The elderly doctor, despite decades of experience, looked slightly taken aback. “No, not at all.”
But before their wedding, Trey had waved a medical report in her face, claiming she had a severe uterine condition-that she could never have children, and that even normal intercourse could cause irreparable damage.
“Even so, I’m going to marry you,” he had told her, his eyes full of tender resolve as he held her hands. “In this lifetime, I choose you.”
For that promise, she had endured the Fox family’s wrath.
She had watched her father-in-law smash a teacup, roaring, “Bringing a barren woman into this family will be the end of our bloodline!”
She had listened as her mother-in-law sobbed to relatives at family gatherings, “Trey is under a witch’s spell.”
And every time, he would just smile and reassure her, “Don’t listen to them. You have me, that’s all that matters.”
So for two years, she endured her mother-in-law’s endless insults-“a broken woman,” “useless, can’t even give my son a child”-each word a thorn festering under her skin, stealing countless nights of sleep.
…
When news of her accident reached him, Trey rushed to the hospital, tall and striking in his crisp white shirt. His visible concern should have stirred memories of their six years together.
She remembered their first meeting in Angela’s office. She was just dropping off documents for a classmate. He had looked up, given a polite nod, his dark eyes locking with hers. He hadn’t said another word.
That was followed by four years of relentless pursuit.
Trey had been the university heartthrob-handsome, brilliant, born into wealth. Combined with his fierce determination and disarming gentleness, he was practically irresistible.
Khloe, an orphan raised in cold solitude, was no exception. She had finally surrendered, melted by the heat of his devotion.
Now, seeing her dazed and unresponsive, he assumed she was in shock from the accident. He pulled her into his arms, trying to comfort her.
But Khloe recoiled instinctively, shoving him away. She rose to her feet.
“Let’s go,” she said, then strode past him.
The chest that had once been her only refuge now filled her with nothing but revulsion.
Back in the car, Trey cast her worried looks.
“What happened? You’ve always been a careful driver. What went wrong today?”
She said nothing. She kept staring at the glaring sparkle of the diamond ring on her hand.
He reached out to hold her hand, as naturally as always.
She pulled away. Again.
“Still upset with me? Fine. If you don’t want to talk, I won’t press you. We have a very important guest joining us for dinner tonight. I’ve already told the housekeeper to make all your favorites. Hopefully, that will put a smile on your face.”
He was being so gentle. And the gentler he was, the more Khloe wanted to laugh in his face.
“Come on, don’t be angry. Once we get through this IPO, I’ll make it up to you. I promise. It’s just taking all my attention right now.”
Misreading her stony silence as forgiveness, he smiled.
“Oh, I’m not angry,” she said, her voice dangerously sweet. “I’m actually quite… entertained. My life has suddenly become so much more interesting.”
Her words were laced with venom, but he was completely oblivious.
The Fox estate was a sprawling, 5,000-square-foot villa in the most exclusive riverside enclave of Goldmont City.
Every brick of it had been built on the back of Khloe’s sacrifices. She had put her own career on hold after graduation, pouring all her energy into building his company.
The moment they stepped inside, the sound of laughter floated down from the second floor.
A child’s giggle. And a woman’s soft, melodious voice.
The child was Pete Fox-the boy they had “adopted” shortly after marrying, now five years old.
Khloe looked up. And there, after five years, stood Angela.
She was wearing a teal knit dress, her long hair falling in soft waves. Time hadn’t faded her beauty; it had refined it, adding a deeper, more potent allure.
“Khloe, look who’s here!”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.