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CHAPTER FORTY~EIGHT
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2024-12-10 23:59:53Related chapters
SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER FORTY~NINE
RACHAEL'S POVI still couldn’t wrap my head around everything that had happened at that party. In less than two hours, it felt like an entire lifetime of chaos had unfolded. Jack’s attack on me, Jake's retaliation, Karen’s disgust—everything replayed in my mind like a chaotic film reel. And then, there was Jake’s kiss.Why did he kiss me like that?Sure, I understood the reasoning behind it—to get under Jack’s skin and solidify the illusion of our marriage to everyone in the room. But it was more than that. It wasn’t just a kiss for show; it lingered, it burned, and I could still taste him. Amid all the madness, that kiss stuck with me like an imprint, and I hated how it made my heart race just thinking about it.My phone buzzes again, pulling me out of my thoughts. I sigh as I pick it up and see dozens of missed calls and texts. Amy’s name dominating the screen, but there was another number, one I was pretty sure belonged to Jack.I scroll through the messages, all of them frantic. O
Last Updated : 2024-12-11SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER FIFTY
JAKE'S POVRachael had caught me off guard again. The way she jumped into planning our next move so quickly reminded me why she was different—why she kept surprising me every day. This woman was unshakable. Most people would’ve retreated to their rooms, locked the door, and drowned in self-pity after what she’d been through. But not Rachael. Her determination matched my own, and I respected her more.Now, as I pull up at the towering Crawford building, I take a deep breath. I couldn’t afford to show even a hint of doubt. I needed to be on top of my game.Inside the elevator, I square my shoulders and adjust my tie, masking the nerves bubbling just below the surface. When the doors open, the energy in the place is palpable. People rush back and forth like their lives depend on it, papers in hand, murmuring urgent conversations.It doesn’t take long for me to find the boardroom; the glass doors stand open, revealing a long table surrounded by men and women in sharp suits. Some faces are
Last Updated : 2024-12-11SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER FIFTY~ONE
RACHAEL'S POVThe next couple of days pass in a blur. I stuck to the routine Jake and I had agreed upon—work, home, repeat. I did my best to avoid Amy since every time we talked, she repeated the same warning: Jack is coming after us. Her concern only fueled my anxiety, so I made myself scarce whenever I could. Jake had reassured me that everything was under control; hence, I tried my best to stay calm.I started tagging along to Jake’s martial arts classes to keep my mind from spiraling. At first, it was just a way to kill time, but before long, I found myself looking forward to each session. There was something empowering about learning how to defend myself. Jake seemed impressed with how quickly I was picking things up. Every now and then, he’d toss me a compliment about my form or how I executed a move. I’d do my best to shrug it off casually, though inside, I was resisting the urge to blush like a schoolgirl.Jake, of course, was a natural. Watching him in action was... captivati
Last Updated : 2024-12-13SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER FIFTY~TWO
JAKE'S POVWhen Rachael told me about her plan for the night out, I wasn’t sure it was a good idea, especially with everything going on, but I could tell she needed it. And maybe, deep down, I needed it, too.I kept wondering if there would come a time when I wouldn’t be stunned by how amazing she looked, and tonight was no different. She was stunning.The club was not my scene. The flashing lights, the loud music, the crowd, it all felt chaotic. At first, I felt awkward as hell. I kept my hands in my pockets, scanning the room for anything suspicious because old habits die hard. After a couple of drinks, I find myself more relaxed and nodding along to the beat. “Would you like to dance?” Rachael asks, swaying her hips to the beat. I shake my head, "No, you go. I’m fine here," I reply, taking a sip from my drink. She doesn’t push it; she just flashes me one of her dazzling smiles before heading to the dance floor.I watch her move, completely lost in the rhythm of the music. She look
