Love's Finale in Lies

I was starting to wonder if I was still asleep.

"She just had a dream and you believe everything? Caden Vaughn, do you believe in dreams, or do you just believe in her?"

The dream about the child had made me emotional, and Caden Vaughn's displeased frown made it even harder for me to pretend to be calm.

In his eyes, it was just a bastard. Why would he feel any guilt?

Tears of anger streamed down my face, and I couldn't even form a complete sentence.

Caden Vaughn sighed wearily, as if my "unreasonable" tantrum was putting him in a difficult position.

"Anne, just be a good girl. It's only for one night. You'll be fine."

"I'm doing this for your own good. Didn't you always want a child? Your child is gone, but Kara is pregnant. Maybe this is fate."

Trembling all over, I finally couldn't hold back and slapped Caden Vaughn across the face.

'If it weren't for him, how could anything have happened to my baby?'

Caden Vaughn's expression turned cold. He looked down at me, scrutinizing me.

A chill rose in my heart. My instincts screamed that something was wrong, and I tried to shut and lock the door, but Caden Vaughn blocked it.

"You care about that child a lot, don't you? Why do you get so emotional the moment it's mentioned?"

"Anne, be obedient and don't make me angry. You're already making things very difficult for me. But it's okay. After all, I love you so much. I can overlook your cheating. But if you keep being this willful, I'll feed that bastard's ashes to the dogs!"

I stared at Caden Vaughn in disbelief. I couldn't believe the man I had loved for so many years had become such a stranger, capable of saying such things.

"What proof do you have that I cheated? You're the one who was in the wrong first! Caden Vaughn, that was our child! How could you… how could you be so cruel…"

Caden Vaughn remained noncommittal, clearly not believing a word I said.

I had no choice. That child had already been robbed of his life; how could I bear to see him not even find peace in death?

"Fine. I'll go kneel."

I closed my eyes, unable to look at Caden Vaughn again. Suppressing the metallic taste of blood in my throat, I forced out a reply.

I would go pray for my child, hoping the Bodhisattva would grant him this blessing: that next time, he wouldn't be born into a family where his father didn't want him.

"Also, Kara said the guest room is uncomfortable. For the sake of her baby, you two will switch rooms for the time being."

Caden Vaughn didn't care about my reaction at all. He just stated it like a notice, and when he heard Kara Jolie say she was uncomfortable, he rushed away.

He left me standing there, my already cold heart shattering into a million pieces.

From that night on, I had to kneel before the Statue of Guanyin for two hours every evening.

Mrs. Vaughn found me to be an eyesore, so she had someone move the Statue of Guanyin to a spot beside the utility closet at the turn of the stairs. She even made me kneel when the maids were present.

"If no one is watching, who knows if you're sincere or not."

I remained silent, piously praying for my child amidst the idle chatter of the maids.

Meanwhile, Caden Vaughn—the man who claimed to love me—appeared with Kara Jolie in his arms in all the places I used to be.

His childhood sweetheart became the "Mrs. Vaughn" on the lips of company employees, the "Saozi" to Caden Vaughn's friends, and the true love of "President Vaughn" in media reports.

Their love story was praised by all—a decade of unwavering devotion and romance that made everyone envious.

And I, naturally, was forgotten, even becoming the "other woman" in the gossip people shared after dinner.

I thought Caden Vaughn would use the opportunity to file for divorce, but even when I placed the signed divorce papers in front of him, he remained unmoved.

"You and Kara Jolie are in love, and you have a child on the way. Isn't getting a divorce the best option for us?"

I had already conceded so much; I didn't understand what more Caden Vaughn could possibly want.

'I've already shattered my heart to pieces. I have nothing left to give.'

Caden Vaughn picked up the papers, his gaze obscure and unreadable, but his face was veiled in a sinister gloom.

He curled the corner of his lip into a smile that held no mirth.

"I've already forgiven you for cheating, and I'm even figuring out how to eliminate any future trouble from it, yet all you can think about is leaving."

"What, are you that desperate to run off to your lover? Are you that thirsty?"