When Orlando found me, I was having coffee with my arranged marriage partner, Melvin Hinton, the CEO of the Hinton Group.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We were seated in the glass conservatory on Mount Street in London. Sitting across from me, Melvin was slowly tracing the rim of his coffee cup with his fingertip.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Known on Wall Street as the \u201cMad Wolf\u201d for his ruthless acquisitions, he showed this patient side only to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve known each other for three years and four months,\u201d he said quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then he reached into his suit jacket and brought out a small blue velvet box.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve decided to stop counting the days.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he opened the box, it seemed as if all the sunlight filtering through the glass roof gathered around the emerald\u2013cut center stone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A twelve\u2013carat, rare pink diamond was surrounded by over twenty flawless white diamonds, like the moon among stars.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI had it retrieved from a Swiss vault last month.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He lifted my wrist where a simple business watch rested.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt fits you even better than I pictured.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His right hand\u2013the one that had signed countless acquisition deals\u2013was actually trembling slightly due to nervousness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A hint of caution colored his tone. \u201cIf you\u2019re not ready to wear it on your ring finger yet, you could always wear it as a necklace for now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled and shook my head. Just as I was about to offer him my hand, a deafening crash tore through the quiet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The tempered glass wall of the conservatory shattered. Amid the falling shards, Orlando burst in like a beast out of control.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His handmade leather shoes crunched over broken glass as he strode forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
0.00%\u00a0<\/p>\n
12.18\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 8\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGretchen!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyes were bloodshot, fixed on my hand, intertwined with Melvin\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
288 Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re still my wife! What do you think you\u2019re doing? This is bigamy\u2013it\u2019s against the law!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Melvin knew everything about my past with Orlando. He recognized Orlando immediately and stepped in front of me, shielding me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGretch divorced you years ago. She\u2019s free to marry whoever she wants.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Orlando slammed his hand on the round table, coffee sloshing over the edge and staining his suit\u00a0<\/p>\n
pants.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s my wife!\u201d he snarled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho the hell are you? How dare you come between us?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what if we\u2019re divorced? She agreed to marry me again. I came here to take her home!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Melvin was about to retort, but I gently tugged his sleeve and shook head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
my\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then I looked at Orlando as if he were a stranger.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOrlando, our seventh divorce was already three years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c1\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyelashes fluttered wildly, like he was struggling to grasp what I\u2019d said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGretch, you\u2019re just saying that to upset me, aren\u2019t you?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou agreed to remarry me. You still love me, don\u2019t you?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was all Carolina\u2019s fault\u2013she came on to me. That\u2019s why I kept divorcing you and hurting you. But I\u2019ve made her pay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He pulled out his phone and showed me a video.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the screen, Carolina stood by a window in a psychiatric hospital, staring blankly outside. She looked worn out and haggard. Long\u2013term medication had left her face swollen and distorted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI forced her into prostitution and had her locked up in that place,\u201d Orlando explained eagerly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hated her, so I made sure she paid\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think I left you because of Carolina?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
25.57%\u00a0<\/p>\n
12.19\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 8\u00a0<\/p>\n
I let out a short laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry to break it to you, but I don\u2019t care about her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust like I stopped caring about you a long time ago.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Melvin took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Orlando\u2019s eyes dropped to our joined hands, and his face twitched as if he\u2019d been burned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMelvin and I are getting married next month,\u201d I said calmly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be nice to have your blessing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing that, Melvin, who was always steady and reserved, broke into a grin like a happy teenager.\u00a0<\/p>\n
288 iVouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
Orlando\u2019s lips, though, trembled violently. Suddenly, he rushed forward and grabbed my arm like a drowning man.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo\u2026 Gretch, no. You can\u2019t marry him. You promised you\u2019d love me forever!\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease\u2013don\u2019t leave me. Please don\u2019t marry someone else!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked at him and said softly, \u201cSeven years ago, when you divorced me for Carolina the first time, I begged you just like this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI even slit my wrist to make you stay. There was blood everywhere, but you left to be with her without looking back. The housekeeper called an ambulance\u2013otherwise, I would have died.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was in the hospital for a month, and you never came.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until Melvin wrapped his arm around me that I realized I was shaking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s alright, Gretch,\u201d he said, his voice deep and gentle. \u201cIt\u2019s over now. Let\u2019s get out of here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
All at once, Orlando collapsed. Ignoring everyone around us, he dropped to the floor and wrapped his arms tightly around my leg.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t go! I can\u2019t live without you\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve spent the last three years searching for you\u2026 I looked everywhere\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I glanced down at his messy hair. That face\u2013the one that had once captivated me\u2013was now twisted with tears and despair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
51.12%\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:19\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 8\u00a0<\/p>\n
288 iVouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
Strangely, I felt nothing but calm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Wagner,\u201d Melvin said coolly, \u201cif you touch my fianc\u00e9e again, I\u2019ll make sure the last seven percent of Wagner Group\u2019s equity gets shorted into oblivion. It\u2019ll be all over the headlines tomorrow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Orlando didn\u2019t seem to hear. He lifted his head, showing me the scar running from his forehead to the end of his eyebrow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember? You hit me with a vase during our third divorce and left this scar. But I never blamed you\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou deserved it,\u201d I said finally.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat day, I walked in and saw Carolina in our bedroom, wearing my wedding dress.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pulled my leg free from his grip. Before walking away, I looked at him one last time. \u201cLove isn\u2019t about apologizing after you hurt someone. And it\u2019s not some toy you can put away when you\u2019re done. Orlando, you never understood what love really is.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t until someone loved me the right way that I realized what we had wasn\u2019t it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With that, I walked out of the caf\u00e9 hand in hand with Melvin, never looking back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As he held the car door open for me, I could still hear Orlando wailing inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Through the rearview mirror, I watched his figure grow smaller and smaller. Then I leaned gently against Melvin\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sunlight streamed through the window, catching my wedding ring and scattering little rainbows of light:\u00a0<\/p>\n
This\u2013this was what love was supposed to feel like.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\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 8 When Orlando found me, I was having coffee with my arranged […]<\/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-23897","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\/23897","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=23897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23897\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}