Chapter 1
20 min left
Three Christmases ago, I was exiled overseas by the person I loved most.
Three Christmases later, I finally returned to New York, but I no longer had any feelings for Upton Collins.
Yet everyone still watched me with wary eyes.
“Hailey, are you still trying to cling to Upton? Are you still trying to ruin Donna and Upton’s relationship?”
“She’s been overseas for three Christmases and still hasn’t learned anything? Upton is too merciful–he never should have allowed her to come back.”
“A vicious woman like that belongs in prison. She should have died abroad.”
just looked at them in silence until I heard news that completely shattered me.
I mumbled in a daze: “Kevin… have any of you seen Kevin? Please don’t be dead… you promised you’d come back for me…”
My emotional breakdown lasted for a long time.
Finally, no one thought I was putting on an act anymore.
1/7
10:07
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Upton pushed through the crowd and held me tightly.
His arms were trembling violently.
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He asked, “Hailey, what happened? Who is Kevin? I’m really worried about you…”
****
Less than an hour after returning to the States, I received over a dozen threatening text messages.
“How dare you come back?”
“You’re lucky the mob didn’t kill you.”
“I wish your plane had crashed.”
I cleared my inbox and opened my laptop to log into my email, sending just one simple line: “I’m home.”
After hitting send, no one replied to me, and no one ever would again.
I stared blankly at the glowing screen. When I heard footsteps, I immediately shut the laptop.
The woman with an elegant chignon was my mother, Pamela Cooper.
2/7
10:07
Chapter 1
Hailey, why are you looking at me like I’m a stranger?”
I fraze.
Pamela left the room in tears.
Late that night, the sound of things being smashed came from the study.
“Is she
enting us?”
“She pushed Miss Edwards down the stairs, leaving Miss Edwards in a coma for three months!”
“Shut up!”
“Upton and Miss Edwards are about to get engaged. Nothing can go wrong at a time like this.”
I trembled as I quietly turned and walked away.
Early in the morning, I sat at my computer working. Halfway through, I went downstairs to grab something to eat.
Pamela was in the living room watching TV.
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The reporter on television suddenly announced: “Breaking news: Collins Group has announced that the engagement ceremony between Mr. Upton Collins and Miss Donna Edwards will be held in mid–next month.”
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Chapter 1
I froze in place.
I remembered how I used to beg Upton: “The island is so romantic. Could we hold our engagement ceremony there?”
He had only shown a cold, annoyed expression at the time.
He said: “Hailey, can you stop being ridiculous? I’m working.”
Seeing Upton’s displeasure, I immediately said obediently: “Okay, I won’t say anything more. You focus on your work.”
Coming back to my senses, I saw Pamela looking at me in surprise.
“Hailey, why did
you come downstairs? Are you going out? Where are you going? I’ll come with you.”
She had already instructed the servants to get her purse and was looking for the remote to turn off the TV.
Watching her nervous, flustered movements, I knew she was just afraid I would go bother Upton again like I did at Christmas.
But I wouldn’t anymore. I would never do that again.
I said: “I’m not going out. I just came down to get something to eat.”
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Chapter 1
“What?”
I had already grabbed a bottle of milk and turned to go back upstairs.
Pamela was still surprised.
“Hailey, you…”
I said: “Mom, keep watching TV. I’m going upstairs to work.”
After Collins Group announced the engagement, some old stories about Christmas were dug up again.
Many people were talking about how I had supposedly lost my mind and pushed Donna down the stairs during Christmas.
Half the netizens blessed them, while the other half cursed me.
[Wow, congratulations to you both.]
[Wishing you a lifetime of happiness together.]
[You two must be happy.]
[What about Hailey? She must be dying of jealousy.]
[I heard she was forced to go abroad.]
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[She’s so evil. Even if she killed someone, Upton would never love her.]
[Hailey schemed so hard, but still failed in the end. She deserves it.]
I numbly scrolled through these comments, then closed the webpage.
At dinner, I didn’t expect Dad to bring Upton over.
I was just coming downstairs for dinner when I saw this scene.
I froze at the top of the stairs.
I thought, “How could he be here?”
As the head of the Collins family, he would be the first to know any news, so he already knew I was back.
Wait.
I could only return to the country because Upton had agreed to it, which gave my father Richard Carter the courage to bring me home.
Richard invited Upton to the study and gestured for Pamela to quickly take me away.
I lowered my head and followed Pamela to sit in the living room.
Chapter 1
The study door wasn’t closed.
I could see Upton just by turning my head slightly.
Upton wore a pure black suit with neat short hair, looking handsome and commanding.
I saw Richard seemed to be looking for something.
Upton didn’t even sit down, didn’t touch the coffee on the table, and was ready to leave after taking whatever he came for.
“Hailey, how do you like this bag?”
Pamela was trying to divert my attention.
I turned back and replied, “Mom, it looks pretty nice.”
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