All Chapters of The Man I Carried: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1 The Birthday He Never Showed Up For

My first thought was that Jonathan had really thought this through. He was given five grand a month with room and board included. He could go out whenever he wanted without even checking in.If this were a training case on marriage scams, it would definitely qualify as a textbook example.On the other hand, Millie was so furious that her eyes were brimming with tears. "Mom, he treats you like a cash cow! What is wrong with you? Why are you just standing here? You're so oblivious it's hopeless!"I walked up behind Jonathan and tapped him on the shoulder. His body went rigid. So did Sandra's. However, they still seemed to think I hadn't heard a word they'd said.Millie spoke before I could. "Someone's daughter has a birthday today, but instead of showing up, he ditched her to bring another woman to an amusement park. Does that sound reasonable to you? Then again, why am I surprised? "That someone's never celebrated my birthday with me even once for the past 10 years."Jonathan fro

Chapter 2 The Truth My Daughter Already Knew

Sandra looked even younger than she had three years ago. Back then, she had been covered in bruises, sitting in my office, crying so hard she couldn't get a word out.Her ex-husband had abused her. She wanted a divorce, but I was the only attorney willing to take her case.He was violent. He kept showing up at my law firm, making a scene and threatening to break her legs.I grabbed him by the throat and glared at him. "I've got a black belt in martial arts. If you so much as lay a finger on her, I'll break your legs first."He was so terrified he started shaking. "What kind of lawyer are you? You're downright vicious."I snorted. "Using evil against evil is called justice."That was the day Jonathan stopped by my office with lunch and saw the whole thing. He hid behind me and shouted, "If you lay a finger on my wife, I'll knock your block off!"I was so touched that when we got home, I transferred him 2,000 with the note, "Reward for my little hero."Jonathan accepted the money

Chapter 3 The Birthday Was Never About Her

Millie frowned and hid behind me. "Mom, I don't want to."In the past, I would've thought she was being rude. Now, as I looked at the hurt on her face and remembered everything Jonathan and Sandra had said… Well, all I wanted to do was say no for her.Before I could, Jonathan took her by the hand and started leading her toward the bakery outside the amusement park. "Come on, Millie. Sandy said she's hungry, so let's go get some cake."Millie's eyes stayed fixed on the rides as she was tugged along. "I just got here. I haven't gone on anything yet. I want to ride the roller coaster first. I'm not even hungry!"Jonathan didn't slow down. "Millie, why do you always have to be so difficult? Sandy's hungry, so we'll eat first and come back afterward. What's the rush?"He was her father. Maybe he was trying to make up for everything by buying her a birthday cake. So, I didn't say anything even though something felt off.There were rows of beautiful cakes filling the bakery's display ca

Chapter 4 A Wish That Would Come True

I wiped Millie's tears away."Mom, you cut the cake. I don't want any."So, I lowered my head and started cutting the second slice. Maybe my hands were shaking too much, because the knife accidentally nicked my fingertip.Millie grabbed my hand at once. "Mom, you're bleeding!"Jonathan only frowned for a second before stepping in front of Sandra. "Sandra, don't look. You get dizzy at the sight of blood."Sandra immediately lowered her head, her voice soft. "Nancy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I've been afraid of blood ever since I was little."He comforted her gently. "It's okay. Nancy's a black belt in martial arts. A little cut like that's nothing to her."For that ridiculous split second, I actually nodded in response. However, the next thing I wanted to do was cry. A heartbeat later, I finally realized I should pull my hand back.All at once, a flood of memories came rushing back. My stomach had been in so much pain at the time that I couldn't eat for three days, but I stil

Chapter 5 No More Free Ride

Millie didn't say a word on the cab ride home. Neither did I. I looked outside the window, seeing the lights of the amusement park slowly fade into the distance.The realization hit me all at once as I finally noticed how ridiculously idiotic I'd been all these years.When I was in court, I could rattle opposing counsel so badly they'd fumble through the law books and even flip to the wrong page.Yet, the moment I came home, one little "Honey" from Jonathan was enough to make me lose all common sense.That wasn't love. There was something seriously wrong with my brain. The truth was, Jonathan had changed a long time ago.Before things all went to hell, he'd lean against my desk whenever I stayed up late preparing legal briefs and watch me while pouring me a cup of hot water."Your stomach's sensitive. Stop acting like you're invincible just because you can fight. Take care of yourself."His eyes had sparkled when he said it. He had acted like he truly cared about me.That was

