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Chapter 9
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When It All Fell Apart Chapter 10
Watching the car speed away, the weight on my chest seemed to lift all at once. Maybe it was the relief of finally getting away from that toxic group of people, and it felt like the best birthday gift I could have ever received.As expected, Ruby gave birth prematurely to a son. Thankfully, the baby was healthy and had not been affected too much by everything.Ashton, too, finally agreed to sign the divorce papers. As I stepped out of the courthouse, he called out to me, his face filled with frustration.“Clara, were you already cheating on me with Will? Is that why you’re so determined to force me into this divorce?”I told him that although I had known about the new neighbor who had moved in, it was not until the day I went to the hospital with signs of a miscarriage that I had actually spoken to Will. I stood tall and firm, confident in my truth. Even if the king himself had asked, my answer would have remained the same.“And you, Ashton? Can you really say that your relation
When It All Fell Apart Chapter 1
After hanging up the phone, I took a picture of the beautifully prepared dinner and the cake I had baked for our sixth anniversary and sent it to my husband, Ashton Martinez.His reply came back quickly.[Is it your birthday? I’m flying out, so I can’t make it home tonight. Just celebrate on your own.]I chuckled bitterly and tossed the cake into the trash. Whether it was my birthday or our anniversary, it did not matter because Ashton never remembered those things. However, when it came to Ruby Lowe, he had an entire notebook dedicated to her. He had been keeping notes of her life since high school.I glanced at the pregnancy test results on the table and quietly put them away. I had planned to surprise Ashton with them over dinner tonight, but now, it seemed pointless.We had been married for six years without any kids. I had gone through three rounds of IVF, each one more painful than the last, and they all failed. I had almost given up hope this time when, to my shock, I fou
When It All Fell Apart Chapter 2
As I was told I needed to be hospitalized for a few days to stabilize my condition, Will Young, my neighbor who had driven me to the hospital, was incredibly helpful, running back and forth to take care of all the paperwork.“Clara, don’t you want to give your husband a call?” Will asked.My hand paused mid-sip.“There’s no need. I’m planning to file for divorce.”Will let out a surprised “Oh,” his expression momentarily awkward.Feeling bad for bringing it up, I said, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought that up with you.”Will simply gave me a bright, reassuring smile and waved it off. “Don’t worry about it.”His reaction made me think about Ashton. It had been a long time since Ashton treated me kindly. Whenever we talked, he either seemed impatient or gave me an irritated glare. It felt like every time I tried to say anything, he acted like I was a bother, questioning or doubting him.Just then, the buzz of my phone pulled me from my thoughts. It was a message from Ashton, an
When It All Fell Apart Chapter 3
“Ruby's hosting a party tonight to celebrate her pregnancy.”Before I could refuse, Ashton cut off any chance I had to say no."She's been thinking about you a lot. She wants you to come and share in her happiness. Don’t be ungrateful!"I simply sneered and agreed. Anyway, it did not matter to me anymore. My heart was dead. I had contacted a divorce lawyer, and nothing Ruby did could hurt me now.After we arrived, Ruby showed up fashionably late, perfectly dolled up, while I looked like a mess, having spent days in the hospital and not had a chance to clean up. In contrast, Ruby looked like a blooming flower, perfectly put together.Everyone around her was fawning over her, showering her with compliments."Our beautiful artist Ruby is always so forward-thinking, turning down all those suitors just to become a single mom on her own terms.""Well, Ruby’s rich and independent. She can raise a kid by herself! She’s unlike those stay-at-home wives who ask their husbands for money."
When It All Fell Apart Chapter 4
Ashton froze for a few seconds, then quickly knelt to wrap his arms around me.“How did you start bleeding just from a fall?”I tried to stand, but a wave of cold sweat broke out across my body, and my lips started trembling.“Call an ambulance! Get me to the hospital!”At that moment, Ruby pushed through the small crowd that had gathered around us, commenting, "Come on, stop making such a big deal. Isn’t this just your period?"She said I was overreacting and suggested I go home to rest if I was not feeling well.Ashton looked disappointed. "So, you're not pregnant again."I wanted to explain, but an intense pain ripped through my lower abdomen, forcing me to bite down hard to keep from screaming. In the end, Ashton yanked me to my feet, muttering that he would stay behind with Ruby and get a cab to take me home.Just as the door opened, I came face-to-face with Will."Hey, what are you doing at a pub, of all places?" he asked in surprise.However, his eyes then dropped to t
When It All Fell Apart Chapter 5
Will noticed the food Ashton had brought and was visibly surprised.“There are so many restaurants around the hospital with meals suitable for patients, yet you somehow managed to pick the worst one. Now that’s impressive!”I could see Ashton clenching his jaw, trying to hold back his temper. After a moment of restraint, he spoke in a low, menacing tone, “From now on, I’ll cook for Clara myself. There’s no need for you to get involved.”Will, however, was not backing down. “I don’t trust you with that. I took good care of her, got her discharged in perfect health, and less than a day later, she miscarried. You have zero credibility.”Ashton’s brow furrowed deeply. “Clara is my wife. Why are you being so attentive? Don’t you understand how to keep your distance from a married woman?”I slammed my spoon on the tray and said sarcastically, “Well, you’re one to talk. Who’s more out of line than you helping someone else have a baby through IVF and not even realizing it’s crossing a b
When It All Fell Apart Chapter 6
Faced with Ashton’s aggressive questioning, I was beyond the mood to argue. He never believed he had done anything wrong.“A divorce paper can be printed a hundred times in a minute. Avoiding this won’t help.” In a fit of anger, he rose from his chair with such force that it crashed to the ground. Then, like a restless dog, he paced back and forth trying to calm himself down.“Honey, if this really bothers you, I can write a guarantee or a will, promising I won’t acknowledge Ruby’s child or let them inherit any of my assets. That should make you feel better about that, right?”I sighed deeply. Why could he not understand that while money and assets could be explicitly defined in writing, feelings could not simply be dismissed like that?How would it feel to watch a child grow up, seeing their likeness to him? After all, blood was thicker than water. How could he think it would not affect me?If I could still trust him, I would truly be the biggest fool in the world.“Ashton, I
When It All Fell Apart Chapter 7
Honestly, I had no idea about any of that. Thinking back, it made sense that Will, being so young, must come from a well-off family to live alone in a big house and have an apartment while in college. Still, I never connected the dots that he was the son of the company’s chairman.Just as I was lost in thought, Will called me into his office. That snapped me back to reality, reminding me I had something important to report.Will’s family business specialized in trading high-end antiques and treasures, but he had also branched out into modern art. While the transactions in that new area were not as lucrative as those in the high-end market, he managed to carve out a niche and had done quite well.Coincidentally, several of Ruby’s paintings were up for auction in that new category, with prices hovering around the hundred-thousand mark. However, I discovered a serious issue: her work had plagiarized and combined the pieces from several lesser-known artists.That had previously gone un
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