Share

CHAPTER TWENTY

Penulis: Joy Richards
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-04-26 22:37:54

Lauren stumbled into the empty hallway, the office door slamming shut behind her, the childhood photo and note gripped between her fingers. “If you leave now, you’re breaking more than a contract—you’re breaking me”—cut deeper than she’d expected, his cold edge laced with something raw, but the note’s accusation drowned it out.

Her tears spilled, her breath jagged, as she pressed against the wall, whispering, “What am I supposed to do now? Believe him, or run?” The photo, her eight-year-old self in a pink designer camp t-shirt, stared back, and a memory roared to life, fierce and unrelenting.

Flashback****

Rain lashed the woods, the summer camp a distant murmur beneath the howl of a flash flood. An eight-year-old girl, scrawny and drenched, slogged through mud, her borrowed t-shirt—Melissa’s, bright pink with the cam’s logo—plastered to her skin. She’d taken it after Melissa sneered at her faded clothes, unaware it would mark her as her evil sister

“Hey!” she yelled, her voice swallo
Lanjutkan membaca buku ini secara gratis
Pindai kode untuk mengunduh Aplikasi
Bab Terkunci

Bab terbaru

  • Cripple Billionaire Husband    CHAPTER NINETY-ONE

    The lecture hall hummed with soft conversation as students filtered in, but Emmy's focus stayed locked on the man standing at the front. Professor Carl Grayson — in that black button-up with sleeves rolled, jaw set in a way that could cut through bone — was every bit the chaos she didn’t need.He didn’t look at her when she walked in.Not that she cared.Not that she noticed the slight twitch in his jaw as she passed.Not that her heart skipped.She slid into her seat, opened her laptop, and avoided looking at him.Carl turned from the whiteboard. “For next week, I want a reflective essay. But for a few of you…” — his eyes scanned the hall — “you’ll receive a private thesis assignment.”Emmy flinched.Of course, when the list appeared on the projector, her name was there — Emmy Langston Magnus.Her heart thudded.Later, when class ended and students shuffled out, she waited. She told herself it was to clarify the assignment, but when the last student left, her legs felt rooted. His of

  • Cripple Billionaire Husband    CHAPTER NINETY

    The air in the lecture hall thrummed with anticipation. Whispers bounced between students as they filed in—girls fixing their hair, boys straightening their backs, everyone buzzing about the new Literature professor.“He’s supposed to be British.”“No, American. Ivy League.”“Did you see the photo on the bulletin board? He’s hot.”Emmy Magnus rolled her eyes as she walked into the hall, notebook tucked under her arm. She had no patience for schoolgirl gossip—especially not about a professor. She was already irritated from her morning encounter with her friend. Hailey, her best friend, wouldn't just stop talking about her abusive boyfriend. Well she hoped he tripped on the way to whatever smug pedestal he stood on. Hailey would be free of him then.She chose a seat in the third row, center. Close enough to engage, far enough to avoid attention. As she settled in, her phone vibrated.A new professor.I hope he was an old man… someone between his 60’s. Someone not as arrogant and beautif

  • Cripple Billionaire Husband    CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE

    PART TWOEMMY AND CARL'S STORY The first day of the new semester always smelled the same—old books, coffee, and too many dreams crushed under deadlines. Emmy Langston Magnus weaved through the familiar chaos of Lancaster University’s East Wing, clutching her tote bag like a lifeline. Her boots echoed sharply on the marble tiles, every step rushed. She was, unsurprisingly, late.Students flooded the halls—laughing, yawning, flirting, trying to pretend life wasn’t spinning too fast already. She didn’t have time for any of them. Her schedule had changed at the last minute, and now she had to sprint halfway across campus to a literature elective she didn’t even want to take. But it was either that or fail the credit requirement, and Emmy Langston Magnus didn’t fail anything. Not when her last name meant so much to so many.She rounded the corner at full speed and slammed—*hard*—into someone. Her bag slipped from her shoulder, her breath knocked out of her lungs.“Jesus, watch where you’r

  • Cripple Billionaire Husband    CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT

    Dan’s body collapsed onto the cold warehouse floor, his hand clutching his chest, blood pouring through his fingers, his scarred face frozen in pain. His voice was a faint gasp, fading fast as his eyes rolled back, the gun slipping from his grip with a dull clatter. Melissa lay nearby, her shoulder wound fatal, blood pooling beneath her still form, her eyes closed, her face pale and lifeless. Lauren’s scream tore through the dim Tremont warehouse, her arms wrapped tightly around a sleeping Emmy, her voice raw with shock as she stared at the bodies, her heart pounding.Police burst through the door, their boots thundering, voices barking orders. “Clear! Secure the room!” Officer Mike Daniels’ voice was sharp, his gun raised, sweeping the space. “Alex, Lauren, you hurt?” His tone was urgent, his eyes landing on Dan and Melissa, his face falling as he saw they were gone. “Too late,” he muttered, his voice low, waving medics forward, their voices clipped as they checked pulses, shaking t

  • Cripple Billionaire Husband    CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN

    Melissa’s lips pressed harder against Dan’s, her hands gripping his jacket, their kiss deepening in the dim, dusty Tremont warehouse, the air thick with tension. Her mic, hidden under her collar, transmitted every sound to the police outside, her act a calculated distraction to keep Dan occupied. Lauren, tied to a metal chair, her wrists bleeding, her face bruised from Dan’s blows, watched with a mix of disgust and desperation, her voice silent but her eyes blazing, her thoughts on Emmy, hidden somewhere in the shadows.Richard, newly freed from his ropes in the back room, his palms bloodied from the glass shard, crept forward, his boots silent on the concrete. His voice was a faint whisper, his eyes locked on Dan’s back, a rusted iron rod clutched in his hand, scavenged from the warehouse floor. “Stay focused, Richard,” he muttered, his breath shallow, his body tense as he inched closer, the chair he’d dragged himself across still tipped over in the corner.Melissa’s eyes flicked to

  • Cripple Billionaire Husband    CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX

    Dan’s fist was raised, his scarred face contorted with fury, poised to strike Lauren again, her cheek swollen and bloodied, her wrists chafed raw against the ropes binding her to the metal chair in the dim, dusty Tremont warehouse. Melissa’s voice cut through, sharp and commanding, her hand grabbing his arm, yanking him back. “Dan, hold on.” Her tone was low, her eyes glinting with a twisted gleam as she stepped close, her lips crashing into his in a sudden, fierce kiss, the sound of their collision echoing in the stale air. The crowbar clattered to the concrete floor, its metallic clang reverberating.Dan jerked back, his voice a confused grunt, his eyes narrowing to slits. “Melissa, what the hell are you doing?” His tone was rough, his scarred cheek twitching, his hands hovering, uncertain, as he stared at her. “This ain’t the time for games.” His gaze darted to Lauren, tied up and trembling, her tears streaking her bruised face, her glare burning despite her pain.Melissa’s voice

Bab Lainnya
Jelajahi dan baca novel bagus secara gratis
Akses gratis ke berbagai novel bagus di aplikasi GoodNovel. Unduh buku yang kamu suka dan baca di mana saja & kapan saja.
Baca buku gratis di Aplikasi
Pindai kode untuk membaca di Aplikasi
DMCA.com Protection Status