Too Late to Keep Her

On the day my family went bankrupt, my older sister fled the country overnight to escape her wedding. When I returned home after selling off every luxury item I owned, my alcoholic father drugged me and sent me to the bed of Tristan Chevalier, a man with intermittent explosive disorder. Once the effects of the drug wore off, he realized something was wrong. His eyes bloodshot with rage, he wrecked Chevalier Manor. He was even willing to sever ties with his family just to go abroad and explain everything to my sister. In the end, however, Tristan's grandmother, Donna, threatened to take her own life, forcing him to marry me and register our marriage. Whenever Donna pressured him to have a child with me, he would deliberately wait until his intermittent explosive disorder was acting up before taking me with brutal force. Afterward, even when I lay on the bed covered in blood, he would not spare me a second glance. "Sylvia Jefferson, consider this my reward to you this time. If you can't get pregnant, you'd better be prepared to spend the rest of your life as a widow!" After that, I tried everything I could think of to seduce him, but he refused to touch me, not even with a finger. Instead, he tormented me even more cruelly. In public, I was the once-down-and-out heiress who had married into a wealthy family, living the life of a pampered society wife. Behind closed doors, however, he gave me only twenty dollars a day to keep myself fed. Then, one night, I took advantage of his drunken state and climbed into his bed, hoping to sleep with him. But he called the police on me and accused me of sexual coercion, turning me into the laughingstock of our entire social circle. Eventually, I stopped longing for a child. I even personally brought my sister back to him and handed him the divorce papers. Yet this time, Tristan refused to let me go. Chapter 1 The Night He Called the Police By the time the police arrived, Tristan was standing coldly to one side, watching as the workers dismantled the mood lighting I had carefully arranged. The intimate products I had painstakingly saved up to buy were also smashed and thrown at my feet. "You're just as disgusting as ever, Jefferson." The sharp edge of one of the packaging boxes scraped across my cheek, leaving a stinging pain that made my eyes redden despite my best efforts. I bit my lip hard, stubbornly refusing to let the tears fall, but Tristan only sneered more viciously. "I heard you ate nothing but dinner rolls for half a year just to save money for this garbage. You really went to a lot of trouble, didn't you? Since you're not ashamed of yourself, I'll indulge you tonight." I parted my lips, wanting to explain. I wanted to tell him that I had never meant anything malicious by it. I had only wanted my seriously ill grandmother to have no regrets before she died. I had only wanted to fulfill his grandmother's… But he did not give me a chance to explain. He turned toward the police, who stood there looking uncomfortable, and said coldly, "My wife attempted to rape me. Please deal with her according to the law." I stared at him in disbelief. I never imagined he would actually call the police, much less accuse me of something like this. Two female officers politely but firmly helped me to my feet and prepared to take me away. Fighting through my humiliation, I tried to grab a coat to cover myself, only for Tristan to step on it. "You've already thrown away all your shame. Why bother putting clothes on now?" As I was led out the door, I heard him make a phone call. "Old Mrs. Jefferson? This is Tristan. I'm sorry to disturb you so late at night… Sylvia took advantage of me while I was drunk and forced herself on me…" "No! Don't!" Every shred of reason I had left snapped instantly. I struggled free like a madwoman and lunged toward him, trying to snatch the phone away. But I missed and fell heavily to the floor. I crawled over and grabbed the hem of his trousers, begging him through my pain. "I'm sorry! You can punish me however you want! Just don't tell my grandmother. Her heart is weak…" However, he pried my fingers off one by one. "It's too late." Then, into the phone, he said each word with deliberate clarity. "She's been arrested for rape." He ended the call and shut the door in my face, the entire sequence of movements completed without the slightest hesitation. All I could do was hold myself together in the police car and keep trying to call my grandmother. But none of my calls went through. … By the time they took my statement, dawn had begun to break, and my grandmother arrived in a wheelchair, her face deathly pale. The moment she saw me, her eyes turned red. "Sylvia… My darling, you've suffered so much…" Those few words shattered the last of the defenses I had desperately been holding together. Tears poured down my face like a never-ending waterfall. The caregiver standing nearby, however, spoke with barely concealed sarcasm. "Ms. Jefferson, you really should show some restraint, too! "Your grandmother was sent to the ICU again last night because you upset her. She had only just been resuscitated, yet she rushed here to see you…" Chapter 2 The Truth Behind His Cruelty "Shut up!" my grandmother snapped, her breathing suddenly becoming labored. After we finally completed the bail procedures and stepped out of the police station, a crowd of reporters who had been waiting outside swarmed us. "Ms. Jefferson, was it because Mr. Chevalier had neglected you for so long that you became lonely and resorted to forcing yourself on him?" "Do you regret it? You forced your own sister away so you could marry into a wealthy family, stole the man she