{"id":525,"date":"2026-01-21T15:40:03","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T15:40:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/?p=525"},"modified":"2026-01-21T15:40:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T15:40:03","slug":"paper-vows-novel-chapter-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/paper-vows-novel-chapter-25\/","title":{"rendered":"PAPER VOWS Novel Chapter 25"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
PAPER VOWS<\/div>\n
CHAPTER 25<\/div>\n
JADE MARSHAL<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Today, Giselle and I made a friend. Dante had to take care of something at work, so Giselle and I decided to go shopping. While shopping, that\u2019s when we ran into Aria. We just vibed and decided to invite her for lunch. I think she is a lovely person, not just online but in person too. I know her from social media \u2013 she comes from a rich family.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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She is one of those people who are famous, and you never think you would ever run into, but here I am having lunch with Aria Willow. I cannot wait to post the pictures we took with her earlier. She said she doesn\u2019t mind me posting her and permitted me to tag her if I want to. We have exchanged phone numbers with Aria and promised to keep in touch.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cSo how old are you, Jade?\u201d Aria asks. We are now having our food. We all ordered salads and wine. It seems everyone is trying to watch their weight.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m thirty-six, how old do I look?\u201d I respond to Aria. I already know she is thirty-eight; she always mentions it on her Instagram.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cThirty-six, I guess that means I am your big sister,\u201d she says, wearing a smile. She has a very lovely smile.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI am the big sister amongst us since I am turning forty soon,\u201d says Giselle. My birthday comes before hers. I wonder what she will get me this year. Giselle doesn\u2019t know how to gift people \u2013 she buys the most random gifts – I hate it.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cForty?\u201d Aria sounds shocked. \u201cI guess you guys have good genes in the Marshal family.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cYou should see our mother. She doesn\u2019t look a day over sixty,\u201d I say to Aria. If I age like my mother, it would be a blessing \u2013 I know I will look good at fifty.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cAny man in your life?\u201d Giselle asks Aria, and I pinch her under the table. That\u2019s not something to ask a stranger. We barely know this woman to be asking something so personal.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Aria smiles, \u201cI am single. Waiting for Prince Charming to come sweep me off my feet.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cMe and you girl. That is, if Prince Charming still exists. Men are liars these days,\u201d says Giselle. She better not start talking about James.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cAmen on men being liars. Maybe a person should just play for the other team and get herself a woman. Men don\u2019t like us,\u201d Aria sips on her wine.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Giselle says, \u201cWhy does it seem like there is a story there? What did they do to you?\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cGiselle, that\u2019s too personal,\u201d I whisper, but not low enough for Aria not to hear it.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Aria says, \u201cIt\u2019s fine, isn\u2019t we are friends now. This is a safe space, right?\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cSure,\u201d Giselle answers her.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Aria looks at me, as if waiting for me to also admit that it\u2019s a safe space. I nod and say, \u201cYes, you can talk about anything.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Aria shakes her headfirst, as if thinking about something. \u201cHe was the best man I ever met, but also the most horrible man I ever met. He was breadcrumbing me, knowing that he would never love me. He was never there for me and made it seem like I was begging for his love. After two years of hoping a man would act right, I walked away. Only for him to move on and treat a woman way better than me.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m so sorry. It hurts to beg a man to act right only for him to move on and do those things effortlessly for another woman,\u201d Giselle says, reaching for Aria\u2019s hand and squeezing it.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt really hurts to beg a grown man to act right,\u201d says Aria.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cAt least he didn\u2019t cheat. I found mine with another woman \u2013 in the middle of the act,\u201d says Giselle, shaking her head.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI don\u2019t know why men lie and pretend when they know their true intentions,\u201d says Aria.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Giselle looks at me and says, \u201cYou are our last hope, Jade. Your relationship with Dante is promising. I see wedding bells.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Aria chokes on wine. I reach for the water on the table and hand it to her. \u201cAre you okay?\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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She nods, \u201cI\u2019m fine, I must have swallowed too fast.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cHave some water,\u201d I say. We don\u2019t want to get in trouble with the Willow family when we harm their daughter.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cLet me go to the bathroom,\u201d Aria pushes her chair back, gets her bag, and goes in the direction of the bathrooms.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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When it\u2019s just us, Giselle, she leans and says, \u201cI don\u2019t like that girl.