LOGINShare
Chapter 13: The Cost of Pressure
Last Updated:
2026-02-11 18:40:56
Latest chapter
Divorced on Our Wedding Night Chapter 13: The Cost of Pressure
The drive to Naomi’s apartment felt endless.Even with sirens cleared in advance. Even with security escorting us through empty intersections.Every second stretched thin.I stared at the live location pin on my phone, willing it to disappear. It didn’t move. It didn’t blink.It just stayed there.Waiting.Cassian sat beside me, silent but coiled. His phone buzzed nonstop Dominic coordinating units, police contacts, private security.“Say something,” I whispered.He turned to me.“She’ll be fine.”It wasn’t reassurance.It was determination.When we arrived, the street was already blocked.Two Blackridge security vehicles. One police cruiser.The building lights were on.Too many lights.I stepped out of the car before anyone could stop me.“Avelyn” Cassian’s voice followed sharply.But I was already running toward the entrance.Naomi stood in the lobby.Alive.Shaken.But alive.I nearly collapsed with relief when I reached her.“Are you okay?” I breathed.“I’m fine,” she said quickl
Divorced on Our Wedding Night Chapter 12: No Longer in the Shadows
The first threat didn’t come as a message.It came as silence.My security detail because apparently I had one now noticed it before I did.Routine patterns matter, Dominic had explained. Predictability keeps danger manageable.So when something disrupted routineIt mattered.Wednesday morning, I left Dr. Moore’s office building at exactly 6:10 p.m., as I had for the past three days.The street was moderately busy. Office workers heading home. Taxis lining the curb. Nothing unusual.Except the florist across the street.Its lights were off.That wouldn’t have meant anything except it never closed before eight.Dominic’s voice came through the earpiece one of his agents wore discreetly. I didn’t hear it, but I saw the subtle shift in posture.Alert.The car door opened for me immediately.Too quickly.I slid inside, heart rate ticking upward.“What is it?” I asked.“Probably nothing,” the driver said calmly.That meant it wasn’t nothing.As the car pulled away, I glanced back.The flor
Divorced on Our Wedding Night Chapter 11: The Thing He Wouldn’t Say
I didn’t sleep that night.Cassian’s words replayed in my head long after the banquet ended.It was meant to protect you.Protect me from what?Aaron had insisted on driving me home himself. He hadn’t said much during the ride, but I noticed the way his eyes kept scanning the rearview mirror.“You think we’re being followed?” I finally asked.“I think,” he said calmly, “that too many unusual things are happening at once.”The blackmail photo.The anonymous messages to Cassian.Seraphina’s carefully timed appearance.And nowProtection.When I stepped into Naomi’s apartment, exhaustion hit me like a wave. But even as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, a quiet truth settled in.Cassian hadn’t looked like a man playing a game on that terrace.He’d looked… restrained.Afraid, almost.And Cassian Blackridge did not scare easily.Across the city, Cassian stood in his private study, jacket discarded, tie loosened.His head of security, Dominic Reyes, stood across from him, tablet in hand.
Divorced on Our Wedding Night Chapter 10: The Woman in Silver
The Blackridge Foundation Banquet was held in the Grand Meridian Hall where ceilings stretched high enough to swallow sound and chandeliers dripped crystal like frozen rain.I hadn’t been back since the wedding.This time, I arrived alone.The silver gown Naomi insisted on buying clung to me in quiet elegance no dramatic train, no bridal softness. My hair fell in smooth waves down my back, makeup subtle but deliberate. I didn’t look like a discarded bride.I looked composed.Power didn’t have to be loud.As the car door opened, camera flashes erupted immediately.“Ms. Cross!”“Avelyn! Over here!”“Are the divorce rumors true?”My pulse fluttered, but I didn’t hesitate. I stepped forward with steady grace, offering a small, controlled smile.No comments. No explanations.Let them wonder.Inside the hall, conversations dipped.Heads turned.The effect was immediate and undeniable.I saw it in their eyes.They hadn’t expected me to show up.At the far end of the room, Cassian stood among
Divorced on Our Wedding Night Chapter 9: The Weight of a Name
The first time I saw my wedding photo trending online, I didn’t cry.I stared.The image had been cropped strategically. Cassian stood tall, immaculate in his tailored tuxedo. I stood beside him, smiling softly, unaware of what was waiting for me at the end of the aisle.The headline read:BLACKRIDGE WEDDING ENDS IN MYSTERY — BRIDE VANISHES HOURS AFTER CEREMONYMystery.Such a gentle word for humiliation.Naomi was the one who found it.“I tried to keep it from you,” she admitted, sitting beside me on the couch, her laptop open. “But it’s everywhere.”I scrolled silently.Speculation.Rumors.Anonymous “sources.”Some claimed I’d had a breakdown. Others hinted at infidelity mine or his. A few suggested the marriage had been a business merger gone wrong.No one knew the truth.And for once, that worked in my favor.“Say something,” Naomi said gently.I closed the laptop.“Let them guess.”She frowned. “That’s it?”“Yes.”Because explaining myself to strangers felt strangely similar to
Divorced on Our Wedding Night Chapter 8: Stepping Into Daylight
Monday morning came faster than I expected.I stood in front of Naomi’s bathroom mirror, smoothing the front of a simple navy dress. No lace. No diamonds. No symbols of someone else’s expectations.Just me.“You look like yourself again,” Naomi said from the doorway, coffee in hand.I met my own reflection. Tired, yes but steadier. Grounded.“I forgot what that felt like,” I admitted.The building that housed Dr. Helena Moore’s firm was older than Cassian’s towers brick instead of glass, history instead of intimidation. As I stepped inside, nerves fluttered in my stomach, but beneath them was something else.Excitement.“Ms. Cross,” the receptionist greeted warmly. “Welcome back.”Back.The word wrapped around me like a promise.Dr. Moore embraced me briefly in her office, her eyes sharp and kind as always. “You look stronger than the last time I saw you.”“I had to learn the hard way,” I said honestly.She smiled. “Those lessons tend to stick.”The work was demanding, familiar, and d
You may also like
The Untouchable Ex-Wife
Mizuki Sei2.7M viewsMr. Ford Is Jealous
Boat of Peaches768.8K viewsMommy, Where Is Daddy? The Forsaken Daughter's Return
LiLhyz3.4M viewsBURNING PASSION: MY FORBIDDEN LOVER
Excel Arthur504.5K viewsOff-Limits: The Billionaire's Deal
Edwin Soft141 viewsSOLD TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER
S.A.B388 viewsNaughty Dripping Desires (Erotica Collection)
Pearl's pen 168 viewsDirty Secrets With My Stepbrother: Daddy Cannot Find Out
Blessing Okosi41 views
