After he hung up the phone, Kent didn't continue to dwell on my apartment-hunting problem. He raised an eyebrow and said. "Do as you wish. Once you find a place, let me know."Then he walked away.Perhaps to him, it didn't matter where I lived, considering he could find me wherever, whenever he wanted.I shook my head; the current situation was a bit complicated, with matters yet to be settled. I didn't have time to clarify our relationship.I decided to find a place to live first.This neighborhood was filled with high-rise buildings, mainly housing white-collar workers, so there were plenty of apartments for rent.By the afternoon, I had found one—a two-bedroom apartment, free of clutter with reasonable cleanliness, for a monthly rent of 500 dollars, which was within my affordability.I promptly signed the rental agreement. When I was about to call Emilia to tell her about it, she beat me to it:"Sammy, something happened!""What's up?""I just saw the news; Jewel Group's shares ha
That night, I had nowhere to sleep, so I took a taxi back to Emilia's to stay.But before I could even get out of the car, I received a phone call.The number wasn't saved in my contacts, but it was one I knew all too well.Upon answering, I was met with the coarse voice of Henry Caine, bellowing at me:"Samantha, have some shame! It's bad enough that you slept with someone before marriage, but you're a part of the Long family now. What's this I hear about you flirting with other men?" This has always been his anthem, so I wasn't moved by his words but just kept a straight face waiting for him to get done. "How dare you, Samantha? You now stay with your lover; you are a slut just like your mother!"His harsh words still bit hard without fear. I clenched my phone tighter, forcing myself to keep my emotions in check. I retorted coldly:"Dad, don't talk about my mom like that; she had nothing to do with this.""Bastard! Do you dare talk back at me? If your useless mother hadn't died, a
It was past 3 pm, and I was busy prepping ingredients for dinner when I heard my phone ringing. I rushed out to pick, thinking it was the delivery guy."Hello," I answered immediately. Jared's voice filled the receiver, cold as ever and devoid of any affection."Don't wait up for me," I heard him spit out. I was about to ask what he was up to when he hung up on me.I don't even know why I bother with him anymore; we have been this way since the very first day of this prison called marriage, but it still hurts each time he gives me a cold shoulder.I was confused, wondering what to do since he wasn't even going to be home for the special dinner I was prepping.But then an insane idea popped into my head. I knew it was a terrible idea, one I would pay dearly for, but it was his birthday, and he deserved some special homemade meal.Dropping the phone on the counter, I quickly rushed into the kitchen to whip up something really quick for him. I made his favorite creamy pasta and some cho
I woke up a few days later only to realize that I was on the hospital bed, bruised in many places more than I can count.Dad will always say, "You better die a Long than to live as a Steele." He almost got what he wanted. "Thank God you are okay," I heard Emily's voice from behind with a loud thud; she dropped the bag she was holding and ran to hug me. "Ouch," I cried out in pain."Sorry, sorry, I'm sorry. Thank God you are fine," she said, drying the tears that formed in her eyes.She informed the nurses that I was awake, and the doctor came around to run a check on me. "She will be alright, no major concussion; she should be out of here in weeks." "Thank you, doctor," she said as he walked out of the room. "Did Jared come to see me?" I asked Emily. "You should focus on your health first, honey, please," she begged, gently patting my hand.I forced a smile; she kissed my forehead, smiling when Dad walked in."Mr. Caine, Mrs. Caine," Emilia greeted, faking a smile. Immediately s
It has been Six months after the divorce and the accident, I decided to move on with my life. I was working as one of the directors at Emerald Events, a company that does event management.I recently brought back a contract worth five million dollars from Kentucky; my boss, Louisa, has treated me as a big contributor to the company. After lavishing me with rewards, she even gave me a seven-day vacation, adding it up with my annual leave.I finalized my divorce a couple of months ago; ever since that incident at his house, I had never set eyes on that bastard. Even while in divorce proceedings, he just sent his lawyer to settle things like I was some rag he was too eager to discard.I thought letting the case drag on for long would make him realize and maybe come back to me, but I was just delusional.Jared never had any sort of feelings towards me; for all I know, this charade called marriage was only a transaction to him.I was packing up my stuff to leave for my vacation. "Knock kn
I was enjoying the night; it was the best night ever since I married and divorced Jared. I was glad I attended the party. It was the first time someone was putting that witch in her place.Once it comes to her disgrace, I would always take the front row any day, any time.I turned to see those deep eyes looking at me, and with the roll of his Adam's apple, the thrilling moment of that night felt like a film replaying before my eyes. I can't help but tense my legs.He is just like a dose of venom, always waiting for me to fall into an irrevocable abyss.Leila was embarrassed, her gaze at me even more malicious. But she refrained from saying anything further and clung to his arm awkwardly.Probably unable to tolerate her, he excused himself to go back to the dance floor. This time she did not follow him. As his figure completely vanished, her ladylike demeanor instantly collapsed. She furiously looked down on me and scolded:"Samantha, have you no shame? You have been with numerous men
