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CHAPTER TWENTYONE
Last Updated:
2024-11-21 00:05:46Related chapters
SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER TWENTY~TWO
The steady hum of the plane had faded into the background as I watched her sleep. She looked so peaceful, her chest rising and falling in a gentle rhythm. The faint sound of her soft snores was oddly comforting, a sound I could listen to all day. Occasionally, she’d mumble something unintelligible, or a faint smile would tug at her lips. I wondered what she was dreaming about. Paris, maybe?I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her. How had I known her for such a short time, yet it felt like she had already occupied some corner of my soul? It was unnerving, this pull she had on me. It wasn’t just attraction, it was something deeper, something that left me feeling vulnerable in ways I hadn’t felt in years. Vulnerable... and terrified.The truth was, she could hurt me. And I knew that if she did, it would cut deeper than anything I’d ever felt before. I was trying so damn hard to fight it, to keep my feelings in check, but it was a losing battle. The more I tried to suppress it, the stronge
Last Updated : 2024-11-21SHATTERED VOWS TWENTY~THREE
After that awkward encounter with Jake, I finally mustered up the courage to step out of the bathroom. I couldn't believe I had left the door open—honestly, it was a complete accident. But when our gazes locked, I didn’t feel uncomfortable or violated, not in the least. It was as if the moment was fleeting, almost forgotten the second it happened. I quickly closed the door and went back to my bath, making sure not to think too much about it. I didn’t want Jake to think I’d done it on purpose.The suite is empty. Jake was nowhere to be seen. I feel a pang of uncertainty. Had I made him uncomfortable? I thought to myself. I look around and I notice his suitcase is still lying on the floor, unpacked, and a sigh of relief escapes me. On the table, I see a note hastily written: Meet me downstairs once you’re done. “oh!” I mutter to myself. First things first, this was the first time in hours that I was finally alone. I grab my phone and call Amy, needing to talk to her more than ever.
Last Updated : 2024-11-22SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER TWENTY~FOUR
The ride to the restaurant is thick with tension, the silence stretching between us like an unspoken conversation neither of us dared to start. I could feel Jake stealing glances at me from the corner of his eye, but I keep my gaze firm out the window, pretending not to notice. The streets of Paris, aglow with warm golden lights and bustling with life, were a welcome distraction.But his words, "I’m not sorry," play in a loop in my head, each repetition stirring something I wasn’t ready to name. That moment between us back at the bar had undeniably been intense. My skin still tingled at the memory of his gaze, burning through every defense I had put up. I couldn’t lie to myself; I felt something when he looked at me. Something deep, raw, and terrifying.I couldn’t let that in. This wasn’t about feelings or connections. Jake and I had a plan, a calculated, mutual agreement for revenge. Anything else would sabotage everything, and I refuse to let that happen."We’re here," the driver an
Last Updated : 2024-11-24SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
The universe, I thought bitterly, truly had a wicked sense of humor. Out of all the restaurants in the world, Jack Crawford had to walk into this one. My hand trembles so violently I almost spill the wine I was holding. Jake notices. He quickly reaches over and steads my hand, his grip firm and reassuring as he helps me place the glass back on the table."Rachael," he says softly, "calm down. Everything’s fine. You’re with me."I nod faintly, trying to focus on his words, but my gaze betrays me. My eyes dart back to Jack, who was staring directly at us. My heart races as he walks toward our table, his every step making my chest tighter. “Not now. Please, not now.” I whisper to myself.Before I could process it, Jack was standing next to our table, his mistress Hannah, right beside him. Their gazes bore into me, Hannah’s dripping with condescension, Jack’s with something far worse.“Rachael,” Jack began, his voice sharp and accusatory, “don’t tell me it’s come to this. Are you stalking
Last Updated : 2024-11-24SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER TWENTY~SIX
JAKE'S POVThe car pulls up; I tell the driver to close the partition ensuring we have some privacy. Racheal slides into the seat, and I follow, closing the door behind us. As soon as the door shut, I pull her close, my hand curling around the back of her neck. Her hair comes loose as I free it, tumbling down around her shoulders, soft and wild. She looks at me, and her eyes meet mine. I claim her mouth at that fleeting moment, capturing those soft lips against mine. She tasted better than I had ever imagined.Rachael leans into me, her hands gripping my back, pulling me close until there is no space between us. The scent of her blend of jasmine and vanilla fills my senses. My lips find their way to the curve of her neck, and she tilts her head, giving me access. Her breath comes faster as I continue.“Jake,” she whispers, letting out a small mournful voice, both a plea and surrender.“Rachael,” I whisper back against her skin, pausing for a second to look at her. “Are you sure about
Last Updated : 2024-11-26SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER TWENTY~SEVEN
RACHAEL'S POV“Are you just going to stand there?”I ask Jake.He walks towards me, each step sending a jolt of anticipation down my spine. His eyes are looking at me as he yanks my dress up and ripping my underwear off.He kisses me again, his fingers delving between my legs, only to find I was still wet and aching for him. I was already so close to having my orgasm, and he hadn’t been inside me yet. Our fingers flew over our clothes, and in seconds, my dress, his coat, and pants were all on the floor. His bare skin was warm against mine, the tension in our bodies palpable.Jake's hands grip my thighs, lifting me effortlessly and carrying me to the bed. He lays me down with a mix of tenderness and hunger, his eyes never leaving mine. He climbs over me, his body hovering just above, his breath fanning my face.His touch is deliberate as he positions himself to enter me. It was slow, deliberate, and consuming. The sensation made my body arch instinctively, a low moan escaping my lips as
Last Updated : 2024-11-26SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER TWENTY~EIGHT
My first time with Racheal had gone exactly as I had imagined, better even. As the water trickled down my skin, washing away the sweat that had built up, my mind kept replaying every moment with Racheal, her touch, her voice, and how she felt against me. Even as much as I tried to focus on washing away the evidence of what had just happened, I couldn’t escape her lingering scent on me. It was intoxicating like she’d branded herself into my very being.I turn off the shower and step out into the steamy bathroom, wrapping a towel around my waist. I walk back into the room, only to find Rachael asleep, her body sprawling on top of the sheets, completely uncovered.God help me. She looked like an angel—bare, captivating, and utterly irresistible. My eyes trace every curve of her body, the rise and fall of her chest as she breathes deeply in her sleep. My thoughts turn traitorous, imagining how good it would feel to climb back into the bed and press my lips to every inch of her body. To lo
Last Updated : 2024-11-27SHATTERED VOWS CHAPTER TWENTY~NINE
RACHAEL'S POV”Mom, no... please don’t leave me!”The scream pierces through my sleep, jagged and full of despair; my eyes snap open, my heart pounding. It takes me a moment to realize the sound was coming from Jake. I turn to find him thrashing on the bed, his face twisted in anguish, sweat glistening on his forehead.“Jake, wake up!” I shove his shoulder, panic rising in my chest. “You’re having a nightmare!”He jolts awake, his breathing harsh and uneven. Our eyes meet, but his gaze is distant and unseeing as if he doesn’t even know where he is. He glances around the room, darting as if piecing together his surroundings.“You were having a nightmare,” I tell him softly, concern threading through my voice. “Are you okay?”Jake doesn’t respond. Without a word, he swings his legs off the bed and stands, heading straight for the bathroom. The sound of the shower turning on echoes through the suite, and I sit there, stunned, watching the empty doorway.When he returns, he is dressed in
Last Updated : 2024-11-27
Latest chapter
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
