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9: The Rules of Engagement
Last Updated:
2024-11-21 05:02:48
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Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 10: Uneasy Coexistence
This house is like a soundproof prison. I kept to my room mostly, the bruises still ached, and my bandaged head. Alejandro and I barely saw each other, but when we did, we barely speak.I kept myself busy—or tried to. The loneliness clawed at me, relentless, and the lingering pain from the accident didn’t help. My head still throbbed faintly, and every step reminded me of wounds that had yet to heal. I told myself I was fine, but I knew I was lying to myself.It happened in the hallway. One second I was walking, and the next, the walls blurred and tilted. I reached out for something to steady myself but found nothing.The floor was cold against my cheek when I heard his voice.“Estella!” Alejandro was there in an instant, his hands on my shoulders. His face, usually so composed, was etched with alarm.I tried to wave him off, but my arm felt like lead. “I’m fine—““You’re not fine.” He scooped me up without waiting for an argument. His arms were strong, steady, and warm in a way that
Last Updated : 2024-11-22Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 11:It Was Not An Accident
We were halfway through dinner when Alejandro set down his fork and leaned back in his chair. I knew whatever he was about to say would be bad. I didn’t look up. I’d been swirling the same bite of food around my plate for the past ten minutes, pretending I had an appetite.“There’s been a development”.I looked up from my plate. “What kind of development?”He tapped his fingers against the edge of the table. “The truck driver. They caught him.”For a second, I felt a flicker of hope, but it died just as quickly when I caught the way his jaw tightened. “And?Alejandro exhaled, his frustration evident. “His name was Ramon Ortega. He used to work for the Valdez family. He was Marco’s late father’s driver for years before his passing.”The fork slipped from my hand, clattering loudly against the plate. “So I was right, it wasn’t an accident.”“No,” he said. “It was deliberate.”The room tilted slightly, like the air had been sucked out of it. My hands gripped the edge of the table, my kn
Last Updated : 2024-11-22Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 12: The Faux Marriage Begins
Hotel De Luca was Alejandro’s pride, a sprawling luxury building towering over the skyline. It was also my cage for the evening. The moment we stepped inside the marble lobby, I felt out of place, like a cheap trinket in a glass case of priceless jewels Alejandro had spared no expense, but that was typical. The hotel was his, the event meticulously planned by his staff. This was his world. I adjusted the hem of my dress for what felt like the hundredth time. The ivory fabric clung to my frame, elegant, with a high neckline that I hoped would shield me from prying eyes. Alejandro stood beside me, typing something furiously on his phone. He didn’t even glance at me. He only looked up to help me out of the car. “Do we really have to do this?” he muttered as we entered the lobby. “Yes,” I said, forcing a smile for the bellboys holding the doors open. “This will drive him insane.” Alejandro sighed, shaking his head. “You’re a strategist, Estella, but you underestimate how much
Last Updated : 2024-11-23Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 13: Uninvited Guests
“Out of my way! Do you have any idea who I am?!” Every head turned. My stomach dropped as I saw her—regal in the worst way, with her pristine pearl suit and a face twisted in fury. Security was scrambling to hold her back, but she bulldozed through them like a woman possessed Behind her, Marco stumbled in, looking less like the polished businessman I once knew and more like an unhinged, sweaty mess. His suit jacket half hanging off his shoulders “Oh my God,” I muttered. Alejandro stiffened beside me, his jaw flexing as he ordered , “Stay close.” “Oh, don’t mind me!” Helena spat, her voice cutting through the murmurs of the crowd. “I just came to witness this little farce for myself. A sham wedding for a shameless woman!” She pointed at me like I was the plague, and I could feel the heat of a hundred eyes turning in my direction. “Mrs. Valdez,” Alejandro started, his voice cold and steady, but Helena was already charging ahead. “This gold-digger! This whore who ruined my
Last Updated : 2024-11-23Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 14: Adjusting to Married Life
The car ride back to Alejandro’s house was pure chaos—chaos fueled by laughter. Real, uninhibited laughter.“I can’t get over it,” I gasped, leaning back in the seat. “Helena, screaming at security, shouting ‘Do you know who I am?’ like that would magically stop them from tossing her out.”Alejandro smirked, his fingers tapping casually on the steering wheel. “The best part was Marco tripping over his own feet and crashing into the table.”“Did you see Helena’s face?” I gasped, clutching my stomach. “She looked like she’d swallowed a lemon when he fell.”I burst out laughing again, picturing Marco’s face covered in buttercream, flailing like a deranged toddler. “Imagine the tabloids tomorrow. ‘Valdez Matriarch Causes Scene at Ex Daughter in Law’s Wedding’”“Their stocks will take a hit,” Alejandro said, his voice quiet but smug.“Good,” I replied, wiping a tear from the corner of my eye. “They deserve it.”As we pulled up to his house—our house—I felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
