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Chapter 2

Autor: Perfect Timing
Donna worked faster than the FBI. Half an hour later, my phone buzzed.

A link. And her snark: [Presenting the performance of the year from our fake-sweetheart actress. Evidence chain so airtight I feel guilty charging you full price. Enjoy.]

I tapped it open. Abigail's public account.

Front and center: a close-up of her wrist flaunting the MK bracelet I knew by heart.

Caption: [The moon is coming to you, MR. K.]

My "Baby Moon."

My MK bracelet.

Now paraded around as someone else's prize.

Expressionless, I kept scrolling.

One shot—our study. Abigail cupping her face, smiling like butter wouldn't melt, with my rare Italian architecture books stacked in the background.

Caption: [Soaking up knowledge in MR. K's study, I feel like I'm improving too!]

Next—her holding a pen over a blueprint. Not just any pen—the limited-edition one I gave Matthew for his thirtieth.

Caption: [The pen MR. K gave me is amazing. He said my hands deserve the best.]

Then our favorite restaurant, table lined with my go-to dishes.

Caption: [Our secret spot. He said I'm the only one who makes him feel truly at ease.]

Each post cut deeper, turning memories into blades.

Then came the kicker—three days ago. Abigail, grinning with a printed draft.

Caption: [MR. K stayed up late helping me revise this. He said I'm the most inspired designer he's ever seen and that I'm sure to win the Horizon Spire project. Fighting!]

Horizon Spire.

Dreamforge's crown jewel. Six months of my life. My career's milestone.

I shot off the couch, grabbed my keys, and stormed out.

The office sat empty at this hour. I pressed my fingerprint to the lock and headed straight for Matthew's office.

His computer lit up with our wedding photo as the screensaver. His smile—soft, tender.

It made me sick.

I tapped a key. Password box popped up. My birthday? Wrong. Our anniversary? Wrong again.

I smirked and typed in Abigail's birthday.

[Welcome.]

The desktop was spotless, except for one folder screaming at me. Encrypted. I clicked. Inside—Dreamforge's Horizon Spire plan, finalized. Every line, every detail, six months of my team's blood and sweat.

Beside it sat another folder, marked with just two letters: AB.

I opened it.

The design was basically ours—just tweaked in a few key spots, enough to dodge patents but still scream Dreamforge.

At the bottom: one word. [Abigail.]

He hadn't just cheated. He was handing over my work—our future—like a stepping stool for his side chick.

Bile crawled up my throat. I gripped the cold desk, holding myself upright.

Turns out jealousy and betrayal can warp a guy till he's unrecognizable.

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  • Connected Speaker, Disconnected Husband   Chapter 10

    I skipped the sentencing.Donna filled me in over the phone, practically buzzing. "Guilty on all counts—heavy sentence! Selene, did you hear me? Heavy!"Matthew collapsed right there, had to be hauled out like a trash bag. Abigail wasn't better—crying, screaming she was coerced. Too bad that recording she proudly gave you nailed her to the wall."Judge even said adults gotta pay for their greed and stupidity."I just hummed, hung up.The sun was warm. I watered the balcony plants, trimmed a few dead leaves.It was finally over.***Two weeks later, I'd clawed back most of the stolen assets and reshaped Dreamforge Studio.At our first all-hands, the place was packed—vets mixed with fresh hires, the air thick with nerves.No speeches. I just threw the contract up on the screen."This is the new deal for Horizon Spire. The client wants it done by Dreamforge Studio—and only by me."The room froze, then exploded into applause.I looked around at their faces and smiled. "The mes

  • Connected Speaker, Disconnected Husband   Chapter 9

    The courtroom felt like it was holding its breath.Matthew and Abigail sat yards apart—ex-lovers turned sworn enemies.Showtime.His lawyer went in first, puffing up his chest. "My client, Matthew Kein, is really a good man. A brilliant businessman. Just... misled by love into one tiny mistake."I almost lost it right there.Abigail's lawyer strutted up next, laying it on thick. She was just a wide-eyed kid, fresh from school, tricked by a powerful mentor with smooth talk.Right on cue, Abigail buried her face in her hands, shaking like some tragic heroine. A couple people in the gallery even sighed.Donna leaned over. "What an act."I just shot her a look—patience.Then it was our move.We dropped the first bomb—the recording Abigail herself had handed me while groveling outside my apartment.Matthew's voice filled the courtroom, all smooth and smug, coaching her on how to tweak my stolen designs, how to charm the judges.Abigail froze. The sobbing died. She snapped her he

