Chapter 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Night fell, and the streets slowly emptied out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I checked into a random hotel nearby.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just got settled when my phone lit up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSweetie have you guys eaten yet? We\u2019ve got so much food here!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Photo attached. New Year\u2019s dinner spread.\u00a0<\/p>\n
All my relatives gathered around the table, everyone smiling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cold air blew through the hotel window. I shivered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to sound normal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFood\u2019s almost ready. About to eat now. Don\u2019t worry about us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t tell them the truth-didn\u2019t want to ruin their New Year\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, without thinking, I opened Ashton\u2019s chat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Empty as always.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Midnight, Fireworks outside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Too loud to sleep.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tortured myself scrolling through Ashton\u2019s IG looking for proof he\u2019d been cheating.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d hidden her well, covered his tracks perfectly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally I found her username in a work group chat screenshot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jade Winter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Distinctive name.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I searched it across every platform.\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:07\u00a0<\/p>\n
Surprise Visit Gone WRONG-Not Him Crying About Loneliness After Calling Me Dirty Sir???\u00a0<\/p>\n
22.29%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Among all the duplicates, I spotted her instantly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Profile picture looked familiar. It was the matching half of Ashton\u2019s couple avatar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he changed his avatar back then, I\u2019d happily searched for the matching one and switched mine too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked annoyed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Said he\u2019d just picked a random image and didn\u2019t want to broadcast our relationship like that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the end, he half-forced me to change it back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jade\u2019s account had barely any followers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But hundreds of posts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
All documenting her relationship with Ashton.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It started last May.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPoor boss working late for a month, living on takeout. Brought him homemade chicken soup for lunch today. He literally cried. Wonder what kind of girlfriend he has.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was when Ashton\u2019s dad broke his leg.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So he could focus on work, everyone kept it from him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a month off and spent every day at the hospital helping his dad.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My boss took me off the promotion list after that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBoss canceled so many projects just to take me on this work trip. Being the favorite really feels amazing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That day was our ten-year anniversary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And my birthday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d pulled an all-nighter to finish a project, squeezed out three days off just to see him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He told me he had some urgent business trip he couldn\u2019t reschedule.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBoss bought me a bag! The charm that came with it is ugly though. I\u2019ll let him keep that part.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I froze and looked at my phone case.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Same exact charm-a \u2018make-up\u2019 birthday gift he\u2019d given me later.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d treasured it, even put a protective film over it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It took me two hours to scroll through her entire account.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart went ice cold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
None of the photos showed Ashton\u2019s face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I recognized everything else-the clothes-the couple ring on his finger matching mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ashton had been cheating for a long time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fireworks exploded in the distance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I snapped out of it, ripped the charm off my phone, and tossed it into the trash.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jade posted again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This time, it was an audio clip.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In it, she asked in a fake-sweet voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAsh who do you love more? Me or your girlfriend?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHm?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ashton sounded drowsy, voice soft and affectionate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou. I love you most. She doesn\u2019t even compare.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBabe\u2026 wanna fuck again?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sound of heavy breathing said the rest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shut off my phone and rushed to the bathroom, dry heaving.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked up at the mirror.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At some point, my face was covered in tears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I immediately booked a 7 AM train ticket home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:07\u00a0<\/p>\n
Surprise Visit Gone WRONG-Not Him Crying About Loneliness After Calling Me Dirty Sir???\u00a0<\/p>\n
27.8%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
I just wanted to leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As fast as possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leave New York.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leave Ashton Reed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2661 (0)\u00a0<\/p>\n
4\u00a0<\/p>\n
(0)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joseph King is an editor and storyteller who ensures every chapter is clear, polished, and engaging for readers.<\/p>\n
Princess Without Pack by Mark Twain 3 Chapter 3\u00a0 Chapter 3\u00a0 Night fell, and the streets slowly emptied out.\u00a0 I […]<\/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":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-new-year-celebration-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22862","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=22862"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22862\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}