From Baby Bump to Broken Back - Chapter 9: Chapter 9
You are reading From Baby Bump to Broken Back, Chapter 9: Chapter 9. Read more chapters of From Baby Bump to Broken Back.
The gloom on Darrel's face was terrifying—gone was his usual gentle demeanor.
"Karina, the only reason I'm tolerating this is because you're Edmund's mother. But let me make one thing clear: this is the Roderick family. Giselle is my wife, and she belongs here. Don't you dare cross that line again!"
Edmund clung to Darrel's leg in panic. "Daddy, please don't hurt Mommy! I'll be good to that crippled lady, I promise! Just don't—"
Karina slapped a hand over the boy's mouth. Darrel's eyes narrowed with sudden understanding. "You put those words in his mouth, didn't you?"
Karina's heart dropped. She threw herself to her knees. "Darrel, please! Punish me instead—just don't lay a finger on Edmund!"
Darrel's mother gasped. "For heaven's sake!"
Felicia fixed her son with a hard stare. "You'd really beat your own child over that ungrateful Giselle?"
Darrel's voice turned icy. "The Roderick heir isn't set in stone. Your family showed us kindness, Karina, and I swore to treat Edmund as a bridge between our families. But if he disrespects my wife? That oath means nothing."
The room fell silent. Without another word, Darrel stormed out—only to collide with his aunt Audrey in the doorway.
"Should've listened to my gut," Darrel muttered.
Audrey shook her head. "I warned you about Karina years ago. Poor Giselle..." She gazed at the sky, eyes full of sorrow. "Even in death, she'll never know the man she loved destroyed her. And if by some miracle she lives? Trapped in that broken body, robbed of motherhood..."
Each word hit Darrel like a physical blow. The realization crashed over him—he'd personally shoved the love of his life into hell.
I did this. My hands pushed her over the edge.
The memory flashed—Giselle desperately cradling her belly, their child ripped away on that operating table. The hollow look in her eyes afterward. The sleepless nights.
Regret burned through him. Everything had been planned perfectly: once Edmund was secure, Audrey would've taken over while he whisked Giselle away to that lavender-filled countryside they'd dreamed about. Their child would've had her smile, his laugh...
All ruined by Karina's bottomless greed.
Darrel drowned himself in whiskey that night, but dawn found him wide-eyed and haunted.
"Karina, the only reason I'm tolerating this is because you're Edmund's mother. But let me make one thing clear: this is the Roderick family. Giselle is my wife, and she belongs here. Don't you dare cross that line again!"
Edmund clung to Darrel's leg in panic. "Daddy, please don't hurt Mommy! I'll be good to that crippled lady, I promise! Just don't—"
Karina slapped a hand over the boy's mouth. Darrel's eyes narrowed with sudden understanding. "You put those words in his mouth, didn't you?"
Karina's heart dropped. She threw herself to her knees. "Darrel, please! Punish me instead—just don't lay a finger on Edmund!"
Darrel's mother gasped. "For heaven's sake!"
Felicia fixed her son with a hard stare. "You'd really beat your own child over that ungrateful Giselle?"
Darrel's voice turned icy. "The Roderick heir isn't set in stone. Your family showed us kindness, Karina, and I swore to treat Edmund as a bridge between our families. But if he disrespects my wife? That oath means nothing."
The room fell silent. Without another word, Darrel stormed out—only to collide with his aunt Audrey in the doorway.
"Should've listened to my gut," Darrel muttered.
Audrey shook her head. "I warned you about Karina years ago. Poor Giselle..." She gazed at the sky, eyes full of sorrow. "Even in death, she'll never know the man she loved destroyed her. And if by some miracle she lives? Trapped in that broken body, robbed of motherhood..."
Each word hit Darrel like a physical blow. The realization crashed over him—he'd personally shoved the love of his life into hell.
I did this. My hands pushed her over the edge.
The memory flashed—Giselle desperately cradling her belly, their child ripped away on that operating table. The hollow look in her eyes afterward. The sleepless nights.
Regret burned through him. Everything had been planned perfectly: once Edmund was secure, Audrey would've taken over while he whisked Giselle away to that lavender-filled countryside they'd dreamed about. Their child would've had her smile, his laugh...
All ruined by Karina's bottomless greed.
Darrel drowned himself in whiskey that night, but dawn found him wide-eyed and haunted.
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