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cYou were just smiling with her and even telling her your business.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Giselle answers, \u201cI\u2019m just being polite. She sounds fake to me. We should keep away from her after this.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cDon\u2019t be like, she sounds like a lovely person. Give her a chance.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhen have I ever been wrong about a person? My gut feeling never lies,\u201d says Giselle.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cYou were wrong about James,\u201d I say, and she gives me the look. I know that was a low blow, but she could be wrong about Aria. I think she should give her a chance. I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cYou can be her friend; I am not interested. Plus, I don\u2019t have money like the two of you. I don\u2019t want to be a burden to anyone and always being paid for.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cCome on, you know I don\u2019t mind paying for you. But if you want a job, we can ask my one million followers to help us. I\u2019m sure we can get something,\u201d I say. Might as well take advantage of this popularity.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cYour one million followers, huh? It must be nice,\u201d she says, chuckling. \u201cBut I hear you, little sister. I need to get a job.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhat is taking Aria so long?\u201d I say, looking behind me to see if she is coming.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cShe is probably taking mirror selfies in there,\u201d Giselle says. Aria loves mirror selfies \u2013 I have seen many of them on her Instagram.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cSorry about that ladies, I was talking to my girl. You know how it is when we girls start talking,\u201d says Aria, sitting down.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cNo worries,\u201d Giselle answers.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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My phone rings, so I excuse myself to answer Dante\u2019s call.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Me: Hey love!<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Dante: Hey sweetheart! Are you girls good there?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Me: Yes, we are good. We are now having lunch. Are you good there? Did you eat?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Dante: I\u2019m about to get something to eat. Listen, don\u2019t wait up tonight. I will be home late.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Me: How late? You will come back at the same time as last night.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Dante: Yes.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Me: Are you going to be coming that late every night?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Dante: Some nights, but not all nights.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Me: Okay then.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Dante: I will try to adjust my working hours. There is a lot that needs me at the moment.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Me: I understand.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Dante: Take care of yourself, Jade Marshal.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Me: You too, Dante Lyon.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
I join the ladies after talking to Dante. \u201cSorry about that, it was Dante.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cDon\u2019t tell us you have to go, we are still having a lovely time,\u201d says Aria.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cNo, Dante was just checking on me.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cDante seems like a busy man. How do you two make it work?\u201d Aria asks.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u201cWe\u2026\u201d I pause when Giselle pinches me under the table. I clear my throat and say, \u201cIt doesn\u2019t feel like he is a busy man. We talk almost throughout the day.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cDo you now stay with him?\u201d Aria presses. She sure is curious.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cDo you know that James hasn\u2019t even tried to check what happened to me after I left his house?\u201d says Giselle, probably changing the subject.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cWho is James?\u201d Aria asks that when the topic goes to James\u2019s cheating on Giselle.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
I understand that Giselle is looking out for me, but I don\u2019t think we have anything to be worried about with Aria. I have been following this woman for years. She is a lovely human being. Now that I have met her in person, she is an angel. After eating, Aria offers to cover the bill. I tried to get her to split it, but she refused.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Aria says, \u201cYou will get the next one. We will be hanging out more, right?\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Giselle responds, \u201cCount me out, I am going to be busy in the coming months.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe can hang out. I am available.\u201d I am not working, and I still haven\u2019t talked to Dante about that. I wouldn\u2019t mind staying at home, and I wouldn\u2019t mind working either.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u201cCan you post our selfies and tag me?\u201d says Aria. I tell her that I will do it when I get home. She says, \u201cPlease do it now, people need to see that I am with Jade Marshal.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PAPER VOWS CHAPTER 25 JADE MARSHAL Today, Giselle and I made a friend. Dante had to take care of something […]<\/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":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-paper-vows-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525","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=525"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":527,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525\/revisions\/527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}