All Chapters of A New Spring: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I stood at the entrance of the dimly lit VIP room, my phone in hand. My eyes locked on Shawn Turner as he gently traced the girl's jawline with his fingertip, like someone playing with a kitten. The girl responded with a flirtatious giggle, acting completely docile. They were quite the pair—one was my childhood sweetheart who had been discussing marriage with me, and the other was a struggling student I had financially supported through school. Inside the room, several of Shawn's close friends were lounging around. Noticing Shawn's relaxed demeanor, they teased him, "Man, Shawn, you really know how to live it up. You've got that gorgeous Rowena waiting at home, and here you are with another beauty." "Shawn, won't Rowena flip out if she finds out about this?" one of them asked.Shawn remained completely unfazed, merely clicking his tongue. "Rowena? Yeah, she might be a bit of a hassle, but she'll just throw a little tantrum. That's all." His best friend, Zachary Moore

When I told my best friend, Tara Sweeney, about what happened, she could not hide her smirk. She exclaimed, "I've been waiting for this! You could've been a queen, but instead, you chose to be Shawn's doormat—for what?"I grimaced at her words, but she was not wrong. I had given up a comfortable life to be his faithful puppy, and besides our childhood connection, the main reason I had stuck around was that both our parents approved of the match.Tara patted my shoulder sympathetically and said, "Move on, girl! Let's leave the trash in the past. We can be fabulous single ladies together." While she was great at comforting others, when it came to herself, she would rather dive into chaos headfirst than pep-talk her way out. I did not plan on joining her single-life escapade, though. I replied, "I'll pass. I've already set up a blind date for tomorrow.""Wait. When did this happen?" Tara asked, shocked.I waved my new phone at her and replied, "Just now." The first thing I did a

The night of our wedding seemed like a race to make a baby. By the time I finally surrendered in exhaustion, dawn was breaking. In my drowsy state, I wondered if Nathaniel was as eager for a child as I was, given his enthusiasm. When I finally woke up, my phone was flooded with hundreds of unread messages. Some were from Tara, while others were from my friends. Unsurprisingly, most were from my parents."What's wrong?" Nathaniel walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped low around his hips.Water dripped from his hair onto his shoulders and trailed down his defined abs, disappearing somewhere under the towel as if heading to a secret destination. Just like that, images from the night before flashed through my mind—bits and pieces of blurry memories—and my face instantly turned bright red. "What are you thinking about? You're blushing," he remarked, walking over to feel my forehead. I quickly shook my head and replied, "Nothing. Just wondering how to explain this to my par

When Tara forwarded me Shawn's social media post, I felt nothing. I used to see some redeeming qualities in Shawn, which was why I had stayed with him for so many years. However, those qualities seemed to have vanished completely after our separation. I could not even remember why I had wanted to spend the rest of my life with such an irresponsible man. While lost in these thoughts, a hand reached out and took my phone.I looked up to see Nathaniel studying the post on my screen. After a moment, he met my gaze with a grin and asked, "Missing your ex?"I quickly shook my head. Over the past month, I learned that the more casual his smile appeared, the more dangerous the gleam in his dark eyes became.Before I could escape, Nathaniel grabbed me, threw me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing, and headed for the bedroom. Later, as he stroked my hair, he asked, "Got any plans coming up?" "Plans?" I repeated, thinking for a moment. "I promised Tara I'd go on a trip with her."N

Nathaniel said, "That day, you stood in front of me and bravely defended me. That's when I fell for you."I was dumbfounded. I did defend him that day, as the Iversons were from a prestigious family. Besides, I was not afraid of those rich kids and their arrogant attitudes, so I stood up to them.Back then, I was simply defending "family" as Shawn's girlfriend. Then again, no one would have expected Nathaniel to have feelings for me since that moment. I snuck a glance at him. After all these years, I had never noticed. Every time we crossed paths, he was always cold and distant, buried in company files. "How did you know I was using a dating app?" I asked.Nathaniel replied matter-of-factly, "I'm connected with you on all your social platforms, including your dating apps."I was speechless, thinking that was kind of scary. Nonetheless, after learning about his feelings for me, my perspective shifted slightly.…After the fall, the doctor said my pregnancy was unstable. Hence