Semua Bab Sacrifice in Shadows: Bab 1 - Bab 9

The thought of him messing around with some other girl and then trying to be sweet with me made my stomach flip—I started gagging.Matthew rushed over, his face etched with concern.The closer he got, the stronger the other woman's perfume that had clung to him permeated the air.I shoved him back and raced my wheelchair to the bathroom.Hunched over the toilet, I could not stop heaving. When the waves of nausea eased a bit, I caught sight of a pregnancy test gleaming on the shelf by the sink.My hands shook as I stood and grabbed it.Two red lines stared back at me.I looked at it for what felt like forever; my heart twisted in pain and confusion.Since my legs stopped working, Matthew and I had not been close for months.Then, he had not only cheated with his assistant but knocked her up, too.Matthew came after me, his voice laced with panic. "Wendy, what's wrong? Do you feel sick?"He clung to me tightly, his face all worried, treating me like I was something precious.

I slipped out unnoticed, trailing behind them.I caught Matthew in a deep kiss with his assistant in a secluded room just outside the banquet hall.He spun around, pulling her close."Lucky for us, Wendy's not here to see this. Flirting with me right in front of her? Be careful next time," he whispered."Why worry? What can she do? With the way she is? She can't even stand, much less leave you," his assistant murmured, tugging at his shirt as their breaths mingled and grew heavy, and things quickly spiraled.Shaking, I pulled out my phone and hit record.I listened for as long as they were lost in each other.Eventually, the assistant, worn out, dozed off on Matthew.However, he kept going, holding her face and kissing her like she was something precious.I could not take it anymore. I turned and ran, my heart pounding.It was not until I was back home that I truly let Matthew go, my heart heavy with loss.My wedding ring went into the trash. I dug out every reminder of Matt

I was deep into my research that year but needed a break to clear my head. I never expected that a casual outing would lead me to bump into Matthew on an adventure with a group of explorers. A snake had bitten him, the venom coursing through his veins, and I saved his life.When he came to, he tried to repay me with a hefty sum of money out of gratitude. I did not take a cent. I just said my goodbyes and walked away.Our paths crossed again when I was duped by a con artist—an old lady who would not let go of me. Matthew just happened to drive by and saw the whole thing. He stepped in and got me out of the mess.He noticed I was a stranger to many things, so he showed me around, teaching me about all those fabulous new experiences. That was how I started to fall for him; he had fallen for me, too.Disaster struck the night I was ready to pour my heart out to him. He was ambushed by someone holding a grudge. I shielded him and ended up with a knife in my leg.Matthew cried for what

Matthew stuck around, taking up residence right next door to me.He kept his distance, though, shadowing me without a word. I acted as if he was invisible, never giving him the satisfaction of my attention. He was searching for a love that had already faded from my heart.However, he was living a lie.Everything came to a head when a guy from my class dropped by for a check-up. We were reminiscing, laughing away, when Matthew got the wrong idea, thinking I had moved on.Fuming, he stormed over, hand raised to strike my friend, but I quickly blocked him."Matthew, if you're going to lose it, do it somewhere else. Don't mess with my work."My classmate got up, gave an awkward wave goodbye, and took off.Once he was gone, I shoved Matthew away, repulsed, but he clung to my hand, his eyes brimming with misplaced passion."Wendy, you've had time to cool off. It's time to come back to me and leave this place," he pleaded.I frowned, a sarcastic laugh escaping me. Did he really think