All Chapters of Love, As Fleeting as the Breeze: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Once he finished speaking, he didn't look at Vanessa again. He walked straight back to the villa.As he gazed at the photo of Christina and him on the table, a sharp pain slowly spread through his heart. He held the photo for a long time, then finally picked up his phone and began calling Christina's friends and family.Lucien wanted to ask them if they knew where Christina had gone.From the first call to the ninety-ninth, the answer was always the same: no.In the end, he even swallowed his pride and called his sworn enemy. But all he received, apart from mockery, was the same answer: no.Soon, the people he had sent to search for Christina's whereabouts reported back to him.The answer was still the same.Christina had vanished like smoke, without a trace.He ended the call weakly, slumping into the chair, and sat there, lifeless, all through the night.Elsewhere, Vanessa had struggled through an entire day and night in the operating room before finally delivering a barely-

The group exchanged glances, briefly looking at Christina, who was focused on cutting her steak, uninterested in continuing the conversation. Finally, the exchange came to a halt.That evening, Christina bid farewell to the friend who had driven her home. She slowly made her way up the stairs to her room. After finishing her shower and changing clothes, she emerged from the bathroom to find the housekeeper had already prepared a late-night snack on the table. The housekeeper, seeing Christina, bowed quietly before leaving the room.Christina sat down, sipping her coffee while scrolling through her phone. The bitterness of the coffee filled her mouth, and before her brow could furrow, her phone suddenly buzzed.After answering the call, Christina's expression shifted. It was the village head from her uncle's village.The village head hesitated, explaining that ever since Christina's aunt had learned about Lucien's actions, she had fallen ill. Her uncle was caring for her while als

What Christina didn't know was that the Waldorf family had no intention of letting Vanessa leave the old villa.From the moment Vanessa was released from prison and brought to the Waldorf family's old villa, they had someone watching her 24 hours a day. Even for her prenatal checkups, they sent someone to take her to the military hospital.They weren't worried about her escaping, not when the Waldorf family had their influence spread across the entire city. Where could she possibly run? The reason they didn't take her to the hospital where Lucien was was simple—they knew how much he despised Vanessa. If Lucien found out that Vanessa had been released and was being taken care of by them, the child she carried wouldn't stand a chance.But Vanessa never even considered running. After all, she had learned her lesson from her time in prison. She knew that her entire future now rested on the child she was carrying. As long as the baby was born safely, she would have a lifetime of security

The sound of the door closing snapped Lucien back to reality. He quickly rushed to the door, knocking urgently."Christina, I know you're listening. Please, let me explain. I didn't mean to hide this from you. It was Vanessa—she climbed into my bed while I was drunk."I wanted to resolve it then, but my parents called, pressuring me to have children. I couldn't bear to let you suffer the pains of childbirth. So I... I just—"The words faltered at the end, and perhaps even Lucien felt the weight of what he was about to say, unable to finish. But they both understood.On the other side of the door, Christina leaned against it, her eyes filled with sarcasm.He couldn't bear for her to suffer the pain of childbirth, but could he bear to let her suffer the pain of being cheated on?The pain in her heart was far worse than any physical pain.The day she first learned of his betrayal, the ache in her chest nearly stole her breath.Before that, under his careful care, she rarely had to

In the dream, Lucien knelt on one knee.He held a wedding ring he had carved by hand, his gaze fixed tenderly on the girl in the white gown before him."Christina, will you marry me? I promise to love you, cherish you, and stay by your side for the rest of my life. I will never betray you."Finally, the girl moved. But when she lifted her face, it wasn't her. It was Vanessa.Yet Lucien didn't seem to notice. He looked at her with the same deep affection, as if nothing had changed.Just as Vanessa opened her mouth to speak, Christina woke up.She stared blankly at the window, unsettled by the strangeness of the dream.Knock, knock."Christina, are you awake?"Her aunt's voice came from outside the door. Christina patted her cheeks lightly and quickly replied, "I'm up, Auntie."Only then did her aunt push open the door and hand her an invitation, saying it had been sent by a friend.Christina suddenly recalled meeting an old friend shortly after returning to Anseer City. They