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15: Claudia’s Scheme
Last Updated:
2024-11-25 02:50:09
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Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 16: Planning the Revenge
Valdez Corporation wasn’t just a company; it was an empire built in greed and cemented with blood. Alejandro didn’t need to say it outright. I could see it in the faded photographs he laid on the desk between us: black-and-white snapshots of Marco’s grandfather standing over laborers with a shotgun, contracts signed in ink too dark to ignore the rumors of forced acquisitions, and newspaper clippings viewing the “Valdez Empire” as the foundation of industrial growth.Stories whispered through the boardrooms told of rivals who disappeared overnight, of contracts signed under threats, and fortunes gathered at the cost of countless lives. Each generation of Valdez men inherited not just the wealth but the sins of their predecessors.Now, the Valdez name was everywhere—on supermarket shelves, lighting up skylines, fueling power grids. Yet beneath the glossy exterior lay a rotten core, a legacy of corruption and exploitation.It was that legacy Alejandro intended to destroy.Alejandro’s st
Last Updated : 2024-11-26Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 17: Planning the Revenge 2
“And my role in all this?”“The accident”“What about it?” I asked hesitantly.“The truck driver who died, Ramon Ortega That’s our linchpin. If we can prove Marco or Helena orchestrated it, it’ll be the final nail in the coffin.”“How do we do that?”“Ramon worked for Marco’s late father. That’s where the connection starts, but it’s not enough. We need more than a paper trail—something concrete.”I frowned, frustration bubbling to the surface. “How do we prove they were behind it? It’s not like they’re going to leave a signed confession lying around.”“We dig, Estella. Payments, phone calls, emails. Somewhere, there’s a trail that leads back to them. Always. They will have left traces—loose ends that connect them to the crash.” “Marco’s not careless. He wouldn’t have left evidence lying around.”“No,” Alejandro agreed, “but Helena might have. She’s reckless when she thinks no one’s watching. And she has a habit of trusting the wrong people.I thought back to the night of the accident
Last Updated : 2024-11-26Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 18: Grace
My phone pinged, and I quickly swiped it open. Found her. I grinned. Alejandro had come through faster than I expected. Throwing on a plain blouse and jeans, I grabbed my bag. “Okay,” I muttered to myself, slipping into sneakers. “Let’s do this.” The ride wasn’t long, but when I arrived, I couldn’t help staring at the modest house in front of me. It leaned more towards dilapidated than quaint—chipped paint, a sagging porch—but it had a charm to it, with potted flowers lining the steps. So, this is where Grace lives. Grace had been the housekeeper for Marco’s family way before I got married into the family, way before his father even died. I’m guessing the reason they strung her along for that long was because she couldn’t speak. Alejandro’s source was annoyingly efficient, as always. I stared at the place for a moment, nerves knotting in my stomach. If anyone can find the skeletons buried in the Valdez family closet, it was her. I knocked on the door, and it swung open
Last Updated : 2024-11-28Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 19: Step One
“Let me see,” I said, stepping closer. Alejandro glanced at me. “Curious?” “Let’s just say I want to watch this house of cards collapse.” He smirked, sliding his chair back so I could lean in. “Marco siphoned off over $50 million over the last five years,” he said, pointing to a file on the screen labeled Luxury Expenses. “Gambling debts Monaco, private jets, questionable offshore accounts. He’s been covering his tracks with falsified audits.” “And this is all going out?” Alejandro nodded. “I sent the files to a few key investors and news outlets. By now, they’re waking up to the kind of headline that makes stock prices tank.” As if on cue, the notifications on his phone light up like a Christmas tree. He checked it, lips curling into a satisfied grin. “The first article just went live. By lunchtime, Marco will be drowning.” I leaned against the desk. “Does he know yet?” Alejandro tilted his head, mockingly thoughtful. “Let’s hope not. I want him blindsided.” By noon,
Last Updated : 2024-11-28Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 20: Blood and Fear
