I could feel the tremor in my hands as I stepped away from Gideon’s bed, my chest tight, the rawness of everything swirling in my mind. I shouldn’t feel like this, I thought. I shouldn’t care. But no matter how hard I tried to convince myself, the pull to him was still there. And that made everything more complicated than it should be.His voice—the broken way he’d said my name—kept echoing in my ears. I had told him I was done, that I wouldn’t be dragged back into his mess, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something inside me was already crumbling.I kept walking, not looking back, not daring to let myself feel that soft, familiar tug. No, I told myself. You’re done. You are stronger than this.I pushed open the door to the hallway and headed toward the exit, my footsteps sharp against the sterile tile. The air felt colder the farther I got from him, and yet, the weight in my chest didn’t lift. I wanted it to. I needed it to. But there was no escaping the truth: part of me still
The tension in the air was thick, and my chest felt tight. Nicolai’s presence was like a force pressing in from all sides. He was too close, too intense. It wasn’t fair. I didn’t want him here, not now, not with the storm of emotions I was struggling to hold together.“You don’t get it, Nicolai,” I said, my voice shaking slightly despite my best efforts to stay composed.“You don’t know what it’s like.”He didn’t respond immediately, just studied me for a long moment, his dark eyes never leaving mine. His lips pressed into a thin line, and I could feel the weight of his gaze. I hated how much he saw, how easily he could slip past the walls I’d built.“Then tell me,” he said softly, stepping closer once again.“Tell me what it’s like, Amethyst. Tell me why you’re standing here, pretending everything’s fine when I know damn well it isn’t.”I clenched my jaw, the pressure in my chest mounting. I wanted to lash out, to push him away, but instead, the words slipped out before I could stop
The air between us crackled, thick with unsaid things, but Nicolai wasn’t backing down. His face twisted in frustration, and the muscles in his jaw clenched as he took another step toward me, closing the distance like he was about to smother the space between us completely.“Amethyst,” he said, his voice dangerously low, "You can't just walk away. You promised me. You said you’d marry me. You can’t back out now.”His words hit me like a slap. The audacity. The way he was trying to make me feel trapped, like my promises meant nothing unless I followed through. His grip on my arms tightened again, and I could feel the raw, almost frantic energy in him, desperate to hold on to something. To me.I tried to pull away, but this time, he didn’t let me. His fingers dug into my skin, holding me fast, as if afraid I would slip through his fingers like water.“I can’t believe you’re doing this,” I hissed, my voice shaking with anger. "You have no right to hurt me like this, Nicolai. No right!" T
Alexa’s voice ripped through the phone line, venomous and full of fury. "Amy!" she spat, each word dripping with hate. "You think you can just waltz away with him, huh? You think you can get away with this? You’re a homewrecker."I didn’t flinch. My blood boiled, my anger rising to a boiling point. "What are you talking about?" I demanded, my voice steady but sharp. "You’re the one who cheated on him. You’re the one who destroyed your marriage. And now you want to blame me?"She let out a bitter laugh, full of venom. "Don’t play dumb, Amy. I see the way you look at him. I see the way you’ve been trying to slither back into his life. I’m not blind. I know exactly what you’ve been doing. And I’m not going to let you get away with it. You won’t ruin everything I’ve worked for."I felt my fists clench. The anger inside me simmered, threatening to erupt. "You ruined everything, Alexa. Not me. I didn’t destroy your marriage. You did that yourself. Don’t try to put the blame on me."Her voic
Victoria's voice lowered further, a sense of urgency creeping into her words."It’s Lucas. He’s been making moves behind your back, trying to undermine you at the company. I don’t know all the details yet, but it seems like he’s trying to take control. The whole thing with the fired employees, it’s just the beginning. I think he’s trying to force his way into a bigger position."I froze, the words crashing into me like a tidal wave. Lucas? My cousin, who had always been nothing more than a privileged bystander in my world? Trying to take control of my company? My blood ran cold, and my anger flared to an even higher level."Why would he do that?" I managed to say, my voice strained with disbelief. "He knows I’m the CEO. Eleanor gave me the company.I run it, not him."Victoria’s voice was firm now, like she was trying to make sure I understood. "He might be thinking that if he forces enough chaos, he can make you look weak. He’s got a lot of people in his corner—those employees he fire
I sat at my desk, the events of the morning replaying in my mind. Lucas’s betrayal was still fresh, and the anger from our confrontation was simmering beneath the surface. I’d regained control, but the fight was far from over. I had no time to relax—this was just the beginning.The sudden knock at my door interrupted my thoughts. I didn’t need to look up to know who it was. Nicolai. I could feel his presence the moment he stepped into the room. The tension in the air shifted, and I found myself dreading whatever he had to say."Amethyst," he said, his voice hesitant, almost… apologetic? "Can I talk to you for a moment?"I didn’t answer right away. I couldn’t bring myself to. My emotions were too raw, too conflicted. But I couldn’t push him away, not after everything that had happened between us. The thought of him lingering at the door, unsure of whether to enter, was more painful than facing him."Come in,
