{"id":23890,"date":"2026-01-28T07:17:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T07:17:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/the-paper-trail-of-our-failures-novel-chapter-1\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T07:19:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T07:19:54","slug":"the-paper-trail-of-our-failures-novel-chapter-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/the-paper-trail-of-our-failures-novel-chapter-1\/","title":{"rendered":"The Paper Trail of Our Failures Novel Chapter 1"},"content":{"rendered":"
Chapter 1<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I married the same man seven times.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
And he divorced me seven times for the woman he truly loved.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
When we first got married, he told me, \u201cI\u2019ll love you\u2014only you\u2014for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
But every time that woman returned to the country, he became a different person. \u201cCan\u2019t you be more understanding? Do you really have to make Cara look like some homewrecker?\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The first time we divorced, I slit my wrists, trying to make him stay. The ambulance rushed me to the hospital, but he never came to see me\u2014not even once.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
After the second divorce, I stooped so low as to apply to be his assistant, just to catch glimpses of him now and then.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
By the sixth divorce, I\u2019d become accustomed to packing up and moving out of our home on my own.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
My hysterics, my begging, my compromises\u2014all fed into the same cruel cycle: he\u2019d marry me again, only to leave the moment she returned.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This time, I decided to end it all. When I found out she was coming back, I handed him the divorce papers myself.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
As usual, he set a date for our next remarriage, not knowing I was leaving for good.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
***<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cCarolina is back. Let\u2019s get a divorce.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I handed the signed divorce agreement to my husband, Orlando Wagner, with a blank face.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He was clearly caught off guard for a second, but quickly regained his composure and signed the papers with practiced ease. It was the first time I had been the one to bring up the divorce.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Just like the previous six times, he promised, \u201cWe\u2019ll remarry after she leaves in a month.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The old me would have made him swear a solemn oath or put it in writing. His word alone wasn\u2019t enough to make me feel secure.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
But this time, I felt nothing. I didn\u2019t even want to respond.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cGretchen, I\u2019m talking to you.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Orlando frowned, clearly unhappy with my silence.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I nodded. \u201cOK.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
As I spoke, I kept folding clothes and placing them into my suitcase.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Since Orlando promised we\u2019d remarry in a month, he would keep his word.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
One thing was certain\u2014he had a well-known reputation in the business world for honoring his promises.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
To be honest, we weren\u2019t exactly like husband and wife.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
We were more like business partners, endlessly renewing and ending agreements\u2014marriage certificates, then divorce papers\u2014always within a set timeframe.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
We had two contracts a year. By now, I had signed twelve of them.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I still remembered what Orlando told me at our first wedding. \u201cI won\u2019t betray you while we\u2019re married.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
And he never did.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
After all, whenever he wanted to be with that woman, he simply asked for a divorce.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The cost was that I became the laughingstock of our social circle\u2014the woman who would do anything to keep him, only to be discarded once I was no longer useful.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I wasn\u2019t like myself today, which seemed to unsettle Orlando.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He still vividly remembered how hysterical I had been during our previous divorces\u2014how I\u2019d even hurt myself.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Watching me pack more quickly and skillfully than the last time, he said stiffly, \u201cHow about I move out this time\u2014\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I snapped my oversized suitcase shut, cutting him off.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve already talked to Kristen. I\u2019ll stay at her place for a few days.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Orlando\u2019s expression darkened, as if he\u2019d just remembered something.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t tell me you\u2019re playing hard to get again\u2014planning to pose as my assistant and wait for me in the office.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cGretchen, give me a break. Can\u2019t you find something else to do? Stop acting so pathetic, like you can\u2019t live without me.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I understood exactly what he meant. He didn\u2019t want me showing up at the office and interrupting his time with Carolina Ramsey.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
She rarely came back, after all. Of course, he wanted her by his side as his assistant around the clock.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
After the second divorce, I applied to be Orlando\u2019s assistant and got the job. One day, holding his favorite latte, I pushed open his office door eagerly.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Yet what came into my view was him passionately kissing Carolina on his lap.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I lost it and slapped her. Then Orlando slapped me back, harder, and I fell to the floor.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Curious onlookers gathered outside the door.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
They thought I was still married to Orlando and looked at Carolina with contempt.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
To protect her from judgment, Orlando snatched my bag and dumped everything out\u2014right in front of everyone, though I cried desperately, shaking my head, begging him not to.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The divorce certificate fell into plain view, exposing the truth about our relationship to everyone.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
From then on, every time we divorced, Orlando would post a photo of our divorce certificate on Instagram.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Soon, everyone knew Carolina was his true love, and I was just the desperate ex who wouldn\u2019t let go.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
But this time, Orlando\u2019s worries were unnecessary.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I picked up my suitcase without hesitation.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cRelax. I won\u2019t bother you and Carolina again.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He watched me skeptically. It wasn\u2019t until I had one foot out the door that he spoke again, his voice tinged with urgency. \u201cWe\u2019ll remarry on the 13th of next month. Don\u2019t forget.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
For a moment, I was stunned.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
What a coincidence. That was exactly the day I was leaving the country.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 1 I married the same man seven times. And he divorced me seven times for the woman he truly […]<\/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":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","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":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-paper-trail-of-our-failures-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23890","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=23890"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23890\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23899,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23890\/revisions\/23899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}