Love in Flames, Promises in Ruin

When I found my passport, my boyfriend of ten years, Kaden Zacarias, coincidentally returned.As usual, he wrapped his arms around me from behind and put his chin on the crook of my neck. The faint cedar scent invaded my nose instantly.It was the scent of the perfume I hated the most, as it was like a blatant provocation."What are you doing, wifey? Why aren't you waiting for me in the living room?" Kaden asked.On usual days, I would be seated on the couch, waiting for him to come home from work. I would then greet him with a warm kiss to ease his fatigue from that day's work.But today, my gaze was fixed on his coat.I had gifted him that coat last month. In the news broadcast earlier, Kaden wore this black coat while holding hands with Gwendolyn Crawford. The two of them stood closely together like they were the couple of the year.The Flarian media had touted them as the "perfect match" while congratulating the Zacariases and the Crawfords for this joyful union.But when I

When I had finally composed myself, Kaden stormed toward me in a fit of anger.He questioned angrily, "Ella, what have you been saying to your friends? Why are they so out of line? How can they tag us so thoughtlessly and suggest that we should get married soon?"I opened my social media and saw that a friend who had just gotten married a couple of days ago had tagged me and Kaden in her post.She commented, "Looking forward to you two also walking down the aisle soon."Kaden was furious. "Don't tell me you didn't know about this. If you hadn't mentioned something to her, why would she say that?"Well, I'd indeed said something to my friend. Everyone kept asking me when Kaden and I would be getting married after ten years of being together.I thought back to when we first got together. Kaden had held my hand and promised me, "I'll definitely marry you."But at some point, he would instinctively avoid the topic of marriage whenever I brought it up."Ella, isn't what we have now

By the time Kaden remembered that I was injured, I had already taken a cab to the hospital. The bruising on my ankle had faded quite a bit."I'm so sorry, wifey. I was in an online meeting and got held up for a bit," he explained.Walking in with a mushroom soup takeout, he looked at my ankle with concern. "Is it any better?"As he sat down beside me, I noticed a faint red mark on the collar of his shirt.I couldn't help but wonder if Kaden perhaps had a split personality disorder. How could he go from a tender moment with his lover to coming here and playing the doting husband with me?So, I brought up Gwendolyn. "Are you very close with her?"Kaden chuckled. "Are you jealous, my dear? Don't worry. She's just a new employee. Don't you know what kind of person I am? I only scolded you earlier because I was afraid she might accuse you of something. Don't overthink it."He casually rolled up my pant leg and applied medication to my ankle. After that, he blew on it gently. This r

Even my favorite floor lamp lay miserably on the ground, shattered into pieces.Everything felt foreign to Kaden. It was as if the color I had infused into the house had been stripped away entirely. It didn't even feel like home to him anymore."What's going on? Where is Ella? Where did she go?"In the villa, all Kaden found was my abandoned suitcase. He opened it eagerly, and a few boxes slipped through the opening and tumbled to the floor. When they hit the ground, several pieces of jewelry spilled out.Kaden froze for a moment. These were all the gifts he had given me over the past ten years.A large envelope inside the suitcase caught his attention. As he slowly pulled out the contents, his face grew increasingly pale. His hands trembled uncontrollably as he held the documents.They were evidence of his infidelity. The disgusting, incriminating photos were laid bare before him in perfect clarity. Photos of him and Gwendolyn holding hands, kissing, and even lying in bed togeth

Kaden clutched the photo tightly in his hand. Then, he broke down and sobbed uncontrollably.His father and mother—Boris Zacarias and Penny Fisher—stormed into the villa with Gwendolyn trailing behind them.Without a word, Boris slapped Kaden hard across the face. "You fool! Have you lost your mind? How can you leave the company to run on its own while you sit here and wallow in misery? Gwendolyn is your wife now. Ella has left, so you'd better snap out of it!"Penny chimed in angrily, "Can you please stop making us worry for you? We told you long ago that Ella isn't the one for you, but you wouldn't listen. Despite being with you for ten years, she's gone now, isn't she?"Kaden glared at them with fury. "If it weren't for you forcing me into this marriage alliance with the Crawfords, Ella and I would have been married long ago!"This earned him a slap from Penny. She howled, "You ungrateful brat! We did it for your own good! It's for the company's sake as well!"Kaden grabbed th