It felt like my tender heart was being grated by a thin wire, making my body tremble with pain. I felt lightheaded, unable to move, and couldn't comprehend what was happening. My breathing pace increased; I was slowly losing it. I hate remembering that painful night; I always end up having a panic attack each time I remember it. But today was worse, what Leila said must have triggered it and also made it worse. I staggered back and rested on the wall. My gaze fell on Jared who was busy speaking with some guests. He smirked at me, his gaze hinted a faint sense of amusement yet his eyes were cold. I felt a cold shiver run through my body and I froze, scared out of my mind. I heard the door of the bathroom open, I turned and my eyes met Kent's eyes, His brows furrowed. "Are you blacking out?" He asked. But I was in no position to talk, hence I was just looking at him. "Come with me," he said as he led me outside, and I quietly obeyed him without making a fuss. I sat
"pass the book" "Do you have to go? Spend the vacation here; I promise I will make it worth it," Emilia begged, making baby faces at me. If I hadn't known her, I would have fallen for that, but not anymore; I wish to go as far away from New York as possible. After the banquet drama at the Longs Hotel, I made up my mind to leave and get away from New York. "You will be busy with work; besides, you don't want to get on Eloise's bad side." I smiled, taking the book out of her hand. "Uuugh, I should quit my job. Will you stay then?""That won't work either." I zipped my suitcase while she fell on the bed, making a fuss. "Now, we are all parked," I said, smiling heartily. "Promise me you would call me every day." "I will call you every single minute until you get tired of my calls." I hugged her tightly. "You better," she hugged me tightly like I was leaving already. "I will come to drop you off tomorrow then," she announced, checking the time. She took her bag and car keys and t
That night, I had nowhere to sleep, so I took a taxi back to Emilia's to stay.But before I could even get out of the car, I received a phone call.The number wasn't saved in my contacts, but it was one I knew all too well.Upon answering, I was met with the coarse voice of Henry Caine, bellowing at me:"Samantha, have some shame! It's bad enough that you slept with someone before marriage, but you're a part of the Long family now. What's this I hear about you flirting with other men?" This has always been his anthem, so I wasn't moved by his words but just kept a straight face waiting for him to get done. "How dare you, Samantha? You now stay with your lover; you are a slut just like your mother!"His harsh words still bit hard without fear. I clenched my phone tighter, forcing myself to keep my emotions in check. I retorted coldly:"Dad, don't talk about my mom like that; she had nothing to do with this.""Bastard! Do you dare talk back at me? If your useless mother hadn't died, a
After he hung up the phone, Kent didn't continue to dwell on my apartment-hunting problem. He raised an eyebrow and said. "Do as you wish. Once you find a place, let me know."Then he walked away.Perhaps to him, it didn't matter where I lived, considering he could find me wherever, whenever he wanted.I shook my head; the current situation was a bit complicated, with matters yet to be settled. I didn't have time to clarify our relationship.I decided to find a place to live first.This neighborhood was filled with high-rise buildings, mainly housing white-collar workers, so there were plenty of apartments for rent.By the afternoon, I had found one—a two-bedroom apartment, free of clutter with reasonable cleanliness, for a monthly rent of 500 dollars, which was within my affordability.I promptly signed the rental agreement. When I was about to call Emilia to tell her about it, she beat me to it:"Sammy, something happened!""What's up?""I just saw the news; Jewel Group's shares ha
The car seat had already been flattened into a bed by him. After he finished speaking, he lay down next to me, his body close to mine. I could feel his body temperature, and my heartbeat quickened for a moment."Well, hurry up then," I said. After saying this, I felt my face burning, probably as red as a ripe tomato. I simply closed my eyes, prepared to bear the force he wanted to give me.But Kent seemed not to be in any hurry. He just gently stroked my skin with his hand, which sported a few blisters.This gentle motion lasted for quite some time and finally halted at my private triangle and then stopped moving.I couldn't help but open my eyes to look at him. His eyes seemed even more perplexed than mine. He was staring at my body. Seeing me looking at him, he did not pull his hand away. Instead, he boldly explored deeper into me.In his eyes, there was a distinct naughty smirk:"Sammy, why do I still feel a strange sense of familiarity with you? Did we have a remarkable love af
