Chapter 1

At the wedding rehearsal, Cornell's adopted sister suddenly retched.

He carried her to the hospital in panic.

Half an hour later, my phone rang. "She's pregnant."

Just I was about to say congratulations, I heard his terrifyingly calm voice tell me, "It's mine ... she broke up that night and stood in the rain, shivering. I just hugged her to keep her warm, but I didn't expect ...."

"Keep this matter from my parents! I'll take her home and take care of her and we'll talk about it later until her baby is born."

"Also, I'll postpone our wedding for a year, so you go explain and apologize to the guests!"

I froze and couldn't utter a word.

He continued. "By the way, you have to quit your job as soos as possible. Margot needs someone to take care of her, because in the next few months, unexpected thing might happen to her."

I suddenly smiled and replied, "Okay."

He hung up the phone with satisfaction.

But too bad, he didn't know, I had made a bet with that man that if I didn't get married before I turned 30, I would marry that man.

And today happened to be my 30th birthday.

——

Perhaps my calmness was too abnormal. Just three seconds after hanging up the phone, Cornell Lander, called me again.

"Hailey, I'm sorry. I was at fault in this matter. But believe me, I only treat her as my sister. The child was really an accident."

I laughed at myself and said, "Well, your love as a brother to your sister is so deep, huh, that you even took it to the bed to keep each other warm. It's really touching."

There was a noticeable pause on the other end of the phone, followed by a helpless sigh.

"I know, I know. If you want to vent your anger, you can scold me or hit me. But Margot, she's still in school and she's pregnant in such a young age, so she can't say who the father of the child is."

"She is an orphan. Even though my mom and dad adopted her as their own daughter, our family won't accept it and will definitely kick her out."

"So I hope you can recognize the child. If you quit your job and stay at home, no one will suspect that it is not your child."

I raised my head to push away the warmth in my eyes and said dryly, "Cornell, let's not get married."

"Not get married?" He was shocked and silent for a few seconds, then suddenly roared. "Hailey, are you annoyed? You said you've been dating me for five years and pestering me to get married as soon as possible."

"Now, the whole circle knows that you are my fiancée, do you think marriage is a joke? Hailey, when did you become so willful?"

I could imagine his frown at the moment and sure enough, the next second I heard him threatening.

"Ms. Wijnbergen, I'm asking you one last time! Do you really not want to get married?"

My fingers grasped my phone tightly and I smiled bitterly. "Well, I don't want you anymore, Cornell."

He sneered and said, "I'm not in the mood to play with you, so do as you please!"

Soon, the phone was hung up harshly.

I stood in the middle of the hall and in the surprised gaze of everyone, I tore off my veil, turned around and ran out.

But the middle-aged man and woman quickly blocked my way. Benjamin Leander, my future father-in-law, took the initiative and said, "Hailey, what's wrong with you? Just because Cornell sent his sister to the hospital, you want to ruin your wedding? You want hundreds of guests laugh at our family?"

Tiffany Leander, my future mother-in-law, coldly snorted and added.

"I told you, you're not a good match. The Leanders is renowned expert in language and literature from generation to generation, while the Wijnbergens is just a nouveau riche. So, we're not a good match."

"But, Cornell insisted in marrying her and I could do nothing about it. And see! We made a fool of ourselves."

Benjamin sneered.

"Yeah, you better not to get married with Cornell, so that you won't offend people with your temper and ruin the reputation of the Leanders."

It was clearly Cornell who was at fault first, but these two middle-aged man and woman were blaming me instead.

I clenched my veil tightly, my fingertips trembling as I said, "The wedding was cancelled by Cornell. The specific reason ... you two should ask him. I find it embarrasing."

Hearing that it was their son who cancelled our wedding, they felt more confident and straightforward.

Chapter 2

"Even though it was Cornell who canceled it, as the bride, you ran away without saying a word? Shouldn't you apologize in front of everyone?"

"How did your parents raise you? You don't even know the most basic social etiquette. How can you be the daughter-in-law of our family?"

I took a deep breath and said, "I won't marry into the Leanders, if you two are fine, please make way."

"You!" Their proud expression suddenly changed, clearly not expecting me, who had always been docile and gentle, to be so tough.

I ignored them and walked straight past them to the dressing room.

Tiffany shouted angrily behind me, "You uncivilized thing!"

In the dressing room, someone had already been waiting for me.

The slim-fitting sportswear made his shoulders look broad and his legs long and the sunlight shining from the side outlines his neat silhouette.

