Chapter 30
Lucian and I grew up together as childhood friends, but my feelings for him could er be seen in the light. The man who never showed interest in women fell in love with my roommate, Astrid, dur
She was a gentle and beautiful girl, like a white rose.
ur first year of university.
つ
planning to leave for overseas with
The year we graduated, Astrid suddenly came to me, telling me she no longer loved Lucian and was plann
her first love.
would trap Lucian for ten years.
To spare Lucian’s feelings, she asked me to help her put on an act. What I didn’t expect was that thi Over those ten years, the Aldridge Family fell apart and my mother, seeking protection from the Prescott Family, drugged Lucian’s drink and sent me to his bed.
From that moment on, I became his secret lover. And under the Prescott Family’s scheme, I secretly became pregnant with Lucian’s child, signing a surrogacy agreement.”
Ten years of turmoil, all I got in return was exhaustion, both physically and emotionally.
After surviving a near–death experience, I woke up to find no one by my side.}
In my daze, I thought I saw my father, the one who had always loved me and protected me from everything.
“Dad… I miss you so much.”
The room was quiet, except for the sound of the IV drip.
For the entire half–month, Lucian didn’t even call once.
The day I was discharged, I called his number. When he answered, his tone was full of cold mockery. “Wasn’t it a miscarriage with heavy bleeding? How are you still alive?“}
I tightened my grip on the phone and let out a few cold laughs. “Thanks to Mr. Prescott, I’m still alive. Mr. Prescott, I have a news for you. Astrid… she’s still alive.“}
The breathing on the other end of the line stopped.
In the ten years I spent with Lucian, every corner was filled with news about Astrid, but her whereabouts always seemed to come from all directions.
No matter what Lucian was doing, the moment there was any sign of her, he would drop everything and rush to her side.D
All for a blurry video, too unclear to make out the face, he abandoned me, leaving me alone halfway up the mountain to chase after her
overseas.
For a fake rumor, with no photos or videos to back it up, he could even walk away from me after we were in bed together.
I knew Astrid was fishing for something. She couldn’t let go of her first love, but she also couldn’t give up on Lucian, the big catch. So she came back and I wasn’t surprised at all.”
I took a taxi back to the “home” Lucian had given me. The place he provided as a refuge.}
I had barely settled down after returning home from the hospital when I heard the sound of the door opening.
Lucian, dressed in black and looking exhausted, stood in the doorway. “Where is Astrid?”
I didn’t expect him to be so impatient. It hadn’t even been half an hour and he was already here, looking for me.
He had never come here on his own before. Every time, it was me begging him. That’s why Lucian would say I was selling myself. Sometimes, I couldn’t help but feel worthless too.
“The Prescott Family’s financial support to the Aldridge Family must not be interrupted. You need to have the contract written out in black and white before we talk.” With a sharp sound, he slammed the contract onto the table in front of me.
I was momentarily stunned, instinctively picking it up to examine it.
The contract was meticulously detailed, laying out all my demands, even specifying Aldridge Family’s future shares, dividends and the contract’s duration.”
I looked up at him, feeling a strange mix of unfamiliarity and pity.
Seeing the person I loved give his heart to someone else, that suffocating pain tugged relentlessly at my chest.
“Mr. Prescott, you spend a fortune for love? you really have guts.” I let out a cold laugh, then signed the contract without a second thought.
I pulled out the phone with Astrid’s number stored in it and tossed it toward him.@
‘Astrid came back a month ago. Use this phone to call her, she’ll pick up.“}}
Not long after Lucian left, the phone at home rang.!!
