On Our Wedding Day My Husband Announced His First Love Online-Chapter 5: I Have Loved Him for Twelve Whole Years

Chapter 5: Chapter 5: I Have Loved Him for Twelve Whole Years

I rushed to Director Miller’s office and saw my mom lying on the sofa, surrounded by doctors and nurses.

My knees went weak, and I nearly collapsed.

Sebastian Forrest, who was right behind me, caught my arm. His deep, calm voice followed. "Don’t be afraid. The doctors are here. Your mother will be alright."

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. But as I watched helplessly while they wheeled my mother into the emergency room, I finally sagged against the wall and slid to the floor.

My mind was a complete mess. My mother was in the final stages of liver cancer, her body already incredibly frail, and now she had fainted from the stress of Theodore Grant’s scandal.

’What if something happens to her...’

I couldn’t bear to think about it. I immediately dialed Theodore Grant’s number.

’I have to get Theodore to explain this to Mom himself. I can’t let her misunderstand!’

But the phone rang for over ten seconds with no answer.

Just as I was sinking into anxious despair, the call finally connected.

"Hello, honey, are you..."

But before I could finish, Clara Langley’s voice came through the phone. "Chelsea, Theodore went out to buy medicine for me. He left his phone here. Do you need him for something? I can pass on a message."

My lips moved, but my throat felt constricted, and I couldn’t make a sound.

As my vision blurred with tears, someone snatched the phone from my hand.

I instinctively looked up. When my eyes met the man’s deep, dark, penetrating gaze, the tears finally broke free.

"Don’t cry..." Sebastian Forrest’s brow furrowed. He reached a hand toward my face but stopped abruptly, balling it into a fist and pulling it back.

I turned my head away and wiped the tears with my own hand.

"Don’t ruin your health just because someone else hurt you. Get up. The floor is cold." Sebastian Forrest took my arm, helped me to my feet, and led me to a nearby bench.

"Thank you," I said sincerely.

The hour-long wait felt like a century.

When the red light above the emergency room went out, I shot to my feet and rushed to the door, taking two steps at a time.

Soon, Director Miller came out.

He glanced at Sebastian Forrest first, then turned to me. "Don’t worry, Miss Joyce. Your mother is fine. She’s just very weak right now and needs to rest."

"Can I go in and see her?"

"Yes, but not for too long."

"I understand. Thank you, Director Miller."

With that, I turned to go to her room. I was halfway there when I remembered Sebastian Forrest. When I looked back, I saw him leaning lazily against the wall, head tilted as he spoke with Director Miller. I don’t know what the director said, but Sebastian’s brow furrowed slightly. His ink-black eyes turned sharp, radiating an overwhelming pressure.

Director Miller quickly gave a wry smile and made a placating gesture with his hands. The two of them clearly knew each other very well.

Realizing they had things to discuss, I looked away and continued to my mother’s room.

My mother was still fast asleep after the procedure. I gently held her bony hand, looking at her weary but peaceful face. My tightly wound nerves finally slackened, and I couldn’t stop myself from covering my mouth and whimpering, letting out all the pain and frustration I’d been holding in.

I don’t know how long I cried. Afterward, I dried my tears, took a deep breath, and tried to compose myself.

’At this point, tears won’t solve anything.’

’I have to find Theodore and demand a clear explanation for what happened today.’

’If he can’t give me one, then... we’ll get a divorce.’

But as soon as the thought surfaced, my nose began to sting with the threat of fresh tears.

Twelve years.

I’ve loved him for twelve whole years.

’How many twelve-year periods does a person get in their life?’

’Maybe it was a mistake from the very beginning. I knew he had an unforgettable love, his "white moonlight," so how could I have ever deluded myself into thinking I could one day warm his heart?’

’Now that Clara Langley is divorced, I’m the only obstacle left between them.’

’And to Theodore, Clara will always be special.’

’If I don’t confront Theodore about this now, then later, when he figures things out for himself, the result will probably still be divorce.’

’In that case, it’s better to make a clean break.’

"Stop crying."

