\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t back down. I look him dead in the eye.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, really? So Naomi\u2019s not an adult?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My voice is ice. \u201cShe\u2019s a senior in college. Just happens to look like jailbait.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGuess you\u2019re into that. Must be a real thrill-technically legal and everything-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zach\u2019s pupils contract.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then his hand flies across my face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The slap echoes. Blood floods my mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cVivian!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He hit me-but somehow his voice is the one breaking with pain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His face twists with regret. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I didn\u2019t mean to. But you can\u2019t say shit like that about a student!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And slap him right back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cZach.\u201d My voice is deadly calm. \u201cShe\u2019s your student. Not mine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me? She\u2019s a homewrecker who stole my dead father\u2019s bracelet. Got a problem with that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His expression hardens. Eyes like knives. \u201cI\u2019m telling you one last time-Naomi is not a mistress!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to trusting me, Vivian? When did you become so disgusting?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m about to tell him to get the fuck out-\u00a0<\/p>\n
When the door swings open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Naomi pokes her head in, voice sweet as poison. \u201cCoach, please don\u2019t fight with Mrs. Carter because of me. I came to apologize.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turns to me, bowing slightly. \u201cI came over during that rainstorm to change clothes. I thought the bracelet was cheap, so I just\u2026 took it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
09:53\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hot Shower, Cold Heart: How Water Temperature Exposed My Military Husband\u2019s Affair\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.7%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Qupter 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease don\u2019t blame him. He didn\u2019t give it to me. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zach\u2019s expression melts. He reaches out and ruffles her hair. \u201cIt\u2019s not your fault, sweetheart. I should\u2019ve explained.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I feel bile rising in my throat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theft is theft\u00a0<\/p>\n
And he has zero right to forgive her on my behalf.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He shoves me aside and turns back to her, voice soft. This is between me and my wife. You\u2019ve apologized. Don\u2019t get dragged into this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me drive you back\u00a0<\/p>\n
I watch the car disappear down the street, shaking with rage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My phone buzzes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
[Sis-did you go see Naomi yesterday?]\u00a0<\/p>\n
[The whole campus forum is tearing you APART.]\u00a0<\/p>\n
I open the screenshots.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My blood turns to ice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
[BREAKING: Deputy Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Military Hospital Abuses Power, Publicly Humiliates Innocent Student!]\u00a0<\/p>\n
[Apparently she\u2019s notorious for bullying residents. Good luck to anyone rotating through her department!]\u00a0<\/p>\n
[Bitter old hag jealous of a young, pretty girl. Can\u2019t keep her man so she takes it out on students? Pathetic.]\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every word designed to destroy me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In three sentences, they\u2019ve painted me as a menopausal psychopath.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Emma\u2019s call comes through immediately. \u201cDid you SEE this?! That little bitch Naomi is behind it, I know she is-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My voice is eerily calm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEmma. Find the IP address of whoever posted this. And dig up everything on Naomi. Every last detail.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
09:53\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hot Shower. Cold Heart: How Water Temperature Exposed My Military Husband\u2019s Affair\u00a0<\/p>\n
2.0%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
This is a PR war?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was playing this game before she could even spell her own name.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2661 (1)\u00a0<\/p>\n
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A\u00a0<\/p>\n
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09:53\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hot Shower, Cold Heart: How Water Temperature Exposed My Military Husband\u2019s Affair\u00a0<\/p>\n
2.3%<\/p>\n
Joseph King is an editor and storyteller who ensures every chapter is clear, polished, and engaging for readers.<\/p>\n
Hot Shower, Cold Heart by Mark Twain 3 \u00a0 Chapter 3\u00a0 Chapter 3\u00a0 I don\u2019t back down. I look him […]<\/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":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-giving-my-husband-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22871","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=22871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22871\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}