Chapter 12
I came back early because of the work.
My daughter was flying in with her dad today.
After landing, her chubby little body kept searching for me in the crowd.
So adorable!
I never thought I could be this happy after leaving Blake before.
“Baby, Mommy’s right here!”
I scooped up my daughter and kissed her for ages before reluctantly letting go.
The man beside me watched, teasing:
“Never thought you’d be such a daughter’s girl.”
I rolled my eyes at him.
“Aren’t you?”
His deep, magnetic voice chuckled.
“Yeah, I am too.”
Who would’ve thought two people wounded by love could have such an adorable daughter together.
Ethan Shaw, heir to the most prestigious Shaw family in the north.
He’d loved his dream girl for over ten years.
But she died five years ago.
I met him when I represented the Reed family at a business function.
Later, we worked together frequently.
At one party, we were both drunk.
Started comparing our misery.
I downed half a glass.
‘My boyfriend of eight years dumped me! His three-year-old daughter crashed our wedding!”
“The ridiculous part? I still can’t forget him. FUCK!”
Ethan paused, then downed a whole glass.
“My girlfriend of ten years died in my arms. She told me to forget her, marry a good woman and have kids.”
“If I didn’t promise, she said she wouldn’t let me find her in the next life.”
I thought about it and decided he had it worse.
At least Blake wasn’t dead.
Then I pushed the remaining half bottle toward him.
Chapter 12
“You win. The alcohol’s all yours-I won’t compete.”
That day, Ethan and I became closer friends.
So when his parents kept pressuring him to get married, he used me as a shield.
Later, after many things happened, we became contract spouses.
To appease both our families, with each other’s consent, we had a daughter.
Ethan and I didn’t have a wedding ceremony back then.
We just invited a few close family and friends.
This time, the Shaw family parents came from the north to throw us a welcome party.
The Shaw family network was even wider than the Reeds’.
Nearly every important figure showed up.
Even old Mr. Harrison and the current Harrison heir, Blake, came.
But today he was unusually quiet.
Even clapped along when everyone congratulated us.
Ethan leaned over, whispering in my ear:
“That’s the guy you liked? He’s good-looking.”
“I can tell he still likes you.”
I guess not.
If he liked me, he wouldn’t have given up on me so decisively back then.
He just regrets it because the path he chose isn’t going so well.
On the way back, Blake was unusually quiet.
Old Mr. Harrison glared at his disappointing grandson and couldn’t help scolding him.
“I told you back then-the Reed girl still had feelings for you. If you’d just sweet-talked her, she might’ve accepted your daughter.”
“Too late for regrets now. You’re not qualified to steal someone from the Shaw boy.”
Blake turned to the window, saying flatly:
“I know. This time, I won’t have any illusions about her.”
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.