Just that the dark circles under his eyes betrayed him, probably he didn't sleep well.

As soon as he saw me step in, he stood up with his arms folded, with that familiar, annoying smile on his lips.

I turned my face away. "Didn't someone swear to never attend my wedding?"

He suddenly leaned closer and his warm breath swept past my ear.

The moment our eyes met, I saw the stubborn boy from ten years ago.

"Hailey, admit your defeat," he said.

I pursed my lips without saying a word.

He became anxious. "Wait ... you forgot?"

"I don't care. We'll get married in three days. If you don't come ...." He paused, as if he had made up his mind. "I'll go to your family and tell them I'm their son-in-law!"

And as if afraid of hearing my rejection, he quickly slipped out the door.

I burst out laughing.

This fool, of course I remembered the bet.

Our two families were old friends and we grew up together, so how could we be lovers if we knew each other too well?

Ten years ago, he confessed his feelings to me and I said, "Let’s just be friends."

He looked heartbroken but insisted on making a bet with me.

I didn't expect I still lost in the end.

A few minutes later, I finished changing out of my wedding dress and Cornell sent me a photo.

How shocked I was when I saw all my belongings were piled up like garbage at the door of the villa.

The most eye-catching thing in my eyes was the hand-sewn wedding quilt my mother had made for me. It was stuffed carelessly in a transparent plastic bag and the bright red satin hurt my eyes in the sunlight.

[Come and pack your things, then get out of here quickly!]

[Since you don't want to marry me, I'll let Grace throw it away.]

I stared at the screen, my fingertips feeling cold.

He knew how to control me so well. I could give up other things, but I must take back the quilt.

[Okay.]

That quilt, my mother, Helena Wijnbergen, spent three months of her precious time and energy to make it.

She who never touched needles and thread had their fingers pricked and covered with blood.

On the eve of the wedding, she even smiled and stuffed the quilt into my hand, saying, "Dear, I wish you happiness for the rest of your life."

Soon, I arrived, but my belongings in front of the villa were gone.

Only half an hour.

I said I would come, so was he so impatient to kick me out?

My anger suddenly surged up and I pushed open the door of the villa and rushed in.

The moment I pushed the door open, I felt like I was falling into an icy cave.

Margot Leander sat on the edge of the dining table. Cornell held her waist with both hands, his cheek pressed against her bulging belly, his eyes and brows were dazzlingly gentle.

"Cornell!" Margot exclaimed softly. "The baby kicked me."

He immediately got closer to her, with a smile on his face that I had never seen before. "So naughty, just like when you were a kid."

His gaze was so gentle and warm on her. "I wish my eyes were like yours."

Margot pursed her lips and smiled.

He gave her a kiss on the lips deeply and his tone became guilty. "Are you really planning to give birth to the baby and leave? Actually ... you can stay, I can take good care of you and the baby. How can such a young child live without a mother?"

Chapter 3

Margot reached out her index finger and put it on his lips, shaking her head. "No, Cornell, if I don't leave, what about Hailey?"

Hearing her mention my name, Cornell was stunned for a moment and then his face darkened.

"She? She's just saying breaking up with me out of spite. When the baby is born, she'll ask me to come back and help take care of the baby. She's a daughter of a merchant family, she only cares about profit, she doesn't have any dignity."

"Have you forgotten how she rushed to be my girlfriend? That disgusting face of hers makes me sick just thinking about it now."

My tears silently fell down.

It turned out that my brave confession back then disgusted him for so many years.

The Leander Family were renowned expert in language and literature in Rivendell and Cornell was the youngest professor of language and literature in Rivendell.

Five years ago, he came to my father, Edward Wijnbergen, with a handwritten book, asking him to invest in Brainwave Academy.

My father praised him highly and specially introduced him to me.

I fell in love with him at first sight, then in order to be close to him, I insisted on learning literature from him.

He was so angry that he pointed at me and yelled. "Stupid, no talent!"

I smirked and said, "Then you can be my boyfriend, we can complement each other perfectly."

He glanced at Margot who was writing with her head down, then suddenly held my hand and chuckled to himself. "Okay."

I jumped up and hugged him with joy, completely ignoring Margot rushing out and his instantly stiff arms.

Now, I understood, the one in his heart had always been Margot.

No wonder later he refused to teach me literature and even refused to let me step into his study.

My heart felt uneasy and I was about to turn around and leave, but I remembered my mother's hand-sewed quilt. I couldn't throw it away.

"Hailey!" Cornell suddenly turned his head and sneered. "What are you doing standing sneakily at the door? I threw all the things away for you and now you regret it?"

