I longed to release a piercing scream, to confront my mother-in-law and expose her outrageous behavior. Yet, I found myself unable to do so, for the garden was filled with countless guests who would bear witness to my outburst. She could still find reasons to scold me for being a failure if I had truly done something wrong, but my intentions were pure when it came to those cookies.
“Weren’t you aware of what you just did, mother?” I finally couldn’t help myself from telling her. I can not help but feel that my mother-in-law has taken things to a whole new level this time.
"And you are really going to go against me?" Mother gave me a stern look, clearly indicating that she did not want me to go against her.
I had all the reasons to laugh, but I tried hard not to.At this point, it would seem that the table had just reversed and my mother-in-law was the one who was getting roasted from trying to overstep her role. “What’s wrong, Wilma? Did the cat get your tongue?” grandma pressed on her and I could see that Wilma was really starting to get so pissed by the way that grandma has been giving her the same dose of her own medicine.I badly wanted to tell her how she deserved it. yet, I simply couldn't just indulge myself with this knowing my mother-in-law would eventually retaliate later on.It wasn't something I needed to be surprised of. My mother-in-law would for sure do that, regardless."Mother, I hope you're not trying to humiliate me in front of everyone." Wilma bravely said She was quick to retaliate. I suppose she wasn't a lawyer for nothing. However, even with her legal degree, she still had no match against grandma,of course.Grandma simply grin at her in a mischievous way as sh
“What is the meaning of this?” I screamed at the top of my lungs witnessing the infidelity of my husband right before my eyes.Justin could no longer justify himself for this act because what I've just witnessed could never get me wrong.“Marga, let me explain.” Justin began to speak to me, trying to explain his side of the story.Out of the fury I had been mustering up until now, I immediately raise my hand and flew it towards Justin’s face. My force was too intense that my hand left a red mark on his face.“You have nothing to explain. That’s not something you can explain.” I screamed at his fac
My body stood frozen as though I had been turned into a sculpture of ice.In an instance, everyone looked at my direction while the last projection screen in front of everyone continued to flash those scandalous images that depict a so-called image of me with another man.The worst part of it all was that I didn't even know that man.I was completely clueless while everyone looked at me with such disgust. "That's...that's not true." my head shaking as I screamed my protest against what was on the screen. "I don't know anything about those photos."Yet, to my horror, Justin suddenly pulled me by the elbow to face him. "You dare come clean and yet, you are much worse than a hoe for hiding this all this time."Justin was obviously furious after witnessing those farce photos of me with another man entering a motel."There was no truth about that, Justin. believe me." I quickly denied accepting that accusation
My eyes grew wide in horror upon hearing that from my very own husband. I simply could not believe how it was just as easy for him to actually speak about wanting to divorce me in public.I understand that the fake photo from the projection could possibly have triggered him to actually say it, but if he truly valued me, at the very least, Justin wouldn’t even come to think about saying that to me.He wouldn’t possibly come to the conclusion of wanting to divorce me at all.“So does this mean that you’ll just completely ignore three years, Justin? Three years of our marriage just because you believe that i was the one one that stupid fake photo?” I quickly protested once more. At the very least, I still wanted to continue fighting for what I want—and that was for Justin to to believe me more than all the rest of the people surrounding us now. It was like a earnest desire that I thirst right now despite knowing that everything was at the brink of total failure.Justin just released my
As I waited for Justin’s response, I was then shocked out of the blue when all of a sudden, my mother-in-law suddenly emerged out of nowhere to slap me on my face.“You wench! I knew that you’re no good for my son the moment mother has chosen you to become my son’s wife!” She uttered with great rage. It was so intense that her slap left my cheek quickly swollen.“Mother, I am completely innocent of all these false accusations.”“There were no accusations because it’s the truth. You can’t possibly deny solid evidence now, Marga. And could you stop calling me mother? You are no child of mine.”Her words cut deeper than the slap, stripping
In that instance, Justin quickly pulled me in and gripped into my shoulders once more. His face was fuming with rage at the revelation he had learned.“Tell me you didn’t do that?” Justin’s voice was toned down for some reason. And yet, I could feel every seething fury in each of those words.There was silence that caused me to be like this for the next few moments. I don’t particularly remember being active about the project and yet, they had the audacity to accuse me of selling the project to the Alforques.“Why would I even do that, huh? I don’t even know the Alforques.” I quietly uttered, as I was trying to conform with the way that Justin spoke to me.
