The boy I secretly admire encounters his ex-girlfriend, the school beauty. I have no intention of competing with the school beauty for him, so I plan to step back. Little did I know, the next moment he actually does...
The boy I secretly admire encounters his ex-girlfriend, the school beauty. I have no intention of competing with the school beauty for him, so I plan to step back. Little did I know, the next moment he actually does...
A light drizzle fell outside, and I was in the kitchen making sushi for the guy I liked, a dish I had just learned how to make.
Cooked shrimp, thinly sliced cucumber, and a fluffy omelette were neatly arranged on a plate, and the air was filled with a pleasant aroma.
My phone buzzed with a text message.
With one hand occupied, I used my free hand to open the message from Alec Griffiths, "Sorry, Rosanna, something came up, and I can't make it to the movie tonight. You'll still need to go feed Muffin for me."
I replied, "Okay."
A single tear fell onto my fingers.
This was supposed to be our first date after our cold war.
But once again, it ended without a resolution. I couldn't even describe how I felt at that moment.
I didn't know what could be so important. He didn't explain, and I didn't ask.
Besides, I didn't have the right to ask. I wasn't in a position to.
I thought that, sooner or later, we would break through that awkward barrier!
But Alec still hadn't given me the confession I was waiting for.
Kathryn, one of my colleagues, called while I was at Alec's place, feeding Muffin.
Muffin was a dog-one that Alec had raised with his ex-girlfriend, the one he had always held dear. I wasn't fond of animals, but for Alec's sake, I tolerated it.
Muffin was doing well; he's a dog that could be trained and become quite tame.
A few months ago, when Alec went on a business trip, he left the spare key to his apartment with me.
Since then, I had been coming over to help clean his apartment and feed Muffin. Occasionally, I would cook meals for Alec, waiting for him to return so we could eat together.
Kathryn asked me about work, but then her tone turned serious. "Rosanna, I heard Linsey's been transferred to our department."
I stopped petting Muffin and froze for a moment, quickly asking, "Wasn't she promoted to supervisor in Brighton City? Why did she choose to come back?"
"Yeah, she chose to return as a supervisor, too. She'll be our new boss. Not sure if that's a good thing or not," Kathryn said casually.
The few words she said carried so much weight. I couldn't stay calm.
Linsey Roberts was the student council president and the most popular girl in our high school.
More importantly, she was Alec's first love. They had been together for two years in college.
Back then, Alec and I were in the same Math class. If you had to find a connection between us, it was probably just that we sat near each other.
We sat in front and behind each other, while Linsey and Alec were seated together as partners.
I often saw Linsey looking at Alec in class, her eyes full of admiration.
In truth, Alec wasn't that handsome. He was just tall, good at basketball, and one of the top students in our grade.
As for his personality, he wasn't competitive and treated everyone the same.
Later, the three of us ended up at the same university.
I had secretly liked Alec for six years. I couldn't even remember when he first entered my heart.
Maybe it was when he patiently explained a problem to me, or when he effortlessly fixed my computer. Or maybe it was earlier...
But that didn't matter. In our second year of university, Alec and Linsey became a couple.
I naively thought someone like him, so indifferent, wouldn't start dating too early. But as it turned out, men were all the same; they couldn't resist a beautiful face.
When I found out they were dating, I deliberately distanced myself from both Alec and Linsey.
But, of course, Linsey and I lived in the same dorm, and although we weren't particularly close, I could still hear her talk about Alec with our other roommates.
Linsey often said that Alec was perfect-he would buy her breakfast in the morning, remembering her favorite flavors, and when she was upset, he would let her vent without ever getting angry.
Every time I heard her talk about those sweet moments, it felt like a heavy stone was crushing my chest. It hurt to breathe.
I was both envious and jealous. Several times, I had to make an excuse to leave halfway through their conversations.
I spent two difficult years like that, still unable to forget Alec, even as graduation loomed.
Of course, Alec and Linsey couldn't escape the breakup curse that seemed to come with graduation. That summer, Linsey resolutely moved to Brighton City.
Alec was left behind with Muffin, trying to heal from the breakup.
During that time, I often came over to keep Alec company, watching him drown his sorrows in alcohol as he went through the hardest days of his life.
Maybe Alec was touched by my presence. After he pulled himself together, I could tell that he started to treat me differently than he did others.