My words were fatally wounding. I could hear the sound of something fragile being shattered on the other end of the phone. Leila roared at me:"Bitch, you worn-out shoe, picked up by someone, how could Kent possibly like you! You must have used some despicable methods to seduce him!" She yelled at me. "So what if I did? As long as he likes me, isn't that all that matters, unlike someone that I know?""Don’t celebrate too early! Just wait; I will make you pay!" she warned. "Bring it on; I look forward to it."I hung up the phone before she did, my mood plunging deeper:Kent was right; the video was leaked by Leila, not Jared.But for me, there's no difference anymore. They are both bad fruits that sprung from the same tree“I’m sorry for dragging you into this.” I apologized. “What do you mean dragging me into this?”"Bringing you along with me... You lost face..."My voice was low; regardless of how much I tried to control it, the sorrowful emotions still leaked out.He just laugh
After Kent sat down, Ben spontaneously took the front passenger seat. Opening a bottle of water, he handed it over to Kent. "Nice one. You'd even dare to star in a minor film just to make a name for yourself! Such a sensational performance! Do your parents know what a sterling actor you are?"Kent looked particularly annoyed and directly threw his cell phone at him:"Use this time to investigate this person for me."Hearing this, I immediately buried my face in my knees. Without a doubt, the video Jared had just exposed was now being shown to another man right in front of my eyes… I felt utterly humiliated.Emilia hugged me and gave Ben a powerful punch on the head: "Don't look!""Don't look at what? This? There's nothing in here... only this man is left. Kent, your speed is too fast; it seems like you often surf the web.You've 'shopped' the woman out so quickly."Hearing this, I looked up in shock. Indeed, there was no video left on the cellphone, only a blurry picture of a man's b
Upon hearing this, a few journalists with sensitive reactions couldn't help but burst into laughter. As for me, I was stunned like a chicken, petrified on the spot. Jared's face turned uglier than ever.This meant that Kent not only publicly admitted that he slept with his wife, making him a cuckold, but now he also wanted to play innocent after taking advantage.He was asking Jared to help him investigate this matter.It sounded crazy, and honestly, I have never seen such a shameless person.Jared kept his face and said nothing, which led Kent to provoke further:"So, does Mr. Long not want to help out in this case? Is it because of fear or lack of confidence?""Or, could it be that you know the person who did it? Too familiar to take action?""Could it be... that person is you?"After a standoff of glances, Jared finally reacted, rolling up his sleeves and replying:"Mr. Miller, you're overthinking. This case involves the reputation of my wife. Of course, I will see it through. The
The cynical gleam in Kent's eyes swept around the crowd before he finally let me go,simultaneously pulling out his phone to start a video. The familiar dim darkness flooded over me once more.It felt as though my already shattered dignity, trampled into oblivion, was being trodden on once again.Suddenly, things started to spin, and I felt a tug as Kent caught me just as I was about to fall. He held me close to him, raising his phone in the other hand, and asked,"Any media outlet willing to take responsibility for their words and actions? Please step forward.”The reporters exchanged glances, hesitant. After a brief period of uncertainty, a woman from the front was propelled forward,But she didn't appear thrilled to get the first-hand scoop. Instead, she was shivering visibly with fright, her hand trembling as she held the microphone.Rather Kent, pulling me to the front, smilingly said,"Agreed, you'll report the truth. If you slander and defame, you could end up behind bars.""Un
Numerous reporters surrounded Jared Microphones eagerly pushed to his face, asking if our appearance here was due to an affair leading to divorce, the other asked if we were here to get our divorce papers processed.Some even claimed to have confirmed his yes-answers on their own, spitefully spat on me, and called me a cheap whore, saying the divorce would still be a deal in my favor...Jared turned a deaf ear to these outer voices, he gently removed his coat and draped it over me to cover the stains and disgrace on my body. Leaning towards my ear, he asked:"Have you made up your mind yet?"I was shaking uncontrollably, disgusted by the man in front of me who recklessly calculated and manipulated situations, to his advantage. To slap me with one hand and feed me with sweets from the other, he just wanted to convey to me,That he could crush me as easily as an ant. Without lifting a finger. His hands, wearing thin white leather gloves, gently held my shoulder, his movements were
Jared, you are truly despicable.The trending topics in the new media were almost inundated with posts about my scandal. It was not even an hour since it was posted, and the views had already surpassed a million.The comments were full of harsh accusations against me!People were mercilessly tearing into me. Every comment was sympathetically lamenting over Jared, the most renowned young CEO in the city and from a distinguished lineage, contrasting how he was humiliated by such a shameless harlot like me.There were also disgusting profanities, with people even insinuating that I was some second-rate starlet causing scandal. There were those even brazen enough to ask for my contact information to ‘have a chat’…Every single comment received over ten thousand upvotes, and the view count was skyrocketing.I had only read a few comments, and in that short span, the view count increased by another million. A new wave of nasty comments flooded the screen again, piercing my vulnerable nerve