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Chapter 5
Valerie’s face was smeared with blood, pouring from her nose.
She curled up on the floor like a crushed insect, yet still had the audacity to moan weakly,
“Mrs. Whitmore… I really know I was wrong…”
I let out a cold laugh and kicked her square in the ribs.
Crack.
The sound of bones snapping echoed through the room, followed by her piercing scream.
She could no longer keep up the act. Her face twisted in pain and fury as she shrieked,
“This woman’s insane! Nathan, help me!”
Nathan lunged at me like a madman, trying to bite my arm.
I dodged effortlessly and slapped him so hard he hit the ground.
My grandfather taught me self–defense growing up. Years of training weren’t just for show.
Nathan’s lip split open, blood trickling from his mouth.
His perfectly styled hair stuck to his face in wet clumps–he looked like a stray dog beaten in the rain. “Anna! Touch her one more time and I swear I’ll get my father to deal with you!”
His voice cracked with rage as he fumbled for his phone.
I stared at him, and just like that, the past came rushing back.
We first met at college, by the campus lake.
He wore a simple white tee and jeans, arms full of books stacked so high they looked ready to fall,
I’d just come back from basketball practice when we brushed shoulders–and sure enough, the books came tumbling down. “Sorry!” he muttered, crouching to gather them.
As he looked up, the evening breeze swept through his hair.
The streetlamp cast a soft halo behind him, making his eyes sparkle like scattered stars.
I froze for a second. Then knelt to help.
Our fingers touched by accident, and he looked momentarily stunned–then smiled.
“You’re Anna from the business department, right? My roommate couldn’t stop talking about you.”
“And what about you?” I asked, not even knowing why.
He blinked, then grinned even wider.
“Me? They seldom talk about me. But who knows—they might start soon.”
That accidental encounter turned into something more.
We began texting Then calling. Then late–night study sessions.
He was the only guy I ever lost sleep for.
The only one bold enough to run onto the basketball court mid–game just to hand me water and wipe my sweat.
Chapter 5
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He’d always say, loud and proud,
“She’s my girlfriend. I’ll spoil her however I want.”
We loved boldly, without hiding or shame.
After graduation, I gave up returning to Manhattan and joined the Whitmore family company.
His parents didn’t approve of me at first. Not until I earned two straight Sales Champion awards and doubled the company’s annual
revenue.
Only then did their opinion start to shift.
On our wedding day, Nathan held me tight, tears streaming down his cheeks as he laughed.
I wiped his face gently and whispered, forever.
Back then, I believed it.
That we’d grow old together.
But that belief shattered the moment Valerie Scott joined the company as Nathan’s personal assistant.
It started slowly.
The late nights, the constant business trips. The whispers at the office.
At first, I ignored it.
Until the signs piled up: unreturned texts, missed calls, last–minute cancelations, and Nathan’s growing irritation every time I mentioned Valerie.
“She’s my assistant. What’s wrong with spending time with her?”
“We’ve been together for years, Anna. I’ve given you everything. Can’t you trust me a little?”
“Anna, you’re the one ruining this. You’re the disappointment.‘
The man who used to look at me like I was his entire world now couldn’t look at me without disdain.
The more I thought about it, the colder I felt inside..
I ignored his threats, lifted my foot, and crushed Valerie’s wrist beneath my heel.
Crunch.
She howled, eyes bulging from the pain, voice strangled.
Nathan scrambled to his feet and dialed his phone, voice cracking in panic.
“Dad! Come now! Bring everyone!”
Gone was the smug heir. All that remained was sheer, desperate terror.
Less than twenty minutes later, the front door slammed open.
Richard Whitmore stormed in, flanked by furious relatives—and holding a golf club.
“Anna!” he roared. “Let go of my son!”
Chapter 5
