Chapter 3
The train of the wedding dress elegantly concealed her prosthetic limbs, and her beauty was undeniable. As soon as the curtain was drawn back, a look of astonishment swept across everyone’s faces.
But Joshua’s expression turned serious, and he abruptly commanded, “Everyone, leave.”
Everyone snapped back to reality, and understanding his tone, they quickly exited the room.
Joshua approached Caroline, and without uttering a word, he grabbed her by the waist and pressed his lips against hers.
He continued kissing her until she was breathless, at which point he released her. Noticing she was unsteady, Joshua carefully lifted her and placed her back in the wheelchair.
Leaning down, he gently cupped her slightly flushed cheeks in his hands.
“Carol, you’re incredibly beautiful. Since I was 16, I’ve dreamed of the day I could marry you,” he confessed.
Due to the action just now, the wedding dress was now disheveled, revealing her prosthetic limb. Yet, Joshua’s gaze was filled with nothing but love without a trace of disgust.
Caroline felt a lump in her throat and was about to say something when his phone rang.
Upon seeing the caller, Joshua’s expression shifted slightly. He gave her another kiss before stepping away to take the call.
For some reason, he took quite a while to answer. When he returned, Andrew accompanied him.
“Carol, something suddenly came up. I’ll have Andrew drive home,” he said.
Caroline agreed without question, nodding compliantly.
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However, during the ride home, she noticed an update on the anonymous post, “Today, he was with his beloved trying on the wedding dress. I called and told him I missed him. He immediately left her for me. Does this mean he loves me more than her now?”
Caroline’s body tensed up.
Despite her reluctance to accept it, everything seemed too coincidental for the person mentioned in the post not to be Kelly.
Sitting blankly in the back seat, she rolled down the window. The happiness she had felt earlier faded away.
Joshua didn’t return to Azure Bay until much later that night.
Upon arriving home, he kindly helped her dry her hair and apply body lotion.
“What did you do today?” Caroline asked him for the first time.
“There was an issue with a company project that needed my attention,” he replied.
He didn’t elaborate, but Caroline couldn’t shake a sense of unease.
After a moment of hesitation, she finally said, “I want to visit the AquaSky Estate to see Kelly.”
Joshua’s hands paused momentarily, and his expression shifted slightly. “Why do you suddenly want to go there?”
She looked at him closely, as if searching for something in his eyes. “I just want to take a look.”
Joshua’s face stayed the same. When he brought up Kelly, his voice even carried a trace of disdain. “There’s no reason to go. Seeing her will just bring back those painful memories. Remember the last time you saw her? You had nightmares for days. I can’t let you go through that again.”
He kissed the corner of her lips as he spoke. “Be good. Don’t worry about her. I’ll take care of it for you.”
So, Caroline didn’t end up going.
Yet, in the days that followed, the anonymous post continued to be updated frequently.
One coincidence after another left Caroline increasingly uneasy.
Over the weekend, Joshua noticed that she had been distracted lately. Assuming she was feeling down, he cleared his schedule to stay in and watch a movie with her.
Midway through the movie, his phone rang.
As usual, he stepped away to take the call privately, ensuring she couldn’t overhear. Upon returning, he leaned over to adjust the blanket covering her legs.
“Caroline, I need to attend to some work matters. Please wait for me to return.”
Work matters again?
An inexplicable unease stirred within Caroline.
She instinctively grasped Joshua’s hand. “Can’t you stay?”
He smiled softly, gently removed his hand, and reassured her, “Be good. I’ll be back soon to keep you company.”
Watching him leave, Caroline found herself unable to remain still this time.
After Joshua left, she maneuvered her wheelchair out of the villa.
Conveniently, there were barrier–free paths both inside and outside the villa for her accessibility.
Caroline exited and flagged down a taxi. At that moment, she noticed Joshua driving away from the underground garage.
“Driver, follow that car,” she instructed, her voice laced with an unexplainable anxiety.
The taxi maintained a discreet distance. Eventually, Caroline observed as Joshua, who claimed to have official business, headed toward AquaSky Estate.
She saw him exit the car and entered the building.
A heavy sense of dread settled in her heart, and a sudden chill washed over her.
Why had he deceived her? What was his reason for being there?
With a pale complexion, she exited the taxi and wheeled her wheelchair in his direction.
As she neared the entrance of AquaSky Estate, her heart raced more intensely with every step.
The villa’s door was ajar, and she wheeled herself forward cautiously.
At last, peering through the narrow opening, she witnessed a scene that left her utterly astonished.