Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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In the vast garden, Katherine slowly paced, her slender figure moving gracefully. The warm breeze that greeted her felt refreshing, and she couldn’t help but sigh.
She thought, ‘What was wrong with me in my previous life? I had everything, yet I couldn’t appreciate it and chose to leave?‘
But since waking up, Katherine hadn’t seen Derrick once. Thinking of this, she lowered her head in disappointment.
In her old life, she had hated Derrick so much that she ignored his repeated attempts to make amends.
Now that Katherine’s mind was clear, she understood Derrick’s affection and kindness toward her, and she realized just how much she had taken advantage of his love and acted recklessly.
“Mrs. Graham, it’s time for dinner,” Maeve Fisher, the maid responsible for the meals at Riverbend Manor, came over and gently reminded her. She was careful not to startle Katherine and had purposely made some noise with her footsteps in advance.
Katherine snapped back to reality, noticing Maeve’s timid glance. As soon as their eyes met, Maeve quickly turned away.
“Maeve,” Katherine called out and then sighed, “you don’t have to be so scared of me. I won’t try to kill myself again.”
Maeve lowered her head in silence. This wasn’t something she was supposed to be concerned with; after all, she was just a maid.
But Maeve was different from the others. She had been taking care of Derrick since he was a child.
She had no children of her own and was all alone, raising Derrick from the age of two. By now, she had come to see him as her own son.
Since Derrick married Katherine, there had been no peace. Maeve had thought that Derrick finally had someone who truly understood him, someone who would take care of him.
But then, shortly after their marriage, Katherine publicly slapped Derrick and even said that her heart belonged to someone else. Even after she became pregnant, Katherine tried to end the pregnancy through a suicide attempt.
Maeve thought to herself, ‘It’s all so tragic. But she didn’t dare speak her mind.
Derrick was cold by nature, but when it came to Katherine, he treated her like she was his world.
Before, a few reckless servants at the villa had said something harsh about Katherine. When Derrick found out, they were immediately dismissed.
Derrick even went so far as to accuse them of gossiping about their employer’s family, and he confiscated the money they had earned during their time with the Graham family, leaving them in a miserable state.
Maeve couldn’t afford to take any chances. When it came to matters involving Katherine, she knew she didn’t have much more room for error than the others who had been working there for years.
“Forget it. From now on, you’ll see. I won’t disappoint you,” Katherine remarked. She said this to Maeve because she knew that, to Derrick, Maeve was like family.
Although Derrick seemed indifferent to everyone, ever since Maeve had gotten older, he wouldn’t let her do any heavy work. All she had to do was prepare his breakfast, and that was enough.
Derrick had also hired a few new employees, responsible for the daily cleaning of Riverbend Manor, and also to look after Maeve.
Derrick treated Maeve like an elder, always worried she would get bored if left with nothing to do, so he found small tasks to keep her busy.
Katherine thought, ‘Derrick is just like that–give him a little kindness, and he’ll give back tenfold. He’s such a fool.’
Katherine walked slowly toward the hall, with Maeve guarding her steps from behind.
Since waking up, Katherine had become especially careful, rarely thinking about Mia and Charles, who disgusted her.
Ethan had said Katherine’s health was fragile, with the risk of miscarriage at any time. She needed to maintain a calm and positive state
of mind throughout the pregnancy, or the baby could suffer brain damage. And this risk was very real.
As Katherine thought back to the last time she saw Christopher in her previous life, her chest tightened with sorrow.
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Chapter 3
She let out a deep breath, trying to push away the rage in her heart, her hand resting on her still–flat stomach. “Kit, my baby.”
Dinner was light but nutritious, prepared by a dietitian for Katherine’s pregnancy to ensure the baby’s health.
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Katherine ate slowly, and then her eyes drifted up to the gem embedded in the center of the chair opposite her. The light reflected off it, casting a dazzling glow.
It looked like just another fancy decoration, but Katherine knew there was a tiny surveillance camera hidden in it.
Since their marriage, Derrick had been kicked out of Riverbend Manor by Katherine. He was not exactly driven out, but as long as Derrick was there, Katherine wouldn’t sleep a wink.
Katherine always had a knife in her hand, afraid he would barge into her room and do something monstrous. However, the door was locked, all the spare keys were in her room, and they were legally married and had been intimate before.
After a few days of this, Katherine finally collapsed and almost died. After that, Derrick moved out on his own.
He would occasionally come back to pick up documents, but he always had Maeve contact Katherine first to get her consent. If Katherine didn’t agree, Maeve would retrieve them for him while he waited outside the door.
At the time, Katherine thought Derrick came back just to disgust her. But now, looking back, she realized he must have been enduring to the extreme and simply wanted to see her. But without fail, she rejected him every time.
This was Derrick’s own home, yet he ended up feeling like nothing more than a pitiful outsider.
Katherine thought, ‘But if Derrick were really that obedient, I wouldn’t have this child in my womb. This little thing that’s been spying on me is the best proof.
At Riverbend Group headquarters, Derrick locked eyes with Katherine on the screen. At this moment, he felt like his heart skipped a beat. But as Katherine lowered her head and continued eating, Derrick gradually calmed down.
He furrowed his brows, thinking, ‘Did she notice the surveillance camera? Katherine’s gaze was so sharp. But if she knew, why didn’t she make an issue of it? Is she holding something back, planning to strike when the time’s right?‘
Derrick shook his head, letting out a self–deprecating smile. He thought, ‘I’ve been scheming for so long that I see ill intentions in everyone. Katherine isn’t trying to plot against me—she’s straightforward with everything.
‘If she’s holding something back, it’s probably just because she wants to leave Riverbend Manor.‘
Derrick gripped the armrest of the chair tightly, and his gaze grew darker. He thought, ‘She can forget about it. At least until the baby is born. Katherine isn’t leaving Riverbend Manor.’
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