Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Destined to Shed All Pretenses

Cecilia Croft calmly studied the expression of the man sitting by her bed, searching his eyes for a trace of the familiar look he used to have when they were passionately in love.

But there was none.

’He’s no longer the man he once was.’

"There’s no need. The doctor said my foot is fine, it won’t affect the wedding plans at all."

She had already arranged everything. Nothing could be allowed to delay it.

Fourteen days left.

And then she would be gone for good.

Jude Sheridan frowned, his expression grave, a hint of dissatisfaction hiding in his eyes.

"There’s a lot to do for the wedding, and my mother isn’t well enough to help. You’ll have to handle everything yourself, and I’m worried it will be too much for your body." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

This act of pretending to care for her while actually covering for another woman disgusted Cecilia.

"Aren’t you really just more worried that Jessica Keller will be upset when she sees us get married?"

Jude Sheridan was at a loss for words. When he finally spoke again, his voice was a little louder than before.

"Why are you bringing her up out of the blue?"

Cecilia replied, "Then why are you here at the hospital with her out of the blue?"

A flicker of guilt crossed Jude Sheridan’s eyes, but he quickly regained his usual composure.

"Didn’t I tell you before? My body..."

Cecilia cut him off. "Where are your test results?"

Jude Sheridan froze.

Cecilia gave a cold smile and pulled out her phone to check the time.

"Your results should be out by now. Who’s your attending physician? I’m going to go look at the report."

The air fell silent for a moment.

She watched the silent man sitting by her bed, her eyes filled with intense ridicule.

A knock on the door broke the silence in the hospital room.

Jessica Keller pushed the door open and peeked her head in, looking timid and cautious.

"President Sheridan, your report is ready. I saw you hadn’t come out, so I took the liberty of getting it for you."

Jude Sheridan’s tense body instantly relaxed. He stood up, walked to the door, and took the paper report.

He glanced down at it, then turned and tossed the report onto the hospital bed.

"What do you have to say now?"

He stood by her bed, looking down at her imperiously. There wasn’t a trace of guilt or shame on his face, only an arrogant desire to dominate her.

Cecilia didn’t pick up the report. She just silently watched the man before her.

This man, for whom she had once been willing to risk everything, seemed to have lost all his luster. She could no longer find a single thing about him that was attractive.

’This is just exhausting.’

She casually brushed the paper report off the bed, then lifted her eyes to Jessica Keller, who was standing in the doorway, and smiled faintly.

"Aren’t you tired of acting like this?"

Jessica Keller lowered her head, not daring to meet Cecilia’s gaze.

Jude Sheridan frowned and stepped in front of Jessica.

"Enough!"

"If you don’t want to postpone the wedding, then we’ll have it as scheduled. Don’t take your anger out on an innocent person."

Standing behind Jude Sheridan, Jessica Keller tilted her head up, her eyes full of undisguised adoration for him.

"President Sheridan..."

Jude Sheridan turned around. "I’ll take you home."

Jessica Keller bit her lip gently, her gaze shifting to Cecilia with some hesitation.

"You should stay here and keep Cecilia company."

Jude Sheridan glanced over and saw Cecilia watching him. He paused for a moment.

Cecilia showed no sign of weakness, so he frowned and walked towards the door.

As he reached the doorway, Cecilia said languidly,

"Jude Sheridan, it’s not like I absolutely have to marry you."

The man’s face turned terrifyingly cold. He grabbed Jessica Keller’s hand and stormed out of the room.

As they left, Jessica Keller turned her head to give Cecilia a look, her eyes overflowing with provocation.

「That evening.」

The hospital room, with only her in it, was perfectly quiet. Cecilia stared blankly at the hazy moonlight outside the window.

Just then, a call came in from Ruby Croft.

"Are you feeling any better?"

Cecilia was taken aback for a moment. She hadn’t told her sister she was in the hospital. Realizing that Ruby had probably found out from Sebastian Hawthorne, her hand holding the phone couldn’t help but tighten.

"It doesn’t hurt as much anymore."

’It was just so humiliating.’

Ruby Croft hummed in acknowledgment, her tone still cold and seemingly devoid of emotion.

"I heard from Jasmine that you’re planning to sell your shares in Vantage soon. Sebastian Hawthorne has set up a branch in Silvercrest, and he’s interested in acquiring Vantage as a stepping stone for it."

A stepping stone... that meant Vantage would one day be swallowed up by the Hawthorne Group’s branch, ceasing to exist.

She had, after all, dedicated seven years of her life to Vantage. She hesitated.

Ruby didn’t press her, adding lightly,

"Sebastian Hawthorne will be in Silvercrest for the next two weeks. Contact him directly once you’ve made up your mind. He’s always been generous, so you can raise your asking price a bit."

She hung up as soon as she finished, without any further conversation with Cecilia.

Cecilia held her phone, silent for a long while.

Jude Sheridan, who hadn’t contacted her all afternoon, sent her a message.

[I’m working overtime at the office.]

The man who used to get nervous if she so much as scraped her hand now sent only a few cold words, devoid of any warmth.

Cecilia glanced at it and didn’t reply.

Jessica Keller posted another note, again accompanied by a photo.

The note read: [The baby’s father said he wants to hear the baby’s heartbeat. I didn’t expect him to be even more excited about the baby’s birth than I am.]

The comments below were still a sea of criticism.

Cecilia stared at the photo, her eyes turning icy. It showed a man, his face blurred out, pressing close to Jessica Keller’s stomach.

A corner of the photo showed his wrist, and on it was the watch she had given him for their seventh anniversary, a symbol of cherishing every moment they spent together.

Cecilia felt a pang of regret. She shouldn’t have given him a watch; she should have sent him a funeral wreath instead.

A few seconds after she put down her phone, another message came in from an unknown number.

[Thank you, Cecilia, for giving up something you love. I really like it.]

Below the text was a photo of a hand wearing a jade bracelet.

Cecilia knew it was from Jessica Keller the moment she saw it. She gave a cold laugh and replied.

[You picked up the gum I spat out and are chewing it, yet you have the nerve to brag to me that you can blow bubbles with it. Don’t you find that pathetic?]

The other person, not to be outdone, replied immediately.

[Cecilia, why bother being so stubborn? If I can snatch the jade bracelet from you, I can snatch other things too.]

’Other things?’

’Jude Sheridan?’

’Does he even count as a "thing"? He’s just trash I don’t want anymore.’

Cecilia opened her photo album, found the picture she had taken of the jade bracelet after it was shattered, and sent it.

[Didn’t Jude Sheridan tell you? The one he bought you is a fake.]

This time, the other person didn’t reply.

Cecilia lifted her gaze to the window. The sky was dark and gloomy, charged with the feeling of an impending storm.

She and Jude Sheridan were destined to have a complete falling-out.