LOGIN“Then defend yourself,” Kain said evenly, voice low, deliberate. “Congratulations,” he murmured. “You’ve just been given the job.” “…The job?” “Defend yourself well enough,” he stepped closer, shadowed eyes beneath the cap locking on hers, “and maybe you’ll keep it.” “…I got hurt too,” she admitted, voice cracking. “Yes… I lied. I chose my ex over Kain Wolf. I thought—” her breath stuttered, “I thought it would hurt him less if he didn’t know.” A scoff cut her off. Sharp. Venom-laced. “You thought what, Jade?” he said quietly. “That making Kain a fool would protect him? Or that it would save you?” Her throat tightened. “…But my intentions were pure. Always were.” Something flickered in his eyes…betrayal, confusion, and the faintest trace of longing. “You made him feel like a joke,” he said, voice low and tight. “Like everything he felt meant nothing. And you think saying your intentions were pure fixes that?” She swallowed, guilt burning hot beneath her ribs. “
“HAHAHA!” “REVENGE MOOD ACTIVATED?” Rob’s laughter split the room…wild, jagged and unhinged. “You’re gonna kill me, huh?” he sneered, eyes bloodshot. “You whore?” Jade’s voice trembled. “Whore?! Don’t forget that you slept with my big sister. Lied to my face for months. And I still stayed like a fool . But stealing my career..” her breath caught, “that’s something I can’t forgive you for!” He stepped closer, smirking. “Oh, you’re so ungrateful. After screwing your billionaire boy toy, you still act holy and try to paint me like I’m the only sinner here? I offered you marriage to make up for it. Every girl’s golden dream. Ain’t I your first love now? Liar.” “You think marriage is something I should thank you for, Rob?” “ You bled me dry. My time, my confidence, my trust. You broke me. Bit by bit, until I couldn’t recognize myself.” Her breath shook, but her eyes blazed. “You made me do things I swore I never would just to make you feel a fraction of the pain you l
The smell of burning eggs clawed through the air. Jade didn’t move. She stood over the frying pan, arms braced on the counter, eyes hollow and locked on the curling smoke—like her life, blackened at the edges, too far gone to save, yet too stubborn to throw away. Her chest rose and fell in a slow, furious rhythm. God. What had she become? A woman who gave up her career for the man who betrayed her—with her sister. A woman reduced to cooking burnt eggs in a polished soulless apartment while he walked free, pretending he was the victim. “All I did to get back at you, Rob…” she whispered, her voice raw. Her grip whitened around the counter. “…sorry, not sorry. You deserve worse.” That soft, hopeful voice inside—the one that used to whisper good people win—was gone. Because what had “good” ever done for her? Her family disowned her. Her name was dirt. And Kain—the man who made her believe she could rebuild—had a wife tucked neatly behind closed doors while she
“Sir… I have to tell you something. Jade—she’s a fraud.”Mario’s words sliced through the quiet.For a heartbeat, Kain didn’t breathe.The air smelled of polish and paint, sharp enough to burn.Behind him, a roller squeaked against the wall—too normal for words that heavy.He looked up at last. His face was stone, voice flat.“Right. Of course she is.”A humorless smirk ghosted across his mouth.“Maybe that’s what I get. Karma.”He raked a hand over his jaw, cap shadowing his eyes.“All those perfect pedigrees—models, heiresses, the polished and obedient. I broke too many hearts to expect mine to stay whole.”A low, cracked laugh escaped.“Guess it’s my turn to be the fool.”He turned to leave—but Mario’s next words stopped him cold.“On the bright side,” Mario said quietly, “she isn’t the fraud. She was painted to be. Her ex—Rob—is.”Kain froze.“What?”Mario motioned to the wall. “Yesterday I noticed something off. One of the paintings from your private collection pieces—the one si
“I’m sorry, Kain. I will never be your wife.” The words still echoed painfully in his head like an alarm that refused to stop. It didn’t matter how many drinks he took, he could still hear her voice every time silence fell. Kain gripped the golf club tighter until his knuckles turned white. His chest ached, but he forced his face to stay calm. He couldn’t look weak here. Not in front of them. “Rough day, Evans?” one of his partners laughed, patting his shoulder after another missed shot. The ball rolled off, far from the hole. The group chuckled. Kain straightened, forcing a smirk. “Just testing the wind.” But it wasn't true. He’d had ten glasses of whiskey and still couldn’t feel anything except the emptiness she left behind. The sun hit his face bronzed under it, as he squared up again. His black polo clung to his shoulders. He looked every inch the man who had it all; money, looks, control. But his jaw was tight. His eyes were tired. He swung again. One miss … Two. Thr
***FLASHBACK**** Steam curled like ghosts in the bathroom, clouding the mirror and crawling across the marble walls. Jade stood under the showerhead, water cascading down her back—too hot, but she didn’t flinch. Her skin was already numb. She scrubbed her arms and neck again and again, like she could scrape off what happened the night before. Kain’s mouth on her skin. His name on her lips. Then…Amara. She blinked against the droplets clinging to her lashes. Her chest rose and fell in shallow bursts. The sting wasn’t from the water—it was the shame blooming like wildfire beneath her skin. This was the morning of his wedding to Scarlett. And she—idiot, dreamer, fool—was the girl washing herself like a sin. Who the hell is Amara? Was I just a mistake? A stand-in? Did I give him all of me for nothing? Her fingers curled against her ribs. The water pelted her like rain she couldn’t run from. Her knees nearly buckled under the weight of what she’d given—of what she thought they







