After speaking, my gaze turned fierce.
“I don’t want any ties with the Chen family anymore, but as a former prospective daughter–in–law, I should send a gift.”
Those painful memories still flowed clearly through my veins. How could I not make them pay a little?
Asher sat absentmindedly at the dressing table, constantly checking his phone, a hint of impatience between his brows.
“Damn it!”
He cursed softly, swiping irritably at the screen.
“Still no response?”
Asher looked up, asking the secretary who was verifying the wedding process behind him.
“Are you talking about Miss Adeline? She has already declined.”
“What!”
Asher frowned, unwilling to believe it, “How could she not come? Did you make sure the invitation got to her?”
His voice rose with his emotions, questioning.
Since Adeline left, he felt something was missing inside. Returning home, he no longer found the familiar face waiting for him, no caring words, no soft, flattering voice.
In recent days, he often remembered the girl from his youth, the pretty and innocent girl who followed him around, calling
“Brother Asher.”
He was annoyed, yet refused to admit his feelings for Adeline, numbing himself with alcohol and cigarettes to avoid thinking about their past.
“Asher.”
Lost in thought, Cora, wearing her wedding dress, entered the room.
Asher snapped back to reality, putting down his phone.
“Why are you here?” He didn’t praise the bride’s beauty, instead feeling a bit unnatural.
These past few days, I find myself constantly thinking about my teenage years. A pretty, innocent girl would follow me, calling out, “Asher.”
I was so annoyed, yet I refused to admit my feelings for Adeline. Instead, I turned to alcohol and cigarettes to distract myself from our memories together.
“Asher.”
11:27 AM
<
Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t notice Cora entering the room in her wedding dress.
Asher snapped back to reality, setting his phone aside.
“What are you doing here?” He didn’t compliment the bride standing before him, looking slightly uneasy instead.
Cora noticed his gaze fixed on the chat box with Adeline, a flash of resentment in her eyes.
“I came to see what you were up to. What were you just looking at?”
“Nothing.”
Asher replied nonchalantly, sounding rather listless.
Cora clenched her fists, then quickly composed herself, taking Asher’s hand.
“Asher, I can’t believe we’re actually getting married. I always feel unworthy of you. I don’t have a good family background or
beauty. You wouldn’t look down on me, would you?”
Cora played the victim, blinking her eyes pitifully.
“Of course not. You’re my first love, my true love. I’ll only love you more. Why worry about these things?”
“Actually, I feel like I owe you a lot.” Cora pretended to wipe her eyes and looked down. “Because I can’t give the Carter family a
child.”
“That’s nobody’s fault. Blame my bad luck. Now even my sister Adeline doesn’t want to attend the wedding. Sorry, Asher.”
Asher was momentarily taken aback, and his expression darkened.
“It’s for the best that she’s not coming! Her presence would only irritate me! My biggest regret is not making her pay for our child’s life! She made it impossible for you to have children, yet you still care about her. You’re too kind.”
Cora’s eyes lit up as she hugged Asher tightly. “I love you, Asher. Marrying you is the happiest thing for me.”
Even though Asher sppke harshly, when Cora hugged him, he momentarily imagined Adeline wearing the wedding dress. He thought he must be losing his mind.
“Go back now. The wedding will start soon.”
After Cora left, Asher let out a long sigh, deleted everything he had typed in the chat box with Adeline, and turned off his phone.
“Mr. Chen, this place…”
During the wedding countdown, the secretary was verifying the schedule with Asher. Suddenly, the door to the lounge was kicked open as Mrs. Chen stormed in with a group of people.
“You absolutely cannot marry her!”
“Grandma?
Mrs. Chen threw an envelope at Asher.
“Look at the wonderful wife vou chose! Once she’s in the Carter family will be disgraced!‘
11:27 AM
<
Mrs. Chen threw an envelope at Asher.
“Look at the wonderful wife you chose! Once she’s in, the Carter family will be disgraced!”
Mrs. Chen was trembling with anger, her face flushed, and her neck tense.
It was the first time Asher had seen his grandmother so furious. He quickly picked up the scattered papers, trying to appease her with a smile.
“Grandma, what are you saying? The wedding is about to start. I know you’ve never liked Cora, but with so many guests outside, how can we just cancel the wedding?”
Mrs. Chen snorted coldly. “Look at these filthy things! Canceling the wedding would be less humiliating than this!”
Baffled, Asher flipped through the papers in his hand. It was the report from the paternity test Cora and I had done.
“How is this possible!”
Asher suddenly exclaimed.
“Cora’s child isn’t mine!”
“No way, how could this happen!”
Asher collapsed into the chair as if drained of all strength.
“How could she betray me? Cora’s child isn’t mine… then Adeline…”
Asher suddenly realized why there was despair and hatred in her eyes when I cruelly beat her.
“Adeline’s child was yours! You ungrateful son! You killed your own child! Severing the Carter family line!”
Mrs. Chen’s voice choked, every word seemingly squeezed out through gritted teeth.
Asher clutched his head in agony, letting out a loud roar. The bloody scene from that day replayed in his mind. Why didn’t he check the paternity test first? Why didn’t he trust Adeline?
“I have one more thing that needs your decision.”
Mrs. Chen handed Asher a video, showing Cora speaking with medical staff.
