All Chapters of The Illusion of Forever: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

11 Chapters

Chapter 1 All a Fantasy

This was the first time I had ever laid eyes on Ashley Summers, the delicate and fragile class belle I had only heard about from Nicholas Graham's friends. She looked frail, and a bandage was wrapped around her wrist. Yet, despite her weakened state, nothing could dim the unique air she carried with her. She was like a flower weathering the storm, fragile but unyielding in her grace.I had seen her once in a university graduation photo, standing next to Nicholas. In that picture, she was leaning slightly toward him with a sweet smile playing across her lips. I had even joked with him, teasingly asking if he had fallen for the girl in the photo.He pulled me close that day, holding my hand tightly as he got down on one knee and promising that it was always me whom he loved.Now, as I absently stroked the wedding ring on my left ring finger, a wave of bitterness washed over me. It was followed swiftly by a surge of nausea that twisted in my stomach, rising like bile. Without anoth

Chapter 2 Divorce

The Illusion of Forever/Crispy Sand

Ashley had been moved into the sunniest room in the house by Nicholas. It was the very room I had deliberately reserved when I designed it to be a nursery. Now, it was being used by a woman who was a complete stranger to me, arranged there by the man I loved.I stood in the living room, listening to the cheerful laughter that echoed from the crevice in the door. So many times, I wanted to burst in and tell that heartbroken woman that Nicholas was mine, but I couldn't.After all, they were only friends. He had reassured me of that, saying he was just showing her some compassion. If I objected, I wouldn't be the understanding and reasonable Luna Cromwell that I was supposed to be.I absentmindedly placed a hand on my still-flat belly and glanced at the sky gradually darkening outside the window. I then grabbed my phone and headed out to buy groceries.Ever since we found out I was pregnant, Nicholas had repeatedly urged me to quit my job and focus on taking care of our baby. He promi

Chapter 3 Time to Make Changes

The Illusion of Forever/Crispy Sand

Nicholas went back to bed in the middle of the night, stinking of sweat and dirt, after he had finally gotten Ashley to sleep. I turned away from him, hoping that sleep would come soon. I didn't want to argue about what had happened today, but he wasn't going to let me off that easily. "Luna, I know you're not happy about Ash staying with us, but I already promised her she could stay for a while. Don't worry, she won't be here long. She's in a fragile state right now, and she needs someone to take care of her."I gave a muffled response. "Do whatever pleases you." The next moment, I felt his hand resting on my waist, and he began to caress me in slow circles. His breath became heavier at the same time. Something inside my mind snapped, like a bomb going off. The man I had loved for a decade was now someone I barely recognized, someone who had become rotten from the inside out."Nicholas," I said, my tone cold and sharp. "Have you forgotten I'm pregnant?"After a brief pause, h

Chapter 4 He Was the Perfect Match

The Illusion of Forever/Crispy Sand

At noon, I was right in the middle of sipping on some porridge when I received a video call from my mother. Her eyes filled with sorrow the moment she noticed my pallid face and the bowl of porridge in my hands.This was the longest period I had ever been away from home. Never had my parents and I ever been apart in my twenty-seven years of life until now.With a note of concern and frustration in her voice, she asked where Nicholas was and how I could be suffering so much during my pregnancy. I didn't know how to begin telling her everything that had happened recently.To my parents, Nicholas was the perfect match. We had grown up together. He was dependable, honest, a graduate from a prestigious university, and held a stable job. He was everything they could hope for in a son-in-law, and we had been in love.Remembering all this made my tears sting the corners of my eyes. In the end, I brushed off her questions with a few vague responses and quickly ended the video call. They h

Chapter 5 Played Like a Fool

The Illusion of Forever/Crispy Sand

"After everything we've been through, only you're still waiting for me."The picture showed the back of two people sitting side by side, gazing at the sunset by the beach. Settling in Wavecrest City was Nicholas' idea. He said he loved the vastness of the sea and the city. I used to think it was simply because he had spent four years here during university and couldn't bear to leave.Now, I finally understood what he meant.Maybe there truly was something between them back in university. Maybe all of his friends knew but me. No wonder the day before our wedding, I noticed the best man repeatedly trying to say something to me but stopping himself every time. And then, there was Nicholas, who was so drunk that night that he passed out and never made it back to our bridal suite.I wasted no time and called one of his old university roommates, asking to meet at a café not far from my apartment.Half an hour later, I was face-to-face with the very same best man who was trying to tell m

Chapter 6 Why Marry Me When You Hate Me?

