All Chapters of Loved in the Shadow: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1 His Son Is My Nephew

All I got in response was my mother slapping me across the face. She didn't pull her punches at all. The side of my face swelled instantly, and the burning pain was so sharp that my vision blurred. "Your sister is raising a child all by herself!” she snapped. "How can you be so heartless? Do you really want Kayden to grow up without a father?” I stared at her in disbelief. "What about me?” My voice cracked. "What makes it so that my child is unworthy to be born into this world?” I had been married to Nolan for five years, and I had gotten pregnant three times. He would sigh dramatically every single time, pull me into his arms, and tell me he still wasn't ready to be a father. He would tell me over and over that he wasn't done enjoying life yet. So, I had abortion after abortion. Each time I lay on that cold surgical table with tears running down my face, I wondered if Nolan would eventually change his mind and grant me the family I yearned for. And now, he wanted me to

Chapter 2 The Family They Built Without Me

Nolan pulled me into his arms and laughed softly. He had the gall to act as though I was just throwing a childish tantrum. "Come on," he coaxed. "You went through so much just to marry me. You're not really going to divorce me over something this minor, are you?" "Something minor?" I shoved him away so hard he stumbled back, then I ran out the door without looking back. People pointed at me and whispered behind my back as I trudged through the neighborhood. I heard every word clearly. They said I got pregnant before marriage, dumped my child on Irene, and ran off to marry a rich man. I could afford to ride in luxury cars now. Yet, I still refused to take responsibility for my own son and only knew how to burden my poor sister.… My sleeves were soaked with tears by the time my legs crumpled upon a bench in the park. I thought, 'Guess that answers why Nolan, who never willingly came back with me, suddenly insisted on coming this time. 'This never was a family dinner;

Chapter 3 The Night He Broke Me

Irene didn't get angry. Instead, she touched her swollen cheek and laughed. Then, she lifted her phone and shoved the screen in front of my face. "Look how excited you were that night," she mocked. "And now you're acting as if I hurt you?" The video on her phone was of me. I was blindfolded, tied to the bed with rope, while Nolan forced himself on me. Tears streamed down my face. My heart felt like it was about to stop, and my whole body was shaking in fear. I begged Nolan to stop, but he only leaned close and coaxed me softly, "It's our wedding night. Try something new with me, okay?" I had told him before that I was terrified of the dark and of being tied up. Years ago, Irene had hired a group of men to kidnap me and lock me inside an abandoned warehouse for three whole days after I scored higher than Irene on my college entrance exams. Nolan knew all of that. He knew every scar she left behind, yet he still followed Irene's instructions and humiliated me in the cru

Chapter 4 He Burned My Future for Her

Blood immediately began flowing backward through the IV tube, and my face turned deathly pale within seconds. Only then did Nolan panic. He shouted for the doctors. When they rushed back in to save me, he stood frozen at the side of the bed. He didn't relax until they confirmed I was no longer in danger. My left leg was fractured, and I had lost so much blood that I nearly died. Yet, Nolan was insistent that I apologize to the person responsible for my injury. "Apologize to Kayden," he said, his tone severe. "Do that, and we can move past this." Then, he added, almost like he was making me a promise, "We're going to be a family. I don't want you two to start off on the wrong foot." Kayden stood behind him, his lips curled into a mocking smile. He looked just like Irene, my childhood tormentor. I stared at them coldly. "Never." My voice was hoarse, but firm. "I will never raise Irene's child." Irene and Mallory. Even our names told the story of our family. Her name

Chapter 5 He Finally Saw the Truth

In Nolan's eyes, I was barely clinging to life. After all, my skin was being taken from my body and grafted onto Irene piece by piece. Just then, he remembered the text he had just received, and regret crashed over him all at once. "Open the door!" he shouted. "Stop the surgery! Stop it now!" He kicked the operating room door open like a madman, his whole body shaking. His eyes were bloodshot as he ordered the doctors to stop the graft immediately and stabilize me first. His tears fell onto my face. "Thank God," he muttered. "The surgery has just started. There's still time." I didn't know why he had suddenly changed his mind. All I knew was that the doctor hadn't given me enough anesthesia to keep me under, just to keep the skin viable. The raw wound on my inner thigh felt like liquid fire. Even the small act of curling my lips into a mocking smile hurt so much I could barely breathe. The surgical lights blurred above me. Soon, my consciousness began to slip away aga

