Catherine smirked, shaking off her hand, and mockingly said, "Oh really? Then I wish you both a hundred years of happiness, may you grow old together."
With that, and under Juliet’s stunned gaze, Catherine coolly turned and got into the car. Gabriel rushed over to block her, shouting, "Didn’t you hear me? You’re not allowed to get involved with that guy!"
Emily, seeing that her friend wouldn’t be able to rest if they stayed here any longer, spoke up:
"Mr. Sterling, actually, that’s my boyfriend. Catherine wasn’t feeling well, so I had her sit in the front seat."
Gabriel froze for a moment upon hearing this, feeling a brief moment of joy, quickly replaced by anger.
"Cartherine, are you daring to mock me?"
But Catherine didn’t care. At this point, her entire body was glued to the seat, utterly drained of energy to deal with the shameless couple.
Emily and the young man, seeing that the situation had calmed down, quickly drove off. However, no sooner had they lost sight of Gabriel and Juliet than they had to pull over because Catherine couldn’t hold it in and began vomiting.
Emily tended to Catherine until they reached her residential area. The young man, feeling it was inappropriate to enter the house, left, casting a sympathetic glance at Catherine before he went.
After resting for a while, Catherine felt somewhat better and asked:
"Is the guy who drove us your boyfriend?"
Emily had never mentioned having a boyfriend, so this sudden appearance naturally piqued Catherine’s curiosity.
Emily shook her head and replied, "That’s my cousin, Michael. He just got back from abroad. I didn’t know who else to ask, so I called him."
Catherine nodded, not pressing further. Honestly, if Emily hadn’t called Michael, she might not have made it home. Running into Gabriel was just a stroke of bad luck handed down from generations past.
Catherine gently touched her small belly, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
Inside was her child. In nine months, it would come into the world, though she didn’t know yet whether it would be a boy or a girl.
Catherine had graduated from a fashion design academy, topping the entrance exam, and had excelled upon graduation as well. A few years ago, many major corporations had offered her jobs, but she chose to marry Gabriel instead, putting her dreams on hold to fully dedicate herself to being the eldest daughter-in-law of the Sterling family. And now, this was the pain she got in return.
Now that she had escaped that misery, she should return to her old profession. She would sew a few beautiful outfits for her child and earn enough money to ensure her child wouldn’t be looked down upon by anyone.
Ting tong...
The doorbell suddenly rang, cutting off Catherine's daydreams of a better future. Emily, who was cooking porridge in the kitchen, rushed out to open the door.
Standing outside was a man in his thirties, wearing glasses and a suit, looking very gentlemanly.
Emily frowned and asked, "Who are you?"
The man replied, "I am the assistant to Mr. Gabriel."
Upon hearing his name, Emily quickly tried to shut the door, but the assistant managed to wedge his foot in just in time, coming face to face with Catherine as she walked out.
Seeing the assistant, Catherine's expression turned to one of disgust as she asked, "What are you doing here?"
The assistant, unfazed by her reaction, smiled and said, "I’ve come to deliver Mr. Gabriel’s engagement invitation. The ceremony will take place at the beginning of next month. He hopes Ms. Catherine will attend."
Catherine clenched the invitation in her hand, barely able to contain her rising anger.
What were those two trying to do? Show off? Or humiliate her?
"The world has certainly changed. Betrayers and mistresses now deliver engagement invitations to the legitimate wife. Only thick-skinned people like them would dare. Go back and tell him I won’t be going."
With that, she threw the invitation on the floor and walked back into her room, leaving the flustered assistant standing in the living room.
"Miss Catherine, could you reconsider?"
The assistant called out, making Catherine stop in her tracks. As she turned her head, still disoriented, a large figure rushed at her, pinning her down onto the long sofa in the living room.
"What are you doing?" Emily hurried over to rescue her friend from Gabriel's grasp, but the assistant pulled her back, saying:
"The boss and Ms. Caldwell have private matters to discuss. Let's wait outside."