“This money is your hush money. When the time comes, just swap my and Adeline’s paternity test results.”
“She thinks she can compete with me. This time, I’ll make sure she gets kicked out of the Carter family.”
After the video ended, Mrs. Chen turned away in anger. “And that’s not all. Your lover has done many unspeakable things! You think the mistakes Adeline made were all her doing! You’ve been wrongly blaming Adeline all this time!”
Asher stared in disbelief, realizing his beloved White Moonlight had completely crumbled at this moment. This was all the scheme of this wicked woman! It was her fault things ended up like this with Adeline!
Asher immediately grabbed the evidence and burst into Cora’s dressing room.
<
“Asher, you…”
Before Cora could finish, Asher grabbed her by the neck, pinning her against the wall.
“Cora! Do you know what you’ve done? I’ve been so good to you! I drove Adeline away for you. I married you against all opposition, and you betrayed me!”
Asher’s eyes were bloodshot, his expression terrifying.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Cora struggled, her words confusing.
“You don’t know?”
Asher laughed in anger, gritting his teeth.
“You really shed no tears until you see the coffin!”
He released her suddenly, and Cora collapsed to the floor, gasping for air.
“Take a good look at these! If you dare lie to me again, I guarantee your end will be far worse.”
Asher threw the pile of evidence at Cora’s feet, including some scandalous photos of her cheating.
“Slut! What else do you have to say? I was blind to drive Adeline away for you! The pain she suffered, I’ll make you experience a hundredfold!”
In panic, Cora tore the evidence apart, clinging to Asher’s leg, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Asher, let me explain. It’s not like that. This evidence is fake. The child in my womb is yours. It’s Adeline who framed me!”
“Believe me, you said I was your most beloved woman!”
Cora’s eyes were blurred with tears, yet still couldn’t earn a glance from Asher.
“Get away!” Asher kicked her aside, gripping her chin. “You really planned well, didn’t you? Carrying someone else’s bastard, using Adeline to get rid of it. Not only did you make me hate her more, but you also got rid of the bastard in your womb. You’re the first to scheme against me like this.”
“It’s not like that, Asher. I was afraid you wouldn’t love me anymore, so I didn’t dare tell you. I wasn’t willing to have that child. I was forced!”
Cora quickly changed her story, feigning weakness.
“I love you so much. How could I possibly sleep with someone else? It was Adeline who killed the child! She pushed me!”
“You’re still lying!”
Asher slapped Cora hard, leaving her stunned with pain.
“Asher…”
“You think I can’t investigate the truth? Consider the consequences of deceiving me again.”
Asher frowned, glaring at her with disgust.
11:27 AM
“I know I didn’t mean to. It’s because I love you too much. I couldn’t just watch that slut Adeline carry your child. That’s why I did it. Don’t forget, you were the one who beat your child to death, not me!”
Cora’s admission was forced out, trembling with fear under Asher’s icy gaze.
“You dare mention Adeline!”
Asher’s gaze turned cold, looking down at her.
“Seeing you disgusts me now. If it weren’t for you, Adeline and I wouldn’t be in this mess! You deserve to die.”
With that, Asher clapped his hands, and familiar bodyguards appeared.
“You love me, right? Then you shouldn’t have carried someone else’s bastard. I won’t have kids with you now. So that womb is
useless. Let’s remove it.”
Cora’s pupils shrank. Her face turned pale, lips trembling, eyes wide with terror as if hearing the most terrifying thing in the world.
“No! No!”
Cora struggled desperately, trying to escape, but when Asher shut the door, all hope vanished.
“Asher, I didn’t mean it. Please forgive me, or just let me leave. I beg you, don’t do this to me. Have you forgotten our past?”
Asher lit a cigarette, sneering.
*Those things should’ve belonged to Adeline and me. I never loved you. You were just a tool to provoke her.”
“Provoke?” Cora suddenly laughed hysterically. “You were torturing her! Now you remember beating your child to death? Regretting it? Too late! Adeline will never forgive you. You’re just a scumbag! You deserve to die horribly!”
Cora cursed like a madwoman.
“You refuse to admit loving her, using me as a shield. I know ever since she left, your heart went with her. But she hates you too much to ever reconcile. You’re just like me, ruining her happy life, a pair of wretches!”
Cora’s twisted laughter made Asher’s face grow darker with every word.
“Witch! Shut up!”
Asher grabbed a flower pot from the table and hurled it, blood instantly trickling down her face.
Cora unleashed a torrent of insults, her demeanor wild and unhinged.
“You won’t admit you’ve fallen for her, so you use me as a cover. Don’t think I don’t know your heart left with her. But she despises you and will never reconcile. You and I are both the ones who ruined her happy life!”
Cora’s malicious grin deepened Asher’s scowl with every word.
“Wretch! Be quiet!”
Asher snatched a flower pot from the table and hurled it, blood trickling down Cora’s face in an instant.
11.27 AM
<
Asher snatched a flower pot from the table and hurled it, blood trickling down Cora’s face in an instant.
“Go ahead and kill me! You’ll never be with Adeline in this lifetime! I despise her. Every time you misunderstood him, it was my handiwork, but you were foolish enough to believe me just to torment her. The chaos between you two is entirely your doing!”
“Cut out her tongue!”