“Alejandro, we need to get you out of here. Now.” My voice cracked as I pressed my palm against his shoulder, trying to slow the bleeding. He winced, his eyes darting around the chaotic parking lot. “You need to get to safety first,” he said, his voice tight with pain. “Safe?” I snapped, my voice rising over the panicked shouts around us. “Stop being so damn stubborn! You’re bleeding out, and I’m not leaving you here.” He grimaced but finally nodded. “Alright. Let’s go.” I slipped my arm around his waist, supporting as much of his weight as I could. Alejandro gritted his teeth but didn’t complain. Each step was agonizingly slow, his breath hitching with every jolt. “Stay behind me,” he muttered, pulling me closer to shield me as his eyes swept the area. I held on tighter. “Not happening.” The parking lot was a war zone. Broken glass glittered under the flickering lights, security guards shouted into radios, and distant sirens pierced the air. People screamed in the dist
Last Updated : 2024-11-29Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 21: A Month After
It’s been a month since the shooting.Alejandro insisted we move to his penthouse while he recovered, a sprawling glass-and-steel fortress perched in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. The place screamed wealth—floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the skyline. A view that would’ve made a poet cry.And yet, I couldn’t enjoy it.Every time I saw him shirtless—his shoulder bandaged, the bruising still fading—I felt the phantom stickiness of his blood on my hands. Every time he winced, I heard the echo of that gunshot.I was losing sleep over itThe news didn’t break until two days after the shooting outside the Wellington Club.Carl Whitman, the Texas oil tycoon, had been the sniper’s primary target. The bullet meant for him struck true, ending his life in an instant. It all made sense in hindsight—the chaos, the way the attack seemed planned down to the second. Carl Whitman was the prize. But if that was true, what the hell had Alejandro and I been caught in? Collateral damage?This do
Last Updated : 2024-11-30Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 22: Fight and Flight
I blinked at him. “What?”“You need to learn how to defend yourself,” he said matter-of-factly. “The next time someone points a gun in your direction, I want you to know exactly what to do.”I stared at him, my jaw dropping. “Are you serious? You just got shot, and now you want to play sensei on a rooftop?”“Yes,” he said simply. “Now, take off your coat. Let’s get started.”“Alejandro, this is ridiculous,” I muttered as I stood in front of him, my arms awkwardly raised in what I assumed was some kind of defensive position.His shoulder looked stiff as he rolled it back, the edge of a bandage peeking out under his shirt. He moved like someone who’d decided pain was optional.“No, what’s ridiculous is how bad your stance is,” he said, smirking.I rolled my eyes. “You’re impossible.”“And you’re stalling.” He stepped closer, his good hand gripping my elbow to adjust my posture. His touch sent a jolt through me.“Feet shoulder-width apart,” he said, his voice low, his breath warm against
Last Updated : 2024-11-30Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 23: Cracks in the Armor
I stumbled through the automatic doors, Alejandro right behind me. My pulse thundered in my ears, drowning out the chaotic sounds of phones ringing, monitors beeping, nurses rushing past. For me, everything was muffled, distant, like I was moving through water. I clutched the counter, leaning in to address the nurse.“Ruth Farrell,” I said, breathless. “She was brought in earlier. Stroke.”The nurse barely glanced up. “Your name?”“Estella Farr—De Luca” I said, barely able to string words together. “Her daughter.”“And your relationship to the patient?”I blinked, my mind scrambling. “I just said—daughter. She’s my mother.”She nodded and typed something into her computer, her fingers clacking with an irritating calmness. “She’s stable, but the doctor is still evaluating her condition.” She paused, glancing over at Alejandro as if sizing him up before adding, “You’ll need to wait until he’s done.”“I—” I stepped back, disoriented, as if the words had struck me physically. The word of
Last Updated : 2024-11-30
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Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak Epilogue: The Secrets We Keep
