Filed to story: The CEO’s Wife Is a Secret Boss Novel (Allison & Jeremy) Free Online
He took a detour to the washroom and spent some time washing his face with cold water. It took a long time to suppress his emotions before he had enough courage to return to see Lauren.
Lauren was sitting up against the headboard of her hospital bed. The afternoon sun rays illuminated her fair-skinned face.
“What are you so engrossed in, darling? Hmm?” Landon scooted up right next to Lauren and wrapped his arms around her. She was watching a variety show on a tablet. “Ah…” Lauren pointed at a little girl on the screen. There was a twinkle in her eyes.
She was watching a parent-child variety program that had become popular recently. It was a show that featured celebrities bringing up their children.
The child on the screen had an innocent smile on her face. However, seeing that child made Landon’s heart wrench. It tore at his insides.
Lauren hadn’t realized the changes in Landon. Her cheeks were flushed. She picked up her stylus pen and wrote, “Let’s have a child together, Landon.”
As Lauren wrote, a soft and motherly glow came across her face.
Landon, on the other hand, hid behind her. His face was downcast, and his pale lips trembled uncontrollably.
He hugged her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder. He nuzzled against her longingly. His eyes filled with tears that were so close to streaming down his face. “Darling, didn’t you say… that you didn’t want to have children?”
Landon’s voice was unusually low and gravelly. With his lips right next to her ear, he asked, “Didn’t you want to study art and be my only woman forever?”
Lauren’s lashes fluttered shyly. She focused her attention on writing, “That was in the past. That’s not what’s on my mind now.”
A lump rose in her throat. “Landon, I know that my physical condition isn’t great. I have to take medications and get injections every day. I don’t even know when I can be discharged.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl. I want to have a child whom we can raise together. This way, even if I were to one day leave this world before you, our child will still be here to keep you company. You won’t feel lonely then.”
Landon couldn’t stand seeing those words. With his finger, he pressed down hard on the screen and erased all that Lauren wrote. His heart ached, and the tears in his eyes blurred his vision. “Don’t say things like that, Lauren! We will be alright… I’m sure we can grow old together! As for children, I’m okay without them! All I need is you. I don’t like children and I don’t want any!” “Ah… Ahh…”
Landon’s sudden outburst of emotions made Lauren panic. Immediately, she grabbed his hand tightly and placed his shaking hand on her chest.
With tears of pain in his eyes, Landon pressed his lips onto hers and kissed her deeply yet tenderly.
Lauren melted into his arms slowly. She parted her lips, allowing him to slip in with his tongue. The gentle biting on his lips made his breathing heavier. He started to feel aroused.
Landon was someone with great needs in that particular aspect. However, ever since Lauren’s hospitalization, they had not been intimate with one another.
Sometimes, when he slept with Lauren in his arms, he really could not suppress his urges. Whenever that happened, he would not even touch her. He would rather fly solo while watching her sleep.
In the past, he used to seek it from her all the time. Now, he had learned how to suppress his urges and be abstinent. He didn’t mind the agony he had to go through. Whatever it was, he definitely could not let Lauren suffer a single bit.
After a long while, they pulled away from one another. Landon used his finger to wipe away the glistening saliva on her lips. Then, he planted pecks of passionate kisses on her cheeks.
Lauren could feel the changes within him. Perceptively, she turned around and knelt on the bed. She started to unbuckle his belt.
Landon held her hand to stop her.
“Lauren, don’t.” He shook his head.
“Ah…” Lauren frowned.
Although she couldn’t speak, it was as if she was communicating with her gaze.
They hadn’t done it in a very long time. She was afraid that he was enduring it alone, so she wanted to relieve him.
“I can wait until you’re better. We have a whole life ahead of us. We have time.”
Landon hugged her tightly once again. He blinked to stop himself from bursting into tears.
It was in the wee hours of the morning.
Alyssa had gone to bed a while ago. Jeremy had just returned to their room after reviewing his corporation’s documents in the study.
When he was about to get into bed, he received a call from Landon.
“Landon?” he answered immediately.
“Mr. Walsh, it’s me, Jordan!”
Jordan sounded anxious and worried. “Sorry to call you at this hour! Mr. Landon had a lot to drink He was crying and he even threw up, but he’s unwilling to leave no matter what say. I’ve never seen him like this!”
“Can you come and speak to Mr. Landon? He looks like he’s having a breakdown. I’m quite terrified!” Jordan exclaimed.
Jeremy’s chest tightened when he heard that. He turned around and walked toward the door. “Give me the address. I’ll head over right now!”