loved, and tore apart a couple who were meant to be together!" "Do you think you got what you deserve?" Each question was like a poisoned arrow, pinning me to a pillar of shame. "No! That's not what happened!" My grandmother struggled to shield me, using every ounce of strength she had to shout at the cameras. "Her sister was the one who ran away from her wedding! She eloped with her online boyfriend…" A shrill voice immediately cut in, dripping with mockery. "Ha! The apple never falls far from the tree! If your granddaughter could behave so shamelessly and force herself on a man, I doubt you were exactly innocent when you were young either, were you, old lady?" My grandmother's eyes widened abruptly. The next second, she coughed up blood and collapsed straight out of her wheelchair. "Grandma!" My heart-wrenching cries were swallowed by the reporters' laughter. That night, I not only became the laughingstock of our entire social circle and dominated the trending searches, but also caused my grandmother's condition to deteriorate drastically. At the hospital, the doctor threw the medical bill in front of me. I searched every pocket and turned my entire purse inside out, but I could not even scrape together a thousand dollars. With no other choice, I turned to Tristan. As I stood outside the private room, I heard his friends teasing him inside. "Tristan, have you noticed? Sylvia was willing to drink for you even when she was on her period. When you got into a car accident while street racing, she donated so much blood for you that she passed out. And when you were trapped in that mudslide, she risked her own life to save you. "That's not even being a lovesick fool anymore. She's practically willing to die for you. You really don't feel anything for her? Her sister has already gone through five boyfriends overseas, while you're still stupidly keeping yourself faithful to her and taking your anger out on her sister. "This time, you had Sylvia arrested for rape, arranged for the media to humiliate her, and even drove her grandmother into the hospital. Aren't you afraid you'll take things too far?" I held my breath, my heart nearly stopping. I never could have imagined that Tristan had deliberately orchestrated everything. Then came Tristan's cold, unwavering voice. "Give up? How many ways have I tormented her already? And has she ever left me? I know she loves me to the bone." He irritably lit a cigarette. "It's not that I've never thought about treating her well. But every time I see someone else beside Regina, I go insane with jealousy. "I was supposed to marry Regina! If Sylvia hadn't selfishly forced herself into our relationship, I would never have lost the woman I loved. Why does she get to live happily while I can't have the woman I love? As for her grandmother…" He gave a mocking laugh before continuing, "She won't die from it. I know what I'm doing. I'm just teaching her a lesson. She's always been biased against Regina since they were children. She only ever cared about Sylvia and completely ignored Regina." I swallowed the ache in my heart and pushed open the door. "Well, look who's out already. Sylvia!" someone joked, breaking the silence. "Tristan really went easy on you this time, huh? I still remember the last time you drugged him. You ended up being drugged yourself and thrown into a cold-storage room. You were stuck in there for an entire day and night before they finally let you out." Another man immediately chimed in. "And what about that other time? You took all your clothes off and climbed into his bed yourself, only for Tristan to throw you out of the villa completely naked. You stood in the rain for two whole days. Man… Compared to that, what happened this time was practically nothing." He turned toward Tristan, testing the waters. "Tristan, this really isn't like you. Don't tell me you've actually fallen for Sylvia? People say love is what makes those in power go soft…" All of a sudden, the glass in Tristan's hand shattered. The entire private room fell deathly silent. I walked up to him. For the first time, I ignored the wounds on his hand and made my request, word by word. Chapter 3 Seventy Glasses "Tristan, please pay seven days of my grandmother's medical expenses." "Seven days? Why seven days?" Someone instinctively asked the question. A flicker of surprise crossed Tristan's eyes. My lips moved, but in the end, I remained silent. I had not forgotten his previous warning. I was not allowed to tell him a single word about my own affairs. Tristan sneered and pointed at the bottle of high-proof liquor on the table. "Drink it yourself. Ten glasses a day, all at once. Finish all seventy glasses, and I'll do it." My face went deathly pale. Years ago, I had suffered severe stomach damage from drinking on his behalf. I had undergone surgery and had part of my stomach removed. The doctor had strictly forbidden me from touching alcohol ever again. "I… I can't drink." My voice trembled. "My stomach—" "Fuck off, then." He cut me off, his expression utterly unmoved. "You won't get a single cent. A selfish woman like you has no right to negotiate with me." The laughter around me pierced my back like needles. I stared at the amber liquid, and all I could see was my grandmother lying in her hospital bed. I picked up the first glass. The burning liquor tore down my throat and into my stomach, where a violent pain instantly exploded. One glass… Two… Ten… My stomach churned violently. Thirty… Forty… My vision blurred, cold sweat soaking through my clothes. Fifty… The laughter around me faded until all I could hear was my own labored breathing. Sixty… Sixty-eight… At the sixty-ninth glass, something hot