Who Would Want a Faded Love?

Everyone is jealous of Scarlett Meyer's perfect marriage because her husband is so in love with her that it's literally carved into his bones. However, it isn't until the day she finds out she's pregnant that she realizes her husband, Joachim Davidson, has been cheating on her for the past two years. And the person he's cheating on her with? Katrina Greene, Scarlett's college bully. Katrina even has a pair of twins with Joachim. Katrina won't stop provoking Scarlett, and Joachim also continues lying to her face to be with Katrina. To get back at her cheating husband, Scarlett decides to abort her baby and fake her own death. But just before she leaves for good, she puts the abortion report and proof of Katrina's provocation in an envelope and gifts it to Joachim, telling him that he can only open it a few days later. Chapter 1 "I want you to fake a private jet air crash for me so that I can leave Joachim Davidson." As soon as Scarlett Meyer made her request, her best friend, Vicky Redfield, was in so much shock that her jaw practically hit the ground. She wondered if she was hearing things. The reaction was somewhat similar to when she first heard that Scarlett would be marrying Joachim back then. Scarlett had come from one of the poorer neighborhoods in the mountains, and Joachim came from the richest and most affluent family in Zittoria. Their circles were worlds apart, and nobody would have ever thought that they would end up together. People had discussed it among themselves back then. Some of them figured that Joachim was just dating Scarlett for the novelty of it, while some others guessed that Joachim had a secret first love whom he wasn't allowed to be with, and Scarlett was just a stand-in for her. Even more absurdly, some others thought that Joachim only married Scarlett because of a bet. However, for the next three years after their marriage, Joachim proved to the world with his actions that he had no ulterior motives for marrying Scarlett, other than the fact that he loved her very much. In fact, he was so deeply and hopelessly in love with her. It was love at first sight for him. He hadn't stopped aggressively pursuing Scarlett ever since. He kept showering her with gifts and presents of all sorts. Besides that, he also donated to multiple charities, in the sum of tens of billions of dollars, under Scarlett's name. He even built schools for the poor and needy all over the world and named them all, "Scarlet Jr. High." He hoped that everyone in the world would know of Scarlet and be grateful toward her. So, in the event that she got into trouble in any part of the world, the people there would be more than willing to lend her a helping hand. Joachim also did all he could to be able to spend more time with her. He worked at the same part-time job as she did, such as waiting tables, distributing flyers, and even sorting parcels at the post office. He had never worked a day in his life at home, not even washing his own clothes, and yet, he had managed to work with Scarlett at all of her odd-jobs for two whole years. His fingers, which used to allow him to play beautiful melodies on the violin, were now covered in thick calluses. His sincerity in pursuing her finally touched Scarlett, convincing her to give their relationship a chance. However, since they came from vastly different family backgrounds, his family refused to acknowledge their relationship at all. Joachim tried his best to get his parents' approval. He went through all of his family's punishments, some of them even involving physical punishments where he got badly injured and still had the scars to show on his back till now. However, after realizing that even that wasn't enough to change his parents' minds about Scarlett, he forwent his right to his inheritance and decided to start his own business from scratch. This way, nobody would be able to have a say in his married life, and he could marry whoever he wanted. His elite friends all thought that Joachim had gone out of his mind. He was normally a very bright and intelligent person, and yet, he had given up his generational wealth just to be with a woman he liked. Joachim's parents had no other choice but to agree to his and Scarlett's marriage after that. After their wedding, Joachim immediately got rid of every female employee in close proximity to him and replaced them with male employees. Even if Scarlett never asked him to do it, he would still report his daily schedule to her in detail. He even installed a GPS tracker on himself so that she would always know where he was and could check in on him whenever she wanted. The netizens branded their relationship dynamic as the epitome of romanticism, and Joachim was the ambassador of it all. Within no time at all, suddenly everyone online was rooting for his and Scarlett's relationship. They were shipped together so hard that their mundane news even accidentally overshadowed some celebrity gossip. However, nobody else but Scarlett knew that this seemingly perfect man and perfect husband was cheating on her. He even had twins with another woman, forming another family altogether behind her back. When Scarlett first found out about this, her heart had hurt so much that she fainted from the pain. When Joachim heard about this, he immediately postponed his overseas business meeting that could have brought in billions of dollars and hurried back home. He then cared for her at the hospital for two days without leaving her side. When Scarlett woke up, Joachim stayed next to her bed with a worried expression on his face. He was holding the tube feeding into her IV drip, trying to warm up the liquid before it went into her bloodstream. "You're finally awake? You gave me such a fright!" Joachim said, holding her hand close to his face. His eyes were shimmering with