Chapter 3
Even if he could just tell me the whole truth right now…
Nolan’s expression stiffened, panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained composure.
“Don’t overthink it, maybe heaven saw our sincerity.”
The faint hope was snuffed out. I lowered my gaze, hiding my turbulent emotions.
The life inside me seemed to empathize, contracting suddenly.
I placed a hand on my belly, feeling a stab of pain.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a red string on Phoebe’s hand.
My gaze lingered; it was what I had prayed for at the Blue Mountain Temple, wishing for Nolan’s safety.
Inside, woven with strands of my own hair.
Sincerity?
More like a joke.
Neither of them noticed my change.
Nolan handed me a glass of water, intending to feed me, a faint hint of guilt in his eyes.
I shook my head, taking it and drinking it all in one go.
Steeling myself, I took out my phone and messaged someone, scheduling a surgery.
Nolan, feeling inexplicably uneasy, leaned over to look.
“Adeline, who are you messaging?”
His tone was displeased, tinged with jealousy.
After confirming the surgery time, I turned off the screen emotionlessly.
“Work stuff.”
When Nolan asked, I didn’t miss the malice in Phoebe’s eyes.
His unease grew, but Phoebe interrupted, clinging to his arm provocatively.
“Nolan, you promised to take me for wedding photos today.”
I ignored her. Compared to the child not being mine, nothing else mattered.
Nolan licked his dry lips, awkwardly explaining.
“Phoebe’s just childish, she wants to take some bridal photos and dragged me to be the groom for fun.”
“Don’t mind it.”
So the wedding photos were just a casual photo shoot.
In five years of marriage with Nolan, we never even had wedding photos, just the one on our marriage certificate.
My heart shattered, settling into silence.
I gave a faint, indifferent smile, brushing away his hand on my belly.
“If you promised her, go ahead.”
Nolan sensed something was off, opened his mouth to explain more, but Phoebe tugged him away.
He hurried out, reminding me:
“Adeline, remember to take the calcium tablets Phoebe gave you. I’ll be back after the photos.”
Once they left, I went straight to the hospital.
Lying on the operating table, I felt a slight movement in my belly.
Sorrow overwhelmed me instantly. I stared at the ceiling, letting tears soak into my hair.
“Let’s begin.”
Just as the anesthesia started to take effect, my phone rang.
Nolan’s apologetic voice came through.
“Adeline, the flowers are gone.”
With just those words, I staggered off the operating table, rushing back.
But I was too late; the blue and pink field of lily of the valley was already charred black.
My legs gave out, and I collapsed to the ground.
Those flowers were my labor of love.
I had traveled the world to find the seeds, planting them one by one on my knees.
Even with a big belly, I squatted to weed, nurturing them carefully.
Lily of the valley takes five years to bloom, and after five years, this was the year they finally blossomed.
Before I could even rejoice, they were destroyed in the fire.
I dug through the ashes, my hands trembling, finding even the seeds burned soft.
Phoebe shrieked.
“How are these still alive!”
Her words caught my attention, and I leapt up, cradling the surviving flowers with blackened leaves.
Thankfully, there was still hope for a new beginning.
Phoebe’s eyes glinted with malice, and I sensed danger.
Before I could react, she pretended to trip, pouring boiling water over me.
Instinctively, I shielded the flowers, the scalding water cascading down my shoulder.
The burn made me flinch, my skin blistering and swelling instantly.
The popped blisters clung to my clothes, the friction making the pain unbearable.
I looked at the intact seeds and sighed in relief.
Failing once, Phoebe changed her face, ruthlessly kicking me aside.
“Adeline, what’s your problem? Trying to make Nolan blame me?”
She then smashed the hot kettle onto the remaining flower seeds.
Lily of the valley is delicate, and the surviving seedlings were all scalded.
Nolan looked at me coldly, his words full of disdain. I jerked from the burn, and the skin blistered and reddened immediately.
The broken blisters stuck to my clothes, and the friction was so painful that I shuddered uncontrollably.
I looked at the intact seeds below and let out a sigh of relief.
But my relief was short-lived as Phoebe’s expression shifted dramatically. She kicked me aside without hesitation.
“Adeline, what’s wrong with you? Are you trying to make Nolan blame me on purpose?” she snapped, then threw the kettle onto the flower seeds.
The delicate lily of the valley seedlings were all withered by the scalding water.
Nolan looked at me with disdain in his eyes. “Adeline, you’re about to become a mother, yet you still play these games.”
“Phoebe is younger than you, and she should be calling you sister-in-law. Can’t you be a bit more accommodating?”
Never have I seen a woman call someone sister-in-law while trying to steal her husband. My heart felt like it had turned to ice.