Just as my thoughts were running wild, a tissue was held out to me. It was my older brother. He was scowling, but his eyes betrayed his worry and concern.

"Brother..." I felt the urge to cry all over again.

He wiped the tears from my face with the tissue, his expression one of annoyance, but his touch was surprisingly gentle. "I told you back then that Theodore Grant was no good. But you were hell-bent on marrying him, and wild horses couldn’t have dragged you away. You..."

Seeing my bowed head, he couldn’t bring himself to scold me anymore. He sighed in resignation and ruffled my hair. "What’s really going on between Theodore and that starlet? If he really cheated on you, I’ll risk my own life to make him pay!"

"He didn’t..." I shook my head automatically, unsure if I was trying to convince my brother or myself.

"Theodore and her just grew up together. Besides, I was there at the time..."

"You were there too?"

"Yeah."

"Then it must have been a misunderstanding." My brother pressed his lips together, then looked back at our mother on the bed and took a deep breath. "Director Miller said Mom can’t take any more shocks. If it really was a misunderstanding, you and Theodore need to come to the hospital tomorrow and clear things up with her, so she can rest easy."

A pang of bitterness tightened my chest. I nodded. "Okay, I will."

My brother and I spoke for a few more minutes before he ’shooed’ me out.

I pushed the door open, ready to leave, when I caught sight of a tall figure standing at the far end of the hallway.

Sebastian Forrest?

’He’s still here!’

At that moment, Sebastian Forrest obviously saw me emerge from the room. He immediately stubbed out his cigarette, tossed it in a trash can, and started walking toward me.

"Is your mother okay?"

"She’s fine..." I hadn’t realized Sebastian Forrest had been waiting for me this whole time, and I felt a pang of guilt. "Thank you, Sebastian."

"Why be so formal with me?" Sebastian Forrest raised an eyebrow. His posture was relaxed, but his smile was warm and deep. "Come on, I’ll take you home."

...

Soon, the car was pulling slowly into the Grant estate.

When she saw me getting out of Sebastian Forrest’s car, my mother-in-law, Florence Finch, hurried out of the house.

"Sebastian?" My mother-in-law looked completely surprised, her gaze shifting between Sebastian Forrest and me. "Why are you the one bringing Chelsea home?"

"I went to Theodore’s company to look for him, but he wasn’t there. I ran into Chelsea on the way, so I gave her a ride home."

"Theodore wasn’t at the office? That boy, he’s so busy these days you can never get ahold of him!" My mother-in-law didn’t seem to think much of it, just muttering a quick complaint before warmly changing the subject. "Sebastian, it’s so rare to have you over. You can’t leave today. Stay for lunch."

I stood quietly to the side, saying nothing.

Ever since I married Theodore, Sebastian Forrest had rarely set foot in the Grant home. Then he’d suddenly left for a research institute and hadn’t been seen for years.

In the last two years, I’d rarely even heard Theodore mention Sebastian Forrest’s name. ’I suppose their childhood friendship has faded,’ I thought.

Just when I thought Sebastian wouldn’t stay for the meal, I heard him laugh. "It’s been so long since I’ve had Aunt Langley’s cooking. For the past two years, I’ve missed it so much... I’ve had sleepless nights."

I was surprised he was actually staying. I looked up at him, startled, only to find his eyes already on me.

I quickly lowered my gaze, flustered as to why he’d suddenly been looking at me. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"You rascal, that sweet-talking mouth of yours is as smooth as ever. Too bad you haven’t used it to sweet-talk a wife home yet. Theodore’s been married for two years now, so when are you going to get married?"

Sebastian Forrest smiled, but his gaze landed directly on me. "Well, I just haven’t had Theodore’s good fortune."

"Oh, you and your silver tongue!" My mother-in-law and Sebastian Forrest walked toward the living room, laughing and talking.

Just then, the roar of an engine sounded from behind us.

My mother-in-law quickly turned. When she saw the familiar black Maybach pulling into the driveway, her face lit up with joy. "Theodore’s back!"

But when she saw who stepped out of the car, the smile on her face froze...

It was Clara Langley.