Chapter 7%
“Welcome back, Ada. Welcome home.“>
After I was brought to my room, the family doctor conducted a thorough examination. His voice was heavy with regret as he delivered the news.
“Ms. McLeod, forgive me for the saddening news. From the examination, you won’t be able to have children. Your body is extremely weak right now, and you’ll need a long period of rest. If you don’t take care of yourself properly, it could lead to lasting complications.“}
He hesitated before adding, “However, if we can find a suitable cornea donor, your eyesight can be restored. Preferably from someone with healthy, oval–shaped eye sockets.“}
A face flashed through my mind–Robert’s sharp, dark eyes.
I thought back to when he sat by my hospital bed, promising to be my eyes for the rest of my life. Had there been even a shred of sincerity in those beautiful eyes of his?!
Even though I had given up on him completely, a dull ache still spread through my chest.
Maybe… only when he was gone would my heart finally stop hurting.
***
Back at the villa, Robert stood at the entrance, staring at the bright red wedding decorations I had once carefully put up myself.”
That day, I had been glowing with happiness. He could still see it so clearly.”
He stepped inside, and the sight of the room hit him like a blade–red drapes, red flowers, red paper cutouts scattered across the floor. The overwhelming color of celebration now felt suffocating.
Perhaps it was the sharp sting of red that pierced his heart. His breath hitched. Clutching his chest, he leaned against the wall, gasping for air.
A sudden buzz from his phone cut through the silence. It was a message from his assistant.”
[Ms. Adalyn has returned to the McLeod estate in the Capital of Umbragrad.]
Robert took a deep breath and dialed my phone, but all he heard was the cold, mechanical voice of the system.
Frustrated, he kicked the pile of boxes in front of him. The cardboard boxes collapsed with a crash, revealing stacks of gleaming gold bars–piled into a small mountain!!]
Under the sunlight, they shimmered brilliantly, the engravings on them clearly visible: The McLeod Holdings.”
Several sheets of paper fluttered down at his feet.
Robert picked them up, and a few bold words immediately caught his eye:”
“McLeod Holdings Share Transfer Agreement“}
“McLeod Holdings Commercial Street Transfer Agreement“>
“McLeod Holdings Coastal Estate Transfer Agreement“>
Each of these seemingly weightless papers was worth billions. This was my dowry–the dowry of the heiress of McLeod Holdings.
In that instant, Robert understood–I had planned to reveal my true identity to him on our wedding day.
Flashes of memory rushed through his mind. Suddenly, he recalled how every time Bain Group faced a financial crisis, a new investor would appear just in time to help them through.
Every time, I was there. Quietly supporting him from behind the scenes.}
Robert tore the contracts into shreds, his voice hoarse as he roared in anguish.
“I only love Adalyn, not the heiress of McLeod Holdings. I just want MY Adalyn!”
Robert grabbed his phone and dialed my number again, but all he got was the same cold, mechanical response. He sent message after message, but there was nothing–no reply, no sign of me.
A panic like he had never felt before gripped his chest. He couldn’t even begin to imagine life without me.
His phone buzzed. The doctor’s voice came through, calm but firm.
“Mr. Bain, I’m sorry to disturb you, but I need to remind you again–Miss Adalyn was already in fragile health. In just one day, she underwent both a corneal transplant and a hysterectomy. Her body is on the verge of collapse. She needs absolute rest, or she could be in critical danger.””
Robert felt as if the ground had been ripped out from under him. He had nearly cost me my life.
A message from his assistant popped up–a security video from the wedding dressing room.
The moment he saw the man step out from behind the curtain and violently rip my dress, his eyes turned ice–cold, filled with a darkness that could swallow everything whole.
“Find out who this man is.”>
There was a long pause. When he spoke again, his voice was tight with pain and hesitation.
“And look into Lexi too.”
His gaze drifted to the wall, covered in wedding photos and snapshots of us–fragments of a life we had shared, a love he was
Love Pades in Time