tears. He never blinked an eye when he'd been threatened and held at gunpoint when he was in business. Yet, the moment he heard that Scarlett had passed out, his legs had turned to jelly. Scarlett felt like her heart was being shredded when she saw the worry and anxiety in Joachim's eyes. The love-struck eyes couldn't be faked. Joachim truly loved her. But somehow, she couldn't help wondering if this man, who truly loved her so deeply, also looked at Katrina Greene with the same lovestruck eyes and told her the same romantic pick-up lines too. Katrina, the person he was cheating on her with, was his childhood friend. When word spread at college that Joachim was pursuing Scarlett, Katrina had led a gang of people to bully Scarlett on campus. They even went to Scarlett's part-time jobs to cause trouble for her and humiliate her on purpose, getting her fired from many of them. Katrina had even managed to get actual gang members to humiliate and degrade Scarlett, but Joachim had crashed the scene unintentionally when he was simply planning to confess his feelings for Scarlett. Joachim hadn't held back then. He made sure that the Greenes went bankrupt right after that. Had his mother, Amanda Finch, not intervened, Joachim would have probably also ended Katrina's life then and there with his own bare hands. So, if Scarlett hadn't personally seen the names on the DNA tests themselves, she would never have believed that Joachim had cheated on her, and that his bastard children were already well over 12 months old. Scarlett just closed her eyes and turned her head to the side. Her tears fell onto her pillow and made a wet stain. Joachim didn't see her tears and thought that she was simply exhausted. "Scarlett, the doctor just did a check-up on you, and they found out that you're two months pregnant. We're going to have our own baby!" He was always the cold and aloof person to everyone else, but now, Joachim was so happy he looked like a child who'd just been given a lollipop. "It's going to be our wedding anniversary in days, and we also just found out that you're pregnant! This calls for a double celebration!" Scarlett immediately opened her eyes. When she was young, her father, Doug Campbell, once nearly drowned her in the lake, which eventually led to the doctors telling her that she would probably never be able to bear children for the rest of her life. It was also because of this issue that Joachim's parents were immensely dissatisfied with her. Scarlett put up with them because they were her in-laws. However, Joachim hated to see her sad and refused to let his family hurt her. So, he said coldly, "Scarlett is my beloved wife, and I'm forever thankful and consider myself lucky that she's willing to be with me. "But, if both of you continue treating her badly just because she can't give you grandchildren, then I'm going to denounce my relationship with you both. You'll no longer be my parents, and I'll no longer be your son. I'll sever ties with you all!" Scarlett gently stroked her belly and couldn't hold it in anymore. She began sobbing out loud. Why did the baby have to come at such a time? Joachim pulled her into his arms and comforted her gently. "Aww, Lettie, why are you crying? Who did this to you? I'll make sure you get revenge!" However, Scarlett picked up a faint scent of a foreign perfume smell on him, mixed slightly with the smell of baby formula. She immediately pushed him away and turned to the side to throw up. Joachim thought that Scarlett was suffering from morning sickness. He instinctively put his hands together and formed a makeshift bowl with them, catching her vomit, not worrying at all that he would get dirty from it. He just kept glancing worriedly at her. Of course, he was happy that Scarlett was pregnant, but he had been with Katrina throughout her pregnancy too, and he knew how hard it was for a woman to go through pregnancy, childbirth, and the side effects of postpartum afterward. Scarlett stared at Joachim in shock. She knew that he was a severe clean freak, and yet, he was willing to do so much for her. In fact, Joachim always delicately hand-washed every single item of clothing that she wore. Joachim had showered her with all of his love for three years after they got married, and so had Scarlett. She couldn't bear to leave him anymore. At that moment, Scarlett had a fleeting thought—if Joachim was willing to sever ties with Katrina, then she didn't mind going back to how they used to be. However, a split second later, Joachim got a text message on his phone. After reading it, he got up in a haste and left, citing that there was something urgent at the office. Half an hour later, Scarlett received a photo from Katrina. The photo showed Joachim lovingly kissing the twins on their foreheads. That photo completely shattered all of Scarlett's hopeful imaginings. After getting discharged from the hospital, Scarlett went straight to Vicky and asked her to fake the private jet air crash for her. Scarlett knew Joachim like the back of her hand. He would never agree to a divorce. He would also never agree to let her go. He would just go berserk like a lunatic. Chapter 2 After getting back from Vicky's, Scarlett then made an appointment at a hospital on the outskirts to get an abortion. There were too many influential people in the Davidson family, who had contacts everywhere. If she had made an abortion appointment in Zittoria, Joachim would have already learned of it before she was even wheeled into the operating room. Just before entering the operating room, Katrina sent her a video again on her phone. The video was two and a half hours long. In the video, Katrina was dressed in skimpy lingerie, Joachim was dressed in his impeccable formal suit, and there were plenty of toys and lube on the table nearby. They did it repeatedly, in the kitchen, on