It was like even the clouded darkness of the night connived with the dark moments of my life. I had not only been accused for something farce, but here I was dumped and thrown away like a stray cat.At this point, I really wanted to go back and beg for Justin however, seeing how the security has tighten to prevent me from getting through, I supposed trying to get inside would be impossible.“If I were you, I’d leave.” Claude immediately stated, breaking my moment looking from the party inside as I look at his direction.“Were those my things?” I pointed at the luggage that was rested beside him. “You seemed to be prepared that this will eventually happened. Which was why you already had my things prepared, huh?” “The moment I saw what you did with the project, miss Marga, I already had a hunch that you’ll eventually be evicted from this family. And it was not because I already had it prepared.”“And you seriously think I would believe that lies?” “I don’t know with you, miss Marga,
As soon as I laid eyes on them, a chill ran down my spine, leaving me frozen in place. I was completely unsure of what to do in this moment.They’re headed in my direction, and they look totally wasted."What do we have here?" A man with an unkempt, rustic red beard and scruffy appearance stared at me as if he had just stumbled upon a life-changing jackpot prize.In all honesty, he appeared quite foolish-looking to me. However, what truly terrified me was the presence of the other man by his side. His shaved head was barely thin, and he towered over the redhead guy. With regard to this particular one, there was something about it that caused me to feel both intimidated and nervous. It seemed as though he was looking at me with a desire that was both lustful and malicious inside of him. His gaze lingered on me, taking in every detail, as if he was undressing me with his eyes. It was quite unpleasant, especially considering he wasn't exactly attractive—not that I would have found it a
The rain was falling again.It always did on days like this—days that felt like endings.I stood on the edge of the cliffs overlooking the stormy waters of Anacortes, my coat pulled tightly around me, the hood shielding my face from the wind that carried the scent of salt and something older—something like goodbye.Leon stood behind me. I didn’t have to turn around to feel him there. His presence was familiar now, carved into my skin like muscle memory. He’d been my gravity, my storm, my salvation, and my ruin—sometimes all at once.“It’s really over, isn’t it?” I whispered, more to the wind than to him.He didn’t answer right away. His silence was as heavy as the stormclouds above us.“I wanted to fix everything for you,” he said finally, his voice hoarse, like it had been dragged across a battlefield. “I wanted to give you a life that didn’t hurt.”I closed my eyes. The ache in my chest pulsed with every beat of my heart. “You did,” I said. “For a while, you did.”I heard the crunch
I took a deep breath, steadying myself. “I’m not the same person I was before,” I said, my voice firm, unwavering. “And I’m not walking away this time.”The man’s eyes flickered with a moment of doubt, just enough for me to catch. And then, before I could even register what had happened, Leon moved.Faster than I could blink, Leon was in front of me, his hand grabbing the gun and twisting it out of the man’s grasp. The force of it sent the man stumbling back, but he didn’t go down easily. His bodyguards rushed in, but Leon was already a step ahead, disarming one of them with a swift, calculated move.I stood frozen for a moment, trying to process what I was witnessing. Leon—always so calm, always so careful—was ruthless. He was like a force of nature, determined to protect me at all costs.But the fight wasn’t over yet. The man recovered, his eyes burning with rage. “You really think you’ve won?” he spat, his voice dripping with venom. “You’re nothing but a pawn in a game you can’t ev
The sound of boots drew closer, pounding the floor with an urgency that echoed through the cavernous halls of the estate. My heart raced as the reality of what I had just heard crashed into me like a tidal wave. The man who had once been a part of my life—my family’s betrayer, the one who had orchestrated their deaths—stood there, calmly, as if this was just another night for him.Leon’s grip on my hand tightened, but I didn’t let him pull me away. I could feel the air thickening with tension, the walls pressing in as everything I thought I knew began to crumble.The intruders were only moments away.The man—he—smirked, watching us. “You think this will end well? You’ve no idea what you’re up against. My people are everywhere.”I took a step forward, ignoring Leon’s silent plea to retreat. “You killed them. And you thought I would be the next one to fall in line?” My voice was a whisper, but it held a power I hadn’t realized I had. “You were wrong.”The man’s face faltered, just for a
