I wanted to throw up.
What a couple.
“Keep going.
My eyes widened.
Britney set me up!
She paid someone to fake the photos of me
with other men.
The women in the pictures were Britney, and
she was hooking up with Cody and other guys.
It was disgusting.
“Britney, I didn’t want Zack to get hurt, so I
didn’t tell him.
“But I need to punish Meredith and your sister.
You decide what to do. After all, they’re your
family.”
Family? I laughed. She was an adopted
daughter.
She made my life hard. There was no love
between us.
She did all this to me, and she had to pay!
I posted all the photos online.
8
Britney was at a karaoke bar, trying to get Cody
to go home.
Cody had been a mess since the
announcement.
He spent two days saying he’d get me back, then he started going to clubs, drinking all
night.
Britney couldn’t let him lose his chance.
“Get out! If it wasn’t for you, Britney wouldn’t
have left me!”
The jerk was acting like he didn’t cheat.
“You’re so cheap, stealing your sister’s man!”
Britney was angry, and she was about to leave
when Cody’s friend came in and showed him a
hot search.
He looked at Britney and kicked her in the
stomach.
“You bitch! You think I’m stupid? I’ll be done
with you!”
That night, Britney was bleeding, and they
found out she had a miscarriage.
Britney lost her ability to have kids.
My parents didn’t blame Cody because Britney
wasn’t sure who the father was.
I called the police, and they took Britney away
for slander.
The photos weren’t released, so she was only in jail for fifteen days.
But that scared her, and she couldn’t control
her bowels anymore.
Cody didn’t get away with it either.
None of the photos had Cody in them.
First, Cody was family.
Second, that was the biggest threat.
Britney’s hookups weren’t ordinary people.
They were rich, powerful, or famous.
Since Cody wasn’t in the photos, they thought
Cody released the photos to hurt Britney and
them.
They were all angry at Cody.
One time, he found animal guts at his door. He got scared and couldn’t sleep, hiding in bed.
Grandpa told me not to go too far, then sat
back and watched.
Cody cried and begged Grandpa and Zack, and
they sent him to a farm in another country.
He became a big baby, holding a stuffed animal
and sleeping all day.
His mom, Meredith, couldn’t deny her crime.
She was sent to prison for life.
She was bullied in prison.
I didn’t ask why she was being treated so badly.
Everything was her fault.
9
After everything, Zack and I had a big wedding.
Zack respected my wishes and didn’t invite my
parents.
They called me a traitor and cut me off.
I was happy about it. I let them live with Britney.
The Smiths went bankrupt.
My dad had a business mistake, and the Smiths
were in debt.
I didn’t have to pay for the debts.
On our wedding night, I asked Zack if I was too
mean, and if he’d regret marrying me.
He shook his head and hugged me.
“I’m glad you learned to protect yourself.”
“You helped me.” I kissed his nose. “I know you helped get Meredith in jail and the Smiths‘ bankruptcy.”
“So, how does it feel?” He asked.
I nodded. “Good! Thank you for always
protecting me.”
He held me tight and kissed me.
I blushed.
After the wedding, Zack ran Stern Corporation.
He made Stern Corporation even better.
The best surgeons told me that Zack could walk
again.
He didn’t want to get the surgery, worried he
wouldn’t make it and never see me and our
child again.
I convinced him, and he agreed.
He wrote a will.
If something happened to him, he’d give
everything to me.
I laughed, but I was nervous.
Ten hours later, the doctor came out smiling,
and I knew I’d won!
Ten days later, Zack stood up. I cried and hugged him.
Three months later, Zack was walking with our
son in the garden.
Three years later, Zack was with our son at a
kids‘ sporting event.
I was pregnant and watched them win gold.
They gave me the medal, and I told Zack that I
was having twin girls.
Zack hugged our son.
Zack hugged our son.
“I have sisters!
“My sisters will be beautiful like mommy.”
Zack and I looked at each other, hugging.
“Honey, I’m glad I have you. You saved my
life.”
I kissed his forehead.
“You don’t know it, Zack, but you saved mine.”
