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My Cheating Ex's Ultimatum Backfired

My Cheating Ex's Ultimatum Backfired

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For years, I was the perfect girlfriend, funding my boyfriend Carlton' s startup with my own money. My role was simple: be supportive, unseen, and unheard while his childhood friend, Brande, claimed the space by his side that should have been mine. On the way to a tech conference that could make his career, I saw the brutal truth I' d been denying. There, on Brande' s neck, was a fresh, dark hickey. She was curled up in his lap, her hand on his thigh, and he stroked her hair as if it were the most natural thing in the world. When I finally reacted, he called me harsh and told me to be the bigger person. Later, when I wore a dress he deemed "too much," he gave me an ultimatum. "If you walk out that door in that dress, we're done." My love, my money, my support-it was all just fuel for his ambition and their affair. I was a fool. A well-funded, supportive fool. But as I sat in the back, pushed into a corner, my shoulder bumped against his step-brother, the cold, powerful investor Harvey Hurst. And fueled by a reckless wave of defiance, I didn't pull away. Instead, I leaned into him, and for the first time in a long time, I made a decision that was all my own.

Contents

Chapter 1

For years, I was the perfect girlfriend, funding my boyfriend Carlton' s startup with my own money. My role was simple: be supportive, unseen, and unheard while his childhood friend, Brande, claimed the space by his side that should have been mine.

On the way to a tech conference that could make his career, I saw the brutal truth I' d been denying. There, on Brande' s neck, was a fresh, dark hickey.

She was curled up in his lap, her hand on his thigh, and he stroked her hair as if it were the most natural thing in the world. When I finally reacted, he called me harsh and told me to be the bigger person.

Later, when I wore a dress he deemed "too much," he gave me an ultimatum.

"If you walk out that door in that dress, we're done."

My love, my money, my support-it was all just fuel for his ambition and their affair. I was a fool. A well-funded, supportive fool.

But as I sat in the back, pushed into a corner, my shoulder bumped against his step-brother, the cold, powerful investor Harvey Hurst. And fueled by a reckless wave of defiance, I didn't pull away. Instead, I leaned into him, and for the first time in a long time, I made a decision that was all my own.

Chapter 1

Erin Calhoun POV:

The space beside my boyfriend should have been mine, but like most things in our relationship, it had been claimed by Brande Curtis.

I sat in the back of the spacious SUV, my knees pressed against a stack of Carlton' s pitch decks, telling myself it didn' t matter. We were on our way to the Alpenglow Tech Retreat, a three-day conference that could make or break Carlton' s startup. This was his moment, not mine. My role was to be supportive. Unseen. Unheard.

That's what I repeated to myself as the silence in the car stretched, thick and uncomfortable.

Then, the driver-side rear door opened, and a man slid into the seat beside me. The air instantly shifted, filled with the faint scent of expensive cologne and the tired, crisp smell of starched cotton.

Harvey Hurst.

He was Carlton' s step-brother, the formidable lead investor in his company, and the quiet, gravitational center of any room he entered. He was the reason we were even going to this retreat. His name opened doors that Carlton could only dream of knocking on.

I forced a polite smile, my practiced mask sliding into place. "Harvey. I didn' t know you were riding with us."

He gave a curt nod, his gaze distant. He looked exhausted. There were faint shadows under his eyes, and his usually immaculate dark hair was slightly tousled, as if he' d been running his hands through it. "Last minute change of plans. My flight was canceled."

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the leather, a clear signal that the conversation was over.

"Oh, Harvey, you poor thing!" Brande' s voice, a high-pitched, saccharine melody, cut through the quiet. She twisted in the passenger seat, her face a perfect portrait of concern. "You must be exhausted. Carl, I feel a migraine coming on from the stress of it all. I really need to lie down."

I watched, my hands clenching in my lap, as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Erin, honey, would you be a darling and switch with me? I just can' t sit upright right now." Her eyes, wide and innocent, met mine in the rearview mirror. It wasn't a request. It was a command wrapped in a sweet, poisonous bow.

"Of course," I said, my voice flat. My supportiveness was a currency, and I was spending it freely.

Carlton glanced back, a flicker of something-annoyance? guilt?-crossing his face before it was smoothed over. "Thanks, babe. You' re the best."

He didn't wait for my response. Brande was already climbing into the back, her movements exaggeratedly weak and delicate. She squeezed past Harvey, her hip brushing against his shoulder, and settled into the middle seat, effectively pushing me further into the corner.

She immediately curled up, laying her head directly on Carlton' s lap, who had twisted his body to accommodate her. He began stroking her hair with a practiced ease that made my stomach churn.