It wasn't a request but a direct order. Before Emily could react, she was dragged out by the assistant, and the door slammed shut.
Now, only Gabriel and Catherine remained in the room.
She struggled to free herself from his grip, anxious that he was pressing down on her stomach. She feared he might hurt the baby, but to him, it seemed like she was merely expressing her dissatisfaction with him.
"Why are you always so stubborn? Why can't you be as obedient as Juliet?"
If she were just a bit more compliant, he could have given her a life of luxury no less than what she had as the eldest daughter-in-law of the Sterling family. But instead, she was always defiant, always provoking his anger, which made her behavior, compared to Juliet’s constant efforts to please him, utterly exhausting for him.
Frustrated by his persistence, Catherine finally snapped and shouted, "Will you stop already? It's not enough that you cheated while we were still married, now you want me to witness your wedding to the other woman? You may not have any shame, but I do."
"Shut up! Who gave you the right to speak to me like that?"
Gabriel, the eldest son of the Sterling family, had always been treated with respect and flattery wherever he went. Never had anyone dared to speak to him the way she did, again and again. If he didn’t love her, he would have crushed her long ago.
Gabriel took a deep breath. Fine, she was the woman he loved, after all. He’d give her some leeway."Catherine, listen to me. I'm the eldest son of the Sterling family. My responsibility is to have an heir. The doctor says Juliet is very healthy. Once she gives me a son, I'll bring you back to be my wife again. How about that?"His tone softened. He had never been this gentle with any woman before. As he caressed her bruised cheek, still swollen from the slap he had given her, his heart ached. He had acted out of anger that day, but he would make it up to her in the future.Gabriel fully expected Catherine to cry tears of joy after hearing his words, but instead, she coldly looked at him and said, "Sorry, I have no intention of being a stepmother, nor do I want to raise someone else's child. Gabriel, what did you expect from me by dragging me to your engagement? To see me cry in pain? Don’t fool yourself. I don’t have any feelings left for you.""What did you say? You have no feelings
Juliet hated the dirty kitchen, and if it weren’t for trying to please Gabriel, she wouldn’t have set foot in there. She recalled how Catherine used to be the perfect wife, always cooking delicious meals for him, yet in the end, she was still abandoned.It goes to show that winning a man's heart wasn’t about satisfying his stomach but rather appealing to his vanity.Juliet looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with admiration, the kind of adoration a girl feels for her man."Brother Gabriel, I really want to be your wife."This move hit directly at Gabriel’s patriarchal nature, and sure enough, his expression softened further, and his eyes showed a hint of tenderness."For now, let’s get engaged first. Once you're pregnant, we’ll get married right away. In the meantime, take good care of your health, and after you give me a chubby son, I promise you’ll live a life of luxury and no one will compare."Hearing this, Juliet’s heart fluttered with joy. She didn’t mind if Gabriel saw her as
When Catherine found out that Gabriel had given her designs to Juliet, she confronted him.His response was to tell her to be generous, not to be petty or selfish, as it didn’t suit the role of the eldest daughter-in-law.Hearing what Gabriel said, what could Catherine do but swallow her frustration?After establishing her brand, Juliet no longer used Catherine’s designs, instead building her fame by following Catherine’s style. Meanwhile, Gabriel forced Catherine to quit her job and stay at home as a housewife.Looking back now, it was all part of a premeditated plan. Gabriel probably feared that if Catherine continued designing, someone might eventually notice the similarities between her style and Juliet’s, exposing the latter as a fraud with mediocre talent.Catherine closed her eyes tightly. In the end, had she always been the most foolish one?Sensing her sinking mood, Emily refrained from saying anything provocative, instead hugging her gently and comforting her in a soft voice