I tightly held my palm and said, "Where's my quilt? Give it back to me."

He was stunned for a moment, his face even colder. "A torn quilt, do I care about it?"

"It's my mom's hand-sewed quilt." My voice began to tremble. "Give it back to me! And I'll leave right away."

Seeing that I was about to cry, he frowned and said, "You're crying! Are you sick? Is it that important?"

"It's important!" I yelled, tears finally streaming down my face.

He impatiently tugged at his tie, as if trying to say something but stopping himself.

Margot on the side seemed to remember something and quickly spoke up, "Hailey, stop yelling at my brother. I already asked the servants to put your belongings in the guest room."

She gently stroked her belly with her fingers and tears instantly welled up in her eyes.

"Hailey, can you stay here? If it's because of this child ... I can abort him. His coming here was a mistake and none of you welcome him ...."

Before she could finish her words, she was already crying uncontrollably.

"I won't allow it!"

The man's voice was almost out of control. He trembled as he hugged her tightly in his arms, then turned around and stared at me fiercely.

"She can leave as far as she wants, but she can't touch my child! You and the child are everything to me now!"

"Hailey, if that's the reason why you came here, please get out of here!"

I sneered and walked straight to the guest room.

The quilt was thrown on the ground at random, covered with stains and vomit and the original flower embroidery became dirty.

My fingers trembled as I pointed to the quilt. "Margot, explain it!"

She timidly shrank her neck and replied, "I didn't mean to, I just had a sudden nausea ...."

She bent down to pick it up and said, "Hailey, don't be angry, I'll help you wash it clean."

But as soon as she bent down, she cried out in pain.

"Ah! My stomach hurts."

Chapter 4

Cornell immediately rushed over and pushed me to the ground.

The back of my head hit the leg of the bed hard and at the moment of the sharp pain, warm liquid flowed down my forehead.

I bit my lip without making a sound. I just looked at him with a smile, trying to see clearly whether he had any heart or not.

He hugged Margot, his cold and stern eyes filled with extreme disgust.

"How much? I'll pay for it! I'm begging you, stop messing around! Do you feel a sense of accomplishment when you torture me and Margot with such insignificant things?"

I felt like I had a hole in my heart.

He used to treat me coldly, but he never looked at me with such gaze. He must hate me now.

I suddenly found it extremely boring, why bother annoying him here?

I compromised.

It stained with blood and vomit, dirty, I didn’t want it anymore.

And, I didn't want the man either, dirty and disgusting.

I propped myself up and spoke, "Cornell, I'm not short of money."

Then, I left, but he suddenly grabbed me, with a helpless look on his face. "You're not in a good mood today. You better go back to the Wijnbergens' house and I'll come pick you up in three days."

I shook off his hand and left quickly.

In a home we had been living for several years, I was ultimately just a passer-by.

In the Wijnbergen Family's house.

I had already explained the farce at the wedding to my parents.

Seeing me back home, my mother breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hailey, I should be grateful to God! If you found it out after you got married, what would you do?"

"The Leanders always complains about us businessmen being greedy for money, but their academic family has raised such a shameless person!"

My father let out a light sigh and said, "Alright, stop talking about it. Our dear daughter is feeling uncomfortable. I've already asked my assistant to withdraw our investments from Brainwave Academy and from now on, the Wijnbergens and the Leanders will have nothing to do with each other!"

Then, just as I remembered and hesitated to mention about Jeremiah Lynch, my mother suddenly brought him up. "By the way, Jeremiah came here today and even brought some gifts."

She took out a velvet box from the drawer of the coffee table. "He's quite fast," she said as she handed it to me, "Here you are."

When I opened the box, I found a pair of diamond bracelets passed down from his ancestors.

Only then did I truly realize that Jeremiah was serious about the wedding three days later.

At night.

Margot sent me a message.

[Hailey, please come back.]

[I'm moving out now and I don't want the child anymore.]

[Your five-year relationship with Cornell can't be ruined because of me, as I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life.]

I stared at the screen and sneered. If she had to make a scene, she could go find her brother. Why bother looking for me?

I replied with four words. [Do as you wish.]

Then, I simply blocked her.

I leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window in a daze, feeling a little melancholy.

Soon, my ringing phone broke my daze and Jeremiah's video call invitation pooped up.

"Hailey!" His eyes sparkled on the screen. "Give me a heart!"

I froze. "Why suddenly ...."

A heart? So tacky.

"I don't care," he said, leaning closer to the camera, "I want it now."

