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 was terrified that his Catherine would stop loving him. Even though nearly a year had passed, he still couldn't shake the haunting memory that Catherine had once abandoned him, had once stopped loving him.Catherine looked at Gabriel, standing beside her, crying so hard that tears and snot were running down his face like a child, and she felt utterly helpless. She was in so much pain that she couldn't even lift her arm. Otherwise, she would have slapped him and told him to be quiet and stop bothering the doctor.After so many years together, how had she not realized that this man was such a fool?The elderly physician, roused in the middle of the night, examined Catherine and declared:"Mrs. Catherine is two months pregnant."What?Catherine and Gabriel’s eyes widened."You bastard!"Catherine threw a pillow at Gabriel’s face. Their first son had only been born six months ago, and now she was two months pregnant again? If word got out, she would be a laughingstock!On a chilly
But being old and frail, he couldn’t win against Mrs. Smith and could only stand there, pounding his chest and stomping his feet in frustration.Gabriel paid no attention to the commotion outside. He was now in the recovery room with Catherine.He kissed her forehead and softly said, "You've worked so hard, my love."Catherine smiled and replied, "Hearing you ask why it’s a boy, you must really want a daughter, don’t you? Let’s have a daughter next time."Gabriel smiled brightly."Deal."A week later, Juliet’s lover, who had driven the car that hit Gabriel, was captured at the border of country C. Both were sentenced to twenty years in prison for numerous crimes.A month later, the first-month celebration for the eldest son of the Sterling family leader was held, and the country’s elite eagerly offered their congratulations.Two months later, the wedding of the century between Gabriel and his former wife, Catherine, took place, leaving both local and international elites in shock.Som
Soon after, Catherine and the assistant were ushered out of the emergency room. During the agonizing hours of waiting, Old Master Sterling kept his eyes fixed on her swollen belly, his gaze glowing with intensity.The lights in the emergency room finally dimmed, and the doctor emerged, announcing, "Mr. Sterling has passed the critical stage, but due to prolonged signs of exhaustion, he’ll need close monitoring for some time."Catherine sighed in relief, her tears streaming down her cheeks, though a bright smile tugged at her lips.The assistant jumped up and hugged Emily, shouting, "It’s great news! Boss Gabriel is going to be okay!""Get off me!" Emily pushed the assistant away, her face filled with disgust. Realizing what she had done, the assistant’s face flushed red as he sneaked a glance at her.Beautiful but way too fierce.Old Master Sterling approached Catherine, smiling, and said, "Now that Gabriel is safe, you should come home with me. It’s not right to be out on your own wh
"Let her come. It’s been three months now, and Gabriel probably thinks I’m dead. There’s no need to fear him finding out anymore."Catherine’s tone was bitter when she said this. Not just three months — after hearing the news of her supposed suicide, she was sure that he and his grandfather had rushed to marry Juliet into the family by now.That afternoon, Emily excitedly drove to see Catherine. For the past three months, she hadn’t dared to call her for fear that Gabriel might be monitoring her. Now, she could finally meet her friend again.However, Emily didn’t know that as soon as she left, a car began following her. The moment Catherine stepped out to greet her with her swollen belly, a camera captured the scene and sent the image straight to Gabriel’s phone.Seeing the woman he longed for still alive and well, Gabriel’s hands trembled slightly. His instincts had been right; Emily really did know where Catherine was."Thank goodness, Catherine... you’ve returned to me, and our chi
Gabriel lunged forward, grabbing Juliet by the throat, but she gritted her teeth and continued: "Don’t pretend to be faithful here. Who kicked his ex-wife out with nothing? Who humiliated her in front of everyone? Who turned her from a wife into a mistress? It was you! You’re the one who killed Catherine!""No! Catherine isn’t dead! Catherine is still out there, waiting for me. Do you hear me?"Gabriel shouted, his face flushed with rage, the whites of his eyes bloodshot, veins pulsing angrily on his forehead.Seeing that Juliet was about to be strangled to death, the butler intervened:"Master, don’t commit a murder. If you’re arrested, it will be difficult to resolve."Upon hearing the word "arrest," Gabriel immediately released Juliet. He couldn’t afford to be taken away; he still had to find Catherine."Call the police and have her dealt with."Juliet quickly scrambled to her feet and ran off. The butler started to follow, but Gabriel waved him off: "Let her go, just report it to
Old Master Sterling, sitting beside them, saw Gabriel being harsh toward Juliet and gently advised:"Your mother is still in there. When you two are married, Juliet will be the one taking care of her. How can you shout at her like that?"Juliet quickly added, "Could it be that Brother Gabriel thinks I’ll be lazy and not care for Auntie? I’ve always treated her like my own mother and would never neglect her."Saying this, Juliet wrapped her arms around Gabriel, whispering softly: "I will be a good wife, always obedient to you and the elders in the family. Don’t worry."Now that Catherine was dead, and Mrs. Sterling was bedridden, wouldn’t she, once married to Gabriel, become the lady of the Sterling family?Haha, who would have thought that an orphaned girl sold like a commodity years ago would rise to this day? When that time comes, she’ll show those wealthy upper-class ladies who’s in charge and make them bow to her like servants.Lost in her daydream, Juliet didn’t even notice when