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Chapter 185
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2021-12-13 02:01:25For a moment, she was quite bewildered by his request, but then she realized, by asking her to do so, he was trying to be completely truthful to her, to share his darkest secrets with her, no matter how sordid and shameful they were, to let her see the ugly side of him and to trust her without reserve.
She settled back into the chair and took the letter from his hand. She opened the envelope and unfolded the letter, clearing her throat before she started reading,
"Dear Carlton,
I hope you will understand why I choose this way. I can no longer carry on in this fashion. It's not that I don't love you enough to go on. No words can express how much I love you. I die a little inside each time I see you. You can't imagine how difficult it is for me, but we both know that this is the best for us. I know you can't desert your family, and I don't blame you, for I can never do that to my son eith
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Disgraceful Chapter 186
Present DayWhen Ava peered into his chamber this morning, she found that he'd been able to get out of bed without any help. He stood in front of the mirror with a brush covered with lather in hand, meeting her gaze within the reflection. He paused, watching her breeze into the room and walk toward him."Oh, you're up already. Do you feel any better today?"She asked casually."Very much so. I think I'm going to have some fresh air. I'm tired of being confined in this room."Stopping within a foot from him, she glanced at the shaving equipment on the dresser."Let me help you.""There's no need-""Sit over there."She ignored him, motioning him to sit on the sidetable. Obediently, he did her bidding, half-sitting on the edge of the sidetable. With a brush, she smoothed the lather evenly ove
Last Updated : 2021-12-13Disgraceful Chapter 187
Carrying the old, unsent letter in his hand, Ashton took a determined step to Lord Carlton's bedchamber. The door was left slightly opened, as to make it easier for the servants to hear if the lord rang the bell. He stopped in front of the doorway and peered inside. Through the narrow opening, he could see his uncle across the room, sitting on the wheelchair by the window, gazing out into the wintry garden outside."Do come in."The lord called without glancing his way. Despite the head injury, his uncle hadn't lost his usual alertness, and the wheelchair didn't make him look less forbidding. He was very fortunate the injury didn't cause him any permanent damage, and though he hadn't quite regained his normal strength until this day, the doctor said that he would no longer need the device in a couple of weeks.Lord Carlton turned in his wheelchair to face him as he entered the room."What is it?"His uncle
Last Updated : 2021-12-13Disgraceful Chapter 1
Peering through the blurred carriage window, Ava Sofia lost in her restless mind with the scenery flying by. The dark had softened to blue and the silvery mist appeared, soon the shimmering rays would rise from the horizon, bringing her a new day she never expected, yet she had to survive.Fate had its way of changing life in an instant. Her life had turned upside down in a matter of days. Not a week ago, she was a glowing bride-to-be, eagerly awaiting a new chapter of her life. She thought her happily ever after was about to begin. Now she was an anxious runaway. Surely a new chapter of life was on the way to come. But not in a way that she always imagined.It was not the first time things didn't come out as she expected, and not the first time the ugly truth was revealed to her. In her early years, life was just perfect. As a child, she had grown in the warmth of a family, been loved and pampered like a princess.
Last Updated : 2021-11-12Disgraceful Chapter 2
He was charming. Just like father and mother said, he was young and handsome. He was about average height, likely a fair inches taller than her, very well dressed, she had never seen a stylish man like him in the countryside. His face glowing when he smiled. He certainly had his attractions. Yet she noticed shades of dark circles under his eyes and subtle signs of tiredness. The formal introduction followed and Lord Roger had no difficulty to charm them with his appealing personality. He greeted her with utter respect, not lingering his gaze to her longer than proper. He lit up the room with his laughter, made mother blush with his generous compliments. The entire night was delightful, she enjoyed the dinner and the conversation very much. Glancing at Lord Roger secretly when he was explaining something to her parents, an inevitable thought occurred to her. This was too good to be true. What made a man like him, a nobleman at his best, young, handsome, unquest
Last Updated : 2021-12-07Disgraceful Chapter 3
Suddenly the carriage stopped, seemed like they had arrived. Breathing in relief, she flew out of the carriage swiftly, not waiting for him to descend first and help her out. She couldn't abide a minute longer with him alone in the carriage. To her dismay, his touch and kisses were extremely unpleasant. Later, they were mingling with the other guests, greeting each other, having conversations. Roger had come back to his sociable nature, but Ava couldn't help thinking about their ride home later. She should have brought Polly with them. Some male guests asked her for a dance and she accepted their invitations. Anything to keep her away from Roger. Confused with her feeling, she wished it was just because of her lacking of experience. Shortly after finishing the last dance, Roger took her elbow and led her away from the crowd. His hand grasped her waist possesi
Last Updated : 2021-12-07Disgraceful Chapter 4
For a moment, Ava was totally speechless. The next second, she stood rightaway. "You are wrong, mother! He tried to rape me. He hit my face, he called me whore!" She was thinking to tell mother he insulted her too, and Del, but she didn't want to hurt her feeling. Mother looked surprised. "Did he?" "Yes, and it was not just rough... or passionate like you just said. It was horrible, and violent, and..." she tried to find the right word. "Totally evil." Desiree frowned at her last word and fell silent. Ava got a bad feeling that her mother didn't believe her. "Mother" she started to pace back and forth across the room. "You should believe me. I'm not that naive that I don't know the difference between forcing and seducing. You have no idea what I've undergone just now..." Finally, mother gave a reply. "We should tell your father. Tomorrow." Soon after mother lef
Last Updated : 2021-12-07Disgraceful Chapter 5
Ava spent the rest of the day trying to convince her mother. She told her over and over again about the incident, making sure she didn't miss a single detail. If mother could trust her even a little, maybe she would be willing to coax father to cancel the marriage. She totally lost hope the next day. She had been restless all day. No longer having her usual appetite, she couldn't eat more than a few bites of toast. She couldn't sleep either, not when something very bad was coming upon her. She paced back and forth in her bedroom. Father and mother had gone in the morning. They didn't told any of the servants where they went or when they might be back. Last night after hours of relentless talk, Desiree finally said that she would try to talk to her father. Ava had high expectation that her father eventually would change his mind. Mother always had an irrefutable po
Last Updated : 2021-12-07Disgraceful Chapter 6
After a long, tiring hours in the jolting and swaying carriage, a quick stop at a little town to change hackney, and a little visit to a jewelry shop to sell her engagement ring, they were finally almost at the end of the trip. Her lips touched a mischievous grin as she recalled the wicked satisfaction she had when she sold Roger's gift. The shop owner looked at her in suspicion, but took the ring anyway. He must have thought she was a discarded mistress or sort of that. She didn't care, the ring made an adequate sum of money she would need for the coming days. She was glad she had tamped the irresistible urge to throw it out of the window that night. Across her seat, Polly was snoring loudly, left her alone with her thoughts. Despite her confidence in what she was doing, Ava was in a quandary. She knew she would always be haunted by Roger, forever bound to him by the unbreakable contract.
Last Updated : 2021-12-07
Latest chapter
Disgraceful Chapter 187
Carrying the old, unsent letter in his hand, Ashton took a determined step to Lord Carlton's bedchamber. The door was left slightly opened, as to make it easier for the servants to hear if the lord rang the bell. He stopped in front of the doorway and peered inside. Through the narrow opening, he could see his uncle across the room, sitting on the wheelchair by the window, gazing out into the wintry garden outside."Do come in."The lord called without glancing his way. Despite the head injury, his uncle hadn't lost his usual alertness, and the wheelchair didn't make him look less forbidding. He was very fortunate the injury didn't cause him any permanent damage, and though he hadn't quite regained his normal strength until this day, the doctor said that he would no longer need the device in a couple of weeks.Lord Carlton turned in his wheelchair to face him as he entered the room."What is it?"His uncle
Disgraceful Chapter 186
Present DayWhen Ava peered into his chamber this morning, she found that he'd been able to get out of bed without any help. He stood in front of the mirror with a brush covered with lather in hand, meeting her gaze within the reflection. He paused, watching her breeze into the room and walk toward him."Oh, you're up already. Do you feel any better today?"She asked casually."Very much so. I think I'm going to have some fresh air. I'm tired of being confined in this room."Stopping within a foot from him, she glanced at the shaving equipment on the dresser."Let me help you.""There's no need-""Sit over there."She ignored him, motioning him to sit on the sidetable. Obediently, he did her bidding, half-sitting on the edge of the sidetable. With a brush, she smoothed the lather evenly ove
Disgraceful Chapter 185
For a moment, she was quite bewildered by his request, but then she realized, by asking her to do so, he was trying to be completely truthful to her, to share his darkest secrets with her, no matter how sordid and shameful they were, to let her see the ugly side of him and to trust her without reserve.She settled back into the chair and took the letter from his hand. She opened the envelope and unfolded the letter, clearing her throat before she started reading,"Dear Carlton,I hope you will understand why I choose this way. I can no longer carry on in this fashion. It's not that I don't love you enough to go on. No words can express how much I love you. I die a little inside each time I see you. You can't imagine how difficult it is for me, but we both know that this is the best for us. I know you can't desert your family, and I don't blame you, for I can never do that to my son eith
Disgraceful Chapter 184
Several hours later..."This is unspeakable. I can't believe it."Magnus' voice carried clearly across the hall. He turned around abruptly, wild sparks shooting from his eyes as he gazed furiously at the woman sitting in an armchair on the other side of the room."For Christsakes, why would you do this, Mother. How could you?"Lady Cecily stared into the void without so much as a word. Her eyes devoid of emotions, her refined feature as hard as granite.Sitting in a wheelchair pushed by a servant, Lord Carlton entered the parlor. Behind him are two of the guardsmen. Shooting a bitter look at his wife, he uttered with a composed voice."You'll be up before the magistrate to face the legal consequences of your crime. I've sent words to the authorities. The Constable will pick you up at first light."The lady took the notice with a pr
Disgraceful Chapter 183
With soundless steps, Ava sneaked her way to Lord Carlton's bedchamber. The door was slightly opened, allowing a shaft of light from inside the room to spill out into the dark corridor. Stopping by the doorstep, she peeked into the room through the small opening. In the middle of the large bed, the lord lay as white and still as death. A candle burned in the nightstand, casting a dim glow in the gloom of the chamber.Drawing a long, fortifying breath, Ava slipped into the chamber. Crossing the room, she moved around the bed and sat in the chair nearby, gazing regretfully upon the lifeless face.To have a death on her conscience was too great a burden to bear. Perhaps she was a fool to think that to confess her sin and beg forgiveness from the insensible victim would give her a little comfort, but she just couldn't help it."I'm so sorry, My Lord." She began."I thou
Disgraceful Chapter 182
There hadn't been much progress on Lord Carlton's condition the following day. He remained unconscious, only a faint pulse indicated there was life in there, yet it hung by a tenuous thread. In the morning, Doctor Haynes returned to check on him. Ashton asked him if there was any hope, and the doctor shook his head slightly in answer.In contrast to her dramatic reaction over Lord Carlton's condition the day before, Lady Cecily showed little interest in taking care of her husband. Instead, it was a loyal servant that had worked for the family for nearly fourty years who seemed to care deeply about him, feeding him with broth and water every hour, and applying soothing balm to his chapped lips. When she had finished her gentle ministrations, the old maid would kneel beside his bed and folded her wrinkled hands, praying for the master's recovery.Inside one of the sitting room in the secluded West Wing, Ashton stood gazing into the fire where
Disgraceful Chapter 181
Ava blanched upon hearing his oath. She'd never heard such ferocity in a person's voice. Quick to notice her sudden pallor, Ashton took her hand, murmured some excuse to Aunt Cecily and Magnus, and led her out of the room."Your hands are so cold," He looked down at her hand in his hold with concerned frown. Too overwhelmed with distress, she let him take her to her chamber upstairs."Nobody will know about it." He said once the door closed behind them, and when she remained mute, pale and cold with fear, he headed to the sideboard and poured a glass of brandy. He made her finish the drink in two long swallows, and took the empty glass from her trembling hand. Setting the glass in the nearest sideboard, he placed his hands on her arms, forcing her to look directly into his eyes."Listen, I've told the guards never to breathe a word about it to anyone. I'll replace them immediately. Don't be afraid, I won't let anything bad happen to y
Disgraceful Chapter 180
The next thing she knew, Ashton and the guardsmen already moved with mad haste to save Lord Carlton's life. By sheer luck, one of the guards had managed to get a wagon from a local farmer to bring the wounded lord home. She fixed the bandage and tried to slow down the bleeding, doing the best she could without further question, since the severity of the lord's injury left no time for explanation. Unfortunately the process of removing the lord from the building into the vehicle and the rough journey back home seemed to worsen his condition. Once they arrived home, a servant rushed to fetch the new doctor. During the wait, Ashton could hardly think of anything else. He was too distraught with fear, not certain Lord Carlton would survive another minute. Thankfully, within minutes the doctor arrived with his nurse."I'll do my best."Doctor Haynes promised before closing the door to Lord Carlton's bedchamber.
Disgraceful Chapter 179
It seemed like the matter was urgent and highly confidential, Uncle Carlton didn't even leave his name on the message. Pulling the top drawer, he slipped the note beneath the piles of documents and rushed out of the room.*****By the time Ava returned to the study, an empty room greeted her. A sudden sense of premonition settled over her, and she instantly suppressed it. He might have retired to his chamber, or he might have been doing some other activity in another parlor somewhere in the house, she told herself. Still, she couldn't help but quicken her pace as she rushed through the house, desperate to find him as soon as possible."Edward, where's my husband?" She asked when she came across the butler in the corridor. The butler halted and bowed."His Grace has left the house a few minutes ago, Your Grace."Her heart immediately missed a beat."What?! Where?""I