Five Years LaterEstella had insisted on having the windows open despite the doctors' protests—she needed to breathe something other than antiseptic and fear."Almost there," The matron encouraged from between her legs. "One more big push, Estella."Alejandro's hand was nearly crushed in her grip as another contraction seized her. The twins had decided to arrive three weeks early, sending them rushing to the hospital in the middle of the night."You're doing amazingly," Alejandro murmured against her temple. The entire pregnancy had been classified high-risk from the beginning.Estella bore down with a primal scream, feeling the first baby slide from her body."It's a boy!" The matron announced, lifting the wailing infant for them to see before placing him on Estella's chest.She touched her son's dark, wet hair. "Hello, little one,"The moment of joy was short-lived. The monitors beside her bed began beeping erratically."Blood pressure dropping," a nurse called out.The doctor in ch
Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 216: Almost Home
The following weeks were filled with medical tests, therapy sessions, and small but significant milestones.Three weeks after waking, he took his first unassisted steps, gripping the parallel bars with so much intensity as he forced his atrophied muscles to cooperate. I watched from the sidelines, heart in my throat, as he pushed through pain that would have stopped a lesser man."Fuck," he growled through gritted teeth when his legs threatened to give out halfway through. "I'm not stopping."His physical therapist—a no-nonsense woman who'd quickly learned to match his intensity—nodded approvingly. "Two more steps. You can do two more."He did three before collapsing into the wheelchair afterward with sweat pouring down his face."Next time I'll do ten," he promised, breath coming in harsh pants.I handed him a towel, leaning in to whisper, "Watching you fight like this is incredibly sexy, you know."His exhausted laugh was all the reward I needed.By the six-week mark, he was walking
Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 215: Two Months Later, Still Yours
When we broke apart, I rested my head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent beneath the antiseptic hospital smell. "Don't ever scare me like that again," I whispered."I'll try not to make a habit of getting stabbed in the heart," he replied dryly."This isn't funny, Alejandro." I lifted my head to meet his gaze. "I thought I'd lost you. I thought our daughter would grow up without her father."His expression sobered. "I know. I'm sorry." He squeezed my hand weakly. "How bad was it?""Bad," I admitted. "The knife nicked your heart. You lost so much blood... They weren't sure you'd make it through the first surgery." My voice caught. "And then you didn't wake up. Days turned into weeks, and you just... stayed asleep.""I'm sorry," he repeated. "For putting you through that. For not being there for you and Arielle.""You're here now," I said. The door opened quietly, and we both looked up to see Dr. Matthews returning, accompanied by a neurologist I recognized from previous consultat
Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 214: The Sixty-Second Day
Two months laterThe hospital room had become my second home. The nurses knew my schedule better than I did—when I'd arrive each morning with fresh clothes for both of us, when I'd step out for coffee, which chair I preferred to sit in while reading aloud to Alejandro's unresponsive form.Sixty-one days of talking to someone who couldn't answer. Sixty-one days of watching for the slightest movement of an eyelid or the smallest twitch of a finger. Sixty-one days of hope slowly eroding into something that felt dangerously close to despair."The medical journal says coma patients show increased brain activity when family members speak to them," I said, turning the page of the medical text I'd been studying obsessively. "So I'm going to keep talking, even if I'm starting to repeat myself."Alejandro remained motionless. They'd removed his breathing tube last week when he started breathing on his own—a positive sign, Dr. Matthews had assured me. But his consciousness remained locked away,
Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 213: One-Sided Conversations
"Aunt Eleanor," I gasped, shocked to see her. In the chaos, I'd almost forgotten she'd been injured in the initial car crash where Arielle was taken."You look worse than me," she said weakly, attempting a smile that turned into a wince.For some reason, it was the sight of her—battered but alive, just like the rest of us—that finally broke through the numbness I'd been hiding behind. The tears came suddenly and violently, sobs wrenching themselves from my chest as she wheeled herself closer, reaching out with her good arm to pull me against her."I was so scared," I admitted between sobs. "I thought we were all going to die. I was scared history was going to repeat itself self. And this time Arielle, Alejandro—""But you didn't," she reminded me. "You saved them both."I shook my head, glancing at Alejandro's still form. "I didn't save him. He's still—""Fighting," Eleanor cut in. "Just like he always has. Just like you have."I cried until I had no tears left, letting go of the fear
Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 212: The Silence That Hurts Most
I must have dozed off despite my determination to stay awake, because the next thing I knew, someone was gently shaking my shoulder."Estella? Can you hear me?"I forced my heavy eyelids open to find Raul standing over me, his face lined with worry. Clara hovered behind him, her eyes red-rimmed."Raul," I croaked, my throat dry. "Alejandro?""He's out of surgery," Raul said. "It was touch and go for a while, but he made it through."Relief made me dizzy. "He's okay?"Raul and Clara exchanged glances."What aren't you telling me?" I demanded, suddenly fully awake.Raul sighed. "The damage was extensive. They repaired what they could, but... he's in a coma, Estella.""A coma? For how long?""They don't know," Clara said gently, stepping forward to take my hand. "All they said was the next 48 hours are critical."I struggled to sit up, ignoring the pain that shot through my body. "I need to see him.""You need to rest," Clara countered. "You're no good to him or Arielle if you collapse."
Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 211: Between Life and Death
"BP's still dropping," one of the paramedics called as they loaded Alejandro into the ambulance. "We need to move!"I climbed in after them, collapsing onto the bench seat as the doors slammed shut."Arielle," I suddenly remembered, panic clawing at my throat. "My daughter—where is she?""Already en route to Memorial," one of the paramedics replied without looking up from Alejandro. "She's stable."That small mercy gave me the strength to stay upright as I watched them work frantically to keep my husband alive. They'd cut away his shirt completely now, revealing the full extent of his injuries. The wound in his abdomen wasn't as deep as I'd feared, but the chest wound—it was a different story altogether."Left hemothorax," the paramedic muttered. "Need to decompress."I watched in horror as they inserted a large needle between Alejandro's ribs. Blood gushed out immediately, filling a collection bag."What's happening?" I demanded."Blood's filling his chest cavity, compressing on his
Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 210: To the Death
He yanked the makeshift blade free and shoved Alejandro toward me with such force that we both crashed onto the wooden planks of the dock. I barely registered the pain through my ankle as I caught Alejandro's limp body."No, no, no," I sobbed, cradling him against me. His eyes fluttered, struggling to focus on my face as blood bubbled from his lips."Est...ella," he managed, each syllable a battle."Don't talk," I begged, pressing one hand against the stomach wound while frantically trying to stem the bleeding from his chest with the other. It was too much—too much blood, too many wounds.Marco staggered to the boat, his own strength clearly waning. He tossed the bloodied metal shard into the water and began fumbling with the ropes that secured the craft to the dock. His movements were clumsy, his injuries making the simple task laborious."Pressure," Alejandro whispered, his voice so faint I barely heard it. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, staining his ashen lips crimso
Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 209: Blood for Blood
We dove behind a heavy chest of drawers just as the explosion tore through the room. The blast was deafening, sending splinters of wood and plaster raining down on us. Dust filled up the air in the room.Through the ringing in my ears, I heard movement—Marco is making his escape in the confusion. I struggled to my feet, eyes stinging from the dust, and saw a shadow moving toward the far windows."Alejandro," I croaked, pointing.He was already up, blood trickling from another cut on his temple where debris had struck him. Together, we staggered through the devastated room toward the windows.Marco had reached what appeared to be a balcony beyond the shattered glass. As we emerged into the clean night air, I saw his plan—a rope, hastily secured to the balcony railing, leading down to the ground below. Near the edge of the property, barely visible in dark of the night was a small dock with what looked like a speedboat tied up."Stop!" Alejandro shouted, raising his gun.Marco turned, hi
