8 Chapter 8
Three days had elapsed since the operation, and Gerald hadn’t contacted me at all. Yet, I stumbled upon an engagement video on Joanne’s WhatsApp story.
Gerald had popped the question at Rose Manor, a place I once longed to visit.
Upon hearing this, Alma was enraged and nearly arranged for someone to confront Gerald, but I intervened, my heart shattered, “Miss Barren, please declare that I’m no longer alive.”
After all, I needed a fresh start. Let my past vanish with my ‘demise.’
Alma acted swiftly; within 30 minutes, the internet was flooded with reports of my death due to severe blood loss after failed resuscitation attempts on the fourth day of the New Year.
When Gerald encountered this viral news, he was at his family’s old estate, celebrating the New Year with Joanne.
Joanne was speaking, “Gerald, your main objective now is to determine when Eleanor became pregnant with another man’s child. It’s not entirely Eleanor’s fault. She probably just desperately wanted a baby…”
“Eleanor … Eleanor has passed away …” Gerald, not hearing Joanne’s words, stared at the trending news, his face ashen.
Joanne concealed her victorious look, feigning concern, “Could Eleanor be collaborating with the Barren Family, upset by today’s
8 Chapter 8
proposal?”
“Gerald, it’s my fault. Perhaps you should stop worrying about me. Severe depression isn’t fatal. I just… I just feel upset that I’ll never wear a wedding gown in this life.” As she spoke, Joanne pressed a knife against her wrist, pretending to harm herself.
Gerald seized the knife, tossing it aside, “Joanne, you’re right. Eleanor’s just being difficult. With the Barren Family’s medical Jesources, there’s nothing to worry about. Now, I need to figure out whose illegitimate child Eleanor is carrying!” Despite his words, Gerald couldn’t concentrate.
Joanne grinned smugly and secretly messaged me: [You’ll never defeat me, bitch.] She sent it, only to discover I’d removed her from my contacts.
Not only Joanne, but Gerald also realized I’d deleted him on WhatsApp and blocked his number. When he tried calling again, the line was disconnected.
It was then that Gerald sensed something was amiss. He reopened the news article, scrutinizing the details.
As the emergency department head, he’d handled numerous death cases and could distinguish between genuine and fake.
With each page of my death certificate he examined, his fear intensified. His fingers trembled slightly, “How could this happen? I only performed a routine surgery. How could Eleanor…”
Then it struck him, he suddenly recalled the director’s words that day: Eleanor had a blood clotting disorder. His hands went limp and the phone crashed to the floor, cracking the screen.
Abandoning Joanne, he rushed to the postpartum recovery center where Alma was, his heart repeatedly praying.
The news across all media platforms was false. I hadn’t died from excessive blood loss and failed resuscitation.
He even allowed himself to hope that the child I was carrying was truly his.
He thought, it was still the fourth day of the New Year with ten days until his birthday.
He could bring me and the baby back to the old family estate to celebrate the new year and his birthday, giving the child a grand gift.
He would even purchase the lakeside villa I adored and present it to me as a New Year’s gift.
As for Joanne, he could send her overseas, visiting her during holidays and special occasions.
Send Gifts
GIFT
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9 Chapter 9
As Gerald finished his prayers, tears clouded his vision,
He never thought his playful attempts to gain my attention would lead to my actual demise, despite his dislike for such tactics.
He believed that if I remained alive, he would accept the child, even if it wasn’t his.
The Riverton Family’s prominence in Jade Harbour City usually granted them unrestricted access to facilities like the postpartum
care center.
However, Alma’s presence resulted in Gerald being halted by security at the entrance.
Alma, cradling the infant, stood by the large window, observing Gerald’s dispute with the guards. She remarked, “You’re frightened now, but where were you before?”
Alma instructed the hospital director to deny Gerald entry, threatening dismissal for non–compliance.
Gerald spent three days and nights kneeling outside the hospital before leaving on the fourth evening.
I felt a sudden void, realizing that even Gerald’s intense affection couldn’t endure for three days.
Unexpectedly, in the early hours of the fourth day, Gerald arrived with climbing equipment and recklessly scaled the postpartum center’s 49 floors.
He knocked on Alma’s door, prostrating himself as he pleaded,