the desk, and even in the hallway, making sure that every corner of the room did not go unbaptized with their filth. Scarlett had never seen Joachim act the way he did in the video. He was wild and borderline deranged as he did it with Katrina. Every scene in the video only made Scarlett's heart shatter over and over again. However, she couldn't stop herself from watching every minute of the torture, like she was some sort of masochist. "Miss, it's time for your operation now. But are you sure that you're in the right state for it?" the doctor asked with concern. It was only then that Scarlett realized she was crying and shaking all over. Her face was completely wet with tears. She wasn't crying just out of sadness. It was also because she realized that she couldn't love Joachim any less, even though he was cheating on her. She just couldn't get rid of her love for him. He was a living, breathing human, after all—not just a garment of clothing that could be thrown aside just because she didn't like it anymore. And ridding Joachim from her heart was akin to cutting her chest open and tearing out her heart before ripping it to shreds. Scarlett wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and decided to give Joachim one last chance. She called him on his phone. "Where are you now? I miss you. Can you please come home?" Joachim's voice was tight, as if he was desperately holding something back. "Lettie, I'm working on something important at the office. Tonight—ah!" He let out a low moan. Then, he suddenly started talking a whole lot faster. "I'm not coming back tonight!" After that, he hung up on her. Scarlett was stunned as tears began gushing from her eyes. Joachim had never, ever hung up on her first. This was the first time it's ever happened to her. A few minutes later, she closed her eyes and took a huge breath. "I'm fine, Doctor. Let's get on with the operation." Late that night, Scarlett dragged her exhausted body all the way back home. Just then, Vicky sent her a message. "Lettie, everything's set. We'll proceed in two days' time." Scarlett plopped onto the bed. For the entirety of the night, she would fall into a fitful sleep, wake up in tears, and then fall back into another fitful sleep again. Sometime after midnight, she sat up and hugged her knees close to her chest and stayed in that position until dawn. The next morning, Joachim finally came home. He took off his coat and waited for the cold to dissipate before walking over to Scarlett and hugging her. He then turned on his iPad and pointed at the map of an island. "Lettie, look! I just bought this island. It's a gift for our baby. Also, I've already started work on building a theme park in every state in the country, and they will be named after our child. "Once the baby is born, I'll throw a massive party over 100 days so that everybody in the country can celebrate together!" It wasn't until he finished talking excitedly that he realized Scarlett had not said a single word to him since he stepped foot into the house. Suddenly, he heard her sobbing quietly. He quickly went over to Scarlett and realized that her entire face was covered in tears. "What's the matter?" Joachim had never seen Scarlett crying like this. He panicked so hard that even his voice sounded shaky. If Scarlett got upset, it would make Joachim feel a hundred times worse. Every emotion Scarlett felt would be magnified in his heart. And now, as he watched the huge teardrops stream down her face, Joachim's heart hurt so much. He felt as if his heart was being pulled in all directions. "I'm fine," Scarlett said, avoiding his hand. "We're like this when we're pregnant. We'll just randomly feel like crying." "Really?" Joachim's shoulders relaxed. "I'll stay at home with you all day today, alright? What do you feel like eating? I'll go and make it." "Don't bother. I'm going to a class reunion luncheon later. Then I'm going to visit my old lecturers. Just go ahead with your own plans for the day." Scarlett then got up. She probably wouldn't be returning to the country after leaving this time. She would just see them for the last time and take it as her final goodbye. Joachim didn't like the idea of her going out alone and insisted on tagging along. When they entered the private dining room together, there was a soft bout of laughter from the people already inside. "I told you that Joachim would come if Scarlett came. He's so afraid to lose her." Joachim just smiled and went along with their endless teasing. Then, he gave out gifts to everyone present. The people were shocked. "Oh, my god! This is the latest jewelry set from Greenwell Luxe, and it costs seven figures! You're always so generous with your gifts, Mr. Davidson. And we're so lucky all because of Scarlett!" Scarlett used to have plenty of friends in college, and everyone present was good friends with her. Of course, Joachim didn't spare a cent, spoiling them and getting on their good side. The main reason was that seeing them happy made Scarlett happy, and that was all that mattered. Everyone was secretly sighing about what a powerful force love could be, turning such a cold and aloof person like Joachim into a warm, smiling ray of sunshine everywhere he went. "I'm so envious of you, Scarlett! Your hubby obviously loves you so much!" Scarlett didn't smile happily like she used to when they said the same thing to her in the past. Instead, she just smiled very perfunctorily. Just as everyone was enjoying themselves, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Katrina Greene appeared at the door, dressed head-to-toe in sparkling jewelry. "Why didn't anyone tell me about this class reunion? Aren't we all from the same class?" Chapter 3 The air gradually turned thick with tension when Katrina showed herself. However, she didn't seem to notice the shift in the