Chapter 10

If the alarm clock had not rung the next morning, Madeline would not have been able to wake up. Her face burned up when she recalled what she had said and done to Jeremy in her drunken state. Back in the office, Madeline could be seen working on her designs absentmindedly. She could not get rid of Jeremy’s shadow in her head. It had been 12 years. It would be impossible for her to let go of this profound love in just one day. She touched her flat stomach absentmindedly. If possible, she wanted to give the child the perfect family. “Ding!” Suddenly, a notification from her phone snagged her back to reality. She glanced at it and saw that it was a text message. It was from Jeremy! Madeline’s heart started beating unrhythmically. Her hands even started to tremble as she opened the message. The first thing Madeline saw was a photo. It was a photo of Madeline and Meredith. They had taken this picture when she was adopted by the Crawfords. In the photo, Meredith was wearing an expensive dress. The light was shining down on her beaming face, and she was like an untouched princess. She looked so elegant and exceptional. On the other hand, Madeline was wearing a greyish white dress. She looked as lowly as an ugly duckling in a dark corner. Below the photo was Jeremy’s message. When she saw the contents of it, the temperature of her fingertips plummeted. ‘Madeline, look at Meredith and then look at yourself. How will a filthy and lowly woman like you ever meet the qualifications of being my wife?’ The words stabbed her eyes like a knife made from ice. They were so heart-wrenching and unpleasant to the eye. She recalled the summer 12 years ago. She could not handle the cruelness and resentment Jeremy had for her now. ‘Jeremy, you once said that I was the kindest and cutest girl you’ve ever seen. You said that you’d take me as your bride so that you could be with me forever. But what’s going on now?’ Madeline’s heart was beating very fast. She knew she could not let this go. She immediately added on, ‘Jeremy, I know you have your prejudices against me, but I’m pregnant now. Please give me a chance to love you and a chance for the child to have a complete family, okay?’ After Madeline sent the message, she felt anxious and nervous. Nevertheless, she was looking forward to his reply. She wondered if Jeremy would be happy if he knew she had his child. Would he also look forward to the birth of the child? Nevertheless, in the blink of an eye, her fantasies were crushed. Jeremy replied to her message with only two words, ‘Abort it.’ Madeline’s felt as if her heart was being sliced open by a sharp tool. Before her pain could ease, Jeremy sent another message, ‘Madeline, I’m warning you. Only Meredith has the right to give birth to my children. A shameless b*tch like you should just sign the divorce papers immediately and get the hell away from me! If you don’t sign the papers, I’ll kill that bastard child with my own hands.’ The blood in Madeline’s body froze instantly. Those sharp words were filled with humiliation, and it was like he was trampling on her. At the same time, this bone-deep pain made Madeline come to the realization that this man was not worth it. He was not worthy for her to love so blindly. … Over on the other end, Meredith deleted all of the messages she had sent moments ago. Her hands were still sweating even after doing so. She was afraid that she would leave traces and that Jeremy would find out the truth. Two years prior, she had found Madeline’s diary along with a bookmark when she was rummaging through the latter’s room. Jeremy’s signature was on the bookmark. The date stated it was ten years ago. Thus, it was obvious that Madeline and Jeremy had met each other ten years ago. Not to mention, they had a romantic agreement between them. However, back then, Madeline’s name was not Madeline, and Jeremy did not recognize her as the little girl who made an agreement with him. With that, she managed to exploit the situation. The automatic glass door opened with a click, and Jeremy’s tall build appeared at the door. Meredith was sitting on his desk, and her face changed immediately. She hurriedly got up and placed Jeremy’s phone back in its place as if nothing had happened.