“Alexa…” Victoria’s voice trembled, the words coming out in a rush. “She’s on a live interview, and she’s destroying you, Amethyst. She’s saying you’re a homewrecker. She’s saying you ruined her marriage with Gideon. Please… you need to see this for yourself.”I felt a wave of nausea sweep over me. Alexa. That treacherous woman.I quickly turned on the television, switching to the news channel. The screen flickered for a moment before settling on a live broadcast. And there she was.Alexa. Sitting on a sleek, modern couch in a news studio, tears running down her cheeks as she spoke into the camera, looking every bit the picture of a heartbroken woman.“I can’t even begin to explain how much pain I’m in right now,” Alexa’s voice wavered, her words dripping with feigned sincerity."Amethyst Amadeus has done nothing but tear apart my marriage with my husband, Gideon Grayson. She’s been a constant presence in our lives, manipulating situations to get close to him. And now—now she’s ruined
GIDEON’S POVI was lying in that damn hospital bed, the antiseptic air thick around me, the faint beeping of the heart monitor the only thing keeping me tethered to reality. The pain in my body didn’t hurt nearly as much as the one gnawing at my chest, a pain that had nothing to do with my injuries and everything to do with the wreckage of my life.I was still trying to wrap my head around it all, trying to make sense of what had happened when the door to my room opened. I didn’t have to look up to know who it was. I could feel her presence the moment she stepped inside.Alexa.She was as put-together as always—expensive blazer, sharp heels clicking on the sterile floor, her expression unreadable at first. I couldn’t help but notice the smug little smile playing at the corners of her mouth, the same smile that had always made me question everything about our marriage.“Gideon,” she said sweetly, but I knew
The door clicked shut behind me with a finality that echoed in the stillness of the house. I leaned against it for a moment, my head resting on the cool wood, as the weight of the confrontation with Gideon settled over me like a heavy cloak. My breath was shaky, my heart still pounding in my chest. I had said everything I needed to say, everything I’d been holding back for years, but it still didn’t feel like enough.The anger that had fueled me outside still burned, but beneath it, there was a deeper, more painful exhaustion. I’d closed the door on him, but something inside me felt like it had been left open.I pushed off the door and stepped into the foyer, the dim light from the hallway casting long shadows on the walls. My hands were trembling, my mind racing with thoughts of Nicolai, Gideon, and the unshakable feeling that something was coming—something I couldn’t outrun.I walked into the living room, only half-aware of where I was going. My eyes drifted over the space—pictures
The door to my office slammed behind Nicolai, his presence still lingering in the air like a storm cloud. I stood there, fists clenched, heart racing, as the sound of his footsteps echoed down the hallway. For a moment, I thought I might collapse under the weight of his words. “You owe me, Amethyst. You’re not getting out of this.”I tried to steady my breathing, tried to push the anger and frustration aside. I was done with him. Done.But even as I forced my thoughts to calm, I could feel the storm inside me building. Nicolai hadn’t come to talk—he had come to control, to make sure I stayed trapped in a deal I had made in a moment of weakness. He wasn’t going to let me walk away, but that didn’t mean I had to roll over and let him take everything.I grabbed my coat, my movements sharp and deliberate as I marched out of my office, my heels clicking on the floor with the same intensity that burned in my chest. As I reached the elevator, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Nicolai’s eyes
As the finality of the words echoed in my mind, I slammed the phone down onto the passenger seat, my breath coming in sharp, uneven bursts. The engine hummed louder in the quiet, but it did nothing to drown out the storm brewing in my chest. My grip on the wheel tightened until my knuckles were white, the car speeding through the dark streets as though the road could outrun my thoughts.Gideon. Nicolai. Both of them seemed to be haunting me, lurking at the edges of my mind, tugging at the threads of my past like they thought they had any claim to me. But they didn’t. I wouldn’t let them.I had promised Nicolai I would marry him. I hated how his words echoed in my mind, how they pushed into my thoughts no matter how hard I tried to ignore them. He had helped me bring justice to my mother, had fought alongside me when I needed it most. And in exchange, I had given my word—my promise—that I would marry him. A deal sealed in the chaos of a moment, but a deal nonetheless.I closed my eyes