mood and strutted over to sit down right in front of Scarlett. She grinned with her eyes as she scanned the room full of people still holding the gift Joachim gave them in their hands. "Greenwell Luxe? That's a really famous brand. But it seems like nobody knows that I'm the one who founded this brand." She founded it? Everyone couldn't believe their ears. Katrina's family had been mercilessly bankrupted by Joachim years ago, and they couldn't even live normal lives in whichever country they wanted anymore. How was it possible that she would end up being the founder of this luxury brand? "It's true that my family went through some tribulations, but I met my hubby after that, and two years ago, he invested tens of billions in me and used every connection he knew to build me one company after another. "Oh, and this isn't the only brand, by the way. I've got 26 brands under my belt, all thanks to him." While speaking, Katrina's gaze seemingly flitted over Joachim before she smirked at Scarlett with a challenging grin. Scarlett couldn't breathe. She recalled a time frame about two years ago when Joachim had been particularly busy. He had told her that his company was expanding overseas, which explained his extremely busy schedule. As it turned out, he had simply been busy building companies for Katrina. Scarlett felt a sharp pain in her heart that slowly bled into the rest of her chest. She couldn't help but press a hand to her heart. "What's wrong, Lettie? Feeling uncomfortable anywhere?" Joachim asked, immediately getting up anxiously. "I'll get the doctor." Katrina grinned coldly. "Why, Scarlett Meyer, can't you see how preciously Mr. Davidson is treating you? So, why do you still look like a zombie?" The words had just left her mouth when Joachim's expression suddenly turned dark. He slapped her squarely in the cheek. "If you don't shut your mouth and leave, I'll make sure you never, ever speak again!" Katrina held a hand to her swollen cheek and huffed before leaving the private room in great dissatisfaction. The tension lifted as soon as Katrina was gone. However, Scarlett's face was still as pale as a sheet. Joachim held her hand worriedly. "Lettie, where does it hurt? The doctor's on his way." Scarlett pushed him away. "I'm fine. I just want to use the toilet. Don't come with me." As soon as she stepped out into the hallway, Katrina immediately blocked her way. She chuckled coldly again and said, "Do you really think you're still important to Joachim even though he hit me for you? "Don't forget that I am the mother of his children. His heart is already drifting toward me. Wanna bet that he'd leave you and come to me the instant I tell him his kids are having a fever?" When Scarlett finally went back to the private room, Joachim was looking particularly anxious. He went over to her and kissed her on the forehead. "Lettie, something urgent came up at the company, and I need to go over there at once. I've already informed the manager here to put everything on my tab, though, so you can continue enjoying tonight with the rest of your friends." Scarlett tugged on Joachim's sleeve tightly and said, "Didn't you say that you'd stay with me tonight? Can't you stay? Please?" Joachim looked at the calm yet pleading look in her eyes and suddenly felt immensely flustered. He had a feeling that if he were to leave today, he would be losing something very important to him. But Katrina had told him that his kids were sick. They were his flesh and blood. He had to go and see them. In the end, Joachim carefully pried off Scarlett's fingers, one by one, and said, "Lettie, I promise that I'll come home tonight to be with you, alright?" Scarlett inhaled deeply. As it turned out, Joachim's heart was really shifting away from her. Half an hour later, Katrina sent her a video. Scarlett knew what the video would be showing, and yet, she still tapped on the play button with shaky fingers. Katrina was sobbing in the video, looking small and pitiful. "I can't live without being with you all the time. I only went to the classmate reunion because I missed you so much, but then you were being all lovey-dovey with Scarlett, and it made me so jealous! "I only said those words because of how jealous I was. And then you hit me because of that!" Joachim chuckled softly. It was obvious that he was enjoying this. He then applied some salve to Katrina's cheek and said, "Alright, alright. If you keep crying, your mascara's going to melt all over your face. Just tell me anything you want, and I'll give it to you to make it up to you." "Well… The kids are having their birthdays soon. I want that island you just bought as their birthday present." Joachim frowned. "No way. That's something I'm planning to give Scarlett and her baby." "Please, Joe?" Katrina pleaded. "Our babies and I really want that island. And you promised me anything I wanted!" This time, Joachim finally agreed. Katrina then glanced at the camera and grinned victoriously to provoke Scarlett. She even sent a voice message afterward. "See? Even if he promised you something, he'll still give it to me as long as I ask him for it. You've already lost to me." Scarlett gripped her phone and slid to the ground in a daze. She recalled the past, when she got hurt during one of her part-time jobs. Joachim had helped her apply salve to her skin just like that too. So, whatever Joachim did with her wasn't just exclusive to them. He'd do them with other women too. At that moment, Scarlett suddenly felt thoroughly exhausted. However, she believed that everything would get better once she left Joachim. She was finally leaving him tomorrow. Chapter 4 Later that afternoon, Scarlett paid a visit to her old lecturer, Robin Olsen. Just before leaving, Robin tugged her to the nearby chapel and told her that prayers that were made here were very often