He Gave Her Strawberries, Gave Me Hives (Ford and Sylvia) novel Chapter 172

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

000cc of blood…

ompensate her?

velyn’s eyes widened in terror. Looking at the man she had loved for so many years, he now seemed like a horrifying stranger.

No… Theodore, you can’t do this! Let me go! I didn’t push her! I didn’t!” She struggled with all her might, screaming and crying, but the bodyguards mercilessly ragged her out of the apartment and shoved her into a car.

it the stables on the edge of town, the night was thick and the wind cut like a knife.

velyn was roughly thrown into the middle of the wide riding ring.

mmediately after, the stable doors were flung open, and a herd of startled horses, whinnying in panic, flooded out like a tidal wave.

he sound of hooves was like a dense drumbeat, pounding on the cold ground and on Evelyn’s fraying nerves.

No! Help! Let me out!” She was scared out of her wits, scrambling pathetically through the clouds of dust and the panicked herd.

hoof stomped down hard on her back, and she cried out as she was thrown to the ground.

n the next instant, more hooves trampled over her body. The sharp agony of breaking ribs and the searing pain of torn flesh washed over her.

Varm blood poured from her mouth and nose and from the wounds all over her body, staining the dirt beneath her crimson.

ike a broken doll, she crawled painfully across the cold ground, reaching toward the blurry but tall figure at the edge of the ring, crying out with the last of her trength.

Theodore… save me… let me out… I really… didn’t push her…”

Outside the ring, Theodore stood motionless, the moonlight outlining the cold, hard profile of his face.

le watched her writhe and wail in agony on the ground, watched her bloody and near–death state, yet his eyes showed not a flicker of emotion, only a cold.. letached indifference.

This is the lesson you deserve.” His chilling voice cut through the whinnying of the horses and her cries, reaching her ears with a final warning. “Remember nis. From now on, don’t you ever try to hurt Maren again.”

Don’t hurt Maren again…

o in his heart, she had long since become a jealous, vicious woman who would harm her own sister.

n overwhelming despair and heartbreak swallowed her like a black hole. Evelyn couldn’t hold on any longer, her vision went dark, and she passed out ompletely.

he next time she woke up, she was in a hospital.

he struggled to move her eyes and saw her body was wrapped in thick layers of gauze.

Ier phone screen was lit up with a text message from Maren:

Evelyn, I’m sorry. I knew you wouldn’t give up on Theodore easily, so I had to sacrifice this baby to make Theodore punish you, and to make you finally give ip on him for good. If I have to choose between you and Theodore, I… choose Theodore.j

staring at the cold words on the screen, Evelyn felt as if an invisible hand had viciously squeezed her heart and then cruelly ripped & opart

Pain…

hapter 2

t wasn’t just the physical pain of being trampled by horses, but the soul crushing agony of being betrayed by the two people she loved most, who had joined orces to push her into the abyss!

ears burst forth like a broken dam, flooding out and soaking her pillow.

his was her own sister, the sister who had held her hand as they grew up.

he sobbed so hard her whole body trembled, pulling at her wounds until the intense pain nearly suffocated her.

With a shaking hand, she pressed the call button by her bed.

nce, twice, three times… no doctor or nurse came.

[er wounds ached terribly, as if something were burning inside them. Forcing her agony wracked body to move, she painfully slid off the bed and, holding nto the wall for support, shuffled step by step out of her room to find a doctor.

s she passed the stairwell, she heard two familiar male voices–it was Theodore and his best friend, Lucas Parker.

Theodore, didn’t you swear that after five years, once you had power, you’d divorce Maren and marry Evelyn? What happened? Not only are you not divorced.

ou had a kid with her?”

fter a short silence came Theodore’s familiar yet strange, deep voice, carrying a hint of tenderness he himself didn’t seem to notice.

People change, Lucas.” He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. “These years, living with Maren day in and day out… she’s different. Gentle, considerate, he sees the big picture and always puts me first. Before I knew it, I fell for her. So when it comes to a divorce, I just can’t bring myself to do it.”

Fell for her?” Lucas’s voice rose. “Then what about Evelyn? Don’t forget how crazy you were about her, how you wanted to hand her the entire world. Are you aying you can just turn those feelings off?”

heodore was silent for a moment, then finally spoke lightly.

I’ve fallen for Maren, but Evelyn… I can’t just let her go, either. She’s been with me for so many years, it’s a habit. From now on, I’ll just keep her on the side, ke a bird in a gilded cage.”

bird in a gilded cage…

velyn leaned against the cold wall, feeling as if all the blood in her body was rushing backward, freezing solid.

o… not only had he fallen in love with Maren, but he was also planning to keep her, his old flame, locked away like some pet that couldn’t be seen in public?

Was this what five years of waiting had earned her? Not the marriage he’d promised, but this kind of degrading arrangement?

tidal wave of humiliation and despair crashed over her. She bit down hard on her wrist to keep a broken sob from escaping her throat.

he stumbled back to her room, but just as she was trying to process the overwhelming emotions, her parents arrived.

here was no concern, no greeting, only a storm of accusations.

Evelyn! You’ve gone too far this time!” Her mother pointed a finger at her nose, her tone sharp. “Maren is so kind hearted! She’s been so good to you your hole life! And what do you do? Viciously push her down the stairs and make her lose her baby! Have you lost your conscience?”

ler father stood beside her with a grim face, his voice leaving no room for argument. “Theodore is your brother in law now! Stop your delusional fantasies! ince you can’t let him go, we’ve found a solution. The heir to the Ashworth family in the next state was in a car accident and is now in a coma. The Ashworths re looking for a bedside marriage to improve his luck. We’ve already agreed. You’re going to marry him. This will not only help our family, but it will also inally put an end to these inappropriate feelings you have for Theodore!”

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I Can Thain Roth A One–Way Ticket To BANKRUPTCY

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Chapter 3

Watching his determined back as he left, Evelyn slowly closed her eyes, letting cold tears slide down her temples.

For the next few days, she was alone in the hospital, taking care of herself.

The so–called caregiver just dropped off meals on time and did little else.

After being discharged and returning to her apartment, she quietly began to pack, gathering all the gifts Theodore had given her over the years–jewelry.

andbags, limited edition dolls, the photos they had taken together…

ne by one, item by item, she threw them all into a large trash bag.

le didn’t love her anymore. Keeping these things around would only serve as a reminder of how foolish and pathetic she had been.

ust as she tied up the last trash bag and was about to take it out, the apartment door opened from the outside.

heodore walked in, supporting Maren.

Maren’s face was still pale, and she leaned weakly against Theodore.

heodore supported her with a tenderness and care in his eyes that Evelyn had never seen before.

eeing them looking so intimate and well–matched, Evelyn felt an invisible hand viciously clench her heart, a sharp pain shooting through her entire body.

heodore looked at the bulging trash bags on the floor, then at Evelyn’s unnaturally calm expression, and frowned slightly. “Evelyn, I won’t be able to stay here with you for a while. Maren and I… we need to have another child as soon as possible. It’s what both families want. So for the time being, I’ll be staying at the nain villa. I was in the neighborhood, so I stopped by to pick up some clothes I left here.”

Teed to have another child as soon as possible…

o, they would have countless intimate nights, a real marriage.

he man who had once made promises to her would now completely belong to another woman.

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