The living room in the villa felt as warm as it did in spring. The servants were busy serving dinner. There was a three-layered birthday cake in the center of the dining table. It was Gianna’s thirty-fourth birthday today. She arranged for herself to be discharged from the hospital just so Noah could celebrate it with her. The snow continued to fall outside. It had been a couple of weeks, but the snow showed no sign of stopping. The whole of Birkenfeld was blanketed with layers of thin snow. It almost felt as if time itself slowed down. Gianna wheeled herself behind Noah and held him lightly. She murmured, “How I wish the snow would never stop falling. That way, you’ll stay with me forever, Noah! Am I dreaming? Are you really divorcing her? Are you going to stay with me instead?“I’m scared… I’m so afraid that this is all a dream. Even if it is just a dream, I don’t want it to end. I want time to stop now, so I could preserve this moment for an eternity.”Holding him tightl
“The way I heard it, Mr. Noah’s wife ditched him!”…Gianna was at the kitchen door, seething with rage. She would’ve slapped each of them and sent them packing if this had happened in the past. However, she couldn’t do it now. She didn’t want Noah to think that she was mean to the servants. He might get mad at her.All she could do was clench her fist, her nails digging into the flesh of her palm so hard that she drew blood. After a brief moment, she wheeled herself out of there desperately and left the scene frantically.One of the servants realized she was around and got unnerved. The other servant said boldly, “There’s nothing to be afraid of! She’s missing a foot. She can’t do anything to us. “If she’s mean to us, then we’ll turn a deaf ear when she asks to be carried to the restroom. We’ll let her wet herself and stink to high heaven.”The first servant covered her mouth and burst out laughing. Both of these old servants made fun of Gianna behind her back. Gianna w
Gwynn gave him some time to find his words. She was just on the end of the phone. Noah had always been confident when it came to seducing or soothing a lady. Now, however, he was at a loss for words. After all, ‘sorry’ might seem inadequate for all the pain he put her through. In the end, he didn’t apologize to her. He also didn’t say anything sweet or loving to her. They seemed pointless now. Instead, he asked in a husky voice, “Are you feeling better? When are you going back to Silvercrest?”She remained quiet for a while before she said softly, “I’ll do it in a couple of days! The snow’s going to stop falling and the flights should resume then.”“Are you going to fly to Silvercrest or Brookesville?” He thought she wouldn’t tell him. To his surprise, she said calmly, “I’m going back to Silvercrest! We still have to get divorced, don’t we? I’ll be waiting for you there, for the divorce.”She mentioned getting divorced twice in the same sentence.He was disheartened to hear
The servants were enjoying the candy and some hot gossip while they slacked off. Gianna had to raise her voice and scream, “Laura! Laura!”All of a sudden, she stopped in her tracks.Lowering her head, she looked below her thighs and saw a stain spreading across the mattress. She had been shouting so vigorously that she lost control of her bladder and peed on the bed!She was stunned for a long time. It was difficult for her to accept it. A strong sense of shame rose within her. The first thing she thought was that she could never let Noah know about this. She hesitated to think how he’d look at her if he learned about her embarrassing moment. She could kiss marrying him goodbye!This was a secret she had to keep. The next step would be to find a doctor to treat her. She had to get rid of her condition if she wanted to keep this mortifying incident under wraps.She tried to be tough, but she couldn’t resist crying out of shame when she saw the yellowish stain on the bed. …
Noah knew, deep down, that he regretted it.However, he didn’t have the courage to ask for Gwynn’s forgiveness and a chance to start over. Divorce was the only option!He most probably wouldn’t even marry Gianna. She had completely gone out of her mind right now!To his surprise, he couldn’t see a shred of tenderness and tolerance in her. Every second he spent with her had made him feel suffocated.Taking a fierce drag of his cigarette, he breathed out the smoke leisurely.He actually felt heartache between puffs of smoke. The next day, he spent all his time looking out the window in the easterly direction. Gwynn was probably on a plane, flying back to Silvercrest right now. Evening rolled on. The servant knocked on the door. “Ms. Gianna is asking for you to join her for dinner, Mr. Noah.”He remained quiet for several seconds.Then, he snuffed out the cigarette, opened the door, and left.Gianna put some thought into her appearance and applied makeup. She wore a beautifu
Noah read the article six times. There was a picture of the attached to the end of the article. He was a famous obstetrician and he looked very familiar.He fixed his gaze at the picture. It took him about two minutes before he figured out who this was. This doctor used to do checkups for Gwynn!He hadn't been at the checkup and thus didn't receive the checkup results firsthand. Gwynn had told him that their unborn baby was developing well in her womb. He trusted her back then.Now, however, it seemed that there was more to it than that.…Rising immediately, he walked over to the door and put on a coat. Taking the car keys, he was about to head out when Gianna yelled at him, “Where are you going at this time of night? It's freezing outside and the roads are icy. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”She chased after him and grabbed his arm. “Are you off to see her? She’s gone! She’s never coming back! You’re the one who asked for a divorce and chose to be with me instead.
At the next moment, he opened the wardrobe where Gwynn kept her stuff. All of the expensive clothes and jewelry he gave her were gone. Not even a single piece was left. There were only a few sleeping gowns there. She had worn them before. He remembered that she wore them as she lay beneath him on the nights that they had sex.…That must’ve been why she didn’t take them with her!Closing the wardrobe, he walked over to the side of the bed and sat down. Pulling out a cigarette from his front pocket slowly, he lit it and took a leisurely drag. Wisps of smoke rose and blurred his vision. He knew that Gwynn wasn’t a materialistic lady. She’d never have brought all of the stuff with her. That left only one possible conclusion. She sold everything!Holding the white cigarette between his fingers, he lifted his chin slightly and took the last drag. Lowering his head, he intended to snuff out the cigarette when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. The nightstand’s
“Gwynn still retains her conscience!“That’s how she’s different from the likes of us.”…Kim finally gave him a piece of her mind. Now, she was merely waiting for her director to dish out his punishment. After all, she played a central role the tragedy of Gianna losing of her left foot and uterus. She helped Gwynn make it happen. She would probably be fired. Noah stared at her quietly. After a brief moment, he picked up the packet of cigarettes from the desk, pulled one out, and lit it up leisurely. He said ever so slowly, “Redeem yourself, Kim! Find the doctor and bring him to me before dawn!”She felt a lump in her throat. “Understood, Mr. Noah!”Then, she left the villa in the dark of night.She knew just how bad of a temper he had. If he was really pissed at her, then she might not have lived to see tomorrow. After all, she was no Gianna. He wasn’t about to show her mercy. Being the efficient assistant that she was, she brought the Gerlandian doctor to the villa just