When Jeremy arrived, Landon was the only patron in the dimly lit pub. He was sitting by the bar and taking a glass of vodka from the bartender. Jeremy asked Jordan to wait outside. Then, he walked over to Landon and sat down by his side. He placed his hand on Landon’s shoulder. “That’s enough, Landon. These strong alcohols are not good for your health. You’re about to have your wedding. You need to look after yourself.” Landon lifted his head slowly. His drawn and pale face was covered in tears. His eyes were bloodshot. It made Jeremy’s heart wrench to see him like that. “Why are you crying?”
Jeremy was astonished. He looked at him intently. “What in the world happened? Don’t be like this. Tell me what’s wrong, and we’ll figure this out together!”
“Lauren… Lauren, she…”
Jeremy widened his eyes. He became flustered. “What happened to Lauren?”
“She… can no longer become a mother… The doctor said that she won’t be able to have children of her own…”
The tall, muscular frame that was Landon’s trademark seemed to shrink as he cried, his body wracked with sobs before his friend.
Seeing as how Landon was on the verge of breaking down, Jeremy felt like his heart was being torn into pieces. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything for a long while.
Frankly speaking, Alyssa had looked through Lauren’s medical records and checkup results. She had given Jeremy a heads-up. She told him that pregnancy was indeed very risky for Lauren. Even if she did conceive, she couldn’t be sure if the baby would be able to grow up healthy.
However, hearing it from Landon’s mouth still made him feel terrible.
“Landon, I know that you’ve been wanting to have children with Lauren. But there are many different ways to be happy.”
“No… That’s not it… I was just running my mouth last time. I don’t fucking care if Lauren is or isn’t able to bear a child! I love her no matter how she is!”
Landon pressed his forehead against Jeremy’s chest. His voice became choppy as he sobbed, “But wasn’t I the one who caused all these? I was the one who made her end up like this!
“She could have… could have been healthy… It was me. I was the one who ruined her!”
A wave of sorrow crashed over Jeremy and billowed within him.
No one else could relate to Landon better than he did. It was as if Landon and Lauren were going through the same things that he and Alyssa did in the past.
He had the same thoughts when he first discovered that Alyssa could no longer bear children. He, too, felt like he had destroyed his most beloved woman. Even now, he was still haunted by that feeling of self-blame, guilt and remorse.
He could never forgive himself.
“Landon, if that’s truly what you feel, you should make it up to Lauren then.”
Jeremy consoled him as if he were his elder. He patted his trembling back gently. “To be able to dote on her forever, love her such that she can live without worries… Isn’t that also a good thing?”
“If… If Lauren found out… she would be so devastated.”
In his grief, Landon punched himself in the chest with his fists. “Today, she even said that she wants to have a child with me… At that moment, I really wanted to die, Jeremy.” “Other than having trust, the most important thing between husband and wife is being honest with one another.”
Jeremy was reminded of Alyssa, and it added to the pain in his heart. His eyes turned red. “Landon, Lauren chose to be with you because she loves you. It’s not so that she can carry your child for you. S
“Always remember the most important thing is that both of you are happy together. Anything else other than that is just the icing on the cake.”
A white winter day with fluttering snow was the perfect symbol of purity and romance.
It was Christmas Eve. The time had come for Landon and Lauren’s fairytale wedding at faraway Bernardia.
The Walsh’s’ and the Taylors’ private planes set off. Both families landed at Bernardia Airport one after the other. Then, via Landon’s arrangements, they were transported to a fortress where they would stay. Landon had booked the entire historic estate for a whole month. The fortress in front was to be used for their wedding reception, whereas the block behind was the accommodation for friends and family. In other words, if they wanted to stay on to enjoy Bernardia’s beautiful scenery after the wedding, they could continue staying there temporarily while they toured around and soaked in the beauty of a foreign land.
This estate was a historic site. Over the last century, it had never been rented out for anyone’s private use. This was the first time in history and might also be the last.
To secure the place, Landon had looked up the estate’s owner. He humbled himself while offering a price that even his father-in-law, Javier, who was born with a golden spoon, would be astounded to hear! The night before the wedding, Landon and Javier were taking a walk within the estate.
Landon introduced the buildings’ history patiently and seriously to Javier. He knew every inch of the place like the back of his hand, as if this were his family’s treasure.
It was as if this estate was his home, and he was an honorable duke born into nobility.
“You’re good, Landon! How is it that you know about this place so well?” Javier stared at Landon’s charming face in surprise.
“It wasn’t easy to rent out this place. Also, this is the one and only time. So, in order to leave this place with good memories, I learned all about it.”
