\u00a0<\/p>\n
9 Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
9 Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
He went down with a satisfying *oof*, Chloe shrieking as they tumbled into a wet heap on the pavement. I slammed the cab door. @\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDrive. Now. And don\u2019t look back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I went home to Ohio. I ate my mom\u2019s apple pie. I didn\u2019t have to say a word about Ethan; my parents saw the new light in my eyes and just hugged me extra tight. Mom even dragged me to a few hilarious, disastrous blind dates \u201cfor practice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rachel apologized profusely for the restaurant ambush. She hadn\u2019t known we\u2019d broken up. Ethan had told her it was a \u201cromantic surprise to win me back.\u201d I updated my social media profile picture to one of me and Gus, with the caption \u201cNew chapter. Solo.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A week later, Rachel sent me a screenshot. Chloe had posted a new, official-looking couples photo with Ethan, captioned \u201cHe finally made it\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\u00a0<\/p>\n
9 Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instagram official! \u201d Ethan hadn\u2019t liked or commented. Radio silence. A tacit acceptance,\u00a0<\/p>\n
the world assumed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I started a new job at a local design firm. It was peaceful. Good.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, at a charity gala my parents dragged me to, I saw them. Of course.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ethan, looking hollow and sharp in a tux, with Chloe shimmering on his arm in a dress too young and too tight for the event. She held court in the center of the room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes found me in the crowd. She shot me a look of pure, venomous triumph.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I felt nothing. Just a faint ripple of annoyance. I turned back to my conversation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She wasn\u2019t having it. She glided over, champagne flute in hand. \u201cLauren. Slumming it with the locals? I heard about your little\u2026 *job*.\u201d She\u00a0<\/p>\n
sneered. \u201cLet\u2019s be clear. Ethan is mine now. I don\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\u00a0<\/p>\n
9 Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
know how you got an invite here, but if you so\u00a0<\/p>\n
much as look at him, I\u2019ll make you regret it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sipped my soda water, regarding her like an interesting but mildly irritating bug.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She leaned closer, her voice a venomous whisper. \u201cRemember the Black & White Ball last year? When he slapped you in front of everyone because you \u2018made me sick\u2019? Want to see if he\u2019ll do it again?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I raised an eyebrow. \u201cPlanning a reenactment?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d She smirked. Then her expression melted into one of terror. She grabbed my wrist. \u201cLauren, please, don\u2019t!\u201d she cried loudly, and yanked my hand toward her, throwing herself backwards onto the floor with a theatrical wail.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room hushed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Right on schedule, Ethan was there, helping her up, his eyes finding me, full of that familiar, weary disappointment. \u201cLauren, not again. Whatever\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\u00a0<\/p>\n
9 Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
issue you have with me, leave Chloe out of it. I thought you\u2019d changed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A crowd gathered, murmuring. I stood calmly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As he started to demand I apologize, I took out my phone, tapped the screen, and held it up. Chloe\u2019s voice, clear as a bell, filled the sudden silence: *\u201dPlanning a reenactment?\u2026 Maybe\u2026 Want to see if he\u2019ll slap you again?\u201d*\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Fate Rolls Dark by Mark Twain 9 \u00a0 9 Chapter 9\u00a0 9 Chapter 9\u00a0 He went down with a satisfying […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gave-up-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21978"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21978\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}