The Illusion of Forever/Crispy Sand

The tears I had held back for so long finally spilled over.'Why… Why are you doing this to me? Why marry me if you never loved me? Why string me along like some heartless robot for all this time?' I thought.Ashley was pushed into the bedroom by Nicholas, who quickly shut the door behind her. He didn't want her to see the messy state of his marriage, just like Ashley's marriage. He was afraid it might hurt her again."Luna, what's gotten into you? Is it truly necessary for me to accompany you to every prenatal appointment?""Why are you treating me like this?"Nicholas seemed to realize something, and his tone softened as he sat beside me and gently coaxed me. "Luna, she's sick. Do you really need to fight with someone who's ill?"I looked up in disbelief at the man I no longer recognized through a haze of tears. "Nicholas, I'm your wife.""Stop acting like some jealous woman. It's exhausting. Can't you be more forgiving? More generous? When Ashley gets better, I'll come to spe

Chapter 7 The Baby Is No Longer Mine

The Illusion of Forever/Crispy Sand

I was grateful to have parents who always gave me their full support. It was what gave me the confidence to make this decision under such difficult circumstances.That night, when I returned home, my mother came into my room with a solemn expression. "Do you want to keep the baby? As the mother, you have complete control over the decision."I froze for a moment and then shook my head.Like his father, this infant had given me so much trouble. Ultimately, I didn't own either of them."Then we'll go to the hospital tomorrow," she said calmly. "And once Nicholas comes back, we'll get the divorce done."I hesitated. "What about his parents?"His parents had practically watched us grow up together, and after we got married, they treated me like their own daughter. How would I face them after the divorce?"Don't worry about them. Their son hurt my daughter. The fact that I'm not making this a bigger issue is already a kindness," my mother said.Once again, tears welled up in my eyes,

Chapter 8 No Longer Tolerate Him

The Illusion of Forever/Crispy Sand

In the last couple of days during my postpartum care, Nicholas stood at my doorstep every day, adamant about seeing me. No matter how much others persuaded him to leave, he simply wouldn't, truly acting like a man who loved me deeply as best as he could.Before he made a scene, I opened the door and let him in. Still, even when I confronted him face-to-face now, he insisted that he didn't do me wrong."Do you dare to take off your clothes then?" I asked.At once, he declined with an excuse, saying that he was shy.My lips twitched into a sneer as I observed his response. "You're probably shy because of the marks left by your ex-girlfriend, who you've been longing for two years after sleeping with her. Am I right?"Seeing that I exposed his lie, he became furious and condemned me for slandering him.However, I paid no attention to his fury and kept pushing him to remove his shirt if he wanted me to believe he was telling the truth. Eventually, he didn't dare to do as I said and bo

Chapter 9 Divorce Granted

The Illusion of Forever/Crispy Sand

As Nicholas insisted that I was madly in love with him and would return to his side as long as he was willing to change, he eventually didn't sign the divorce papers. Such was his thought and action.That night, I received a message from the oh-so-innocent Ashley. She was cursing me and saying that I would go to jail if she died because of me. She even accused me of robbing her of the happiness that belonged to her.Sadly, that wasn't how the real world worked. She couldn't codify the rules with empty words, and not all who were weak were right. I never committed any kind of violence against her. In fact, I was the one who was hurt.I didn't reply to her message. After taking a screenshot, I blocked her, deleted her message, and sent the screenshot to Nicholas. 'Your ex-girlfriend is about to kill herself if you don't save her. Please don't pin the blame on me when that happens.'The next day, I hired a lawyer and prepared to go to court to file for divorce. Just then, Nicholas too

Chapter 10 The Miserable Life of Nicholas

The Illusion of Forever/Crispy Sand

After I joined the new company, I worked hard and attained countless project deals. My supervisor valued my hard work, and my life had been thriving. From time to time, I would receive apology calls or texts from unknown numbers, but I deleted and blocked them all when I saw them.Later, I went on a business trip to Wavecrest City, where I settled down when I was still married to Nicholas. By chance, I encountered him, who was selling insurance. After the divorce, I stopped paying attention to his life in the past few years.In a nutshell, I lived a good life without him.Nicholas and I bumped into each other. Surprise emerged in our eyes when we looked at each other. He suggested we had coffee together, but since I was going on a date with my new boyfriend and figured I couldn't let him misunderstand me, I declined Nicholas' offer.A trace of embarrassment flashed across Nicholas' face. Then, he said calmly, "Luna, I indeed had done you wrong before. Please forgive me.""Nicholas

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