Love Fades Only Shattered Dreams Remain

Every smile, every frown, every glance and every fleeting gesture—Vincent's camera readily capture Estelle’s every movement.

After the day we got married, Vincent had never touched his camera again.

Once, I asked him to take a maternity photo for me. At that time, he simply told me that he lost his camera and introduced me to a famous photographer to do the job instead.

In reality, he didn’t lose his camera. It’s just that his lens was reserved solely for the person he loved.

While I quietly put the photo album back to its original place, my eyes were completely dried up. I no longer can shed tears for him.

I booked a plane ticket on my phone and drafted a divorce agreement next. If he loved Estelle that much, I may as well let him have her.

The next morning, my eyes were so swollen they looked like walnuts.

Vincent noticed and that seemed to made him worried. Unlike any day, he went on and prepared a nutritious breakfast for me himself. He boiled an egg and carefully peeled it. Then, he used the egg to reduce the swelling around my eyes.

His gentle, attentive care almost made me question whether everything from last night had been nothing more than a bad dream.

Yet, the emptiness in my belly reminded me that I was firmly grounded in reality.

Vincent sighed when he witnessed me not taking a single bite of his homemade porridge.

“Jude, we just lost our baby. I know you’re heartbroken and I’m hurting too, but you need to take care of yourself. After all these miscarriages, your body is in bad shape. Please eat something, for my sake. Don’t make me worry, okay?”

“Where is my baby’s body? I want to see him.”

Three months. By then, my baby would have already taken shape, but I would never get the chance to hold him or see him.

Vincent’s answer was the same as the previous seven times; “I’ve made sure the baby was properly buried. You’re too emotional right now and I don’t want you to be even more heartbroken.”

“Your parents are devastated as well. Let’s go to the family home for dinner tonight—it’ll do us all some good to spend time together.”

The moment I stepped into the Long Family estate, I saw Estelle clinging to Kenneth’s arm, her every gesture dripping with playful flirtation.

When she noticed me, she tilted her head slightly and proudly pushed her belly forward, as if showing it off.

“Oh, Jude! It’s been ages since I’ve seen you. Come, have a seat. I heard you had another miscarriage—be careful not to overexert your body!”

Ever since the wedding incident, things had been tensed between me, Kenneth and Estelle. Whenever I visited the family home, I’d deliberately avoid times when they were around.

It seemed today wasn’t one of those lucky days.

I glanced at Estelle's six-month belly and felt a sharp pang in my chest. She's carrying Vincent’s child. Meanwhile, that man had never let any of my pregnancies last longer than three months.

When Vicky, Vincent's mother, saw me, her face immediately turn sour.

“Useless. You can’t even protect the child in your womb. How many times has it been now? And you still have the nerve to complain about being exhausted? How did my son end up with someone like you too begin with?”

Vicky was Vincent’s biological mother and at the same time Kenneth’s step-mother. Right at her fifty years of age she had to witness the CEO position that rightfully should have gone to her biological son being snatched away by Kenneth. That, must have irked her quite deeply.

In the past, Vincent would have stood up for me. But now, his eyes were fixed solely on Estelle, brimming with longing and devotion, completely oblivious to the tension between Vicky and me.

“Ma’am, don’t be upset,” Estelle said sweetly, her tone dripping with faux concern. “It’s just that Jude isn’t blessed with the fortune to be a mother. After losing so many children, it’s not like she wanted it to happen.”

Vicky scoffed coldly. “She’s nothing but a cursed woman, dragging my son down with her.”

Pretending to play peacemaker, Estelle tried to ease the situation, even reaching to guide me into a seat. But as she stood, she stumbled slightly.

Though she quickly regained her balance, Vincent didn’t hesitate. He shoved me aside and rushed to her.

Ignoring everyone else in the room, he pulled Estelle into his arms and asked anxiously, “Elle, are you okay? You’re pregnant—why are you walking around by yourself? Where’s Kenneth?”

Estelle flashed a sugary smile. “Ken’s in the U.S. on a business trip. He’s about to take over as CEO, so he’s been super busy.”

She shot me a mocking glance before turning to Vincent, putting on a painfully sweet, almost cringey expression.