Chapter 6
Benedict panicked, his voice rising with urgency. “I’ll have someone transplant semi–mature trees here. Maybe, just maybe, we can still see them bloom this year…”
Odette gazed at the space, her voice a whisper of finality. “No need. Dead is dead.”
Benedict wrapped his arms around her from behind, his tone pleading. “Don’t talk like that. Don’t scare me.”
Odette turned her head slightly, her voice soft yet steady. “Benedict, your birthday is coming soon. I’ve prepared a gift for you.”
His face brightened, the warmth of a smile
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spreading across his lips. “Really? I‘ m
looking forward to it.”
But the moment was shattered by the sharp ring of his phone. After answering, his demeanor changed, his expression darkening.
Once he hung up, his words were swift.
“Someone at the construction site is
threatening to jump. I need to check it out.”
Odette nodded silently, her eyes following his retreating figure.
Back when they were dating, Benedict had always watched her leave. He used to say she was an angel in white, a warrior fighting
against the tide, saving broken families and precious lives.
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But she couldn’t save their love.
Soon enough, Odette received a picture from Millicent, which was a pregnancy test.
A sharp pain twisted in Odette’s chest, the air seeming to squeeze out of her lungs.
Benedict had broken his promise again.
How many times had he betrayed her? The count seemed impossible.
Six months ago, on their way to a simple date, they had been in a car accident.
In that moment of impending doom, Odette had thrown herself in front of Benedict, shielding him from harm.
The crash had left her gravely injured, bleeding heavily, and took from her the one
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thing she could never get back: her uterus.
Benedict had been beside himself with fear, shaking as he held her hand tightly, vowing that no matter what happened, his love for her would never waver.
TIR
When the news came that her uterus
couldn’t be saved, he had immediately assured her it didn’t matter, that he could live without children as long as she was by his side.
Before she was wheeled into surgery, fully aware she could never have a child of her
own, Benedict had proposed again, the eighth time.
Everyone in the room had been moved as
Benedict spoke with such sincerity, his voice
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thick with emotion. “Odette brought light into my life, and now she’s sacrificed everything for me. If I ever fail her, I deserve the heavens to strike me down.”
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Overwhelmed, Odette had agreed, tears filling
her eyes.
But reality had come crashing down hard, leaving her heart shattered.
The promises still echoed in her mind, but the man who made them had proven unable to control himself. Instead, he had let another woman carry his child.
Millicent’s message popped up, cold and cruel: [I’m pregnant. Your man laughed in my face, calling you a useless hen who can‘ t lay eggs. He’s on his way to see me now.]
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[How could a successful man settle for no
heir? Only someone as naïve as you would believe otherwise.]
[Odette, maybe he loved you once, but that was in the past. Now, all his passion belongs to me. Doesn’t it sting watching him move on?]
JOh my god, he’s amazing. He got here so fast and even brought my favorite beef patties.]
Millicent followed up with a photo of pancakes, then another one of Benedict washing her feet.
Odette stared, unblinking, at the screen.
It was true, those who were adored never had to fear losing it.
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She scrolled through one of Millicent‘ s earliest posts, her finger trembling as she
read.
July 31, 11:58 p.m.
At that exact moment, Odette had been lying on the operating table, the cold sting of the scalpel cutting into her as her uterus was
removed.
Meanwhile, Millicent had posted. [My CEO boyfriend is practically Superman! Braving the storm to bring me my favorite beef patties. When someone truly loves you, they’ll give you nothing less than the best.]
The post was accompanied by a picture of steaming, juicy beef patties, and there, drenched by the downpour, stood Benedict,
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his white shirt clinging to his body, the rain making it almost see–through, accentuating the sensual curve of his throat and neck.
Odette recalled the storm; it had been a once- in–a–lifetime tempest that day.