answered. Besides, the chapel gave out blessed amulets as well, and Robin wanted to get one for Scarlett. When they arrived at the chapel, the priest Scarlett had never seen before suddenly called out her name in person quite accurately. "Are you wondering why I know your full name?" the priest, Mike Cross, asked with a chuckle. "A year ago, someone named Joachim Davidson donated 80 million dollars to our chapel and seemed very earnest with his prayers. "He got an amulet for you, for your health and safety, but he didn't bring it back with him. He just had us put your name on it and left it here so that we could bless you even more with our daily prayers and chanting." Robin was overjoyed when he heard this. "Aww, look. Joe did so much to prove his love for you. I'm so happy to know that you're both still very loving in your relationship!" Scarlett lowered her gaze. The warmth of the past was now mingling with the pain of betrayal in her heart, causing ripples in her heart that she'd long thought was dead. "It was fate for you to visit us today. Since you're here now, you might as well bring the amulet back with you," Mike said. Scarlett took the amulet from him. However, just as she was about to turn to leave, Mike called out to her again. "Wait for a minute! Mr. Davidson also requested three other amulets at that time. You should also bring those back with you." Scarlett accepted the three additional amulets. However, when she saw the names on them, she wanted nothing more in the world than to laugh out loud. The three amulets bore Katrina's and her two children's names. … Joachim realized that Scarlett had gone to sleep alone after he came back home that night. For the past few years, they had had a habit of waiting for the other to come home before going to sleep together, arm in arm. However, this was the first time Scarlett did not wait up for him. Joachim felt a sudden uneasy feeling in his chest. He hugged Scarlett and buried his face in the crook of her neck. "I missed you so much, Lettie. I know it's only been a few hours, but it felt like a few centuries to me. I'd never be able to live if you weren't by my side one day." "Really?" Scarlett asked after a moment of hesitation. "Oh, by the way, Lettie, there's something I need to talk to you about. It's about that island. So… I found it not good enough. But I bought another two more islands to make up for it! Is that okay?" Scarlett closed her eyes and said, "Whatever you say." Sensing the coldness and annoyance in her voice, Joachim felt even more uneasy. He asked carefully, "Lettie, did I do something to make you mad at me?" "No. I'm just tired," she answered, taking a deep breath. "It's our wedding anniversary in a few days. I want to take the private jet out tomorrow afternoon to pick something up overseas. I bought something there, and I want to get it myself." "But you're still pregnant. The flight can take more than half a day. It's too tiring for you. I'll make the trip instead." Scarlett spoke in a slightly pleading voice, "No way. I want to go there myself." Joachim felt his heart melt when he heard Scarlett softening her tone with him. He would probably hand over his soul on a silver platter if she asked for it in that voice. "Okay. I'll do whatever you say." The next morning, Joachim left after preparing breakfast. He told Scarlett that he had things to do at the office. Scarlett started packing after he left. She opened the closet door and took out every outfit that Joachim had personally tailored for her. She then destroyed them with a pair of scissors and threw them into the trash. She then took all the jewelry Joachim had ever given her and gave them to their housekeepers. Scarlett also had a total of 16 photo albums filled with photos and memories of her and Joachim. They had been saving the albums for three years and had agreed that they would keep them until they grew old together. She threw them all into the fireplace. Meanwhile, Joachim doubled back when he realized that he had left some important documents at home. That was when he caught sight of the photo albums in the fire. He heard an explosion go off in his mind. Then, he lunged at the fire without further thought, reached in, and managed to retrieve just the last half of an album from being consumed by the fire. "Lettie…" Joachim turned to look at Scarlett. His voice was shaky. "Why did you burn them all?" Scarlett smiled and said, "Nothing. I just thought that I looked really ugly in those photos and didn't want to keep them anymore." She went over to him and tugged at his scorched hand. "We still have many years ahead of us. We can always capture new memories together. Why did you have to go and put your hand in the fire? Look at how badly you've hurt yourself. Get the doctor to have a proper look at the burn." The flustered feeling in Joachim's chest gradually dissipated when he saw the genuine concern Scarlett had for him, which was showing in her eyes. He then pouted and said, "Lettie, can't you just blow and kiss the boo-boo away?" If his subordinates at the office were to see him now, they would probably think that their usual stern and stoic-faced CEO was somehow possessed by a ghost. "You're already an adult. Have you no shame?" Scarlett then walked over to him, making sure to shield his view from the cut-up pieces of clothing in the trash can. After retrieving his documents, Joachim kissed Scarlett on the forehead again. "I'm off to work now. I'll be back in the afternoon." A short while after he left, Katrina sent Scarlett a new text message. "Come find your hubby at Grande Hotel. Get ready for a wonderful show!" Scarlett remained silent. So, every time Joachim told her he was off to work, he was actually off to visit Katrina. She knew very well that whatever she saw at the hotel would break her if she were to