After My Death, He Crumbled

Nathan Cross, the infamous underworld boss, married Jane Rivers on the day her family's wealth collapsed. He had harbored a secret love for her for a decade.

After their marriage, he treated her like royalty.

Jane believed she had found the right man, until their fifth year together.

She discovered she was pregnant, but Nathan, who had always cherished her, demanded she terminate the pregnancy.

She overheard him speaking with a friend, only to find that Nathan was having an affair, and for that woman, even went so far as to force Jane to abort the child.

Worse, she learned he had engineered her family's downfall, driving her parents to their deaths.

Jane contacted Nathan's sworn enemy abroad and faked her death to escape.

After she was gone, Nathan wept, pleading for her return.

But it was too late. The pain he inflicted would be repaid a hundredfold.

...

No one knew that Nathan Cross, a man feared by all, hid a deep love for Jane, the brightest rose in Eldridge society.

From the moment he first felt love, he was captivated by her, keeping his feelings hidden for ten years.

When Jane casually mentioned she preferred clean-cut men, he abandoned his criminal empire to rebuild his life for her.

He sought out her preferences, mastering the art of baking her favorite osmanthus pastries.

Every business he owned carried her name in some subtle way.

His bedroom walls were plastered with her photographs.

Finally, on the day Jane's family went bankrupt and her parents took their lives, he found the courage to confess his love.

Upon learning this, Jane fell for Nathan.

He spoiled her endlessly after they got together. Extravagant jewelry arrived constantly, and he once lined an entire coastline with roses just to make her smile. When he learned she wasn't ready for children, he got a vasectomy.

Jane thought she had married the right man.

Then, in their fifth year, she became pregnant unexpectedly.

Nathan, who had always adored her, insisted she end it.

She refused, determined to keep the baby.

That day, they parted on bitter terms, and his affection for her vanished.

In her presence, he spent millions to buy Claire Winters' virginity.

Later, Jane found a piece of provocative clothing in his sleek black car.

When she confronted him in his study with divorce papers, he was video-calling Claire.

His muscular arm moved rhythmically, his deep voice thick with desire. "Sweetheart, I miss you so much."

Jane gritted her teeth, handed him the papers, and said coldly, "Sign them."

The man behind the desk tossed the documents into the shredder with ease. He looked at her with indulgent eyes and sighed. "Honey, don't be dramatic. I'm just intrigued by Claire. You're still Mrs. Cross."

He added, "Once Claire has a child, we'll adopt it under your name, and you'll be its mother."

Jane's chest tightened, and she snapped, "I don't want that!"

"I've already scheduled the procedure. You don't get a say."

Jane stared at him in disbelief. "How could you make decision for me?"

A dull pain shot through her neck. Before she could react, her body went limp.

Nathan caught her in his arms as she collapsed. "Just sleep. It'll be over soon."

In a haze, Jane felt something invasive inside her.

A warm rush followed, and a tear slid from the corner of her eye.

She hadn't wanted to lose this child.

In the hospital room, faint voices reached her ears.

"Boss, aren't you worried she'll be heartbroken when she wakes up? You went to great lengths to ruin her family, leaving her with no one, just to make her marry you. And now you're doing this for Claire?"

Nathan's gaze pierced through the glass window, settling on Jane's form in the bed. "Sometimes you need a change. Jane won't be the only woman in my life. I've lost that spark with her."

"But to force her to lose the baby?"

Nathan replied, "I didn't want to, but Claire saved me once. She suffered for it, tortured by my enemies. Her greatest wish is to bear my child, and I owe her that much."

The voices faded, and Jane opened her eyes, tears blurring her vision.

So Nathan had caused her family's collapse, driving her parents to their deaths.

When she learned of their passing, grief overwhelmed her. She drank herself numb on the streets, nearly assaulted by a group of thugs.

Nathan appeared like a savior, rescuing her and taking her home.

He put her parents' enemies behind bars, reclaimed her family's assets, and confessed his decade-long love.

She was moved to tears, unaware he was the true orchestrator of her pain.

She had fallen in love with the man who destroyed her parents.

When she found out she was pregnant, she wasn't as opposed to it as she expected. She embraced the tiny life inside her.

She loved Nathan and was willing to face her fears to raise a child with him, even looking forward to motherhood.

Her fingers brushed her now-flat stomach, recalling months of torment and doubt.

She realized how foolish she had been.

She wiped her tears and made a call. "Lucas, I need to fake my death and leave Nathan. Help me."