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Chapter 31: The Line Between Love and War
Huling Na-update:
2025-05-08 17:56:54
SkylarkWhat do you think? You think Judah will spill CIA secrets because of Fedora? What can you do in this case if it was you?
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No Apologies, No Regrets Chapter 1: The Ultimate Betrayal
Fedora Smith never believed in fairytales, but she had believed in love.She had believed in the slow burn of whispered promises, in the warmth of a hand held too long, in the quiet certainty that when you built something with someone, it was supposed to last.But standing here—rooted in place, breath trapped in her chest, fingers trembling at her sides—she realized something cold and gut-wrenching.Love was nothing but a carefully crafted lie.She hadn’t even turned on the lights yet. The soft blue glow from the bedside lamp painted the room in a dim haze, but she saw enough.She saw them.Her boyfriend of four years, the man she had loved beyond reason, the man she had dreamt of marrying.And her best friend of twenty-five years, the sister she never had, the one person she had trusted with her life.Pants down. Bodies tangled. On the very same bed Fedora had bought for their anniversary.The very same bedspread she had customized with their faces—a surprise she had planned for him.
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-25No Apologies, No Regrets Chapter 2: Shattered & Done
The words she heard still hit her like a knife to the gut.“You’re not sexually attractive to me anymore.”“You wasted time.”Fedora remembered staring at Tyler, her breath catching in her throat. Of all the things he could have said, those were the ones that shattered her completely. Not the betrayal. Not even the cheating. It was the confirmation of what she had feared deep down—she had never been enough for him.She had walked in on them. The scene was burned into her mind: Cynthia’s bare legs tangled in her sheets, the smirk on her lips as if she had already won. Tyler, standing there like it wasn’t a big deal, his shirt half-buttoned, arms crossed like she was the one being unreasonable.“Fedora, come on,” he sighed, exasperated. “We weren’t working anyway.”“We?” Her voice cracked. “You mean you.”Tyler scoffed. “You’re just too much. Always overanalyzing, always trying to fix things. You don’t even—” He ran a hand through his hair, avoiding her eyes. “You don’t even turn me on
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-25No Apologies, No Regrets Chapter 3: A New Kind of Business
After getting home with her things from the office, she unpacked and took the wedding invitation again, probably to check if it was all her mind playing games on her. She sat on her bed, the wedding invitation still clutched in her trembling hands. Her ex-boyfriend. Her best friend. Getting married.She had stared at the words for an hour, reading and rereading them, as if the ink might rearrange itself into something more believable. Four years with him, and he never proposed. Six months with her, and he was ready to walk down the aisle.It was laughable.It was humiliating. Very humiliating!She tossed the card onto the nightstand and curled into herself. She had already lost her job. Now, she had lost the last shred of certainty she had in her personal life.For weeks, she drifted—drinking and sleeping too much, eating too little, avoiding calls, and ignoring texts. She had built a life around stability, control, and success. And yet, here she was, stripped of all three.Then one d
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-25No Apologies, No Regrets Chapter 4: First Client, First Wedding
Fedora sat in the corner of a dimly lit coffee shop, absently stirring her caramel latte. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee mixed with the hum of conversations around her, but she was lost in thought.It had been three months since she walked out of Rombosco Alliance Construction Company with nothing but a cardboard box and a fractured sense of self. Three months since she received the wedding invitation that sent her spiraling. Three months of trying—and failing—to figure out what was next, or even kickstart the business idea she researched about—Bridal Fix. Her savings were dwindling. And she is yet to know how to go about the Bridal Fix idea.Fedora had always been a fighter. Born and raised in Texas by a Texas father and a Mexican mother, she was no stranger to hardship. She had learned early on that survival meant adapting, and when life knocked her down, she found a way to get back up. But this time, she wasn’t just getting up—she was reinventing herself.She was a woman with
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-25No Apologies, No Regrets Chapter 5: The Fake Bride’s New Life
Fedora had never envisioned herself in the wedding business, but Bridal Fix was not a typical wedding company. There were no flower arrangements, no giddy brides dreaming of their big day, no childhood fairytales being fulfilled. Instead, Bridal Fix operated in a world of necessity, where marriage was a tool, a strategy, an answer to problems that money alone could not solve.Each marriage was a transaction, meticulously planned based on the needs of the client. Some men needed only a simple court registration—a signature, a ring, and a marriage certificate—to satisfy business or legal obligations. Others required the full spectacle of a wedding, dictated by cultural or family expectations. Traditional ceremonies, white weddings, elaborate receptions—every detail was determined by the demands of the client’s world.Fedora had found herself standing in grand banquet halls, exchanging vows before hundreds of guests, only to quietly sign divorce papers months later. In other cases, she m
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-25No Apologies, No Regrets Chapter 6: The 5th Marriage Anniversary (Not Hers)
Fedora had long since trained herself not to dwell on the past. But some dates refused to be ignored.Today marked five years since her relationship broke up, and they married—her ex-boyfriend and her best friend’s anniversary. Five years since she had received that invitation, her heartbreak compounded by the cruel irony of it all. Four years with him, no proposal. Six months with her best friend, a wedding.She should have been over it. She had built an empire, traveled the world, married and divorced some of the most powerful men in business, politics, and tech. She was the woman people hired to make their marriages happen, yet she had never had one of her own.She had perfected the art of emotional detachment. But as she scrolled through social media that morning, sipping her imported espresso in her luxury penthouse, the sight of their anniversary pictures hit her harder than she expected.They were celebrating in Santorini. The blue domes and whitewashed buildings were the perfe
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-25No Apologies, No Regrets Chapter 7: A Scandal & A Quick Exit
The reply came almost instantly."Tomorrow. The Skylight Hotel. 8 PM. Please."Fedora’s fingers hovered over the screen. She had built her life on precision and control, never letting emotions dictate her actions. But this? This was uncharted territory.Still, she found herself typing back:"I’ll be there."***The Skylight Hotel was a place for the elite—business moguls, celebrities, and politicians. Fedora had been there before, always as someone’s wife, never as herself.She walked in with the quiet confidence she had perfected over the years. But the moment she saw him sitting in the dimly lit lounge, something shifted inside her.Tyler.The man who had once held her heart. The man who had shattered it.He looked different—tired, worn down. His once perfectly tailored life now had visible creases.Fedora sat across from him, keeping her expression unreadable. “You have five minutes.”He exhaled, rubbing his hands together before looking at her. “I messed up, Fedora.”She let out a
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-03No Apologies, No Regrets Chapter 8: The First Regret?