Last Updated : 2024-11-24Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 15: Claudia’s Scheme
Marco sat on the edge of his couch, the glow of his phone illuminating his face. He was scrolling—no, swiping—through pictures of Alejandro and Estella’s wedding. His thumb paused on a shot of Estella stepping out of the car, her dress catching the light just right. She looked composed, regal even, but Marco’s blood boiled because he knew that smile was real. Alejandro stood beside her, his hand on her back like she belonged to him.Another picture. Estella laughing at something Alejandro said. Another. Alejandro bending slightly to whisper in her ear.Estella was supposed to only look at him like that. She was supposed to be his—yet here she was, practically glowing next to a man who clearly worshipped her“Still drooling over your ex-wife? How pathetic,” Claudia’s voice came behind him as she stepped into the room, her stiletto clicking against the floor.Marco didn’t turn, didn’t respond. He took a long swig from the whiskey bottle in his hand, his eyes still glued to the screen.S
Last Updated : 2024-11-25Till 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 : 2024-11-26
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Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 147: Washed Ashore
Third Person POV"Paolo, you're going to scare away all the fish with your complaining!" Maria Ricci swatted her husband's arm, her weathered hand connecting with surprising force for a woman in her sixties.Paolo Ricci scowled, adjusting his faded cap against the morning sun. "Woman, I've been fishing these waters for fifty years. I know what I'm talking about." He gestured toward the dark clouds gathering on the horizon. "Storm's coming. We should head back.""We just got here!" Maria protested, reaching for another piece of bait. "The nets are barely wet."Their small fishing boat rocked gently on the Mediterranean waves, five miles off the coast of their village, Porto Manarola. They'd been married for forty-six years, and every morning for the last twenty—since Paolo's retirement—they'd taken this boat out together."The nets are empty again." Paolo spat over the side of the weathered fishing boat, his leathery face creased with frustration. "Third day this week. Something's wron
Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 146: No More Hope
Alejandro Three hours later, we're back at the field office. Marco's in surgery, his chances are slim to none. Claudia is in interrogation, and from what I can see through the one-way glass, she’s breaking. Mascara streaks down her tear-streaked face as she sobs her way through her confession to Rivera.I don’t feel satisfaction.I don’t feel anything.Rivera leans in. “It was Marco’s plan, wasn’t it?”Claudia nods frantically. “Yes—yes, all of it. He was obsessed with destroying her and getting revenge on Alejandro.”Rivera pushes harder. “The plane. Tell me all you know about the plane.”Claudia swipes at her wet cheeks, inhaling shakily. “It was Torres—he’s the one who actually did the work. The navigation system, the fail-safe, everything. It was meant to go down over the ocean.”"And Estella De Luca?"Claudia's face crumples and her breath stutters. "We need to know," Rivera's voice carries through the speakers, "was there any possibility of survival?"Claudia hesitates, then
Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 145: The Truth Comes Out
---The private airfield glows under spotlights. Federal vehicles surround the perimeter. No chances of escape this time."They're still here," Calloway confirms, lowering binoculars. "The jet is on the tarmac. Two subjects moving equipment."I strain to see through the darkness. "Claudia and Marco?""Looks like it.” Calloway confirms. “They've got no idea we're here."Rivera stands nearby, giving the final instructions to the tactical team. “We want them alive. They might be our only chance to find out what really happened to Mrs. De Luca.”I check my own weapon. No one comments on a civilian being armed. The Bureau has long since given up trying to contain me. Some battles aren't worth fighting."Ready?" Rivera asks.I nod. I am beyond ready.The moment we move, the airfield erupts.Engines roar as tactical vehicles tear across the tarmac. Spotlights blind. Megaphones blare out commands.“FBI! HANDS IN THE AIR!”Claudia stops mid-step at the base of the jet’s stairs, her hands shoot
Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 144: The Interrogation
The motel is a shithole on the edge of town, the kind of place where people come to disappear—sometimes permanently. Yellow crime scene tape flutters in the night breeze, barely keeping the stench of rot and drug inside. Local cops mill around, throwing irritated glances at the federal agents invading their territory.I push past them all. Nobody tries to stop me.The room stinks of cheap whiskey and death. Carlos Ramos lies sprawled on the bed, a gaping hole where the back of his head used to be, blood splattered against the peeling wallpaper. The gun is still clutched in his stiff fingers."Don't touch anything," Rivera warns, too late.I'm already moving, scanning the room. "Where's the note?"A detective points to a plastic evidence bag on the nightstand. Inside, a cheap hotel notepad with three words scrawled in shaky handwriting:I’m sorry, Carlos.I snatch the bag, turning it over in my hands. The ink is smudged, the strokes uneven. Writing under duress. Fear.“Sorry for what?”
Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 143: A Lead
The church is packed. Black designer suits and dresses. Photographers lining the street. I ignore them all, striding through the doors in jeans and a rumpled shirt, a month's worth of beard on my face.The service has already started. A priest drones on about loss and heaven. Empty words over an empty casket.Every head turns when I walk in. Whispers ripple through the crowd. The great Alejandro De Luca, finally broken.I don't give a fuck what they think."Mr. De Luca," the male agent says, extending his hand. I ignore it. He cleared his throat “ I am Agent Calloway and this is my partner Agent Rivera.”"You're taking a chunk of my time. Talk."They exchange glances. "We should discuss this privately."I push past them to a small building outside the church. They follow, closing the door behind them."We have reason to believe Marco Valdez was involved in sabotaging your wife's plane," Calloway says.My blood runs cold, then hot. "Tell me something I don't already know.""We found of
Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 142: The Fall of Alejandro de Luca
Alejandro One Month LaterI slam my fist into the wall, pain shooting up my arm. I welcome it. Anything to feel something other than this fucking hole in my chest.The TV drones on in the background, some society reporter standing outside the church where they're burying a goddamn empty casket. _"...the tragic death of Estella De Luca has shocked the business world. Sources close to the family say her husband, billionaire Alejandro De Luca, is too overcome with grief to attend today's service..."_I grab the remote and hurl it at the screen. Glass shatters, sparks fly. The sudden silence is almost worse.Someone knocks. I ignore it.The door opens anyway. Raúl. "Boss," he says quietly, stepping over broken furniture. My office looks like a war zone. "The funeral's starting. People are asking where you are."I don't turn to face him. My eyes remain fixed on the city skyline through floor-to-ceiling windows. Somewhere out there, she's alive. I feel it in my fucking bones."Let them
Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 141: The Fall
EstellaThe private jet climbs higher into the sky, each mile taking me further from him, stretching the distance between us. Between me and the only man I have ever truly loved.I press my forehead against the cool window, watching as everything disappears beneath the clouds. Somewhere down there, I know he’s still standing on that airstrip, watching this plane carry his heart away. I wonder if he regrets it. If he wants to take it all back.My fingers trace the edge of his letter, still sealed. I couldn’t bring myself to open it yet."Ms De Luca?" The flight attendant appears with a gentle smile. "Would you like some water? We have about four hours until we reach the Amalfi Coast."Four hours. In four hours, I'll be in a foreign country, alone except for the two security men Alejandro insisted on sending with me. They sit several rows ahead."No, thank you." My voice sounds strange to my own ears.The cabin is quiet except for the hum of the engine. A middle aged businessman types o
Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 140: Flight Into the Unknown
Estella I stare at the open suitcase on my bed which stared right back at me, my clothes neatly folded but still not packed. My hands won’t move. How do you pack for running away? What do you take when you're leaving everything behind?My hand drifts to my stomach before I can stop it. "Still not done?" Clara appears in the doorway, arms crossed. "The car will be here in an hour."she reminds me, but I hear what she’s really saying in her mind. You can still change your mind. "I'm almost finished." I tell her as I fold the same shirt for the third time. "Just double-checking everything."She sighs and moves to sit beside me, shoving the shirt away. “You know you don’t have to do this.”"Clara-""I mean it." She grabs my hands, forcing me to look at her. "Please stay. I’m sure we can figure something else out. Alejandro-""Will die trying to protect me." The words were bitter in my throat. “You know that's what'll happen if I stay. Marco won't stop. He’ll use me as bait, hostage to
Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak 139: The Trap Is Set
Third person pov Vincent stepped into the penthouse study, his military training evident in the way he scanned every corner. His eyes caught on Marco by the window, on the shattered glass by the wall, on Claudia's tense posture."Sit." Marco didn't turn from the window.Vincent ignored the order and remained standing. "I don't take commands from-""Ramos." Marco cut him off. "Carlos Ramos. That's your old war buddy, right? The one flying private charters now?"Vincent's face hardened. "How do you-""You had three tours together." Marco finally turned. "In Afghanistan. Special ops. You were both decorated for bravery, then you got out and joined the private sector.” His gaze flicked to Vincent’s gun holster. “Now you babysit billionaire leftovers while he flies them to safety.”Claudia flinched at 'leftovers' but kept her eyes on the screen. More flight data scrolled past."What do you want?"Marco's smile grew. "I want you to make a call. Tell your old buddy you've got a good juicy o
