Chapter 1
On my birthday, I was kidnapped by criminals and tortured alive for three days and three nights. When I was rescued, I was naked and dirty.
My husband, Chaiden Wright rushed to the scene. He roared to help me drive away the reporters. With his eyes full of pain, he took me in his arms and proposed to me on the spot.
On the way back, I fell asleep in Chaiden's car. I heard him and his personal bodyguard talking when I was in a half-asleep state.
“Chaiden, we drugged your wife and found someone to defile her. Aren't we doing too much? Even if you want to ruin my sister-in-law's reputation for the sake of that woman, we can still think of other ways, right?”
Chaiden gently stroked my back. He then looked at my face.
He replied in a deep voice, “The most important thing for a woman is chastity. You must know that if you want to ruin a woman's reputation, there is no other way except this.”
Chaiden took a breath for a while. “But it doesn’t matter. I can give her the marriage she wants and make up for her for the rest of my life. I think it's enough.”
I couldn’t believe what I heard at that moment. My tears slipped down. But my heart was chilled to the bone. I didn't realize that the happy marriage I longed for so much, in the end, was my own hand burying my grave.
——
“Chaiden, you can take my sister-in-law to our company's hospital right now. There are our own people there.”
Chaiden replied, “Okay, we will go to the public hospital.”
“The public hospital is crowded, Chaiden. There are many people in that hospital. Those reporters must have been waiting there long ago. Who knows how those unscrupulous media will make up stories about your wife.”
He replied again briefly, “I know there are many people and eyes in the public hospital, but it's a good thing. This thing has come to this point. The final kick must be kicked well, right? So that I can completely break my relationship with Aurelie Solstice. Annette also can feel at ease being my wife.”
His interlocutor replied indifferently, “Don’t talk any more, Chaiden. I'm tired. You also have to take a rest.”
I was shocked at that moment. I bit my lower lip tightly to prevent myself from making any sound.
The familiar warmth coming from Chaiden's body was scaring me at the moment. I still remember this car that once held so much laughter between Chaiden and me. Unfortunately, it was like hell on earth at this moment.
I finally understood why after Maverick Bentley cheated on me and we divorced. Then Chaiden, the pride of the world, was so obsessed with me. He always pestered me in every way.
Now it seems that it wasn't love at all. It was just a way to help Annette Ainsworth clear her obstacles.
The two men I had loved with all my efforts in the first half of my life, actually, were thinking about the same woman in their heart. Unfortunately, that woman was not me.
Thinking about this, the nauseating feeling churned in my heart and stomach. I couldn't help it after all. I grabbed the car seat and leaned over. I then began to retch violently.
The sound of my voice made the originally sleeping Chaiden instantly wake up. He quickly leaned over and gently patted me on the back.
Chaiden then asked softly at me, “Baby, what's wrong? Where do you feel uncomfortable? Just hold on a little longer, okay? We will be at the hospital soon”
As he said that, he picked up my usual cup next to the driver's seat. He then handed it to me. The temperature of the water in the cup was just right. Chaiden would always control this kind of detail very well.
Chaiden said as he moved closer to me, “Baby, slow down a bit, okay?”
I heard him call me baby one by one. The nausea swept over me again.
After a few minutes, I finally felt better. I looked out the window. I then realized that the car happened to pass by the hospital owned by the Volkswagen Group.
Chaiden’s body was slightly stiff. But soon he held me in his arms with a normal look. He gently tidied the hair around my ears.
He then explained to me in a soft voice, “My baby, the medical level of the group's doctors in this hospital is still limited. Now that we finally got you back, I don't want you to have any more failures, okay? I've made an appointment with the best expert for you. Let's have a good checkup.”
Chaiden patted my head softly. He then looked at me.
“Don't worry, my baby. I will help you stop all the reporters behind you like I just did now.”
Chapter 2
A soft kiss landed on my cheek after he said that. I turned my head over to look out the window for a while. Then I sighed helplessly in my heart.
What can I say? After three years of marriage, I had been kept like a canary in a cage by Chaiden. I could only control the credit card with a monthly limit of millions of dollars.
For the rest, I had been powerless. I slightly pulled up the corners of my mouth. I then agreed with Chaiden's words.
“Okay, you can arrange it, baby.”
Chaiden was very satisfied with my previous obedience and gentleness. He slightly moved his body to look at the bodyguard driving through the rearview mirror.
He ordered, “Albert, go to the hospital in a while and protect your sister-in-law.”
Albert Harrison nodded after meeting Chaiden's eyes through the rearview mirror. But after a few seconds, he gave me a meaningful look. Of course, I knew the meaning behind that look. It was probably the guilt in the heart of a person with a conscience.
The car quickly drove into North Macedonia's first hospital. It was the most famous hospital in the country. In addition to the crowd of journalists, there were also huge crowds of people.
As soon as I got out of the car, I was surrounded by reporters. Albert and Chaiden did stand in front of me. But how could the strength of two people resist? It wasn't long before Albert collapsed in the crowd. The reporter's cameras were pointed all over my face.
“Mrs. Aurelie, may I ask, on your birthday you were taken by criminals, right? Was it because you were too exposed that day that attracted the attention of the criminals?
“Mrs. Aurelie, Mr. Chaiden just said that the gangsters didn't do anything to you. But looking at those marks on your body, adults understand. Did Mr. Chaiden tell a kind lie to protect you?”
