Chapter 68
Chapter 12
The wedding was set for two weeks later.
The news caused an uproar. Old classmates and friends called with congratulations, but I didn’t answer a
single one.
I focused entirely on Lily. During those days, I spoke countless good words about Jasper to her. Slowly, her
resistance faded.
She began to accept a father figure and adjust to their new life.
Sometimes, she even called him Daddy.
The first time he heard it, Jasper froze. His usual detached expression flickered with surprise.
But he recovered quickly, lifting her into his arms and clumsily feeding her dinner.
Lily didn’t mind his clumsiness at all-she ate every bite out of politeness.
Later, she looked up at me with a sweet smile.
“Mommy, is this what you wanted p>
I froze.
“If it makes you happy, Lily can do even better p>
I had thought she didn’t understand. But all along, it was me who hadn’t seen clearly.
A week before the wedding, I received a call from an unknown number. There was silence for a long
moment.
Just as I was about to hang up, a voice spoke, “Should I call you Mrs. Vanderbilt now? Or Chloe p>
I realized who it was-Mia Carter, Jasper’s ex-girlfriend, once an intern under me.
I didn’t want to engage.
“What do you want p>
She laughed coldly. “You really think he loves you? He’s just after something new.
Chloe, you’re shameless. At the company, you had him so hooked he’d make excuses to see you instead of
picking me up.
Even after quitting, you still got him to marry you-a single mom. You p>
Chapter 12
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I hung up without listening further.
Turning, I saw Jasper and Lily playing together nearby.
He was learning to care for a child, and surprisingly patient.
He glanced over at me. “Who was that p>
I told the truth. “Your ex-girlfriend p>
He frowned. “Blair p>
I was taken aback that Blair was his first thought. I shook my head and went to our room.
Whether it was Mia, who’d been with him for three days, or Blair, who’d been around for years-it didn’t matter
to me.
Later, Jasper came in and took a key from his pocket.
“The custom wedding dress arrived this morning. Want to try it on p>
I didn’t move. He simply lifted me and carried me to the next room.
He helped me into the dress and stood with me before the full-length mirror.
It fit perfectly. I looked beautiful.
His hands settled on my waist. He rested his chin on my shoulder, his breath warm against my neck. After five years apart, the closeness felt uncomfortable. I turned my head away.
I tried to ignore his heated gaze, but it still burned.
When I tried to pull away, he held me tighter.
“Chloe, the past is over. We can start again p>
He closed his eyes, his voice almost too soft to hear.
“Forgive me… I don’t want to let you go p>
I let him carry me to the bed, let him undo the dress, and we bared our souls to each other once more.
Afterward, he held me and lit a cigarette. The smoke curled around us, much like it had in that hotel room
years ago.
I sat up, took the cigarette from his lips, and inhaled deeply.
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He watched me, a faint smile on his lips. “You want to smoke? Wait, I’ll go get you some lighter ones p>
The mockery in my heart grew sharper. So this was the difference between being loved and not.
At two in the morning, two cars left the villa.
One headed to a convenience store.
The other sped toward the airport.
A year later, I’d settled in Willow Creek and opened a children’s clothing shop. In my free time, I still designed
clothes, but I stored the finished pieces deep in my closet.
Across the street in a coffee shop, a man and a little girl stared at the woman in the shop opposite.
Lily sipped her milk tea and asked, “Daddy, why don’t we go in? Why do we just watch Mommy from here p>
Jasper pinched out his half-smoked cigarette.
“Mommy doesn’t want to see us p>
Lily shook her head, grinning.
“Not us. She just doesn’t want to see you p>
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