Her hand came up to rest on his thigh, her fingers tracing idle patterns on the fabric of his jeans.

Carlton didn' t flinch. He didn' t push her away. He just kept stroking her hair, his eyes on the road ahead, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.

From her position, Brande tilted her head just enough to look at me. A small, triumphant smirk played on her lips before she snuggled deeper into Carlton' s lap, a soft sigh escaping her.

I turned my head to stare out the window, focusing on the blur of trees rushing by. My own carry-on bag was wedged at my feet, containing the gluten-free, low-sugar snacks I' d prepared for Carlton because he was on a health kick. The credit card in my wallet was the one I used to pay for his car insurance and half the rent on our apartment, the one he barely slept in anymore.

"Carl," Brande murmured, her voice muffled. "I' m so thirsty. Can you get my water bottle?"

"It' s in the side pocket, can you reach it?" he asked, his voice soft, indulgent.

"Nooo, my arms are too tired," she whined. "Please?"

He chuckled, a low, fond sound that felt like a physical blow. He leaned over, rummaging in the door pocket before producing her pink, glittery water bottle. He unscrewed the cap for her and held it to her lips.

She took a few sips, her eyes still closed, then he took a long drink from the same bottle before screwing the cap back on.

Nausea rose in my throat, hot and acidic. I fumbled with my own water bottle, my hands suddenly clumsy. The cap was screwed on too tight, and my fingers slipped against the smooth plastic.

A hand reached over, startling me. "Here."

Harvey' s voice was low, and he didn' t open his eyes. His hand, large and steady, closed over mine, taking the bottle. His fingers were long and elegant, with clean, short nails. The cuff of his expensive-looking white shirt was crisp against the dark fabric of his suit jacket.

With a single, effortless twist, he opened the bottle and passed it back to me.

"Thanks," I mumbled, my voice barely a whisper.

He just grunted in response, already retreating back into his fortress of silence, his head once again resting against the seat.

I took a slow sip of the cold water, the chill of it a welcome shock to my system.

We were heading to a mountain resort for three days. Three days of watching Brande play the role that should have been mine. Three days of Carlton' s blatant favoritism, of their inside jokes and shared childhood memories that I could never be a part of.

Carlton had promised me this trip would be different. "It' s about us, too, Erin," he' d said last week, his eyes bright with the promise of a future funded by venture capital. "A little getaway. Just you, me, and a multi-million-dollar deal."

He' d forgotten to mention the third person in our relationship.

I stared out the window, watching the landscape change from city sprawl to winding mountain roads, and a hollow ache spread through my chest. It was all a joke. My support, my money, my love-it was all just fuel for his ambition, and for his thinly veiled emotional affair with Brande.

A bitter laugh threatened to escape, and I pressed my lips together, taking another sip of water. I was a fool. A well-funded, supportive, culinary-trained fool.

The SUV hit a rough patch of road, jostling us. My body was thrown sideways, my shoulder bumping hard against Harvey' s. The contact sent a jolt through me, a surprising warmth from the solid muscle beneath his suit jacket.

As I started to pull away, my eyes caught a glimpse of Brande' s neck, visible just above the collar of her shirt as she shifted in Carlton' s lap. There, just below her ear, was a dark, purplish mark. A hickey. Fresh.

A cold, hard fury solidified in my gut. It was a brutal, physical confirmation of everything I had been trying to deny.

I didn't pull away from Harvey.

Instead, fueled by a sudden, reckless wave of defiance, I let my weight settle against him. I wasn' t going to give them the satisfaction of seeing me crumble. Not this time.

I felt him stir beside me. His body tensed. Slowly, he opened his eyes, his dark gaze turning to meet mine.

I held his stare, my heart hammering against my ribs, and deliberately leaned in closer, my thigh pressing against the hard muscle of his.

His jaw tightened, a muscle flexing along his jawline. I could feel the heat radiating from his body, a steady, powerful warmth that was nothing like Carlton' s fleeting, conditional affection.

A strange current passed between us, a silent, volatile energy that made the air crackle. It felt dangerous. It felt like a decision. And for the first time in a very long time, it felt like my own.

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Latest Release: Chapter 15   09-29 14:00
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Chapter 1
29/09/2025
Chapter 2
29/09/2025
Chapter 3
29/09/2025
Chapter 4
29/09/2025
Chapter 5
29/09/2025
Chapter 6
29/09/2025
Chapter 7
29/09/2025
Chapter 8
29/09/2025
Chapter 9
29/09/2025
Chapter 10
29/09/2025
Chapter 11
29/09/2025
Chapter 12
29/09/2025
Chapter 13
29/09/2025
Chapter 14
29/09/2025
Chapter 15
29/09/2025
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