After resting for about two weeks, Catherine finally no longer felt unwell. Seeing her savings dwindling in her bank account, she decided it was time to find a job.Being pregnant now made it difficult to apply to any company. No one would willingly invite trouble by hiring a pregnant woman. So, she could only do online work, such as designing pet clothes or other miscellaneous tasks, to earn some money.During this time, Gabriel didn’t come around to bother her. She guessed he was probably busy preparing for his engagement to Juliet, leaving him no time to pay attention to his ex-wife. That was fine by her, as it spared her from unnecessary anger that might affect the baby.However, her peaceful days didn’t last long. A month passed, and on the day of Gabriel and Juliet’s engagement, a group of his tall, muscular bodyguards barged into Catherine’s home, delivering a message that he wanted her to attend their happy occasion.Catherine looked at the scene unfolding before her, feeling
Then, a voice dripping with sarcasm cut through the crowd: "Maybe she’s here to beg Gabriel to take her back. Think about it, the Sterling family is so prestigious. If it were you, would you walk away from such a fortune? If it were me, I’d cling to him even if it killed me.""True enough. I heard she can’t have children, which is why she got dumped. She deserved it, so what’s there to be bitter about?"As soon as these words were spoken, the guests once again turned their eyes toward Catherine. Some sneered, others pitied her, while the men looking to approach her grew even more excited. The fact that she couldn’t have children was a bonus for them; the last thing they wanted was to accidentally father a child in a casual fling. Money could solve problems, but if their competitors found out, it would be a headache.With this thought, one of the young men from the crowd carried his glass of wine over to Catherine and asked, "May I sit here for a moment, Miss?"Before Catherine could r
Gabriel’s grip on her delicate wrist caused Catherine to wince in pain. Internally, she mocked him for his ability to stir up trouble. He had sent people to forcibly bring her here, yet now he was questioning her as if she had been eager to attend his engagement.Catherine was about to respond when he suddenly grabbed an orange from the banquet table and shoved it into her mouth, muffling her voice with nothing but "mmm" sounds. Then, he swiftly pinned her arms behind her back, removed his tie, and bound her with it, motioning to the security guards standing nearby."Take her to the waiting room."He truly lived up to his reputation as the grandson of a former national leader, displaying quick, efficient movements. Even though the person he was manhandling was a fragile woman, it didn’t diminish the admiration of the onlookers.Someone started laughing, and soon, the other guests covered their mouths to stifle their laughter, leaving Catherine utterly humiliated.She never expected Ga
Gabriel relaxed his expression and smiled, "I’m fine."But in truth, rage was boiling inside him. At this moment, he wanted nothing more than to storm up to the room and confront Catherine, to ask if she really no longer loved him.Then, he recalled the scene of her surrounded by men earlier, and the sense of danger grew even stronger. He hadn’t expected her to be so sought after after their divorce.Damn it, she was nothing but a flirt!Once the ceremony was over, he would teach her a lesson....Outside the waiting room, two bodyguards stood watch, and with no windows inside, Catherine had no way to escape. She didn’t know how long the engagement would last or when it would finally be over.Catherine sat on the bed waiting, but her phone had no signal. At this moment, there was nothing she could do but close her eyes and try to sleep.Just as she was about to doze off, her body suddenly became unbearably hot, her limbs weak, and her mind dizzy, unable to clearly see the objects arou
Even Juliet, who tried to enter, was coldly turned away. Gabriel intentionally separated everyone, leaving only himself and Catherine, whose body was now burning with desire from the drug, alone in the room.Having been in the business world since childhood, Gabriel naturally knew that Catherine had been drugged, but that didn’t stop the raging fire burning within him. Right now, he wanted to use this shameless ex-wife of his to extinguish it.Gabriel moved toward Catherine, crouched down in front of her, and watched as she squirmed uncomfortably. He softly said, "I’ll help you detoxify."Catherine’s head was still spinning, but not to the point of losing all her senses. She knew Gabriel wouldn’t lower himself to force her, so she braced her hands and crawled into the bathroom.Gabriel followed, thinking that doing it in the bathroom was fine. There were probably a lot of people outside, and if any embarrassing sounds were made, it wouldn’t be good.Unexpectedly, as soon as she got in