Chapter 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
288 Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
My boyfriend\u2019s mistress forced me to swallow a pill to end the pregnancy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was lying in a pool of my own blood, waves of agony twisting my body into cramps.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She smacked a marriage certificate down on my face, \u201cI am Dominic\u2019s legal wife. Your child was never going to be born.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mind went completely blank. With the last of my strength, I called Dominic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDominic, help! A woman broke in\u2026 she forced medicine on me!\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy stomach\u2026 It\u2019s killing me\u2026 Our baby\u2026\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
The voice that answered was icy, chilling me to the bone. \u201cSince you\u2019ve known the truth, I\u2019ll be direct. My family stands among the three most powerful in New York-and I am the eldest heir.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPhelia is my wife. She merely wanted to teach you a lesson. Be sensible and endure it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The phone slipped from my hand. All hope within me died.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was never his fianc\u00e9e. I had been his mistress all along, without myself knowing it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
***\u00a0<\/p>\n
I woke to the white ceiling of a hospital room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hand moved instinctively to my abdomen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It felt noticeably flatter, a dull, persistent ache the only sign of what had happened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The baby was gone\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tears filled my eyes and dropped onto the pillow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re awake.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His familiar voice cut through the silence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned my head stiffly. Dominic was seated nearby.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was casually flipping through a financial magazine, his legs crossed, his expression cold and\u00a0<\/p>\n
0.00%\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:24\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
unreadable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing I was conscious, he closed the magazine, stood, and approached the bed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe doctor confirmed no lasting damage. You can still conceive after you\u2019ve recovered.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStill conceive?\u201d I thought bitterly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at him, my throat tight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDominic, that was a life! Your own child!\u201d My voice was hysterical.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dominic frowned, a flicker of impatience crossing his face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A check fluttered onto the nightstand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPhelia has a quick temper. She acted rashly this time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is 800,000 dollars. Use it for an extended stay abroad. Focus on your health.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll also ensure your grandmother receives the best care overseas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf\u00a0<\/p>\n
you remain compliant, we can continue our arrangement as before.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
At his words, I looked at the check and let out a broken laugh, tears falling freely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDominic, what am I to you?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me I was your future wife! You promised me marriage!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dominic leaned down abruptly and grasped my chin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Any semblance of warmth in his eyes was gone, replaced by detachment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMagnolia, you know you\u2019re my companion outside of marriage. Remember your place.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In that moment, overwhelming shame washed over me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was his mistress, the other woman.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I had despised home-wreckers above all else in my entire life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had made me one of them for three years, without my knowledge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
All those tender moments, all those promises-they now felt like a cruel joke.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBe content. Don\u2019t reach for what isn\u2019t yours.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
32.36%\u00a0<\/p>\n
288 Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:24\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was choked with tears, unable to speak.\u00a0<\/p>\n
288 \u00a1Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
Three months ago, when I had just learned of the pregnancy, Dominic had rested his head on my stomach, his eyes showing what seemed like sincere hope.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaggie, once we have this child, I will introduce you to my family as my future wife.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had thought his devotion ran deep, that he truly wished to build a family with me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now I knew the truth. It was never about love.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was well-known in their circles that Ophelia Caldwell could not bear children.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I simply never guessed Dominic was from the powerful Pennington family.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He chose me for my uncomplicated background-a suitable person he could find to bear his child.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His performance had been perfect.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStay here for observation. I will visit when my schedule permits.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not attempt to confront Phelia. I cannot shield you if you do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dominic turned to leave, his departure final.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I snatched the water glass from the bedside and threw it at his retreating figure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sound of shattering glass filled the room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dominic halted but did not turn. His word, cold and dismissive, hung in the air. \u201cUnreasonable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After he left, I lay utterly drained, unable to move.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The realization made my stomach churn-I had shared another woman\u2019s husband, and accepted affection that rightfully belonged to her, all while living in cruel ignorance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was a victim, yet also an unwitting participant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This dual burden threatened to consume me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
66.27%\u00a0<\/p>\n
10.24\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joseph King is an editor and storyteller who ensures every chapter is clear, polished, and engaging for readers.<\/p>\n
Celebration Cut Short by Mark Twain 1 Chapter 1\u00a0 Chapter 1\u00a0 288 Vouchers\u00a0 My boyfriend\u2019s mistress forced me to swallow […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-his-secret-vow-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23438\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}