witness it, but she still chose to go. As it turned out, it was the twins' birthday that day, and Joachim's parents and friends were all there to celebrate. They were celebrating at the hotel with a huge ceremony. The waiters and waitresses on duty all addressed Katrina as "Mrs. Davidson", and Joachim never corrected them. He just exchanged glances with Katrina and smiled at her. His eyes were twinkling with warmth. Joachim's parents were also smiling at Katrina in a way that Scarlett had never, ever seen before. "If it weren't for Trina, I'd never be enjoying my life now like this," Amanda said. "Joachim, you're not allowed to make Trina sad, understand? You must always treat her well. Got it?" Joachim smiled and nodded. "When have I ever mistreated her? I've given her everything Scarlett also has—designer clothing, jewelry sets, and all sorts of collectors' items. I always make sure to prepare two sets of everything!" Scarlett initially thought that she would be able to accept whatever was thrown at her with a calm attitude, but when Joachim said that, she felt as though a bomb had gone off in her head. All the love she once had for him had been blown into smithereens, which cut deep into her heart. She was left with a bloody, gory aftermath. So, everyone knew about this. And, for a long time, what Scarlett always thought was exclusive to both of them was never the case after all. Katrina had everything she had. In fact, Katrina even had everything Scarlett never had. Chapter 5 Scarlett hid behind a pillar outside the banquet hall. However, she accidentally overheard a conversation between Joachim and his younger cousin, Riley Davidson. "Say, Joe, are you really planning to live your life like this forever?" Riley asked with a frown. "You can't hide this your whole life. Even if you think you did a good job of keeping it a secret from her, Scarlett will still find out one day!" Joachim smiled and said, "I love Scarlett, but Katrina gave birth to twins for me. I can't just abandon her like that. I'm fine living like this for the rest of my life." "What if you can't hide it from her anymore? What would you do then?" Riley nagged. "You've been unfaithful in your marriage. You're not being fair to Scarlett." "That day will never come. Hasn't this already been ongoing for two whole years?" Joachim asked, still feeling confident about himself. "I know that I'm letting Scarlett down, but I'll make it up to her. I'll be even better to her." Riley gave him a hard, judgmental look and rolled her eyes. "You can't use materialistic things to replace your love just because you intend to make it up to her. I'm only warning you because we're related by blood, but Uncle Joel is coming back soon. "You know how dogmatic he can be and how much he hates people like you who sleep around. You'd better properly hide your side chick from him. If he ever does find out, he's definitely going to expose you, and then some!" Scarlett slid down to the floor. Her back was pressed to the pillar, and she was now sitting on the floor. Her heart hurt so much that everything was turning numb. At that point, the only thing she felt was pure disgust. Scarlett stumbled out of the hotel afterward. However, the many blows she'd suffered over the events of the past few days finally got to her, and her vision suddenly blacked out, causing her to fall to the floor. When she woke up again, she found herself in an unfamiliar bed. A man in an impeccable suit and tie was sitting on the couch next to the bed. He was wearing a pair of frameless glasses as well. The man was going through a thick sheaf of documents in his hand. His expression was stoic, and yet, the look in his beautiful eyes was sharp, heavy, and overbearing. Scarlett sat up at once. It wasn't until a few seconds later that she recognized the man. He was Joachim's uncle, Joel Davidson. Joel had a business overseas and seldom came back home. Scarlett had only seen him a handful of times. The only thing she knew was that Joachim was a little scared of Joel, who was only three years older than him. The reason? Joachim had always been a cheeky kid since young, but his parents just couldn't bring themselves to discipline him. So, Joel would end up being the one hitting him and keeping him on his toes. Joachim once described Joel as "Strict, stubborn, and dogmatic. And he's always enforcing his rules on other people." "You're awake now?" Joel said while putting away the documents in his hand. "The doctor said that you fainted because you were too overwhelmed after your spontaneous abortion." Joel then started walking toward Scarlett. "Joachim doesn't know that you lost the baby, does he? If he did, then he would have already lost his mind by now. He'd also never let you faint by the roadside." Scarlett was quiet for a very long time. "Thanks for today, but please don't tell him about this." Seeing that Joel didn't respond to her request, she repeated again in a low, pleading voice, "Please, I'm begging you." Joel was stunned. He figured that something had to have gone wrong between the couple. By right, Joachim should immediately be informed of this incident. However, for some reason, Joel felt his heart soften a little. Ultimately, he promised to keep it a secret from Joachim. He then instructed his men to send Scarlett home. Joachim got home a short while after Scarlett. "Lettie! What would you like to have for lunch today? I'll make it for you!" For the past few years, Joachim had always cooked for Scarlett thrice a day, even if they had help around the house. He often got worried that the chef wouldn't have made enough food or that the food made wouldn't be to Scarlett's liking, so he would still cook for her no matter how busy he was. He then brought out a jewelry set. "The jewelry I ordered has finally arrived today. Lettie, want to have a