As I drove through the empty streets, the cool night air creeping through the cracked window, I focused on keeping my grip firm on the steering wheel. The hum of the engine was a dull noise against the thundering thoughts in my head. My pulse still raced from the confrontation with Nicolai, but my mind was more preoccupied with the man who had shown up uninvited: Gideon.I shook my head, trying to clear the confusion swirling in my chest. It had been so long since I’d seen him, and yet, here he was, right when I least expected it.Gideon. I could still feel the weight of his gaze, the way his presence seemed to fill every space between us. But no matter how much he tried to be the hero in my life, I wouldn’t let him back in. Not after everything.The past was filled with too many scars, too many broken promises, for me to entertain the idea of letting him slip back into my life. What he did to me, what we had, couldn’t be undone. I wasn’t some helpless girl waiting for him to save me
Nicolai groaned, shaking his head, clearly dazed from the punch. Blood dripped from his split lip as he glared up at Gideon, struggling to get to his feet. “You think you can just show up and play the hero? You don’t know what’s going on, Gideon.”“I don’t need to know the details,” Gideon shot back, taking a step closer to Nicolai, his presence towering over him. “I just know you’ve hurt her enough. And I’m not going to stand by and let it happen again.”I stood frozen, still reeling from the shock of the scene unfolding in front of me. Gideon. Gideon was the one who had intervened. It had been so long since I’d seen him, let alone spoken to him, and now here he was, protecting me—when I least expected it.Nicolai, still on his knees, wiped the blood from his chin and glared up at both of us, his voice dripping with venom. “This isn’t over,” he spat. “
“Meet me at Marble diner,” I replied.Later that evening, I found myself waiting in a quiet café downtown, the place I had arranged to meet Nicolai. It was a small, secluded spot—ideal for a conversation I had no intention of backing down from.My phone buzzed in my pocket. Nicolai’s name flashed on the screen. My thumb hovered over the notification for a long moment. Should I answer? Should I make him wait?Finally, I clicked open the message.I’m here.I took a deep breath and stood, my posture straight, my expression set. No hesitation. I wasn’t about to let my emotions get the best of me.It didn’t take long before he appeared, cutting through the crowd like he owned the room. Nicolai’s eyes locked with mine instantly. Despite everything, I could still feel the old pull between us—but it was no longer enough to make me falter.He reached the table, his usual confident stride faltering for a split second when he saw the steel in my gaze. I didn’t move as he sat down across from me.
Days had passed since that conversation with Nicolai. The days felt like a blur, a haze of conflicting emotions and unanswered questions swirling in my mind. Every time I tried to focus on something, my thoughts inevitably drifted back to the phone call with Gideon, and the way Nicolai’s voice had cracked with emotion when I’d confronted him.It was almost like I was living in two worlds. There was the world with Nicolai, where everything felt so close to being perfect, where I wanted to believe in us again. And then there was the world with Gideon, a world full of regret, accusations, and a past I couldn’t seem to outrun.I tried to push it all aside, to focus on the present. I had to move on. I couldn’t let Gideon’s words—or Nicolai’s mistakes—ruin everything.But when I arrived home that evening, something felt off.I pulled my car into the driveway, the sound of the tires crunching on the gravel a familiar comfort. I grabbed my purse and walked towards the door, my mind still tang
The days that followed were suffocating, each moment heavier than the last. Alexa moved through the house like a shadow, her presence only a reminder of what we had lost, what I had lost. She continued her routine—making breakfast, cleaning, pretending that the life we had built together was still intact. But the more I watched her, the more I realized it was all just a charade.I stayed distant. I couldn’t bring myself to be near her, not after what had been said, not after the truth had finally come out. I kept to myself, retreating into the silence of my own mind, where the weight of the last few days pressed down on me like a physical force. The house felt colder than it ever had before, as if it were rejecting me, as if I were rejecting it. And Alexa? She felt like a stranger now.One morning, I found her sitting at the kitchen table, the same spot where we used to share coffee and talk about our days. Her hands were wrapped around a cup, her eyes distant, lost in thought. I stoo
“Alright,” I said, the words slipping out like a vow I’d made to the devil himself. “But after this, it’s really over. No coming back. No regrets.”The relief that flashed across her face was brief, almost imperceptible, but I caught it. And then it was gone, replaced by the resolve that had brought her here in the first place. She pulled out the papers from the pocket of her robe and set them on the desk with a crisp rustle. The sound echoed in the room, loud and final. I glanced at them, the ink on the page both freedom and a death sentence.With a steady hand, she signed her name, the motion so deliberate, so final, that it made my stomach twist. My heart squeezed in a way that made no sense, as if the world were shifting beneath me, changing forever.“It’s done,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.The weight of those words settled deep into my bones, and I stood there, rooted to the spot, as she turned and walked out of the room. The silence she left behind was deafening,