Valerie "I will let you publish it." My words loud and clear. "But I don't want mine or Aiden's name to be revealed. As much as I would like to destroy, him I don't want to. He was better than Drew, and even if he was a jerk? at least he told me the truth. You will write about him, but not reveal his name, just like mine, and to make the story better and bring more destruction to Drew's so clean image. I will give you the non-disclosure agreements that he had his mistresses sign. However, I would like to know one thing, Arnold. How can I trust you? What if you are one of Drew's men and all you told me was a story." He smiled. "Val, he isn't like that," Shay intruded. "No, it's alright. She is right. You are a scorned woman, Val. If I was in your place, I wouldn't have trusted myself. I came prepared for it, though." He took a folder out of his bag, and placed it in front of me. "If this story doesn't appear on the front page of tomorrow's newspaper, you will own everything I have.
Valerie As I slowly woke up from the depths of sleep, the intrusive melody of my phone pierced through the peaceful of the morning. Irritation bubbled within me as I reached for the offending device, my mind still cloaked in the haze of slumber. Who could possibly be calling at this ungodly hour? Reluctantly, I glanced at the screen before answering, half-expecting it to be Drew, ready to unleash another wave of stress upon me. To my immense relief, it was Shay. But why on earth was she calling me so early? Shay was notorious for her late mornings, and I couldn't recall a single instance where she had been up before nine. Then it hit me like a bolt of lightning. The article. Had it been published already? The memory of handing over crucial evidence to Arnold the previous night flooded back, mingling with the anticipation that now gripped me. "Did it happen?" I blurted out as soon as I answered the call, my voice laden with a mixture of anxiety and hope. "No, sorry Val," Shay's v
Valerie Photographs of Drew and Laura were all over the page. The snapshots of contracts that Drew made his mistresses sign were splashed on the next page. The whole story I told Arnold was there! Aiden's and my name were kept anonymous, but the story of how Drew destroyed a woman was written precisely.He had even written about his sister and how cruelly Drew had hurt her. There were questions about how could a man do this and how much of a fool Laura was to not have known about all of this. There were even questions focused on her parents about how couldn't they have known all about it.The most eye-catching question to me was that Laura was to be blamed for the broken heart I carried. There was a whole article on me. Just me. No fucking Drew, nor Aiden. Just me. How did I feel about being used by two lovers who were in love with Laura but not me?“The love that she had thought to be hers was never hers, to begin with,” it said. Arnold had written about how I had felt and how lost
Valerie The revelation hit me like a seismic shock, an earthquake shaking the very foundations of my understanding. "It is your freaking secretary, Melanie!" Shay's words echoed in my mind, a refrain of disbelief that I couldn't shake off. Melanie, the sweet, cute, and understanding secretary who had been over the moon about Laura and Drew's wedding, was the architect of their impending downfall. The irony of it all was staggering. She had worshipped them as a couple, and now she was the one who had orchestrated their public humiliation. I sat there, my mind racing to process this unexpected betrayal. I had always considered Melanie an ally, someone who would be on Laura and Drew's side. The thought that she had played me, deceived me, left me double-shocked. I had anticipated backlash when the truth about my involvement in exposing Laura and Drew came out, but I never expected Melanie to be the one pulling the strings. "God, I think I need to sit down," I muttered to my dad as my
Valerie Sitting there with my dad I thought about my converstaion with him, the weight of his words still lingered heavily on my mind. It doesn't happen often where he opens up like that, setting out his vulnerabilities and regrets out in the open. But today he did and his words struck a chord deep within me."Val, you are happy right," he asked once again and for a second I just looked at him. "I am, dad," I paused. "I am way happier than what one can expect," I told him, and it was true because deep down I really was happy. Despite the stormy events that had occured, there was a strange sense of peace settling deep inside within me. At last the truth had been out and revealed, justice was served, and it felt like a burden was lifted from my shoulders. Drew's betryal and deception, Laura's salvation, and the support of all those who believed me, all of it contributed to a sense of relief, though it was filled with too many unexpected events. My dad's gentle smile and pat pat on the
Aiden The annoying shrilling noise of my phone sliced through the early morning silence, jolting me from my slumber sleep. My hand moved in the darkness, searching blindly for the phone. I swear I was looking at it later night. It was supposed to be on my bed somewhere. Finally, my fingers closed around the phone, and as I picked it up my eyes squinted looking at the screen, still bleary-eyed from sleep. I swear to god if it was Drew, I was going to bury him somewhere but if it was some spam caller I was going to ruin that company. However when I looked clearly at the screen I realized that it was Travis. His name flashed insistently, cutting through the haze of confusion that enveloped my mind because of sleep. Why on earth would he be calling me at this ungodly hour? Then it hit me out of the blue that he would only be calling me because of Laura. My heart lurched with sudden dread and worry. Had something happened to Laura? The thought put me into action immediately, and without
Aiden The echoing roar of Laura's voice echoed through the mansion as I stepped into the living room after Travis. The morning paper, stained with the drips of the coffee someone had spat out upon reading it, lay in scatter at the table. The shock of seeing the news about the affairs in black and white on newsprint was enough to make me want to spill the contents of my stomach. the more I read, the more my anger rose. The story written on the paper was just not about the writer's harship or of Valerie; it was a damning exposure on Drew and his affiars. He had been having numerous of affairs and engaing in them even now. I knew he was betraying Laura's trust. Val, knew all about of his infidelity, was a target of his gfea, he had tried to keep her mouth shut. Drew had even dared to manipulate me, saygn that all he wanted was to protect Laura from the harsh realilty and Val, but it was all a lie to save himself and not feel guilty. The revelation of him termination his own child left
Aiden I stood there, stunned and powerless, as the events unfolded in front of me like a tragic play, each scene more disastarous and powerful than the last. The shockwaves from the booming sound of a hand connecting with skin echoed through the room, leaving an unsettling silence in its awake. I was going to put some sense into Drew, but Laura's father beat me to it. Laura's father had always been Drew's advocate, standing by his side in every situation, even when Laura herself couldn't muster the strength to do so. But now, in this moment, that loyalty came out in a physical blow, a desperate attempt to confront the truth that had been lurking in the shadows for far too long. Ira, Laura's mother, broke the heavy silence with a question that hung in the air like a storm cloud. "You have met her?" she asked, her gaze piercing through the room. Even I too stood there shocked knowing that he had met Valerie. Silently, I observed Laura's father, he was still reeling from the shocking