Chapter 6 No More Protection

I looked through the peephole and saw Jonathan. He was still outside, his face covered in worry and sadness. My phone rang. It was Sandra. This time, I turned on the speakerphone. When she spoke, her voice cracked. "Please, can you come to the hospital, Nancy? My ex found out I got pregnant, and he's causing a scene. He's right outside my ward. That man's cursing at me and swearing he'd take me back! I'm scared."The old me would've grabbed my car keys. After all, Sandra's ex-husband truly was a piece of work. But right now, all I did was look at the band-aid on my hand. "Call the cops."Sandra froze. "What?""The hospital has its own security team, or you can call the nurses. If you need a lawyer, I have a recommendation."Sandra's cries stopped for a moment. When she spoke again, she sounded hurt. "This isn't you, Nancy. You'd always come whenever I had problems. Are you still mad at me? Is this about Jon?"Finally, Jonathan couldn't hold it in anymore. He slapped the door

Chapter 7 Another Route

He made himself sound like the perfect, bullied victim. If I weren't the very woman who had gone through the whole thing with him, I'd have given him some tissues with which to wipe his tears away."You claim to quit your job so you could care for Millie and me? Mind some questions?"Jonathan's lips flattened into a thin line. I looked at him. "What's the name of Millie's homeroom teacher?"He was stunned."At what time does the school day end for her?"He frowned."You should at least know what grade she's in, yes?"He fell silent, causing the interns to snicker quietly. Jonathan's face fell quickly. "This is humiliation. It's not like I don't care for her. I'm not a details man like you."I snickered. "Fine, I'll pose an easier question, then. What's the name of our housekeeper?"He opened his mouth but couldn't come up with an answer."It's Lawson. She's cooked for us for seven years. You eat the stuff she makes every day and don't even know her name."The receptionists

Chapter 8 Bloody Scene

Millie took a notebook out of her bag. It was her diary, and she'd been writing in it since she was five. She flipped the pages open and started reading aloud."Five years old, kindergarten's sports day. Dad said he had low blood sugar and scrolled his phone all the way. Mom helped me finish the three-legged race, and she was in a suit."She flipped to the next page and continued, "Six years old, birthday. Dad said he'd make a cake for me, but Mom's the one who bought it, and Mrs. Lawson whipped the cream. "All he did was put some candles on it and post it on his socials. 'The best thing you can give your kids is your time,' he wrote."Some of the parents were very close to laughing. Millie was on a roll as she raised her voice, saying loudly, "Eight years old, parent-teacher meeting. Dad said he's socially anxious and didn't want to see my teacher. "That same day, he argued fiercely with Ms. Wood's property manager in their group. Eighty-six messages. I counted."Jonathan

Chapter 9 He's History

Jonathan tried to hold her, but Sandra stepped away from him. He looked like he'd been slapped upon seeing her reaction."You can't help me as you are right now, Jon. Go back and talk it out with Nancy."Jonathan couldn't believe what he was hearing."You can't fight, and you have no money. You're practically useless, but Nancy's strong. My ex would never try anything if she were in my corner. You have history with her. She wouldn't watch you fall."Jonathan's face fell. "Have you been using me from the start? I've treated you like a queen, but all you wanted was Nancy's money, wasn't it?"Sandra's crying stopped. "How could you say that, Jon? You told me you were sick of her and that I was pretty, so you'd protect me. She gives you 5,000 dollars every month anyway. It's not like you could use it all."Sandra's ex-husband clapped, becoming my mouthpiece as he said, "Go on. This drama is more entertaining than I thought."…Sandra and Jonathan had a dramatic fallout. She playe

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP