LOGINShare
Chapter 2
Last Updated:
2025-04-07 00:01:14Emma's POV:
“Alex…?”
Alex's head snapped towards me, and it didn't take more than two seconds for his expression to go from surprise to irritation.
“For God’s sake! Couldn’t you find a worse time than this?”
My jaw dropped.
I had expected… what exactly had I expected? An apology? An explanation? Something that would make this betrayal feel even slightly less shattering?
But instead, he had the audacity to be annoyed at me?
I stepped forward, crushing the smashed cake box I had dropped earlier.
“Are you being serious right now…? That’s what you think is wrong with all this– my timing!”
He just stared at me, completely indifferent.
“What else?”
He shrugged, like this was all just some minor inconvenience, and I was the crazy one for blowing things out of proportion.
“I just didn’t expect you to be back so soon.”
I felt like a volcano, with thousands of emotions surging inside my heart, ready to burst: rage, humiliation, betrayal… but I forced them down.
I needed answers first.
“How long! How long have you been cheating on me, sneaking behind my back?”
“If I say today’s the first time, will you believe it?”
I let out a strangled cry, halfway between a scream and a sob.
“It’s not your first time though, is it?”
“How does it make a difference? It doesn’t matter how long Charlotte and I have been together, because things are finally going right.”
He reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together.
“She was always supposed to be my soulmate. We were going to end up together at some point or another, so it's better that you found out now…”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut.
My vision blurred with tears.
“And what about me…?!”
I hated how small and pathetic I sounded, but I couldn't help it. My heart had been smashed into pieces, and I couldn't act like it was no big deal.
Alex leaned back against the pillows, his expression bored.
“You? What about you? You were a stepping stone to get closer to her… that’s all.”
My knees almost gave out beneath me, but I locked them in place. Alex’s mocking smile widened, as if my pain was amusing to him.
“What's the point of being so jealous and ungrateful? Instead, you should be thankful that you are blessed with the same beautiful appearance as Charlotte! That’s the only reason you caught my eye in the first place. Honestly, Emma, I thought you were smart, but I didn’t know you were gonna be so delusional…"
“Why did you think I would choose you over Charlotte? Which dumbass will choose a nameless, useless copy instead of the real gem?"
A quiet laugh escaped from Charlotte.
“As if she could ever be more than a cheap copy!”
But I wasn’t listening to her. My chest burned, my hands shaking as I forced the words out, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Our love… our plans… all the effort we put in to build a better life. Didn’t that mean anything to you… didn't you feel guilty even once?"
Alex scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"Effort?! Oh please, hard work alone doesn’t get you anywhere, Emma. Even a donkey slaves away all its life, and yet, how many donkeys do you see as CEOs?"
I flinched at his words, my stomach twisting painfully. I brought my hand to my mouth to suppress the nausea, and Alex’s smirk dropped instantly.
“Just stop being dramatic for once and get out! Get out of our room.”
My lips parted, and for a second, I thought about asking where I was supposed to go so late at night. But the disgust in his eyes made me completely speechless.
And so, I turned around.
My legs started moving on their own until I reached the cold living room and collapsed on the couch, curling into myself.
I cried until exhaustion won over pain, and finally, sleep claimed me.
###
The sound of the television made my head throb with pain before I even opened my eyes.
My body felt stiff, my eyes swollen with tears. For a few moments, I was in a daze, struggling to figure out where I was.
I sat up slowly, pressing my palms into my temples, trying to suppress the pounding pain in my head.
And then, I saw them; Alex and Charlotte were lounging on the sofa directly across from me, watching television… as if last night had never happened.
Alex’s arm was draped lazily over her shoulders, their bodies pressed together like they had been molded that way.
Charlotte raised her arm, stretching lazily before cuddling with Alex and turning her attention to me.
“Did you finally decide to wake up?”
Her voice was casual, filled with arrogance.
“Now why don’t you prove to be useful and bring us some coffee?”
I stared at her in disbelief– was this some kind of sick joke? But when Alex didn’t even blink at her request, I realized they weren’t joking.
I had no choice but to follow.
Moving mechanically, I walked to the kitchen, my hands trembling as I prepared the coffee. My body felt numb, I wasn’t really there.
The tray clattered slightly while I carried it back, the bitter scent of coffee filling the air.
I set it down on the table, and just then, the television flickered, switching to a new channel.
The news anchor’s voice filled the room.
“And in today’s headlines, the highly anticipated artwork ‘BLOOMING’ has received widespread acclaim for its creative vision. Critics are hailing it as a success—”
My head snapped toward the screen. My stomach dropped.
No… no, it couldn’t be.
The reporter continued describing the artwork in detail, and displaying the painting which I knew very well.
Every single stroke on that canvas was familiar to me, because I had painted it with my own hands.
As a birthday gift to Alex.
“That’s my project.”
Latest chapter
CINDERELLA'S FORCED MARRIAGE WITH SEXY BILLIONAIRE Chapter 31
XEROS' POV"We found a staff from the orphanage. This person can have information on the person you are looking for." My assistant told me.The entire time I was still busy, but I couldn't stop thinking of Charlotte. However, I still wanted to meet the one that I've been looking for right from childhood."Bring her in," I told him. He went out to bring the woman who was the old staff of the orphanage. She looked quite frail and tired. "Good day, sir. I heard you are looking for a young girl. Can you show me her picture?"I took out the picture that I had kept for years with me and showed it to her. She collected it from me and checked. "Oh, I know her. I know where she is staying now. She was adopted a long time ago by a wealthy family called the Jones family and they live in this city also. I can tell you their address.""there's no need to do that. You can go. I will find out myself." I said I'm turned to my assistant, "Escort her out and do the needful. Then, I need information
CINDERELLA'S FORCED MARRIAGE WITH SEXY BILLIONAIRE Chapter 30
Emma's POV "Check the news Emma! You won't believe what I saw!" Tina said again and I had to check. I didn't understand what all the fuss was about, but it seemed like something important already happened, and it might involve me. So I quickly checked. Tina is not the one to ask me to check on news that are not important to me. And also, she sounded very anxious on the phone, like she's kind of worried or something. But the moment I checked, I almost fell down, and my phone almost slipped from my hands. I had to hold on to it because I didn't fully see the news yet, but the headline was more than enough to make me feel this way.BILLIONAIRE XEROS SEEN WITH ANOTHER WOMAN IN A HOTEL A BEAUTIFUL MODEL This headline was more than enough to stop me in my tracks. My chest felt tightened and I felt unable to breathe for a moment. Why do I feel this way when I literally feel like I don't have the right to? Maybe what we've gone through for the past few days has made me think that things
CINDERELLA'S FORCED MARRIAGE WITH SEXY BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER 29
Chapter 29Emma’s POVThe sound was sharp, sudden, cutting through the moment like a blade.He froze, eyes still locked on mine, but the warmth in them dimmed a little. Slowly, he straightened and stepped back. The space between us grew again, and I could breathe—but somehow, I didn’t want to.“Sorry,” he said quietly, pulling out his phone from his pocket. He checked the screen. “It’s my assistant.”I stayed still, watching him. His voice changed as he answered—less soft, more businesslike.“Yeah,” he said into the phone, walking a few steps toward the hallway. “I’ll take care of it. Forward the rest to my email.”He hung up and turned to me again, but his face was more serious now.“I need to handle something,” he said gently. “It won’t take long. Get some rest tonight, alright?”I nodded, even though part of me didn’t want him to go. I wanted to ask what it was—why his voice turned cold so quickly. But I stayed quiet.He walked toward the study, picking up the jacket he had thrown
CINDERELLA'S FORCED MARRIAGE WITH SEXY BILLIONAIRE Chapter 28
Emma’s POVThe soft morning light slipped through the thin curtains, brushing against my face like a quiet nudge. My fingers reached out lazily for my phone on the bedside table. One glance and I shot upright.“Oh no—I’m gonna be late!”I tossed the blanket off me and scrambled out of bed, heart racing. My hair was a mess, sticking to one side of my face, and I still felt a little groggy from sleeping too deeply. My mind flashed back to last night—the stars, the quiet drive, Xeros beside me… I had slept like a log after that.The scent of something warm drifted through the air. Eggs? Toast? I rushed out of the room, tugging at my wrinkled shirt, and found him in the kitchen, calm as ever.Xeros stood near the stove, sleeves rolled up, flipping eggs with one hand and holding a piece of toast with the other. The morning sunlight made his features look softer. Peaceful. Like he had all the time in the world.“Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?” I blurted out, half-panicked.He glanced at
CINDERELLA'S FORCED MARRIAGE WITH SEXY BILLIONAIRE Chapter 27
Emma's POV Back at the studio, I let out a soft sigh as I sank into my chair. The glow of the screen in front of me was the only light in the room. Everyone else had already left. It was quiet. Peaceful. And honestly, I needed this calm after everything that happened recently.I kept replaying the dinner in my head, Xeros’s words, his quiet encouragement, the steady way he’d looked at me. No one had ever spoken to me like that before. Not even Alex. Back then, everything with him had been rushed, loud, full of tension and pressure. With Xeros... it felt different. Gentler, even if he didn’t always show it. There was a comfort in the silence he brought with him.My phone buzzed.I glanced at the screen.Xeros: The sunset’s beautiful. Come down and see.My heart skipped a beat. I blinked at the message for a few seconds, not sure if I read it right. Then I stood up slowly and walked to the window.And there he was.Xeros.Leaning casually against the side of his car, dressed in his usu
CINDERELLA'S FORCED MARRIAGE WITH SEXY BILLIONAIRE Chapter 26
Emma’s POV“It was just a spam call,” I said, hoping my voice sounded steady.Xeros stood a few feet away from me, his eyes unreadable. For a second, I thought he didn’t believe me. His gaze lingered on me for a moment longer than it should have, and I had to stop myself from fidgeting.“Alright,” he said at last. “You should get some rest.”Relief flooded my chest. I quickly ended the call with Charlotte and placed my phone facedown on the table, forcing a soft smile as he turned and walked out of the room.But my hands were still trembling.I knew I had just dodged a bullet… barely.He was getting closer to the truth. And when he found out—when he realized I wasn’t Charlotte, that I was the stand-in, the woman he’d grown used to wasn’t the one he thought she was… I had no idea how he’d react.The silence after he left was too loud. I sat on the bed, hugging my knees to my chest, just staring at the closed door.How long do I have before everything crumbles?I didn’t sleep well that
You may also like
Black Card
R.C.BRIE15489.8K viewsCan't Win Me Back
Ginger Sue2.8M viewsChasing My Pregnant Wife
Night Revelations651.5K viewsTwins in Her Womb: Sir President, Please be Gentle
Heap Heap1.8M viewsForsaken Daughter Turns the Game Upside Down
Love Letter25 viewsDear Husband, My Turn To Love You
Tarina1.9K viewsWhen Bad Boys Fall: The Hamilton Brothers
Iren KayKay 81 viewsThe Substitute Bride's Revenge
Golden Butterfly2.4K views