Last Updated : 2024-12-13SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER FIFTY~THREE
RACHAEL’S POVI didn’t know what came over me when I saw Jake talking to that woman. It wasn’t jealousy—not exactly—but something deep inside me flared to life, sharp and hot. At first, I thought I’d simply ask her to leave, but the words came out harsher, more possessive than I intended. The look Jake gave me after, was equal parts surprise and amusement, like he’d caught me pretending to be something I wasn’t—a jealous, insecure fake wife.When he smirked and asked if I was jealous, my defenses shot up. I snapped back when he teased me about my 'dirty dancing,' firing the same question at him. I couldn’t stop myself from hoping that maybe he was.Draining the last of my drink, I regretted my dramatics almost immediately. I stormed back to the dance floor, determined to pretend it didn’t bother me that Jake was chatting up a stranger. I didn’t expect him to follow me.The grip on my waist startled me at first, and I thought it was the guy I’d been dancing with. But when I turned, i
Last Updated : 2024-12-14SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER FIFTY~FOUR
RACHAEL'S POVAs I stepped out of the bathroom, I almost stumble into Jake."Are you okay?" he asks, his voice full of concern as he looks me over, scanning for any signs of harm.Before I could answer, his gaze shifts behind me. His face darkens as he spots Jack emerging from the bathroom, disheveled and clearly in pain."I’m going to kill him," Jake growls, taking a step toward Jack, his fists clenched.I grab his arm, holding him back with all the strength I can muster. "I’ve taken care of it," I say firmly, my voice steady.Jake looks at me, his expression a mix of confusion and pride."Those martial arts classes came in handy," I add with a small smirk, trying to lighten the mood.Jake’s eyes dart to Jack, who is now rubbing the front of his pants, his face twisted in pain and humiliation. Jake lets out a soft chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief."Let’s leave," I declare, exhaustion washing over me.Jake gives me a proud look, nodding. "Let’s go."With that, we walk out of the
Last Updated : 2024-12-15SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER FIFTY~FIVE
JAKE’S POV“Well, that was unexpected,” the words slip out breaking the silence that had stretched just a little too long.Rachael turns her gaze to me with a blank expression, we both nod and let out a laugh—a nervous, awkward kind of laugh that didn’t quite cover the enormity of what had just happened.I stand, pull up my trousers, brush sand off my knees, and tighten the belt as Rachael adjusts her dress. She looks as composed as ever, like nothing had happened. If I hadn’t been there—if I didn’t still feel the heat of her touch—I might’ve believed it.“Are we still waiting for the sunrise?” I ask, not sure what else to say. My voice comes out lighter than I expected, like I wasn’t just trying to fill the silence.Racheal exhales and turns to me, her voice steady but devoid of emotion. “we don’t have to talk about it, Jake. It was just…. The heat of the moment. We both know that.”Her words land like a punch to my gut, though I can’t show it. I nod, agreeing too quickly. “Yeah. It
Last Updated : 2024-12-16SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER FIFTY~SIX
RACHAEL’S POVWatching the firefighters battle the flames, I couldn’t take my eyes off Jake, who was standing a few feet away. The heartbreak in his expression was devastating. Jake had other businesses, successful ones, but I knew this restaurant was different. He poured his soul into it, and spent hours here perfecting every detail. I’d always wondered why it mattered so much to him but never had the courage to ask.Instinctively, I reach out and rubbed small circles on his back, hoping to provide some comfort. I don’t say anything—I wasn’t sure there was anything I could say.The loss hit me too, deeper than I expected. This restaurant had given me something to hold on to after Jack shattered my world. It made me feel like I belonged somewhere again, like I had a purpose. I’d thrown myself into work here, brainstorming ideas, dreaming of what it could become. Watching it burn felt like losing a part of myself, as if all the progress I’d made since my divorce was going up in flames