Next Morning at the Estate Archives. The basement was cold and damp, and the air smelled of mildew and secrets. Old boxes lined the walls, labeled in my father’s tidy script. Financial records. Land deeds. Correspondence.Leon sifted through a crate of documents while I dug through another.Then something caught my eye.A faded folder labeled: Project Thornfield.I opened it slowly.Inside were blueprints—plans for development across coastal land that was supposed to be protected forest. There were signatures from multiple board members, including names I recognized.And then, one I didn’t.N. Vallis.Leon leaned over. “You know that name?”I shook my head. “No. But look here—he signed off on the project two weeks before my parents died.”Leon pulled out his phone. “I’ll run a background check.”I kept flipping through the documents—and found something that made my blood run cold.An aerial photo.Of the cliffside. Our property.With a giant red X drawn over the coordinates where my p
THREE WEEKS LATER...The investigation moved faster than I’d expected. With the board fully on our side now, the paper trail unraveled like a thread pulled from an old sweater—each piece of evidence exposing the next. Shell companies. Forged contracts. Witnesses who had remained silent out of fear but were finally coming forward.Still, no one had seen him since the day of the summit. He had vanished without a trace. No flights. No offshore activity. No messages. It was like he’d disappeared into smoke.But Dorian didn’t believe in ghosts. “He’s hiding,” he said as he handed me a thick folder. “And this—this will force him out.”I flipped through the documents. Bank records. A property registered under an alias. Hidden deep in the woods outside of Anacortes. I felt my stomach twist.Leon stepped up behind me, his hand grazing my shoulder. “Let’s pay him a visit.”The cabin was barely more than a shadow tucked between trees. No lights. No car. Just silence and the thrum of insects in t
Sunlight crept cautiously through the cracks in the blinds, casting golden slivers across the hardwood floor of the safe house bedroom. I sat curled up on the edge of the bed, a blanket draped around my shoulders and the journal heavy in my lap. The cover was cracked, worn with age and secrets. My fingers hovered over the first page for what felt like an eternity.Leon was nearby—he hadn’t slept much, either. He stood at the window with a mug of black coffee, watching the world outside with quiet alertness. When I finally opened the journal, he turned slightly but didn’t speak. He knew I needed silence for this.The first entry was dated nearly two decades ago.July 14th. We signed the contract today. Two families, one future. The woman from Delmar Holdings is more cunning than I expected. She knows we’re desperate—and she used it. I told Mariana to trust me. That this was the only way. God help me, I hope I’m right.My breath hitched. Mariana—that was my mother’s name.I flipped thro
MARGARETTE'S POVBefore we could react, the door behind us burst open.Three armed men rushed in, dressed in black, their movements precise and rehearsed. Leon shoved me behind him, drawing his gun up in an instant. Dorian, who had been lingering near the entrance, took cover behind a cabinet, gun already out.“Elise’s father wasn’t bluffing,” I breathed, my heart hammering. “He had backup ready.”Leon fired the first shot, catching one of the intruders in the shoulder and sending him crashing to the floor. Chaos erupted. Dorian ducked low and returned fire, narrowly missing another attacker who retaliated with a spray of bullets that shattered the windows.I crouched behind an overturned table, the sound of gunfire drowning out my thoughts. The locket in my palm dug into my skin, its edges sharp—a painful reminder that I couldn’t afford to lose control now.“Elise’s father!” I shouted to Leon. “He’s escaping!”Through the haze of smoke and broken glass, I saw the man slinking toward
The sound of footsteps pounding in the hallway was the last thing I heard before the door slammed open.I barely had time to react before a rush of armed men poured into the room, their eyes scanning every corner, landing finally on me. There was no mistaking the intent behind their cold stares.“Get down!” Leon’s voice crackled through the earpiece again, but there was no time to obey. I couldn’t allow myself to hesitate—not now, not when the truth was within reach.I raised my gun, my hands steady despite the chaos unfolding around me. I wasn’t going down without a fight, not after everything I had lost. Not after everything Elise’s father had taken from me.Before the first man could react, I fired. The sound of the shot echoed in the confined space, the bullet finding its mark in the man’s chest. His body crumpled to the ground with a sickening thud, but the others didn’t hesitate. They moved in faster, their guns drawn, but I was ready.I ducked behind the desk, using it as cover
Dawn came in silver slivers through the cracks in the window. I hadn’t slept—not really. My mind was too loud, looping the footage over and over like a broken reel.Leon sat across from me at the table, sipping his coffee like it was the only thing keeping him grounded. Neither of us had said much since the footage. We didn’t need to. The truth had cut so deep, it didn’t leave room for small talk.But I had questions.And I needed answers.“How long do you think he’s known I survived?” I finally asked, voice hoarse.Leon didn’t look away from his mug. “Long enough to start covering his tracks. But he didn’t expect the locket to resurface.”My hand instinctively reached for it. The locket was warm now, like it had absorbed my grief and fury. Inside was a picture of my mother and me—her arm around my tiny shoulders, her smile soft but tired. A photo I hadn’t even remembered until last night.“He killed her,” I whispered. “He killed my father. For what? A project?”“Not just a project,”