  • Connected Speaker, Disconnected Husband   Chapter 8

    Once you're down, everyone lines up to kick you.Stripped bare, Matthew must've borrowed some jailhouse phone, because he called me, freaking out.All I heard were choked sobs. Then: "Selene."I was wrong, I swear! Please, give me another chance. Abigail tricked me, that witch messed with my head—I wasn't myself!"He kept going, piling everything on her. By the end, he even got nostalgic."Remember when we started Dreamforge? Staying up all night sketching, surviving on ramen and hot dogs. You said it was our dream—our dream together—"His whining made my skin crawl."Done?" I cut in. "Good. Hanging up now. International calls aren't cheap."He choked, then cranked the sobs up a notch.I hung up and blocked him.Two blissful days later, Abigail appeared.Not knocking—just parked herself outside my building.Rush hour crowd streaming past, and there she was in a flimsy hospital gown, hair wrecked, skin ghostly, that once-cute face streaked with tears. She sat on the curb, ba

  • Connected Speaker, Disconnected Husband   Chapter 7

    When I shoved open the conference room doors at Dreamforge, it was standing-room only.Every shareholder sat in place, and there was Matthew, lounging at the head. The second he spotted me, he put on that fake-concern face he must've practiced in the mirror."Selene, you're here. Feeling better? We've all been worried." He even stood up, hand half-extended like he was some gentleman about to guide me to my chair. "Sit, we'll take it slow."A couple of his little fan club members jumped right in."Yeah, Selene, don't strain yourself. Health's more important.""Matthew only cares about the company, you should relax."They parroted each other like I was some fragile drama queen about to faint.I brushed past his hand like it didn't exist and headed straight to the far end of the table, sliding my flash drive into the computer."Today's meeting isn't about my mood." I let my gaze sweep the room before landing square on Matthew. "It's about flushing out the parasite."His smile cra

  • Connected Speaker, Disconnected Husband   Chapter 6

    I muted the shareholders' group—empty chatter wasn't worth a second more of my time.I drove straight to Donna's firm. She was waiting out front, laptop tucked under her arm. The second she spotted me, she yanked open the door and slid in."Don't go home, and don't set foot in the office." She dropped the laptop onto her lap, fingers flying across the keys. "Matthew's probably running around like a rabid dog right now. First, we strip him bare."She kept muttering curses, but her typing never slowed.We holed up in a private room at a café, shutting the world out.I watched her tear through databases, code flying under her fingers. Lines of data zipped past until the screen froze on a registration page."Nebula Studio," Donna read, her laugh sharp and cold. "Registered under some Dominic Barne. Total ghost. Fake ID. But the offshore trust account linked to it?" She swiveled the screen toward me. "That ring any bells?"The bank name. The digits. They seared into my eyes like a br

  • Connected Speaker, Disconnected Husband   Chapter 5

    The aftermath was pure chaos.Organizers rushed the stage, tripping over each other to calm the storm, then bailed with an early shutdown—"unforeseen circumstances," of course.Matthew clung to a gasping, sobbing Abigail as security hustled them out. When he passed me, his steps hitched. The face I used to know was twisted with nothing but venom."Selene Watson, you're really something." His teeth ground, voice scraping out. "You'll regret this."I just looked at him.Regret? Please. The second he handed my work to another woman, that word stopped existing.Back in my car, before I could even start the engine, Donna's call lit up my phone. Keyboard clicks rattled in the background."Congrats, Selene," she drawled. "You're trending. Hashtag's gold: #CrazyWomanWrecksBid."I frowned and opened social.Half an hour. That's all it took for the story to flip.Matthew and Abigail's crew moved fast—flooding feeds with "neutral" articles that somehow painted me as the psycho wife. Jea

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