5
Mirabel hid behind a pillar outside the hall, but she could hear Fraser chatting with his cousin, Caroline.
“Hey, cousin, are you really planning to live like this for the rest of your life?” Caroline frowned. “You can’t hide everything. No matter how well you cover it up, one day, your wife will find out ”
Fraser chuckled. “I love Mirabel, but Darlena has already had children for me, so I can’t just abandon her. It’s fine living like this.”
“But what if it’s found out? What are you going to do?” Caroline murmured. “You’re being unfair to Mirabel. This isn’t how you treat your wife.
og Eke this for two years already.” Fraser said confidently. “I know I ove Mirabel, but I’ll make it
“There won’t be such a day. We’ve been living | up to her. I’ll treat her even better.”
Caroline rolled her eyes in disdain. “Can love be compensated with material things? Listen, I’ll remind you as a family member – Uncle is coming back soon. He’s so old–fashioned, and he hates this hand of stuff. If he finds out about your little affair, he’ll definitely expose you!”
Mirabel slowly slid down the pillar, collapsing onto the ground
Her heart was numb from the pain. At that moment, she only lelt disgust.
She stumbled out of the hotel
But the mental strain of the past few days had drained her, and as her vision darkened, she collapsed.
When she woke up, she found herself in an unfamiliar room. A man in a suit was sitting on the sofa beside her bed, wearing frameless glasses.
He was flipping through a thick stack of documents. His expression was neutral,
1, but his strikingly handsome features gave authority
off an
aura of
Mirabel sat up and stared at him for a moment; her mind slow to process. Then she recognized him.
It was Fraser’s uncle, Aston
He had been doing business abroad for years, and Mirabel had only met him a few times. She knew Fraser was somewhat afraid of his uncle, who was three years older, because when they were children, it was Aston who disciplined Fraser when their parents were too soft
Fraser had once described him as “rigid and serious, everything must be by the book.”
“You’re awake?” Aston closed the file in his hands. “The doctor said you just had a miscarriage and that your fainting was due to emotional
He walked over to her slowly. “Fraser doesn’t know about your miscarriage, does he? Otherwise, he would let you collapse alone like that.”
d have
gone crazy and wouldn’t have
Mirabel was silent for a long time. “Thank you for today. But please don’t tell Fraser about this,”
Seeing Aston’s hesitation, she whispered, “Please.”
Aston was taken aback. It was clear that something was wrong between them. Normally, he would tell Fraser everything. But for some reason, his heart softened, and he finally agreed to keep it a secret.
He had someone take Mirabel home.
Not long after, Fraser returned.
“Sweetheart, what do you want for lunch? I’ll cook Fraser, always worried that the chef might not cook something to Mirabel’s liking, had been preparing her meals personally every day, no matter how busy he was
He also took out a jewelry box. “The custom jewelry is ready. Take a look, see if you like it.”
Mirabel glanced at the jewelry. The design was exactly the same as the one he had given to Darlena earlier that day.
She couldn’t help but laugh. All this time, the special attention she thought she received from Fraser had been nothing but cheap gestures, with two copies of everything
“No need. I want to visit the Little Tree Hole.”
The Little Tree Hole was a manor that Fraser had built for Mirabel five years ago. It held many precious memories.
It was there that Fraser had confessed his love for the 97th time, successfully.
for
It was where they had held hands for the first time, kissed for the first time, and where Fraser had proposed to her, owing to love only her lo
the rest of his de
But it was far from the city, and after they got married, they rarely went there.
Now it was no
was noon, and Mirabel would be leaving for good at 3 pm. She just wanted to see it once more, as a final farewell
Fraser was taken aback, his face suddenly anxious. He had given the keys to the Little Tree Hole to Darlena earlier because she had insisted on staying there with the twins. She had gone there today.
“Okay, we’ll go after lanch,” he said. He hurried into the kitchen, secretly texting Darlena to leave as soon as possible.
By 1 pm, they arrived at the manor.
As soon as Mirabel entered, she sensed something was wrong-
The roses in the garden had been replaced with lilies, the pale green curtains were now pink, and there was even a children’s rocking chair in
the living room.
Clearly, someone else had been living here.
But Mirabel pretended not to notice and went upstairs directly. She found the photo albums of her and Fraser and decided to take them and bum them. She couldn’t stand the thought of leaving them belssl.
But when she opened the photo album, she froze
The album was bill of pictures of Fraser and Darlena, along with the twins the four of them in a lavender field, under the Eiffel Tower, in a hot air balloon… These were all places Fraser had taken her, every spot filled with unforgettable memories.
But it turned out that in countless days and nights she didn’t know about, he had taken another woman to those places, tarnishing their
shared memories
Seeing Mirabel’s face tum pale, Fraser walked over. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
Mirabel slammed the album shut and forced a smile. “Nothing. I just want to go h home.”
She tumed to go downstairs, but Fraser’s phone suddenly rang. His face turned anxious. “Sweetheart, I need to go to the bathroom. Can you wait for me downstairs?
Mirabel nodded and lett
A few minutes later, she returned Outside the bathroom door, she heard Fraser’s frantic voice.
“Didn’t I tell you to leave with the kids? Why are you still here?”
“I just wanted to play something more exciting with you,” came Darlena’s seductive voice. “Earlier, we did it on your wedding bed, in front of your wedding photos. But now, she’s downstairs. Doesn’t this feel even better than before?”
Fraser’s breathing grew heavier. “. Little devil!”
The sound of water and other indecent noises followed.
Mirabel stood outside the door, her heart completely numb. She only wondered, how could her once beloved partner have become like this?
Like a poppy in rotten mud alluring, yet exuding a stench of decay.
Or maybe, he had always been this way, and she had just never noticed?
She thought back to when Fraser first introduced her to his social circle years ago.
The rich and powerful sons of prominent families had outwardly congratulated them, but privately, they mocked Fraser for being a fool, thinking he could only love one person. With their conditions, they could easily keep ten women.
Back then, Fraser had said, “I’m not like them. I only love you.”
But now, it was clear there was no difference. It was all the same rot, just delayed.
Mirabel laughed bitterly and quietly walked downstairs.
She had come from the mountains. Her mother had been trafficked. Because she didn’t give birth to a son, both Mirabel and her mother had suttered daily beatings from her father,
At thirteen, she ran away from the mountains, the first thing s
thing she did was put her biological father in prison.
Her father cursed her to die, and her mother, though free because of her, never thanked her.
Mirabel was a reminder of her mother’s humiliation, a scar in her life.
Growing up in such a twisted family, Mirabel learned to build high walls around her heart and keep everyone at a distance.
But when she turned eighteen, Fraser came into her life. He was like an eternal flame, tirelessly melting the ice around her heart, gently healing all her past pain.
He gave her countless moments of love, allowing her to learn how to love again.
But it was also he, who, at her happiest moment, delivered the deepest, most painful wound.