look?" Scarlett glanced briefly at the box. It was similar to the one she saw him giving to Katrina just earlier today. She couldn't stop laughing out loud. All this while, she had always thought that Joachim had showered all of his love on her. As it turned out, everything he gave her had already been halved and thus was worth next to nothing. "Forget about it. I just want to go over to Glade Manor for a while." Glade Manor was a whole manor and yard that Joachim had built especially for Scarlett five years ago, and they had created many precious memories there. In fact, Joachim had successfully confessed to Scarlett there, on the 97th try, after being rejected 96 times. They had also held hands there for the first time and even shared their first kiss there too. Joachim even proposed to her there and promised her that she would be the only love of his life forever. Still, Glade Manor was located on the outskirts of town. Since it was so far away, both Scarlett and Joachim seldom went back there after getting married. It was now 12:00 pm. She would be leaving this life behind forever at 3:00 pm later that day. She just wanted to see Glade Manor for the last time and bid it a proper goodbye. Joachim's body stiffened. He looked a little flustered. Katrina had been bugging him forever, asking that he let her stay at Glade Manor, so he'd given the key to her. Coincidentally, Katrina had just gone over today with the twins. "Alright. We'll go there after lunch," he said. He then quickly snuck into the kitchen and texted Katrina, telling her to leave immediately. … Joachim and Scarlett arrived at Glade Manor at 1:00 pm. As soon as she stepped into the manor, Scarlett immediately sensed that something was amiss. The roses in the garden had all been replaced with lilies. The mint green curtains had been replaced with pastel pink ones. There was even a baby crib in the middle of the living room. Obviously, someone else had been living here. Scarlett pretended not to have noticed a single thing and went straight upstairs. There were still a few photo albums of her and Joachim. She wanted to take those photos with her and burn them to ashes. It was disgusting just thinking about leaving them intact in the manor. However, when Scarlett opened the photo album, she was rooted to the ground at once. The photo album was filled with photos of Joachim, Katrina, and the twins. There were photos of them in the lavender fields, under the Payris Tower, in a hot-air balloon… And Joachim had also brought Scarlett to every single place they'd been to, and they had left deep impressions in Scarlett's mind. As it turned out, Joachim had also brought other women to all of their sacred places on those godforsaken nights, poisoning every last memory that had once belonged only to Joachim and herself. When he saw that Scarlett's face was getting paler by the second, Joachim walked over and asked, "What's wrong, Lettie?" Scarlett immediately slammed the photo album shut and smiled at him. "Nothing. I just miss home." She then turned to go back downstairs. Suddenly, Joachim's phone rang for quite a while, and he turned anxious at once. "Lettie, I'm going to use the bathroom for a bit. Go down and wait for me, okay?" Scarlett nodded and left the room. However, a few seconds later, she headed back in and heard Joachim's frantic voice as she stood outside the bathroom. "Didn't I tell you to leave the place with the kids? What are you still doing here?" "I just wanted to do something more thrilling with you…" Katrina's saccharinely sweet voice oozed from the bathroom. "We've already done it on your bed right under your wedding photos. But now that she's actually downstairs, don't you think it's a lot more thrilling like this? Don't you think you can feel everything even more?" Joachim's breath turned loud and heavy. "You… You little minx!" Wet slapping sounds were soon heard, accompanied by a cacophony of loud, melodious moans. Scarlett stood outside the bathroom door, and her heart was deathly calm. She just couldn't help wondering how her beloved husband ended up like this. He was like a rotten flower blooming in the swamp—somewhat charming yet emitting a foul stench wherever he went. Or, could it be that Joachim had always been this type of person, and she hadn't known about it until now? Scarlett recalled the last time Joachim had introduced her to his elite inner circle of friends. His friends had all wished them well on the surface, but called Joachim a fool behind his back for tying himself down to only one woman in his life. With how much money they were swimming in, they could afford to even play with ten women at once if they wanted to. It wouldn't have been a problem. Back then, Joachim told her, "I'm not like them. I'll only love you forever." As it turned out, he was exactly like them. He was just as stinky and rotten as his friends. It had only been a matter of time. Scarlett chuckled and made her way down the stairs quietly. … Scarlett had come from a poor village in the mountains. Her mother, Darla Meyer, had been sold into the village. As Darla was unable to give birth to a boy, Doug had made sure that both Darla's and Scarlett's lives were made a living hell. He often beat them up. When Scarlett was 13 years old, she had run away from the mountains, and the first thing she did after that was to send her father to jail. Doug kept yelling curses at her the whole time. And yet, even though Darla had been set free from her husband's tyranny, she didn't feel grateful toward Scarlett at all. That was because Scarlett was living, breathing proof of a dark, rotten streak in her life that she never wanted to revisit. Because Scarlett had grown up in a broken and twisted family, she had learned to hide her heart away beneath walls of steel. She managed to keep a fair distance from everybody