On the pink sand beaches of the Bahamas, three hundred crystal chandeliers lit up the private coastline like it were daytime.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wearing the latest Vera Wang wedding dress, I studied my reflection in the mirror\u2013I looked so much more composed than I had three years before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Todd,\u201d the stylist said quietly, \u201cthere\u2019s a gentleman outside-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kristen cut in directly, \u201cTell him she isn\u2019t seeing him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hands, which had been adjusting the veil, stilled. \u201cOrlando is still here?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been at the beach entrance since last night,\u201d Kristen said, rolling her eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says he won\u2019t leave until he sees you. Security\u2019s removed him three times, but he just keeps coming back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked through the floor\u2013to\u2013ceiling window and saw Orlando standing in the pouring rain. His suit was soaked through, and his hair, usually perfectly styled with gel, was stuck flat to his head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the bodyguards tried to hold a black umbrella over him, but he shoved it away, almost like he was trying to wash something away in the downpour.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, Melvin walked in, a tablet in his hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the screen was the real\u2013time data from the Wagner Group\u2019s stock crash. Half an hour ago, the Hinton Group had finalized the acquisition of Wagner Group\u2019s last seven percent of shares.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShould we let him watch our wedding livestream?\u201d Melvin rested his chin on my shoulder and switched the screen to the ultra\u2013high\u2013definition feed from inside the church.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His tone was gentle, like he was asking about the champagne tower today at our wedding. \u201cI picked the same church where you married him back then.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled and swatted his mischievous hand away, \u201cYou\u2019re such a kid sometimes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGretchen!\u201d Orlando\u2019s heartbroken shout cut through the storm. \u201cCome out and see me!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Somehow, he\u2019d already gotten past the first security line.\u00a0<\/p>\n
0.00%\u00a0<\/p>\n
12.19\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
288 iVouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
Standing there in the rain, he held up a velvet box\u2013ruined by seawater\u2013with an emerald ring inside that gave off an eerie green glow. It was one of those cheap matching rings he\u2019d bought from a street vendor for our very first wedding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was diagnosed with late\u2013stage stomach cancer,\u201d he cried, his voice completely broken. \u201cThe doctor said I have three months, tops\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCan\u2019t you just\u2026 have some pity on me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Suddenly, Melvin\u2019s hand tightened around mine. The man known as the \u201cMad Wolf\u201d of Wall Street, the one who intimidated everyone, was actually trembling, the corners of his eyes red.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew he was afraid I might soften toward Orlando.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But why would I?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I gave his palm a gentle squeeze and shook my head at the housekeeper. \u201cTime for the ceremony.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment the organ music started, a heavy thud came from the beach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Through the stained\u2013glass window, I saw Orlando collapse into the tide like a dead tree. The velvet box with that cheap ring was pushed by the waves, drifting further and further out to sea.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Orlando was taken to the hospital. Three weeks later, he died alone in a VIP ward. Before he passed, he signed the agreement to become an organ donor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A month later, Kristen sent me a voice message. \u201cThe psychiatric hospital called. Carolina bit through her own windpipe this morning.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the second year of my marriage, I gave birth to a beautiful, cute baby girl for Melvin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Outside the window, the sunset glow painted everything gold, and the city lights began to flicker on one by one.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Holding our daughter in one arm, Melvin wrapped his other hand around mine. Our wedding rings caught the fading sunlight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those people who had hurt us once were now just faint ink blots on pages of an old storybook.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And the real story\u2013warm and alive\u2013was still unfolding right here in the palm of my hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
49.87%\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 9 On the pink sand beaches of the Bahamas, three hundred crystal […]<\/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-23898","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\/23898","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=23898"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23898\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}