\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leah finally got what she wanted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She insisted on a huge, extravagant wedding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She wanted everyone to know that *she* was Stellan Vance\u2019s legitimate wife.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stellan didn\u2019t object. He went through the motions like he was checking off a to-do list, meeting every demand she\u00a0<\/p>\n
made.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The wedding was over-the-top. The dress was the most expensive custom gown. Guests packed the venue. The media covered every detail.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the day of the wedding, church bells rang out across the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leah wore a pristine white gown, beaming as she walked down the petal-covered aisle on Stellan\u2019s arm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the audience, Oceane and the rest of their friends clapped enthusiastically, faces full of joy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe really waited so long for this. I\u2019m so happy for her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, and it\u2019s about time Stellan moved on. Ella\u2019s been gone for so long now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re perfect together. Leah\u2019s so bubbly-she\u2019ll cheer him up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stellan stood in front of the officiant, listening to the familiar vows, but his eyes were fixed on nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His mind was somewhere else.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once upon a time, he\u2019d imagined his wedding with Ella countless times.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d pictured her in a wedding dress-elegant, ethereal, like moonlight on lilies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d imagined her, a little shy, placing her hand in his.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d imagined them exchanging rings, promising each other forever\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
But now, standing beside him in that dream wedding dress, was Leah.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And the people cheering below were the same ones who\u2019d once cheered for him and Ella.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Life was cruel.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1 Me Military Husband\u2019s Affair\u00a0<\/p>\n
23.1%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
What a sick joke.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026Stellan Vance, do you take Leah Morningstar to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The officiant\u2019s voice yanked him back to reality.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stellan was silent for a few seconds. He felt Leah\u2019s anxious gaze beside him. Felt everyone watching.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He opened his mouth. The words \u201cI do\u201d felt like they weighed a thousand pounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, he heard a flat, lifeless voice escape his throat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those two words felt like the final verdict on everything he\u2019d ever loved or hoped for.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The chaotic wedding finally ended.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stellan dragged himself back to their new house, exhausted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leah was still in the living room with Oceane and a few other friends, gushing about the wedding, showing off the massive diamond on her finger.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stellan had no interest in joining them. He headed straight for the stairs, planning to lock himself in his study.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But as he turned the corner, he heard voices drifting up from the living room-lowered, but not low enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was Leah\u2019s voice, slightly drunk and completely unguarded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOceane, today was *perfect*! I finally beat Ella! Everything she had is mine now!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oceane laughed. \u201cYou really pulled it off. Though I gotta say, it was risky. Good thing you were smart enough to fake the depression and forge that letter\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stellan couldn\u2019t hear the rest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
*Fake the depression.*\u00a0<\/p>\n
*Forge that letter.*\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words hit him like a lightning bolt. His blood ran cold. He froze on the stairs, hands trembling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He held his breath and moved closer, silent as a ghost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
09:58 rest\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hot Shower, Cold Heart: How Water Temperature Exposed My Military Husband\u2019s Affair\u00a0<\/p>\n
23.4%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leah let out a mocking laugh, her voice dripping with venom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHah. Who does Ella think she is, trying to compete with me? Dad\u2019s love was \u201cmine\u201d. Stellan was always supposed to\u00a0<\/p>\n
be \u201cmine\u201d.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat death certificate and the letter? I paid a \u201cfortune\u201d to make them look real\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should\u2019ve seen Stellan\u2019s face when he thought I was suicidal. He actually believed I had depression! Pathetic.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut seriously, Oceane, I couldn\u2019t have done it without you backing me up at the hospital. You really sold the whole \u2018Ella drove me to this\u2019 story\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oceane: \u201cOh, stop! Just don\u2019t forget about me now that you\u2019re Mrs. Vance. Congrats, by the way!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHaha, thanks! I *am* Mrs. Vance now! And Ella? That bitch is probably rotting in some gutter somewhere. Or maybe she\u2019s actually dead by now. Either way, she\u2019ll never get in my way again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stellan couldn\u2019t hear anything after that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stood in the shadows, feeling like his chest had been ripped open. The world spun and collapsed around him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
All of it. Fake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the darkness, Stellan\u2019s fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white. Hi\u015b nails dug into his palms, drawing blood-but the pain was nothing compared to the rage tearing through him,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The depression was fake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The story about Ella driving her to it-fake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The letter that had haunted him, weighed on him like a chain around his neck-*fake*.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d been played like a fool. Manipulated by Leah and Oceane, He\u2019d driven away the woman he loved with his own hands. And now\u2026 maybe he\u2019d even gotten her killed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leah\u2019s words echoed in his mind: *\u201dOr maybe she\u2019s actually dead by now.\u201d*\u00a0<\/p>\n
Each word was a poisoned blade, stabbing straight into his heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2661 (0)\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2299 (0)\u00a0<\/p>\n
23.6%<\/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 28 \u00a0 Chapter 9\u00a0 Chapter 9\u00a0 Leah finally got what she wanted.\u00a0 She […]<\/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-22896","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\/22896","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=22896"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22896\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}