“Mrs. Aurelie, do you think your marriage status with Mr. Chaiden will change after this incident?”
“Mrs. Aurelie, if Mr. Chaiden continues to love you as much as he always has after this incident, then you won't be able to repay this favour in three lifetimes, am I right?”
These words pierced my heart like a knife. I looked at Chaiden in front of me. He was desperately trying his best to shield me from the reporters at this moment.
It made me think of the words he said to Albert in the car just now. My tears were falling down my face. I couldn’t believe the man I had devoted my life to, actually brought me the biggest storm in my life. It was ridiculous.
I was like a stray dog without an owner at this moment. I just curled up in the crowd. I let those reporters' feet step on my clothes and body.
“Albert, what are you doing?”
Albert finally stood up from the crowd, after hearing a furious shout from Chaiden. The two of them worked so well together.
***
I had accompanied Chaiden countless times to deal with these reporters. So I was familiar with them. I knew that everything the reporters wanted to film had already been filmed. It didn't matter if I didn't say a word.
The reporter's pen would give the answer that Chaiden wants. I knew the trending topic was about the unchaste rich woman, the devoted and domineering CEO. Because it has always been the favourite material of the media
The reporters naturally didn't dare to make Chaiden unhappy. So just after that roar, the reporters who surrounded the area also gradually dispersed.
Chaiden immediately stepped forward to help me up from the ground. While helping me clean up the dirt on my body, he softly consoled me, “Baby, don’t take those people’s words to heart. What those people said is not true. I will only love you more than ever after this.”
After saying that, he turned around and kicked Albert's body. On the other hand, I just silenced.
Chapter 3
“Albert, I told you in the car to protect your sister-in-law, right? How do you do your job? If you do it one more time, you must go back home and don’t follow me anymore. Don’t do useless things!”
The acting was really good. The specialists from the hospital have been waiting for a long time. When they saw me arrive, they took me to do a series of examinations.
After a few hours, the doctor left Chaiden alone in the room. I stood in the doorway while Albert went to pay the bill and heard the doctor’s words.
The doctor said, “The uterus has rotted away, Mr. Chaiden. Your wife is already pregnant now. But we couldn't save the baby. Unfortunately, there will be no more children in the future. The psychiatrist said that your wife's mental state is also out of order or problematic. She talks to herself from time to time, Mr. Chaiden.”
Chaiden still focused on hearing the doctor’s words.
“She is also afraid of contact with strangers. This is far beyond the scope of post-traumatic stress disorder. Therefore, try to control public opinion after returning to avoid causing secondary harm to your wife. It is not difficult for your Wright Family to do this.”
I couldn't hear what the doctor said after that. I was actually pregnant when the accident happened. I stroked my flat belly. It turned out that Chaiden not only harmed me but also killed my child.
I staggered to the corridor of the hospital. My feet went limp and I collapsed in the corridor. A few minutes later, Albert's familiar voice came from the corridor.
“Chaiden, as you wish, Aurelie really can not have another child anymore. I just did not expect that my sister-in-law already has a child in her belly. We have another human life on our hands. What a sin.”
Chaiden didn’t want to reply to Albert's words. After a few moments of silence, Albert stammered and asked with hesitation, “Also, Chaiden, the doctor has said that those reporters… should we...should we let them publish it in the media?”
“Yes, publish it now.”
After Chaiden finished speaking, the two people left. After calming down, I took out my cell phone. I found a job invitation sent by a foreign animation studio half a year ago and chose to accept it.
A few minutes later, I received a reply email from the other side. According to the time on the email, I booked a flight for myself two days later.
I said in my heart, “Without love, the cage of love has completely become a shackle. Then there is no longer a need to linger.”
Just after booking the ticket, I received a call from Chaiden. The tone of Chaiden on the other end of the phone sounded anxious.
“Baby, where have you been? I can't find you for a long time.”
I answered, “I am at the hospital, my love. I just came out to get some fresh air. I saw you before I went out.”
“Please, don’t go anywhere without my permission, my baby.”
***
After getting into the car, Chaiden pulled me into his arms. He hugged me tightly.
“Baby, don't let me worry anymore, okay?”
At that moment I forcefully held back my tears and nodded. Chaiden then asked Albert to drive the car back home.
As soon as I entered the courtyard gate, I saw my mother-in-law, Isabelle Potter, arranging flowers in the garden. Annette was playing a hand at the side to help Isabelle.
“Baby, when something happened to you, my mom was worried about you and had to come over to take a look. You know, Annette Ainsworth is a graduate student majoring in psychology, so I specially asked her to come and talk to you.”
I just silenced. But in my heart, I said, “If I were to ask my mother-in-law to name the person she hates the most, it would definitely be me, Chaiden. So she would not be so kind as to come to see me.”
Sure enough, as soon as I got out of the car, Isabelle walked over with Annette’s hand on her arm. She then looked at my face with contempt and disgust.
My mother-in-law shouted, “How dare you come back after being victimized by another man like that, Aurelie? You should have died outside to make room for our Annette.”
Hearing my mother-in-law say this, Chaiden gently took me in his arms.
“Mom, look at you, you always have a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Can't you say something good to Aurelie if you care about her?”
My mother-in-law shook her sleeves a few times with force. She still looked at me full of hatred and anger.