, trembling like a leaf, to my feet. "Am I too late?"
My face was deathly pale and I collapsed into his arms, utterly exhausted. "No, you're just in time."
He took off his coat to wrap around me, a beastly fire burning in his eyes. "Don't worry, I will make them regret this for the rest of their lives."
As we left the warehouse, Frank placed a lit torch into my hand.
Without any hesitation, I raised my arm and threw it behind me. Flames instantly surged upward, devouring screams and the past.
"Let's go," I said softly, never turning back.
By the time Cedric discovered the warehouse was on fire, the woman he had deceived for half his life had already "died" in the blaze. And he would soon learn exactly what was rising from the ashes.