Then, he gave me the key to his place.
To me, that key was a silent confirmation of my place in his life. He hadn't confessed, but it felt like I now had a way in, didn't it?
Now, I realized I might have been fooling myself. Maybe the signals I picked up were just my own wishful thinking. In reality, he didn't treat me any differently.
Alec appeared to have moved on from his previous relationship, but in reality, he remained distant, never allowing anyone to truly get close to him.
Well, the reason for our last fight was enough to prove how perfectly my analysis matched reality.
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
**Mature Content!** "I'm so sorry, Mr. Lawson, you can marry my daughter Marga but Sabrina is an exception." "Why? She's your daughter I thought you and my parents had already arranged this marriage. And I choose Sabrina. I won't marry anyone but Sabrina." "Then why Sabrina?" "Let's say that Sabrina and I have a special thing back then," Gabriel said with a little smile. Ferdinand frowned and was curious. "Well, she might deny it." Sabrina Mondragon Alvarez – is a mute rich woman. She's an introvert and hated getting along with rich people who always talk about senseless stuff. She was bullied by socialite but never they knew that behind that innocent-looking woman hides a strong and powerful aura. Being quiet doesn't mean weak but is something more dangerous than anything. Silence would lead all of her enemies to one place that can also be called danger. Soon, she'll have them in the place that she's secretly reserving for those who made her life and family miserable. She said to be someone who can't speak not until he came and chose her to be his wife. Gabriel Lawson - a rich powerful tycoon with a strong background. He fell in love with the woman he had a one night stand with and chose her to be his wife. He would do anything for her. And for those people who hurt her--they must pay a thousand folds.
"Lucien, let's get a divorce," I said in a peremptory tone that was long overdue, the most decisive farewell to this absurd marriage. We had been married for exactly three years-three years that, for me, were filled with nothing but endless loneliness and torment. For three years, the husband who should have stood by my side through every storm, Lucien Sullivan, had completely disappeared from my life as if he had never existed. He vanished without a trace, leaving me alone to endure this empty, desolate marriage. Today, I finally received his message: "I'm back. Come pick me up at the airport." When I read his words, my heart leapt with joy, and I raced to the airport, thinking that he finally understood my love and was coming back to me. But his cruelty was far worse than I could have ever imagined-he was accompanied by a pregnant woman, and that woman was Carla, my closest and most trusted friend. In that moment, all of my previous excitement, all my hope, and all of our shared laughter and tears turned into the sharpest of daggers, stabbing into my heart and leaving me gasping for air. Now, all I want is to escape from this place that has left me so broken-to lick my wounds in solitude. Even if these wounds will remain with me for the rest of my life, I refuse to have anything to do with him ever again. He should know that it was his own hand that trampled our love underfoot, that his coldness and betrayal created this irreparable situation. But when he heard those words, he desperately clung to this broken, crumbling marriage, unwilling to let it end-almost as though doing so could rewind time and return everything to how it used to be. "Aurora, come back. I regret everything!" Regret? Those simple words stirred no emotion in me-only endless sadness and fury. My heart let out a frantic, desperate scream: It's too late for any of this!
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it all-from standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didn't return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachel's terminal illness and realized she didn't have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."
I was the anchor for my tech billionaire husband, Killian-the only person who could ground his chaotic soul. But when my brother was dying, Killian gave the life-saving funds to his mistress for a multi-million dollar cat sanctuary. After my brother died, he left me bleeding in a car wreck to save her. The final betrayal came when I tried to file for divorce and discovered our entire marriage was a lie, the certificate a carefully crafted forgery. He had built my world on a foundation of deceit to ensure I could never leave, never have anything of my own. So I called the one man I'd rejected years ago and began my plan to burn his empire to the ground.
I got pregnant with our second child when my husband's ex-love returned. I didn't take it as a threat until Christian took our firstborn Zeon to enjoy the romantic candlelight dinner with Celine. They were more like a happy family together while I was the third wheel in their lives. This made me fear for the baby in my womb. I don't want to lose her either. So, I asked for a divorce and Christian didn't hold me back. I thought, now all will be right, until, three years later, one stormy night, my ex-husband appeared at my door. *** "Veronica, don't ever try to leave me again. You're MINE!"
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