in her life. However, when she was 18 years old, Joachim had barged into her life like a freight train. He was like a ball of fire, glowing brightly in her chest while melting away the layers of ice and steel guarding her fragile heart. His warmth had comforted all of her pains and struggles. He had showered her with so much love that she gradually and eventually regained the energy to learn to love others in return. Yet, just when she thought she couldn't be any happier in her life, Joachim had personally delivered the most fatal blow to her, hitting her exactly where it hurt the most. And this time, the wound would never heal for the rest of her life. Chapter 6 A few minutes later, Joachim came out of the manor. Scarlett looked at him silently. Suddenly, she raised her hand, showing him the bracelet around her wrist. "You personally made this bracelet for me. But I just realized that the colors have already faded away. "Joachim, tell me, do you think your love for me will also fade away?" "Definitely not!" Joachim answered at once. His eyes were sincere as he held Scarlett's hand in his and kissed the back of it as wholeheartedly as he could. "My love for you will only grow day by day." Scarlett just laughed rather ambiguously. If he still loved her, then why would he continue lying to her and playing her for a fool? She had intended to leave quietly at first, but now, she'd changed her mind. She wanted revenge on Joachim's unfaithfulness to her, which lasted two whole years. She wanted revenge for the broken promises he'd made to her, leaving her to suffer alone in pain. She wanted revenge for how much he had loved her—so deeply that it gave her a wound that would take forever to heal. It would leave a permanent scar. Scarlett hugged him with both her arms and said, "I love you too, Joachim. So, you must wait for me, okay? Wait for me and our baby to come back so that we can celebrate our third wedding anniversary together. "Oh, by the way…" She took out a file folder and placed it in Joachim's hands with a serious expression on her face. "This is my gift to you. But, you're only allowed to open it two days from today." Inside the file folder was a copy of her abortion slip from the hospital, along with screenshots of the videos Katrina had sent to her. When Joachim heard news about her jet crash, he would definitely open this file folder, and then, he would realize that his cheating had caused her to give up on him, made him lose the baby he'd been looking forward to, and caused the death of his own beloved wife. She wanted Joachim to live the rest of his life in regret. "Okay. I'll wait," Joachim said. His eyes sparkled brightly with hope. "Lettie, I'll send you to the airport now." Scarlett shook her head. He had walked with her long enough throughout the journey of her life. She didn't want him next to her anymore while she was saying her final goodbyes. "You don't have to send me there. I know you're a very busy person. I'm sure someone's going to be looking for you again very soon." Joachim froze for a bit. Was he mistaken? Why did it feel as though Scarlett's words were laced with sarcasm? The feeling of unease returned once more. A split second later, his phone began ringing loudly again. It was a text message from Katrina. "Joe, I bet you weren't satisfied with just that round earlier… Wanna come back for more after seeing your wifey off?" Attached with the text was a photo of Katrina, posing in Scarlett's lingerie. Joachim's breath caught in his throat. His breathing became quicker and heavier, and the feeling of unease was very quickly replaced with that of lust. … Actually, the first time he slept with Katrina had been orchestrated by his own parents when they got him drunk. At that time, Joachim had thought that he was now defiled and wanted nothing more than to take his own life. However, Katrina had kneeled on the ground, her pride and dignity nonexistent, and begged him by saying, "I know you bankrupted my family, but I'm still in love with you. Joachim, I'll die without you. I'm willing to do anything as long as it makes you happy!" True to her word, Katrina did everything Joachim wanted just to satisfy him. In fact, Joachim had done with Katrina everything he could think of, under the sky, whether or not he'd ever heard of it before. Ultimately, Katrina had then put on Scarlett's clothes and said, "You can think of me as her stand-in puppet. Whatever you can't bear to do to her, you can do to me." It was at that moment that Joachim's heart was completely set on fire. He had been harboring many dirty, impure thoughts toward Scarlett, but every time he got close to her, he would suddenly feel ashamed of himself and give up on his fantasies at once. His love for her was pure and sincere, only that of worship and adoration. However, when he was with Katrina, Joachim didn't even think twice. He made sure that every single one of his fantasies was fulfilled, using her body. "Oh… If that's the case, I guess I won't be sending you to the airport, then. Drive safe." Just before leaving, Scarlett turned and glanced at Joachim for the last time. But this time, she could only see his hurriedly retreating figure. She said in a soft voice, "Joachim, this is goodbye… forever." … A few hours later, Joachim had Katrina all bundled up in his arms as they rolled in the sheets at Glade Manor over and over again. It was then that his personal assistant, Bertie Lawson, called. "The sky had better be falling as we speak," Joachim growled, obviously dissatisfied at having been so rudely interrupted. Bertie's voice was shaking. "Mr. Davidson… It's about Mrs. Davidson. She… Her plane had just left the national airspace before it lost altitude and crashed into the sea…" Joachim's eye twitched. He could literally feel his blood freeze over. "What did you just say?"