Orlando returned home in a daze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment he pushed the door open, he caught the familiar aroma of food\u2013the rich, savory scent of cream of mushroom soup, Gretchen\u2019s specialty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His heart leaped. A flicker of excitement lit his eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGretch? You\u2019re back?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He hurried into the kitchen, his face full of anticipation and hope. But the moment he saw the figure standing by the stove, his smile froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t Gretchen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dressed in pristine white silk pajamas, Carolina was stirring the soup slowly. She turned and beamed at him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOrly, you\u2019re back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c1\u00a0<\/p>\n
All the anticipation in Orlando\u2019s eyes vanished.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His expression turned cold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought you left.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He remembered clearly\u2013he had seen her off at the airport himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI came back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She set down the ladle, walked over, and traced a finger along his chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t bear to leave you, Orly\u2026 I want to be with you.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going away this time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked up, her eyes full of confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s get married.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Orlando pushed her away, a cold smirk on his lips as if she\u2019d told a bad joke.\u00a0<\/p>\n
0.00%\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:18\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 6\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGet married?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCarolina, know your place.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her smile stiffened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
His voice was icy. \u201cI\u2019m remarrying Gretchen. Why would I marry you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s impossible!\u201d she shrieked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
288 Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOrlando, you left her for me\u2013over and over. Don\u2019t act like you\u2019re some devoted husband now!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A flicker of shame crossed Orlando\u2019s face, but it was quickly replaced by profound indifference.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI divorced her to protect your reputation, not because I loved you.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re the one who clung to me all these years. If it weren\u2019t for you, Gretch wouldn\u2019t have left.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Carolina\u2019s face went pale, then flushed with anger.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re lying! If that\u2019s true, then tell me why did you remarry her on time every single time?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause-\u2018\u00a0<\/p>\n
Orlando paused, as if realizing it for the first time himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I promised Gretch\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It hit him then\u2013what he had really cared about all along was Gretchen, the one who\u2019d always\u00a0<\/p>\n
waited for him to come home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Carolina let out a sharp, ugly laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOrlando, stop lying to yourself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She approached him step by step.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was it that set me on his lap and kissed me in his office? Who came to me eagerly every time getting a divorce?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you really think you can fool yourself? You love me! Me!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
30.13%\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:18\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 6\u00a0<\/p>\n
Suddenly, Orlando grabbed her wrist, his grip so tight it nearly crushed her bones.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShut up!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHit a nerve, huh?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Enduring the pain, she glared at him, her eyes full of malice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1 288 Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGretchen finally saw through your hypocrisy and left. Now you\u2019re acting all affectionate?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou deserve it!\u201d she screamed hysterically.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou deserve to never find her!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Orlando\u2019s eyes turned blood red. He slapped her hard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The crisp sound echoed through the empty villa.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Carolina stumbled back, clutching her cheek, staring at him in disbelief.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hit me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI warned you,\u201d he said, his voice dangerously low.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou provoked Gretch again and again. She wouldn\u2019t have left if it weren\u2019t for\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGo back abroad. Now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He took out his phone and called his bodyguards.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGet over here. Take Ms. Ramsey back to where she belongs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Carolina panicked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t do this to me, Orlando! I love\u00a0<\/p>\n
you-\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sound of the front door opening cut her off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
you.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Two bodyguards in black stepped in and hauled her away. Her cries faded into the night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Orlando stood alone, his eyes falling on the overturned mug on the floor. Slowly, he crouched down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rich aroma of cream of mushroom soup filled the air.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the woman who made it would never come back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
65.08%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
Crater Lanterns Glimmered Over Tidelands by Axton Reed 6 Orlando returned home in a daze.\u00a0 The moment he pushed the […]<\/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":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23895","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\/23895","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=23895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23895\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}