Amused by his childish expression, I helplessly made a quick heart shape with my hands and got goose bumps all over myself.

He immediately covered his heart, closed his eyes and made an exaggerated intoxicated expression.

When he opened his eyes, he suddenly blinked his right eye at me.

But, for some reasons, my heart skipped a beat.

"Hey! Look out the window! Here's a gift for you."

He ordered me with a chuckle and the video call came to an abrupt end.

The night sky outside suddenly lit up.

Hundreds of drones formed a flashing heart, which then transformed into a line of words. [Happy Birthday, Hailey.]

Tears instantly blurred my sight.

Today's farce made me even forget my own birthday.

Chapter 5

But he still remembered it. Even though it sounded a little rustic, I felt his sincerity and I liked it very much.

As for Cornell, every year on my birthday, he would just pick up a brush and paint the words "Happy Birthday", not even mentioning my name.

"My painting and writing have collection value." He explained every time. "If I put your name on them, no one will be willing to collect them."

This year, he simply said, "I’m too busy preparing for the wedding, so I don't have time celebrating your birthday."

However, the so-called preparations for a wedding, I tried over twenty stores alone to choose a wedding dress.

I compared over thirty quotations to book a hotel.

I stayed up the whole night writing more than 300 handwritten letters to send out the invitations.

The only thing he participated in was when I tried on the main veil. He barely spared five minutes to come over, but he kept staring at his watch the whole time.

It turned out that he didn't love me and there had been signs of it all along.

My heart suddenly tightened, then I quickly raised my head and blinked.

I had shed too many tears today, at least, on my birthday, I wanted to save a last bit of dignity for myself.

In my sleep, my phone vibrated and I pressed the answer button in a half-conscious.

Cornell's roar could be heard from the other end of the phone. "Hailey, hurry and come to the hospital! Something happened to Margot."

I instantly woke up. Could it be that the message she sent was serious?

I didn't even change my clothes and rushed out wearing pajamas and slippers.

As soon as I arrived to the ward, I saw Margot leaning against the head of the bed and Cornell was gently peeling an apple for her.

The two of them spent their time peacefully, while I slipped out with half of my foot in slippers, like a clown.

Seeing me appear, he suddenly jumped up and dragged me to the bedside, ordering. "Kneel down and apologize to Margot!"

I looked up in shock, but before I could react, my leg suddenly got hit hard.

My knee hit the ground hard and the excruciating pain made me unable to move for a moment.

"Cornell! Are you crazy?" I stared at him fiercely.

His eyes were filled with terrifying anger, he said, "Margot cut her wrist! It almost killed two people! Don't say I'm crazy, I really want to kill you now!"

Margot started sobbing at the right moment and said, "Cornell, I sent a message to Hailey, apologizing, but she blocked me. She must hate me to death. And she doesn't want to see me again, does she? So what's the point of me living ...."

Even though I did hate her, I didn't want to cause any harm.

I quickly looked up at her. I noticed a half centimeter long wound on her wrist that had been treated with iodine and had already scarred.

Is this a suicide cut wound?

I felt a sense of sadness in my heart and I pursed my lips.

"Cornell, if I come here tomorrow, will her wounds heal?"

He was furious. "Hailey! How could you be so vicious? If I hadn't discovered it in time ... do you know what consequences a pregnant woman have to lose too much blood?"

It was probably what it meant to be too concerned.

A small wound made him flustered, but he turned a blind eye to the blood flowing from my forehead.

He must be terribly in love with his adopted sister.

My heart sank and I furrowed my brow, not saying a word.

It seemed to completely infuriate him. He threw the fruit knife at me and said angrily.

"Since you don't even care about her, then cut the same wound and feel the pain yourself. You owe it to Margot!"

I looked at him in disbelief. He was the man I had loved wholeheartedly for five years.

I felt chill in my heart.

It was just a knife, wasn't it? I could just give it back to her.

Lowering my eyes to hide the tears, I picked up the knife and gently cut my wrist.

Margot screamed in fear.

I struggled to stand up and held my hand in front of Cornell, saying, "Is that enough?"

Blood kept dripping down.

He glanced at me with disdain.

He then turned around to comfort the frightened sister, cursing under his breath.

"Who told you to go so deep? You're so hopelessly stupid."

I smiled helplessly and stumbled to the door.

He suddenly said, "Hailey, go reflect on yourself in your family's house! I will come to pick you up in three days."

I laughed so hard that tears streamed down my face.

Cornell, we would never see each other again!