I Wish We Never Met Novel by Ash West _ Novel



I Wish We Never Met Novel by Ash West _ Novel

I Wish We Never Met Chapter 01

Raelynn Cadogan was the most controversial woman in her circle because she was a forensic pathologist who dealt with the dead every day.
Even on the day of her birthday banquet, she was still working overtime at the morgue.
"The deceased is a female infant, estimated to have been approximately one month old at the time of death. However, it seems like she's been dead for four to five years. The cause of death seems to be asphyxiation. Physical features are no longer identifiable, but she's got a lucky charm around her neck."
Upon taking a closer look at the lucky charm, she froze.
She had once made an identical one for her own daughter.
Her husband, Kevin Gerrard, told her a nurse had misplaced the charm, and she had never seen it again.
Yet now, not only had the charm resurfaced—it was found on a child who had been dead for four years.
An unsettling thought crept into her mind. "Could this child be mine?"
The idea sounded ridiculous, and she quickly dismissed it.
If this child were hers, then what about her daughter at home?
A sudden chill ran through her body, but she still told herself, "It's probably just a coincidence."
But as the dirt was carefully washed away, the initials "EG" became visible.
It was the abbreviation of her daughter's name, Ella Gerrard.
Raelynn lost focus as her knees buckled, and she almost collapsed to the ground.
Her assistant, Shirley Hopkins, caught her from the side. "What's the matter, Dr. Cadogan? Is there something wrong with this lucky charm?"
Raelynn didn't dare jump to conclusions. Grabbing Shirley's hand, she said, "Please run a DNA test between this child and me."
Shirley was stunned, but seeing Raelynn's pale, shaken state, she went to do it anyway.
Over the next two hours, Kevin sent her multiple messages. "Are you still busy working, Rae? It's your birthday. No matter how busy you are, you deserve to celebrate."
"Rae, what time do you get off work? I'll pick you up."
"Rae, text me when you see this. I'm worried about you."
It wasn't that Raelynn hadn't seen the messages—her whole body was trembling, and she didn't even have the strength to pick up her phone to reply.
An hour later, Shirley brought the report to her.
"Dr. Cadogan, the results indicate a 99.99% genetic match with the child."
Raelynn's mind exploded, and she couldn't say a single word.
She had countless questions, leaving her confused and unable to make sense of anything.
She checked the report again and again, before finally rushing out the door.
She needed to know the truth. If the dead child was her daughter, who was the little girl in her house?
She would rather believe the hospital made a mistake or the test was wrong than believe Kevin had deceived her.
They were childhood sweethearts and had vowed to marry each other back then. To everyone else, they were the perfect couple.
Even during the three years she studied abroad, his feelings for her never changed.
No matter how busy Kevin was, he'd take a week off each month to visit her.
No one around her ever spoke badly of Kevin. Everyone envied Raelynn for finding such a good man.
A local tabloid once asked Kevin what he would do if she fell in love with someone else.
With deep affection in his eyes, he said, "If Rae doesn't want to marry me, I'll respect her wishes. Still, I'd give her a wedding gift of 150 million."
Everyone said that Kevin loved Raelynn deeply. She felt the same way, too.
She had wanted to study forensic science, but her parents were against the idea and urged her to choose a different path.
It was Kevin who backed Raelynn despite the pressure, helping her secure a place at the best forensic institute in Seattle.
When other people called her a jinx, Kevin made sure to push their companies to bankruptcy.
Even when his mother disapproved of their relationship, he cut ties with them for Raelynn's sake.
Throughout her pregnancy, her legs were constantly swollen. Kevin would work through the day, then return home each night to gently massage them himself.
Raelynn had never doubted his love for her.
How could someone who loved her so much deceive her?
Instead of texting Kevin, she rushed to the private lounge he'd booked for her birthday.
Very soon, she arrived at the door. Before she could enter, she heard the piercing truth from inside.
"Kev, it's your wife's birthday, yet you brought your mistress here. Aren't you afraid she'll find out and make a scene?"
Kevin frowned slightly. "She's not even here. I've treated her well all these years, and given her everything she could possibly want. How dare she make a scene?"
The crowd laughed. "True. If she hadn't insisted on studying abroad back then, you wouldn't have gotten together with Arabella out of loneliness."
Someone asked curiously, "Kev, you've been sleeping with your secretary during the day and your wife at night all these years. Who do you love more?"
"My bet is on Ara. Otherwise, he wouldn't have raised their child in the Gerrard family. Rae's the clueless one—she can't even recognize her own biological daughter."
Outside the door, Raelynn felt as though her heart had been ripped apart, the pain nearly suffocating her.
It turned out Ella wasn't her real daughter.
The child she had raised for four years was Arabella Waldron's, while her own had been dead all along. There was no grave to mark her passing, and her body had been left to decay.
Raelynn bit her lips until they bled.
Meanwhile, the conversation inside continued. Kevin lit a cigarette, the smoke curling around him. "I used to think Ara was a rebound, but now, I'm not sure anymore.
"Honestly, my feelings for Ara are no less than what I have for Rae.
"Even after texting her a bunch of messages, she hasn't replied to a single one. Since she's such a workaholic, she might as well bury herself in her work."
Raelynn had never seen this side of Kevin before.
In her memory, he had always been humble, polite, understanding, and respectful.
When everyone told her to become a stay-at-home wife, it was Kevin who insisted she continue her career.
Kevin was different from other men, and she had always believed their love for each other was exclusive.
Little did she know, that was no longer the case—perhaps their love had already changed the moment she went abroad.
It turned out his love was all an act, and Ella had never been her daughter.
She was a fool who had been deceived.
Unable to hold back, Raelynn kicked the door open, her eyes bloodshot. "How dare you dote on your mistress' child while treating mine like crap?!"

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