And eating the food felt like swallowing stones. Hailey had lost her appetite and the little she was able to push down in her stomach ended up in the bathroom sink. She washed up and changed into whatever she could find in the closet. And as she walked down the hallway with the tray containing her half-finished breakfast in her hands, she halted in front of the study room and pushed it open. It was empty.Her hand dropped from the doorknob and she walked down the stairs. "Madam, you didn't finish your breakfast." A maid approached her and took the tray from her hand. "Didn't you like it? Would you like me to cook you another one?"Hailey shook her head slowly and strolled past the maid, her eyes fixed on the large door. Poor Rob. Where the hell did those people take him? And was he being tortured at the moment? She stopped walking at the door and used both hands to pull it open. But she hadn't even stepped one foot out when two bodyguards blocked her path immediately. This scene
Hailey understood all that. Her sister didn't have to voice it out. And the more Chloe spoke, the more the guilt encompassed her heart. "Sister, you have to do that immediately." Chloe didn't give her room to speak. "Rob's life is in your hands. Think about his love for you these many years. Think about his sacrifices.""I know, Chloe, I know." Hailey broke down. She thought her tears have long dried up but a dam of fresh ones flooded out. "I'll be damned to let Kendrick harm Rob. I won't let him do that." And after hanging up, Hailey found herself ambling out of the bedroom. It was nighttime already, Kendrick should return in a few minutes. And she wasn't confident that he would come to the bedroom even if he did, so she waited for him in the hallway, in front of the study room. She waited and paced around for a while. Then footsteps came from the stairs. At first, Hailey had thought it was Kendrick until one of the maids appeared in her sight. "Madam, dinner is ready, the Butle
Was this it? Was he never going to let Rob go no matter what she did? No matter what she said? Was she this helpless? Standing in front of him now, he seemed like a completely different person. He wasn't the Kendrick that she knew. The Kendrick that would keep a smile on his face even when he argued with her. And even though those smiles had been sinister ones, Hailey would rather prefer them more than the look he was giving her now. This dark look. He'd never stared at her this way before. "As long as you keep your mouth shut and stop this nonsense." Kendrick wasn't done with his words yet. "I can pretend that you never tried to cheat on me. And I'll overlook all your mistakes."His words were like needles pricking through her heart. And Hailey's eyes stung with fresh hot tears. "Kendrick, I told you I would never cheat on you," Hailey whispered. "I never had that intention, I swear I'd never—""Just shut up." Kendrick cut her off and she could feel him unbolting the door behind
And Chloe was banned from coming here. Then was it Kara? Hailey shook her head. Kendrick must be mad at Kara for colluding with her. She wouldn't be surprised if he banned her also from coming to this place. Or maybe even destroy their friendship. "Alright, I'll be down in a minute." Hailey couldn't just wait and wonder who it was. She should find out by herself. The maid nodded and walked away. While Hailey returned to the bedroom to put on her slippers. She couldn't believe she had been walking barefoot in the room. But sometimes, she would find herself forgetting even something as mundane as knowing where her phone was. She forgot a lot of things recently, and it scared her. As she walked down the stairs, her stomach moved rapidly and she had to curdle it with one hand to curb the movements. The house was very quiet. So quiet. She had also noticed that the servants didn't roam in the house the way they did before. They would only come in when it was time for cleaning or to prep
What if Kara had been able to placate Kendrick to come back home? The enormity of the problem would have been less. What if she was able to hold Rick for long or even get to hide his phone somewhere he couldn't find it? Then Rick wouldn't have been able to inform Kendrick that there was a problem. And Kendrick wouldn't have come to the diner. What if when Kendrick came, she had returned alone without Rob? What if Rob had only dropped her at the parking lot? Then no one would know they were together. Kara didn't appear to have told Kendrick about her going out with Rob. She didn't mention that. "It's not your fault, Kara." Hailey took Kara's hands and squeezed them reassuringly. Maybe to also bring herself to the reality. Maybe it was already written in her fate to end up miserable and cause the end of someone that had only ever wished good for her. "It's alright, stop crying, Hailey." Kara hugged her and patted her back. And Hailey's hand wandered to her cheeks. Her tears seemed
"Ever since I got pregnant with this baby, my life has been in a cage. I can't take this pain anymore, Kara. I don't believe I can't have other babies in the future, somewhere else.""Hailey, please stop!" Kara used her palm to cover her mouth and prevent her from speaking further. "If you keep saying things like this, you'll only hurt your baby's feelings. You can't have thoughts of abandoning your baby." Hailey smiled sadly. Whether she had the thoughts or not, was that of any use? She was already caged to Kendrick, forever. She didn't believe Kendrick would ever let her go. And guilt filled her heart when she felt the tiny movements against her palm. But she couldn't think of anything else. This pregnancy had done her more harm than good. "Hailey." Kara sighed and retracted her hand. "Remember your baby is more important than anything else. Don't live in this state of mind for the sake of your baby. Just forget everything and live on. I don't think your husband is heartless en
"M–Mr. Reid, can I come in?" Kara asked meekly. Kendrick narrowed his eyes. What took her long? He'd thought Hailey would try to prevent her from following him. Well, he would dare her to do that and see. And he'd always had a gut feeling. He had a gut feeling that there was more to what her friend had let on that day. At that time, he couldn't wrap his fingers around what they could be hiding from him. However, now everything had come to light. She'd always had another man in her heart. "Come in." Kendrick loosened his fists and sat on his chair. And Kara hesitated at the door even after obviously hearing his reply. She took some seconds before stepping in. "I'll come in now, Mr. Reid." She swallowed what seemed to be her saliva and cautiously walked forward and sat on the chair opposite him. "Y–You wanted to see me, Mr. Reid?" She fiddled with her fingers and asked. "W–What did a lowly citizen like me did to deserve such an honor to be in your presence?"Without answering her
"It is about Hailey, Mr. Reid." She let out a sigh and continued. "I know I don't have any right to tell you how to run your household, but Hailey is sick. I hope you could let go of everything and treat her better."She was sick? Kendrick leaned away from the chair. "And... I don't think Hailey meant all she said." Kara went on. "Hailey is a good person, she will never hurt others' feelings intentionally. She only said those words because she is sad and depressed. I know you heard our conversation."Kendrick didn't refute that. He'd heard every bit of their conversation. And he didn't believe she didn't mean her words. Would she ever lie to her friend? Weren't women fond of sharing secrets among themselves?"Mr. Reid." Kara gave him an anxious look. His sudden change in expression must have caused that. "All I'm asking is for you to be patient with her. Please overlook everything and care for her well. She isn't supposed to be experiencing these at this stage of her pregnancy. Your