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."

A warm male voice came through the phone. "Alright, I'll make the arrangements. The Obsidian Tiger Cabal has kept the heiress place for you. But Nathan's influence is overwhelming here. It'll take a few days to set things up. I'll contact you when it's ready."

Jane calculated the timing in her mind. "Is seven days enough? It's our wedding anniversary seven days later. I'll have more freedom to move."

"Plenty."

"Good." After hanging up, she checked out of the hospital early.

Back home, she ordered the staff to gather everything Nathan had given her over the years.

Jane loved to dress up, and Nathan had scoured the world for jewelry and trinkets. It took ten truckloads to clear them out.

Designer bags, custom gowns, and couple's keepsakes were all thrown into a fire she set.

As she tossed her diamond wedding ring into the flames, Nathan returned. "What's got you so angry you'd throw away your wedding ring?"

He had someone retrieve it and slipped an arm around her waist. "Honey, I know you're upset. You can toss the other stuff if you don't like it. I'll buy you more. But there's only one wedding ring. I promise, once Claire's child is born, I'll come back to you and be the husband you deserve."

Jane pulled away. If looks could kill, she would have torn him apart.

But Nathan's armed bodyguard stood behind him, and she couldn't act rashly.

He handed her the cleaned ring. "Put it back on. Rest at home for a couple of days."

Jane swallowed her rage, took the ring, and went straight to her room.

After the miscarriage, her body felt weak, and she lay in bed early that night.

Her phone pinged with a message. Claire had sent her a video.

In it, Claire wore provocative lingerie, tugging Nathan's tie, her breaths heavy.

At the height of their passion, Claire paused and asked, "Do you like me or Jane more?"

Nathan frowned, flipped her over, and leaned in hard. "Don't mention her. It ruins the mood."

Jane's teeth clenched, her chest heaving.

The man she loved for five years, who swore before their wedding that he'd burn in hell if he betrayed her, was tangled in bed with another woman.

She had thought he provoked her about the miscarriage to manipulate her, but he had already been scheming with Claire.

Jane cursed her blindness, falling for a man who was rotten to the core.

Her parents' deaths would be avenged.

She drifted into a fitful sleep. In the middle of the night, sharp pain stabbed her abdomen.

Residual blood from the procedure stained the sheets.

Jane clutched her stomach, soaked in cold sweat.

After waking in agony and fainting multiple times, she used her last bit of strength to call for help.

On the hospital bed, as doctors examined her, an urgent male voice echoed from the hallway. "Where's the gynecologist? My girlfriend says she's in pain. Check on her now!"

Jane opened her eyes with difficulty and saw Nathan rush into her room.

Nathan hadn't come for Jane.

He didn't notice her and forcibly took the doctor treating her away.

Jane's consciousness slipped back into darkness.

When she woke again, daylight flooded the room.

Nurses' whispers reached her ears. "Did you hear? In the next room, a guy called every on-duty doctor last night because his girlfriend was in pain."

"Turns out she's pregnant. He was so thrilled he gave each doctor a ten-thousand-dollar bonus. Too bad I wasn't on shift!"

After they left, Jane's lips curled in bitter irony.

Nathan was overjoyed about Claire's pregnancy.

When Jane told him she was pregnant, his face had darkened, and he smoked all day in their room.

Unable to stop herself, Jane went to the next room.

Inside, Nathan was coaxing Claire to sip some broth. "Come on, just one sip."

Claire noticed Jane at the door first and raised her voice. "No way! It's your fault, Nathan. You were so rough last night, and now I feel awful!"

She flung a pillow at him petulantly.

The bowl tipped, splashing broth all over Nathan.

He didn't get angry. His eyes held a tenderness Jane had never seen. "Alright, my fault. But you've got to think about our baby."

Claire turned away with a huff. "Fine, I'll drink it, but only if Jane makes it herself!"

Nathan kissed her forehead indulgently. "Anything you want."

Moments later, Jane's phone rang. "Honey, Claire wants you to make her some broth. I'll pick it up in an hour."

Jane hung up without a word.

Nathan texted her. "She's pregnant. Be the bigger person."

Her stomach churned, and without hesitation, she blocked and deleted all his contact information.

Jane collected her medication and returned to the villa to pack her things.

Nathan was waiting outside the kitchen with his bodyguards, two of whom held wooden urns.

When he saw her, he raised a hand.

One bodyguard, following the signal, poured the contents of an urn into the sink.

Jane's eyes widened, and she lunged forward, but another guard stopped her. "Nathan, what are you doing!"

"Make broth, honey." His gentle tone carried an undeniable command.

"Nathan!" Jane's chest heaved, her eyes blazing red. "Are you insane? That's my parents' ashes! If you touch them, I'll never forgive you, even in death!"

"I don't like repeating myself." Nathan raised his hand again, and the second urn, her mother's ashes, was poured into the sink.

A bodyguard's hand hovered over the water valve. One turn, and the ashes would be washed away.

Pain stabbed Jane's heart like a knife.

She shouted, "I'll make the broth! Tell them to stop!"

Jane had never cooked in her life.

The first batch of broth was too salty, Claire said.

The second was too bland.

Nathan personally delivered the third.

Jane trembled, trying to salvage her parents' ashes from the sink.

But then a bodyguard got a call from Nathan. "Ma'am, Mr. Cross says this is punishment for blocking him."

"What are you going to do!"

The guard turned the valve, and the sound of rushing water roared through the kitchen.

Jane's ears buzzed as she shoved the bodyguard aside in a frenzy.

It was too late.

She watched helplessly as the water swirled the ashes down the drain.

"No!" She reached out, but the last traces slipped through her fingers.

Jane collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face, her voice hoarse. "Mom... Dad... I'm sorry. I never should have been with Nathan. I'm so sorry..."

Grief overwhelmed her, and darkness claimed her as she fainted.