5
Caden watched, paralyzed, as Annette fell like a broken doll, disappearing into the unseen depths of the chasm.
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Chapter 2
He lunged forward, ready to follow her into the void, but his men tackled him, pinning him to the unforgiving ground.
“Annette, you can’t leave me again!” he roared at the empty air, his voice cracking with despair. “I won’t allow it! I forbid it!”
He slumped to the ground, his body limp, muttering to himself. “We changed the path. We changed everything from our past life…
Why couldn’t we change the ending?”
Jenna, ever the actress, approached him with a mask of gentle co placing a hand on his shoulder. “Caden, darling, maybe
she was just afraid of being punished. A coward’s way out. But it’s okay,” sh
“the dead are gone. I’ll be here for you.
Always.”
whisper
Caden didn’t seem to hear her. He was lost, adrift in a sea of his own making, until
“Sir, the kidnappers are trying to escape. What are your orders?”
one of his bodyguards broke the spell.
a
It was as if Caden woke from a trance. His face, once slack with grief, hardened
alive,” he commanded, his voice a low, terrifying growl. “Don’t let a single one get away.”
mask
pure, murderous rage. “Take them
The last kidnapper, seeing no escape, charged directly at Caden with a knife. Caden didn’t
abdomen, then, with a grunt of pain, disarmed the man and slammed him to the ground.
“Lock them in the cellar,” he ordered, clutching his bleeding side. “The rest of you, get down
ven flinch He let the blade sink into his
mountain. Find Annette.”
For three days and three nights, Caden refused to eat, drink, or even have his wound treated. He just stood at the edge of the cliff,
a silent, haunted sentinel.
ww
The search party returned with only a tattered piece of her dress and the news that the currents directly to the open sea. She was gone. Lost forever.
at
the bottom of the ravine led
Looking at the scrap of fabric, the last piece of her he would ever touch, a violent retch escaped his lips, and he coughed up a mou-
thful of blood.
“No… you’re lying,” he rasped, his eyes wild. “Annette can’t be dead. She wouldn’t…”
The last thread of his hope snapped, and the world went black.
2
Caden had a dream, a nightmare that clawed at him from the inside out. In the dream, he watched Annette marry another man, his heart breaking with a love he could never confess. He saw her kidnapped on her wedding day, saw her father and her husband abandon her to a horrific fate. He was the only one who cared, the only one willing to sacrifice everything to save her.
But the kidnappers had double–crossed him, broadcasting her final, agonizing moments to the world. He relived the helpless rage, the soul–shattering grief of watching the love of his life be destroyed.
“Lara… don’t die… don’t leave me…” he moaned in his delirium, his hand reaching out, grasping for something soft, pulling it into his
arms. “It’s okay, Lara. I’m here.”
But the voice that answered was not hers.
“Caden, darling, what’s wrong? Are you having a nightmare? Shhh, it’s okay. Jenna’s here. I’ll always be here for you.”
His consciousness slowly returned, and the face above him sharpened into focus. It wasn’t Annette. It was Jenna.
“No,” he mumbled, pushing her away. “My wife is Annette. I only want her.” He stared at Jenna, a flicker of his past deception return- ing. “You’re the one who told me this would work… a test of her love… and now she’s gone…”
Jenna swallowed the bitterness rising in her throat, her expression morphing back into one of gentle understanding. “It’s okay, Caden. I know you’re grieving. I know it’s hard to accept that she’s gone. I can wait. I’ll wait for you to see how much I truly love you.”
She stood, a picture of tragic devotion, and walked toward the door. Just as she reached the threshold, she clutched her stomach
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and collapsed in a heap on the floor.
At the hospital, Annette’s father, Mr. Croft, was apoplectic, his hands fisted in Caden’s collar. “What the hell is wrong with you, Ast-
or? Annette is dead! Isn’t Jenna good enough for you? She’s beautif she’s obedient, why are you treating her like this? She’s carry-
ing your child now! If you hurt her again, I swear I’ll kill
Caden’s mother, hearing that Jenna was pregnant
with an Astor heir, was ecs
so reckless anymore. Go to the hospital right now and see Jenna and our “Cstatic. “Caden
you’re going to be a father! You can’t be
Press grandbaby!”
Trapped, Caden relented and drove to the hospital. As he approached Jenna’s room, he heard her talking with her mother inside.
“Annette was just as stupid as that dead mother of hers,” Jenna was s
saying, her voice dripping with contempt. “One little trick was
all it took to get rid of her for good.”
“It was almost too easy,” her mother cackled. “I was hoping to get that video of her being
first!”
ģ
defil
and spread it all over the internet,
y
“Those kidnappers are still locked up at Caden’s estate,” Jenna’s mother said, her voice dropping. “You made sure they know to
keep their mouths shut, right?”
“Of course, Mother. You know I’m thorough,” Jenna replied smugly. “Besides, Caden’s an idiot. I leaked a few of my own photos, and
he was the one who came up with the idea to auction off Annette’s virginity to the whole world. He practically did my work for me.”
“And that homeless man a few nights ago… don’t tell me that wasn’t your doing?”
Jenna let out a cruel laugh. “She always acted so high and mighty. I wanted her to know what it felt like to be trampled on, to be
treated like dirt.” Her tone soured. “I can’t believe she survived that. Good thing you had a backup plan with the kidnappers.”
“From now on, this is all behind us,” her mother said soothingly. “The obstacle is gone. You can finally settle in as the one and only
Mrs. Astor.”
A flicker of doubt crossed Jenna’s face. “But Caden… he seems to actually have feelings for that dead bitch.”
“So what? You’re carrying the Astor heir in your belly. What’s he going to do, deny his own child? Even if he tries, I have ways of mak-
ing him accept it.”
Caden stood frozen outside the door, a chill colder than death seeping into his bones.
“Still, we can’t be careless,” her mother warned. “Those kidnappers could still talk. When you’re back at the mansion, keep an eye
on things. Be ready to act.”
Caden’s hand went to the simple chain on his wrist, a gift from Annette. He took a deep breath, composed his features into a mask
of concern, and walked into the room. He went straight to Jenna’s side, gently placing a hand on her still–flat stomach.
“Our baby,” he murmured, his voice soft. “This is the proof of our love. As soon as you’re out of here, we’ll have the wedding of the
century,”
Jenna’s face lit up, and she snuggled into his embrace, completely content.
In the weeks that followed, Caden was a whirlwind of activity. Whenever Jenna pouted or complained about his absence, he would claim he was busy planning their spectacular wedding. He even invited her mother to stay at the mansion to care for her personal-
- ly.
The wedding day arrived. It was an extravagant affair, with the entire upper echelon of society in attendance and a legion of repor-
ters broadcasting the event live. Jenna was a vision in a one–of–a–kind designer gown, radiating beauty.
But during the ring exchange, the massive screen behind the altar, which was supposed to be displaying their romantic photos,
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