and sweet rose in my throat. I coughed up blood and pitched forward. "That's enough!" he suddenly shouted, his voice taut. The world spun around me. I forced out a bitter smile and used the last of my strength to swallow the seventieth glass. Just before my consciousness disappeared completely, I seemed to fall into an unfamiliar, rigid embrace. Through my blurred vision, I thought I caught something in his eyes. Panic. And fury unlike anything I had ever seen before. … When I woke up in the hospital, the doctor told me I was pregnant. This time, however, the baby had nearly been lost. The pregnancy was unstable, and I would have to take good care of myself and protect the baby from now on. Holding back my tears, I tremblingly dialed a number. "I'm pregnant. According to our agreement, does that mean I can get divorced now?" The voice on the other end was filled with excitement. They said yes several times in succession. "Once the baby is safely born, the one hundred billion dollars and your freedom will both be yours." But the moment the call ended, the doctor's next words sent me plunging into despair. "Your grandmother's condition is critical. She needs another operation as soon as possible. If you still can't come up with the medical expenses…" I froze. I never imagined he would go back on his word. I had no choice but to call his grandmother again, but she refused to advance the money for me. Desperate, I called Tristan over and over again. It wasn't until the 172nd call that he finally answered, his voice filled with impatience. "Sylvia Jefferson, are you done yet? You're driving me crazy." "You promised you'd pay seven days of my grandmother's medical expenses…" He gave a cold laugh. "You want money? Fine. Regina's heartbroken, and she specifically asked you to pick her up before she'll come back. Go bring her home, and I'll pay seven days of your grandmother's medical expenses." The call ended, leaving only the monotonous tone of the disconnected line ringing in my ear. I stared at the gray sky outside the window. My hand unconsciously covered my lower abdomen. In the end, I did not dare delay even for a moment. I hurried to the airport and flew to Ludenwic. … While waiting for my flight, I sent Tristan a copy of my pregnancy test results. The other side showed the typing indicator several times. Finally, just before I boarded the plane, he replied, 'You really are shameless, Jefferson. I'm not acknowledging this child. Go get rid of it yourself.' I felt as though an invisible hand had clenched around my heart, squeezing until I could barely breathe. I gave a bitter smile and wiped away my tears, but my mind kept returning to how Tristan, who normally washed himself for two hours even if I so much as touched him, had broken every rule and taken the initiative with me three months ago. That night, he had taken everything from me like a man gone mad, fulfilling my wish to have a child. Chapter 4 The Day I Lost My Grandmother And the reason he had been willing to touch me was absurdly simple: my sister had posted on social media, 'I miss the sea buckthorn juice my little sister used to make for me when we were kids.' He had seized on that as a bargaining chip, forcing me to fly thousands of miles away to the northwestern Hannal Desert. Every day, he monitored me through video calls and forced me to wash my hands more than a dozen times before ordering me to pick the thorn-covered sea buckthorn with my bare hands. He said the tools were dirty, so I was not allowed to use them. The tiny thorns pierced my fingertips. The wounds were too small to see, but the pain went straight to the bone. I picked sea buckthorn for seven days. By the end, both my hands were covered in tiny spots of blood, and I had barely managed to fill a small jar. Tristan personally took it overseas and presented it to my sister like a precious treasure. Sometimes, I really envied my sister. I had fallen for Tristan first, yet somewhere along the way, he fell in love with my sister instead… I refused to think about it any further. I crouched downstairs from my sister's apartment and waited there for the entire night. That night, I broke down again and again. In a moment of overwhelming emotion, I texted him. 'Tristan, I hope you'll keep your word this time. Please pay seven days of Grandma's medical expenses. I'm begging you.' I hesitated for a long time. Then, overwhelmed by the urge to simply let everything fall apart, I finally sent the question I had buried in my heart for years. 'Tristan, I've never had the courage to ask you this. I was the one who had a crush on you back then, who wrote you love letters, who donated my bone marrow to you. So why have you always only had eyes for my sister?' The message disappeared into silence. After a long while, I could feel his impatience and disgust even through the screen. "You'll tell any lie imaginable just to get what you want, won't you, Jefferson? It was Regina who stayed by my hospital bed day and night back then. Every member of my family can testify to that! Stop these disgusting tricks of yours. "I'm warning you. Apologize to Regina properly and bring her back. If you try anything again, or do anything to upset Regina, neither you nor your grandmother will get a single penny!" As I stared at those merciless words on the screen, the last faint glimmer of hope inside me finally went out. After standing there helplessly in the pouring rain for an entire night, Regina reluctantly agreed to return home with me. … When we landed at the international airport, Tristan had already been waiting for us for quite some time. Regina glanced at me disdainfully, then raised her eyebrows