Crater Lanterns Glimmered Over Tidelands by Axton Reed 8
When Orlando found me, I was having coffee with my arranged marriage partner, Melvin Hinton, the CEO of the Hinton Group.
We were seated in the glass conservatory on Mount Street in London. Sitting across from me, Melvin was slowly tracing the rim of his coffee cup with his fingertip.
Known on Wall Street as the “Mad Wolf” for his ruthless acquisitions, he showed this patient side only to me.
“We’ve known each other for three years and four months,” he said quietly.
Then he reached into his suit jacket and brought out a small blue velvet box.
“I’ve decided to stop counting the days.”
When he opened the box, it seemed as if all the sunlight filtering through the glass roof gathered around the emerald–cut center stone.
A twelve–carat, rare pink diamond was surrounded by over twenty flawless white diamonds, like the moon among stars.
“I had it retrieved from a Swiss vault last month.”
He lifted my wrist where a simple business watch rested.
“It fits you even better than I pictured.”
His right hand–the one that had signed countless acquisition deals–was actually trembling slightly due to nervousness.
A hint of caution colored his tone. “If you’re not ready to wear it on your ring finger yet, you could always wear it as a necklace for now.”
I smiled and shook my head. Just as I was about to offer him my hand, a deafening crash tore through the quiet.
The tempered glass wall of the conservatory shattered. Amid the falling shards, Orlando burst in like a beast out of control.
His handmade leather shoes crunched over broken glass as he strode forward.
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“Gretchen!”
His eyes were bloodshot, fixed on my hand, intertwined with Melvin’s.
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“You’re still my wife! What do you think you’re doing? This is bigamy–it’s against the law!”
Melvin knew everything about my past with Orlando. He recognized Orlando immediately and stepped in front of me, shielding me.
“Gretch divorced you years ago. She’s free to marry whoever she wants.”
Orlando slammed his hand on the round table, coffee sloshing over the edge and staining his suit
pants.
“She’s my wife!” he snarled.
“Who the hell are you? How dare you come between us?
“So what if we’re divorced? She agreed to marry me again. I came here to take her home!”
Melvin was about to retort, but I gently tugged his sleeve and shook head.
my
Then I looked at Orlando as if he were a stranger.
“Orlando, our seventh divorce was already three years ago.
“1
His eyelashes fluttered wildly, like he was struggling to grasp what I’d said.
“Gretch, you’re just saying that to upset me, aren’t you?
“You agreed to remarry me. You still love me, don’t you?
“It was all Carolina’s fault–she came on to me. That’s why I kept divorcing you and hurting you. But I’ve made her pay.”
He pulled out his phone and showed me a video.
On the screen, Carolina stood by a window in a psychiatric hospital, staring blankly outside. She looked worn out and haggard. Long–term medication had left her face swollen and distorted.
“I forced her into prostitution and had her locked up in that place,” Orlando explained eagerly.
“You hated her, so I made sure she paid…”
“You think I left you because of Carolina?”
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I let out a short laugh.
“Sorry to break it to you, but I don’t care about her.
“Just like I stopped caring about you a long time ago.”
Melvin took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine.
Orlando’s eyes dropped to our joined hands, and his face twitched as if he’d been burned.
“Melvin and I are getting married next month,” I said calmly.
“It would be nice to have your blessing.”
Hearing that, Melvin, who was always steady and reserved, broke into a grin like a happy teenager.
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Orlando’s lips, though, trembled violently. Suddenly, he rushed forward and grabbed my arm like a drowning man.
“No… Gretch, no. You can’t marry him. You promised you’d love me forever!
“Please–don’t leave me. Please don’t marry someone else!”
I looked at him and said softly, “Seven years ago, when you divorced me for Carolina the first time, I begged you just like this.
“I even slit my wrist to make you stay. There was blood everywhere, but you left to be with her without looking back. The housekeeper called an ambulance–otherwise, I would have died.
“I was in the hospital for a month, and you never came.”
It wasn’t until Melvin wrapped his arm around me that I realized I was shaking.
“It’s alright, Gretch,” he said, his voice deep and gentle. “It’s over now. Let’s get out of here.”
All at once, Orlando collapsed. Ignoring everyone around us, he dropped to the floor and wrapped his arms tightly around my leg.
“You can’t go! I can’t live without you…
“I’ve spent the last three years searching for you… I looked everywhere…”
I glanced down at his messy hair. That face–the one that had once captivated me–was now twisted with tears and despair.
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Strangely, I felt nothing but calm.
“Mr. Wagner,” Melvin said coolly, “if you touch my fiancée again, I’ll make sure the last seven percent of Wagner Group’s equity gets shorted into oblivion. It’ll be all over the headlines tomorrow.”
But Orlando didn’t seem to hear. He lifted his head, showing me the scar running from his forehead to the end of his eyebrow.
“Remember? You hit me with a vase during our third divorce and left this scar. But I never blamed you…”
“You deserved it,” I said finally.
“That day, I walked in and saw Carolina in our bedroom, wearing my wedding dress.”
I pulled my leg free from his grip. Before walking away, I looked at him one last time. “Love isn’t about apologizing after you hurt someone. And it’s not some toy you can put away when you’re done. Orlando, you never understood what love really is.
“It wasn’t until someone loved me the right way that I realized what we had wasn’t it.
With that, I walked out of the café hand in hand with Melvin, never looking back.
As he held the car door open for me, I could still hear Orlando wailing inside.
”
Through the rearview mirror, I watched his figure grow smaller and smaller. Then I leaned gently against Melvin’s shoulder.
Sunlight streamed through the window, catching my wedding ring and scattering little rainbows of light:
This–this was what love was supposed to feel like.
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Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.
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