Chapter 1 Severe Heartbreak

"Edmund, you have been married to Chelsea for three years. It's high time you had a child. I want to meet my great-grandchildren before death comes for me."

An old man's earnest voice came from the study through the slightly opened door.

A young man replied coldly, "Why should I have a baby with a woman I don't love?"

Chelsea Williams was about to knock on the door to inform them that dinner was ready. But when she heard their conversation, she froze. Her face turned pale in a split second.

The young man's voice sounded again. This time it was firmer and dismissive. "Grandpa, just so we are on the same page, you'll not be getting any great-grandchildren from me as long as I'm married to Chelsea. I don't want her to be the mother of my children. So, don't pester me about this issue again!"

"You brat!" the old man shouted angrily. The next second, the sound of a cup being shattered on the floor was heard. This was followed by the sound of approaching footsteps.

Chelsea hurriedly went into the bathroom next door to hide. In the process, the sharp edge of the wash-hand basin scratched her waist.

An intense pain shot from her waist to her heart. It then swept through her entire body. She trembled and bit her lower lip hard. Tears of agony soon welled up in her eyes.

Only a few days ago, she had received a pregnancy test result from Diane Stevenson, the mistress of her husband, Edmund Nelson.

Along with the test result came harsh mockery.

"Chelsea, what a miserable woman you are! Although you have been married to Edmund for three long years, he still hasn't fallen in love with you.

You live under the same roof with him, but he hates you with every fiber of his being. Don't you have any shame? How could you stick with a man whose heart belongs to someone else? Gosh! If I were you, I would have died of shame long ago."

Chelsea didn't know of Diane's existence before she got married to Edmund.

On their wedding night, Edmund didn't stay at home. He left her as soon as the ceremony came to an end. The next morning, Chelsea woke up to a piece of shocking news. Her husband was sighted entering and leaving a hotel with a popular female star the night before. The news was the talk of the town.

It was on that day that Chelsea realized that her husband's heart belonged to someone else.

Not willing to give up on her new marriage, Chelsea decided to stay. She hoped that Edmund would fall in love with her someday. She resigned from her job and became a full-time housewife.

Unfortunately for her, nothing changed even after three years.

As Chelsea went down memory lane, the door of the bathroom was pushed hard from outside. She staggered and held the washstand.

She looked up with teary eyes only to see a cold man coming in. It was her husband, Edmund.

The ice in his eyes could have frozen lava. The black suit he had on today made him look more unfriendly than ever. He strode to her, grabbed her chin, and inquired aggressively, "Did you incite Grandpa to put pressure on me to have a baby with you? Bitch, you have become more scheming over the years. What makes you think I want you to be the mother of my child? Have you gone mad?"

Holding her chin even tighter, Edmund added furiously, "You set me up and forced me to marry you three years ago. Now, you want to make sure you remain in this family by having my child. Over my dead body!"

Chelsea's face turned red. She bit her lower lip and said, "I didn't."

"You didn't? Why then is he putting pressure on me? And why were you eavesdropping on our conversation?" Edmund sneered.

In a clipped tone, he continued, "Since you heard our conversation, you should know how I feel about you. You disgust me, Chelsea. You are not worthy to bear a child for me."

Chelsea clenched her fists tightly when she heard those cruel words. Her nails were on the verge of piercing into her palms.

She knew fully well that Edmund didn't love her, but her heart broke into a thousand pieces when he said that she wasn't worthy of carrying his child.

For the past three years, Chelsea had put in her all in an effort to make this marriage work. She remained a dutiful wife despite his infidelity.

Day and night, she held up hope that Edmund's heart would one day soften towards her. However, his heart went from being an iceberg to heavy lead. Nothing she did melted it.

"Edmund, please be honest with me. In the past few years, have you... Have you ever loved me even if it was for a second?"

Chelsea's voice was low and pitiful. Her body was shaking violently as if she asked that question with all the strength and courage she had.

This sudden inquiry sent an inexplicable emotion to Edmund's heart. But it lasted only for a millisecond.

The coldness in his eyes increased. "What do you think? You are not so dumb, are you? Judging by what's happening now, you should be able to answer that question yourself!"

The disdain in his response pierced through Chelsea's heart like a knife. All the hurt that she kept tucked away bubbled to the surface at this moment.