triumphantly. "See that, Sylvia? No matter when or where, the man you married only ever cares about me. You're the only one that old hag treats like a treasure." I said nothing. My mind was filled with one thought—my grandmother's medical expenses for the next few days were finally taken care of. Soon, I would be able to take her away from here. Regina naturally opened the rear passenger door and climbed inside. Tristan glanced at me. His lips moved as though he wanted to say something, but she suddenly called softly, "Tristan, I feel so dizzy." He immediately walked around to the back of the car and ultimately only ordered me to drive. I was just about to obey, but the hospital called. "Ms. Jefferson? I'm very sorry… We did everything we could." My mind went completely blank. My legs gave out, and I collapsed heavily onto the ground, unable to believe what I had just heard. "The patient's emergency treatment was delayed because of the outstanding medical expenses. She passed away ten minutes ago. We're very sorry for your loss." I jerked my head up. My eyes were bloodshot as I stared straight at Tristan. My voice broke apart as the words came spilling out. "Why… Tristan! Why? You knew I was bringing Regina back today! Why didn't you pay the money? Just because you kept breaking your promises over and over, my grandma didn't make it! She's gone!" The rear passenger door suddenly flung open, and Tristan stepped out, looking down at me as though I had lost my mind. His brows were tightly furrowed, his face filled with nothing but suspicion and impatience. "Gone? Sylvia Jefferson, even if you're jealous and throwing a tantrum, you shouldn't curse the family member who raised you from childhood!" Chapter 5 When He Finally Cared "I can't believe you're capable of making such lies just to get attention!" "I'm not lying! She really…" I practically crawled toward him, trying to grab the hem of his trousers. "Tristan, please. Take me to the hospital…" "Enough!" he snapped. "I don't have time to indulge you or your melodramatic performance!" With that, he turned around without hesitation and got back into the car. The door slammed shut, and the black Rolls-Royce sped away before my tear-blurred eyes. … I had no idea how I managed to get to the hospital, but in the morgue, I clung to my grandmother's body and cried until my entire body convulsed. No matter how hard I cried, I would never hear her gentle voice calling me Sylvia again. During the days I endured my grief and arranged my grandmother's modest funeral alone, Tristan was busy keeping Regina company. As I crouched in the funeral hall keeping vigil, a news alert appeared on my phone. Tristan had made a high-profile appearance at a charity gala with Regina. In the photos, his arm was wrapped around her waist, and his smile was gentle. Warm, in a way he had never once been with me. As I carried my grandmother's urn through the cemetery, Regina posted a picture on social media of the limited-edition diamond bracelet he had given her. The caption read, 'Thank you for loving me above everyone else, just as you always have.' Even my father, who had never contacted me before, called to warn me. "Sylvia, Mr. Chevalier paid off all my debts! I know I was wrong before… Look, Mr. Chevalier's heart still belongs to Regina after all. So, just divorce him and give him back to your sister, alright?" I was dead inside at that point, so I answered with a flat "okay," and then hung up, ignoring his astonishment. … After taking care of everything related to my grandmother's funeral, I went straight to a private hospital. "Have you made up your mind? You don't want the baby?" the doctor asked routinely. After my father had drugged me and sent me to Tristan's bed, I had originally intended to leave without looking back. But then my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer and needed an astronomical amount of money for treatment. With nowhere else to turn, I had agreed to Donna's demand: I would give the Chevalier family a child in exchange for one hundred billion dollars and my freedom. Now that my grandmother was gone, I no longer wanted the child I had conceived through humiliation and endurance. I signed the divorce papers and had them delivered to Chevalier Manor. Then, I bought the fastest available one-way ticket to a distant island. … While waiting at the airport, my phone suddenly vibrated. For once, I received a message from Tristan. 'I passed by a jewelry store yesterday and saw a bracelet. It'll be your belated birthday present. I've already had my assistant transfer the medical expenses to you, so stop throwing a tantrum and come home. The house is a mess without you, and I'm not used to it. 'And… about the baby, we'll discuss it when you come home. If you can accept a divorce, I'll allow you to give birth to him. But as for me… I'm sorry. I can't return your feelings. I hope you understand.' I forced a smile that looked worse than crying and calmly replied, 'You don't need to, Tristan. It's all too late now.' I hit send. Then I removed my SIM card, threw it into a trash can at the airport, and walked toward the boarding gate without looking back. … Tristan stood there irritably with the bracelet in his hand, waiting for a long time. When the call finally came, even he did not realise that he had let out a breath of relief. He answered eagerly, only to hear his assistant's panicked voice on the other end. "We have a problem, sir! When I went to pay the medical expenses, the hospital told me that Mrs. Chevalier's grandmother had already passed away. "And I also found out that Mrs. Chevalier terminated her pregnancy at the same hospital yesterday afternoon…"