Chapter 16
Adelia turned to leave, her fingertips just touching the doorknob, when Ethan’s deep voice came from behind her.
“I already had the whole restaurant blocked off, you couldn’t get away.”
Adelia’s back suddenly stiffened.
When I turned around slowly, there was already a layer of cold frost in my eyes: “Mr. Fargeat really went to a lot of trouble just to trick me into coming here.”
Ethan felt a stab in his chest from Adelia’s unfamiliar look.
He walked up quickly, his voice hoarse, and said, “I’ve already found out about Gwen framing you, and also about your miscarriage…..”
When Adelia heard the word “miscarriage,” her chest tightened. It felt like a hand was gripping her throat so hard she couldn’t breathe.
She quickly took half a step back and put some distance between herself
and Ethan.
“So?” she asked, “What were you trying to say?”
Ethan was hurt by Adelia’s instinctive resistance and paused for a second. “Lia, the reason I was fooled by her was because I truly believed that someone who’s dying wouldn’t lie.”
“If I had known earlier that she wasn’t sick, I never would have believed
what she said…”
Adelia had wished countless times that Ethan would believe her.
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But now, when he chose to stand by her, her heart didn’t feel a thing
anymore.
“Ethan,” she said with difficulty, “whether you were bewitched by Gwen or not, the pain you brought me could never heal.”
Those wounds he kept leaving on her for Gwen made it hard for her to live in peace for a long time after.
Even when she saw Ethan now, she felt an indescribable panic inside.
“Lia…” Ethan grabbed Adelia’s wrist, “Give me one more chance, okay? I’ll make it up to you, just like before.”
Adelia’s skin stung where Ethan touched her, like she got shocked and pushed him away. The souvenir in her hand dropped to the ground.
While the two were at a standoff, someone strode over and put an arm
around Adelia’s shoulders.
Adelia was startled and realized that Vaughn had come to her side without her noticing.
“Mr. Fargeat, forcing people to do things isn’t a good habit.” His voice was calm, but there was a cold edge you couldn’t ignore.
Ethan’s face turned cold in an instant, “How did you get in?”
“Bad luck, this restaurant was owned by the Anderson Group.” Vaughn looked straight at Ethan, his voice cold as ice.
Ethan stared hard at Vaughn’s hand on Adelia’s shoulder, his chest burning with anger.
He clenched his fists and was about to step forward, but Adelia stopped him in his tracks with a cold shout.
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“Ethan, stop making a fool of yourself here!”
Who knew, Ethan just asked her back, “Did you forget that we’re not divorced yet?”
“Divorce?” When she heard that, Adelia just thought it was ridiculously funny. “When were we ever married?”
Hearing that, Ethan was struck like by lightning and just froze there.
Adelia… she actually knew?
“You really thought I’d never find out?” Adelia’s voice was shaky, “When I found out I was pregnant and went to the hospital to register, the doctor told me the marriage certificate was fake.”
“Later I went to City Hall and found out you and Gwen were the real married couple.”
She said it so calmly, like she was telling someone else’s story.
But every word was like a poisoned knife, stabbing Ethan and making
him bleed.
So Adelia already knew about it that early.
Knowing all his lousy lies, I still silently watched him act all loving around Gwen, like a complete clown.
“Ethan, you didn’t really love me.” Adelia’s voice was soft, “You were just touched by everything I did for you in those four years and felt guilty toward me.”
“The one you loved, from beginning to end, was always Gwen.”
Adelia turned and walked away, her clothes stirring up a cold breeze.
Ethan was just about to go after him when Vaughn stopped him.
“Mr. Fargeat, have some dignity.”
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The moment the door to the private room closed, Ethan’s knees gave out and he dropped heavily into the chair.
Adelia got a high fever as soon as she got home.
Those memories she had buried came rushing back all of a sudden and wrapped her up so tight.
During this time, Vaughn stayed by her side and took care of her.
Late at night when she felt cold all over, he kept changing the warm towel on her forehead.
In the early morning, when she woke up with a dry mouth, there was always just the right amount of warm water by her bed.
Three days later, Adelia’s fever finally went down.
Vaughn was holding a cup of warm milk, touched her forehead, and asked, “How do you feel?”
Adelia gave a weak smile, “I’m fine.”
Even though she said that, Vaughn knew she wasn’t doing well.
In the past six months since he met Adelia, he never asked about her personal stuff.
It wasn’t until Ethan showed up yesterday that he found out she had so many “secrets.”
He told his men to look into Adelia’s past.
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Chapter 16
The more I looked into it, the more shocked I was.
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Turns out, four years ago she married Ethan in place of her half–sister.
And four years later, Gwen went back to her country, and Ethan did all kinds of things to betray her.
Pulling his thoughts back, Vaughn handed a file to Adelia.
“Ethan didn’t know what method he used, but in just a few months he took over the Keith Group, and now he wanted to give the company to you…”
“No, I didn’t want to!”
When she heard Ethan’s name, Adelia’s face changed and she pushed the files away.
Vaughn frowned a little.
Adelia had a fever these days, and he often heard her talking in her sleep.
Stuff like “Help me,” “It wasn’t me”
He knew very well that it was Adelia’s traumatic memory acting up.
She was like an ostrich, curling up and not touching those memories.
