Chapter 7
Gabriel didn’t come back until 9:30 the next morning.
The housekeeper approached him
cautiously. “Sir, Ma’am left you a wedding anniversary present. It’s inside the study safe.”
Gabriel froze, the realization hitting him. ‘Wait, is today our anniversary?‘
In past years, it had always been Violet pushing to celebrate, while he never really cared much.
A heavy weight settled in his chest as he recalled how frail she’d looked in the hospital. Almost like compelled by some unseen force, he headed straight to the
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study.
He opened the safe and immediately saw a notebook.
Words on the pages seemed to jump at him.
[Gabriel, I loved you for seven years. Back then, I was just the maid’s daughter and felt unworthy of you. Then I became the Martins‘ heiress, but you still didn’t accept me.]
[When I was only the maid’s daughter, Ruby bullied me relentlessly. Whenever I was punished and forced to kneel, you were the one who stood up for me. You were always there when I needed someone–that’s when I fell in love with you.]
[But after I returned as the rightful Martins daughter, you started to resent me. You thought I had taken Ruby’s place. But the
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Martins are my family–they’re my home. Coming back wasn’t wrong.]
[I knew you cared for Ruby. At one point, I believed I had no chance. Then she gave up on you, and you chose me. I thought that if I tried hard enough, you would learn to love me too. But I was mistaken…]
[So I made a promise to myself: if you hurt me ninety–nine times, I would walk away forever.]
Gabriel’s hands trembled as he flipped through the pages, emotions crashing inside him.
Each entry documented how he’d hurt her all the way up to the 99th.
By the last page, his eyes burned red.
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So… she had known all along. She’d been playing along with him while quietly preparing to leave every day.
Beneath the notebook lay three papers:
The divorce agreement.
The resignation letter.
The miscarriage report.
At that very moment, Gabriel’s composure shattered as tears poured down his face uncontrollably.
He was the one who had signed both agreements personally.
And the baby… they actually had a baby?
A sudden gust from the open window flipped
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the notebook to its last page.
There, in Violet’s fragile handwriting, the words seemed to stare directly back at him:
[100th disappointment: My baby’s gone.]
[It’s time I leave too.]
[Gabriel, let’s never see each other again.]
His hand shook violently, causing everything he held to crash loudly onto the floor.
He kept whispering to himself, “This can’t be… She loved me so much… Why would she walk away?”
Driven by desperation, he tore through every inch of the villa, searching hopelessly–but she was nowhere to be found.
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He rifled through the wardrobe.
Checked her makeup table.
Even looked for the lilies she always cherished.
All gone.
Every trace of her vanished completely and utterly.
The servants watched him, wide–eyed and unsettled, as he spiraled out of control until one cautiously approached and asked, “Sir… is there something you’re looking for?”
Gabriel didn’t answer, lost entirely in his own world.
“I lost her…” he muttered to himself. “I lost Violet…”
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hough unaware of what had happened etween them, a servant offered gently, “Sir… e anaybe try calling Ma’am?”
That suggestion snapped Gabriel out of his daze. He quickly dialed Violet’s number, only to be greeted by the cold, robotic voice of an automated message:
“The number you have dialed is no longer in service.”
He froze in disbelief.
He hadn’t expected her to sever ties so completely.
The servants tried calling other numbers, but every line was disconnected.
Gabriel’s eyes burned, his throat parched,
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dwords failing him.
Hadn’t he wanted her to leave all along?
So why did it feel like his heart was breaking in two?
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Violet had no friends in Velmora. If she’d left, the only place left for her was back to the Martins.
Without a second thought, Gabriel sprang to his feet, swallowed his emotions, and rushed toward the Martins‘ estate.
Inside the Drake family mansion, Xavier carried Violet’s bags and gently took her hand as they stepped inside.
The Bennetts were rich, sure–but the Drakes stood at the very pinnacle of society.
Even Violet’s own father would bow his head in respect before Xavier.
“This master bedroom used to be mine,” Xavier said as he led her inside. “It was pretty plain before, but I had it completely
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redone these past few days. I think it suits your style now.”
“If
you don’t like it, I’ll find you somewhere else. We can decorate it however you want.”
“I’ve moved into the room right next door. If you need anything at night, just call for me.”
Violet’s nose tingled, and her eyes grew misty.
She’d spent her childhood sleeping in the servants‘ storage room.
Her dream was always to have a room fit for a princess.
But neither the Martins nor the Bennetts had ever made that dream come true.
And yet now… without her saying a word,
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alija
a®
ative ti nint
edwa
ad already prepared everything.
NOV 19V9he thought quietly. wemo this is what it means to be truly
u
en to the tear in her eye, Xavier panicked,
ng he’d done something wrong. “What’s
ng? You don’t like it? I’ll tear it down if
VS 19 want.”
ala bo
spun around sharply. “Someone-”
iolet chuckled softly, stopping him. “I never said I didn’t like it. I’m just… touched. Take me upstairs, please.”
Xavier visibly relaxed, a small smile breaking through as he led her upstairs.
The bedroom walls were painted a soft blush pink.
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“Thank you, Xavier,” she whispered. “Thank you for loving me all these years. From now on, I’ll make it up to you.”
Hearing this, Xavier’s lips curved into a soft smile as he embraced her waist.
“Violet, you said it yourself. In just two weeks, we’re registering our marriage.”
She nodded. “Alright. But before that… I have one request. Let’s keep our relationship private for now.”
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