Chapter 6 The Child Was Never His

My parents rushed to the hospital with panic written all over their faces. "Irene? Irene!" my mother cried as she ran into the room. "You stupid girl. How could you burn yourself alive over something like this?" Then, she didn't hesitate to continue, "Besides, you and Mallory look so alike. We could've just said she did it." However, my parents froze when they finally looked at the hospital bed. That was because the person lying there was me. My mother's expression immediately twisted into a scowl. "Why are you here? Where's Irene?" Irene's face and back had suffered burns, but nothing life-threatening. After her wounds were treated, Nolan arranged for her to stay in another private room. My mother turned toward Nolan in confusion. "Nolan, why are you here? Shouldn't you be taking care of Irene first?" Nolan's eyebrows knitted in confusion upon hearing her question. His tone was cold as he asked, "Irene started the fire herself. Why were you trying to make Mallory shou

Chapter 7 I Don't Love You Anymore

Nolan's eyes turned cold, his voice sharp with impatience. "Kayden was born at this hospital, wasn't he?" he asked. "I looked up his birth certificate when they checked our blood types earlier." His jaw tightened. "He's type B. Irene, and I am both type A. So tell me, how exactly could he be mine?" Nolan promptly threw my parents out of the room and shut the door in their faces. Then, he turned back to me, his expression almost pleading. "Mallory, babe, I was so wrong before. I'm sorry. I was a fool to trust Irene. I'll change, okay?" He started to panic when I didn't answer. I had barely said a word ever since my parents barged in here. I only sat there like a doll. I was so calm that it frightened him. "Mallory, I'll do anything you want as long as you recover. Don't do this. You're scaring me." Only then did I finally look at him. His eyes were drowning with regret. Honestly, I didn't know whether he regretted hurting me or whether he was behaving this way becaus

Chapter 8 The Man She Stole From Me

"Nolan!" Irene screeched outside the ward. "Didn't you say I was the only woman you've ever loved? You said Mallory was just my replacement. So, what the hell is this supposed to mean?" Then, a loud slap echoed through the hallway, and Nolan's cold voice rang out. "You know the answer best." They kept arguing outside my room, but I didn't pay them any mind. I unlocked my phone and noticed a new message from an unknown account. It wrote, "I can help you get divorced." I initially assumed this was just another one of Irene's games, so I immediately sent a voice message back, "Irene, if you really have a way to make Nolan divorce me, then hurry up and do it. I don't want anything to do with either of you anymore." However, the reply came in a man's voice. "I'm the man Irene cheated on. I can help you, but we need to meet up before we proceed." I took advantage of Nolan being distracted by Irene and secretly signed off on my discharge paperwork. Then, I swiftly arranged to

Chapter 9 I Never Looked Back

Nolan looked genuinely happy to see me. After all, this was the first time I had contacted him since I disappeared on him half a month ago. I blocked every way he could contact me the day I left the hospital. I refused to answer his calls even after he changed his number. The Nolan who was sitting across from me looked exhausted and hollowed out. "Mallory..." His voice shook slightly. "You're finally willing to see me?" I asked, "Did you read the agreement? Since you cheated, you'll leave the marriage without a single penny. I'm not going to sue, but we can resolve this amicably if you sign the papers now." Tears filled his eyes. "I won't sign it. Mallory, please don't do this," he begged, desperation in his voice. "I know nothing I say can change things now, but I was genuinely deceived by Irene. I had no idea that she lied to me." I took a slow breath and sent all the evidence to his phone. "If you insist on dragging this out, then we'll settle it in court." Nolan f

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