Last Updated : 2024-12-16
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SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER SIXTY~FIVE
RACHAEL'S POVI couldn’t believe Jake had just come and gone without saying a word to me. He rushed out like he was late for something important, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I sat there on the couch, staring at the ceiling, trying to process the whirlwind of the past few days. The sun was already up, and boredom crept in like an unwelcome guest.I grab my phone and begin mindlessly scrolling through Instagram. As I flip through the posts, a photo of Amy and Ethan catches my eye. They look radiant, clearly on vacation somewhere beautiful. My chest tightens. The last time I’d spoken to Amy was at the Crawford luncheon. Since then, I have avoided her. She’d tried to reach out, but I hadn’t responded. I’d been a terrible friend.Taking a deep breath, I shot her a text: "Hey, how are you?"I bury my phone under a couch cushion, resisting the urge to stare at the screen, waiting for her reply. I needed a distraction, so I grab my laptop. To my surprise, an inquiry about my marketing
SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER SIXTY~FOUR
JAKE'S POVWilliam’s silence surprises me as well. I expected him to fight back, deny everything or storm out. Instead, he sits there in silence, his face completely unreadable. Karen, on the other hand, is far less composed. She shoves the letter in his face, her voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and rage.“Did you know about this?”William exhales slowly and leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Elizabeth and I agreed she was going to… take care of it. I’m not surprised she didn’t that’s all.”His words hang in the air, each one more infuriating than the last. The calm demeanor I’d been holding onto begins to crumble. My temper is rising, threatening to spill over.“Wait,” my voice low and dangerous. “You knew she was pregnant?”William doesn’t flinch, his tone is detached. “Of course, I knew but like I said, I thought she got rid of it.”That confession hits me harder than I expect, a knot tightens in my chest. For a moment, I can’t speak.“I think she kept you bec
SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER SIXTY~THREE
JAKE'S POVSleep eluded me. No matter how much I tossed and turned, my thoughts kept circling back to Rachael, all alone in that big house. No matter how angry I was at her, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling gnawing at my chest.I had also grown accustomed to not being entirely alone. Even though we slept in separate rooms, I always knew she was there. Her presence had become an unspoken comfort.I glanced at the clock on the nightstand. 2:00 a.m. There was no way I could go back to the house at this time without startling her. I sigh, staring at the ceiling, waiting for morning, waiting for a reasonable hour to check on her.Two restless hours later, I was up again, standing under the cold spray of the shower, hoping to wash away my tangled emotions. It didn’t help. The image of her face when I walked out on her lingered, tugging at something deep inside me.Sipping my coffee, I stared at the whiteboard from yesterday and I review my notes, fine tuning my plan to keep my mind occup
SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER SIXTY~TWO
RACHAEL’S POVI spend the entire day trying to reach Jake. Call after call, voicemail after voicemail, but it is no use. He wasn’t picking up. He was sulking somewhere, letting his anger simmer, and left me to drown in the silence he left behind.I paced the living room, my nerves fraying with each passing minute. Where could he be? What is he doing? My mind began to spin with the possibilities.Had he gone to the police? Was he confronting the Crawfords?The unknown gnawed at me, clawing at my insides. If Jake had gone to the police, it would be over for me. I would be arrested for tampering with evidence, and no explanation I gave would matter. I was terrified of what he might do in his anger. Jake was impulsive, and I had learned the hard way that his anger was blinding.But it was already night, and he’d been gone for hours. If the police were going to come for me, they would have done so by now. That thought offers me a sliver of comfort, but it doesn’t ease my anxiety entirely.
SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER SIXTY~ONE
JAKE’S POVAs I speed past the estate gates, my hands grip the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turn white. My blood is boiling, and no amount of deep breaths can calm me down. Rachael had betrayed me. The one person I thought I could trust. The one person I let in.I thought we were partners. I thought she had my back. “Damn it!” I slam my palm against the wheel in frustration. How could she keep something like that from me? There is only one explanation: she still loves Jack.My chest burns with a mixture of anger and pain, my head pounding not just from the betrayal but from the lingering hangover of last night. Why today, of all days, did she decide to drop this bomb on me? She couldn't have picked a worse moment.I had to leave the house before I did or said something I couldn’t take back. The anger was too raw, too consuming. The walls of that place felt suffocating. At least I still had my penthouse in the city—a sanctuary I could retreat to at a time like this.As I
SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER SIXTY
RACHAEL'S POVJack’s deflection had said it all. He’d danced around the question with that smug indifference that only made him look guiltier than ever. It was time to involve Jake, even though I knew how this would go. He will be furious that I hadn’t shared this with him earlier. But what choice do I have now? Better late than never, I tell myself as I pull into the driveway, already bracing for the fallout.When I step inside, the house is quiet, except for the low hum of the fridge in the kitchen. Jake is sitting on one of the bar stools, pressing an icepack against his head. He looks like hell—disheveled, pale, and haunted, like the aftermath of whatever had driven him to drink is still clinging to him.“You good?” I ask, setting my purse down on the counter, trying to ease into the conversation.Jake nods silently, not even glancing my way. He looks like the angel of death had brushed past him and left him worse for wear.“Want to talk about what made you drink like that?” I ask
SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER FIFTY ~NINE
RACHAEL'S POVI hadn’t spoken to Jake in days. Not because there wasn’t anything to say, but because I was avoiding him. Avoiding the guilt that gnawed at me every time I thought about the evidence I’d hidden. That jerrycan with the old Crawford Oil Industries logo felt like a bomb in my purse, waiting to explode. I’d been going in circles, debating what to do with it.The logical part of me knew I had to confront Jack. But the idea of calling him, of hearing his voice, twisted my stomach into knots. How would he react? Would he deny it outright? Laugh in my face? I wasn’t sure I was ready for the confrontation.When Jake’s name lit up on my phone, my heart skipped a beat. He never called me, ever. If he needed something, it was always a text or a face-to-face conversation. I hesitated for a while, but I finally answered.“Hello?”His voice was slurred, almost incomprehensible. “Rachael... I’m... I’m at the bar. Pick me up. I’m at...” he trailed off, mumbling the name of the bar befor
SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER FIFTY~EIGHT
JAKE’S POVInside, the lobby gleams with marble floors and crystal chandeliers, its elegance only adding to the sour taste in my mouth. At the reception desk, a woman with a practiced smile informs me Mrs. Raymond had already left instructions. I was to be sent directly to her suite.As I ride the elevator up, my stomach churns. I feel like a cheap escort being summoned to perform a duty. The thought makes me sick, but I bury the emotion deep, locking it away where it can’t touch me. I remind myself why I am here. This is business. Nothing more.The elevator chimes softly, and the doors slide open. I walk down the plush-carpeted hallway, my footsteps muffling as if the hotel itself is trying to silence my guilt. Room 912. My hand hesitates on the door handle for a brief second before I swipe the keycard and step inside.The room is dimly lit; Mrs. Raymond is already waiting for me. She is sprawled across the bed in a silk robe and red lingerie that leaves little to the imagination. He
SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER FIFTY~SEVEN
JAKE’S POVThe past few days had been a blur of chaos. Between insurance meetings, ongoing investigations, and trying to salvage what I could from the restaurant fire, I barely had time to breathe, let alone see Rachael. I would leave the house before she woke up and return long after she was asleep. It wasn’t ideal, but it had to be done.At least I was making progress.I’d managed to acquire a significant number of shares in Crawford Oil Industries (COI), and now, I was one signature away from becoming the majority shareholder. It was a risky game, but one I couldn’t afford to lose. I just hoped the Crawfords wouldn’t catch wind of what I was doing before it was too late.Tonight is crucial. I had arranged a dinner with the last shareholder, Mrs. Raymond, a shrewd businesswoman with a reputation for playing hardball. I picked one of the most exclusive restaurants in the city—an attempt to “butter her up” before dropping the offer. If I could convince her, my plan would finally fall