Fedora stared out of the floor-to-ceiling window of her penthouse, the city lights blinking like a million tiny promises. From here, she could see everything—the world she had conquered, the empire she had built. And yet, tonight, all she could feel was the weight of it pressing down on her.The latest scandal had died down, but the damage was done. It wasn’t just the media frenzy or the legal maneuvers—it was something deeper. A crack in the foundation she had spent years perfecting.For the first time in a long time, Fedora asked herself a question she had always avoided: Had she built a business? Or a prison?The money flowed effortlessly. Another client. Another contract. Another staged engagement, perfectly curated to withstand scrutiny before dissolving on schedule. It was a flawless system—one that had made her rich, powerful, and untouchable.But it was also a system that never let her leave.The irony was sharp. She had designed Bridal Fix to give men an easy exit, an escape
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-03
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No Apologies, No Regrets Chapter 31: The Line Between Love and War
In the days that followed, the atmosphere between Fedora and Judah shifted. The intimacy they had shared was now replaced by a palpable tension. Every glance lingered a moment too long, every touch was avoided. They moved around each other with a newfound caution, as if afraid that proximity might reignite the flames they were desperately trying to smother.Judah, ever the professional, buried himself in the mission. He coordinated with the CIA, ensuring that every detail of the final drug delivery of El Padre Rivas was flawless. His days were consumed with briefings, surveillance, and contingency plans. He needed the distraction, needed to focus on something other than the memory of Fedora's touch, the sound of her voice whispering his name in the dark.Fedora, too, threw herself into the role she had to play. She rehearsed her lines, perfected her smiles, and reminded herself of the stakes. This was more than just a mission; it was a game of life and death. And there was no room for
No Apologies, No Regrets Chapter 30: Emotions Aflame!
And the world between them caught fire.His lips found hers with the urgency of a man who had come too close to losing the only thing that had ever made him feel alive. Her fingers slid up his chest, curling into his T-shirt, and he deepened the kiss, cupping her face with both hands like she was something sacred. Something he’d once prayed for but never thought he’d deserve.The spatula forgotten, the food ignored.The only heat that mattered now was the one sparking between them.Fedora gasped against his mouth, and he took it as invitation. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down, pulling him in. Every kiss he gave her was both like an apology and a confession. I’m sorry for falling in love with you. I can't help my feelings. I'm gone too deepBut even as her body leaned into his, her mind screamed, This is a mistake. This breaks the rules. This wasn’t supposed to happen.Still… it was Judah.And he was thinking the same—This shouldn’t happen. This changes everything
No Apologies, No Regrets Chapter 29: The Ex. Must Bleed!
Seven days after the rescue, Fedora sat in the debriefing room.The room was silent, heavy with the kind of stillness that follows trauma. A chill clung to the air despite the spring sun warming Langley outside. Fedora sat wrapped in a thick gray sweater, her figure still visibly frail. But her gaze—tired, sharp, unflinching—held more strength than most people in the room could bear to meet for long.Judah wasn’t allowed inside.His supervisor, Trenholm, had pulled him aside that morning.“You’re too close,” he said. “We need her mind, Judah—not your heart flooding the room.”Judah clenched his fists but said nothing.He understood—but that didn’t mean it didn’t tear at him.So now, he paced outside the room like a caged animal, catching every muffled word that slipped through the vents.Inside, Agent Mowe sat across from Fedora. Calm. Clinical.“You were in Korben’s custody for four days,” He began. “Anything you remember—voices, names, faces—could matter.”Fedora blinked slowly. “He
No Apologies, No Regrets Chapter 28: Her Voice, His Salvation
“Stay on the line with me, Fedora,” Judah said, voice trembling, pacing the CIA ops center like a man walking a tightrope between hope and insanity. “Don’t hang up. Please.” “I won’t,” came her faint, exhausted voice. “I promise.” His throat closed, but he forced words out. “Are you safe now? Where are you exactly? Are you inside a building? Are there people with you?” “I’m in a house. A kind farmer brought me in. His family’s kind. They gave me food… a place to sleep. I think it’s somewhere in the outskirts. I—I don’t really know.” Judah turned to the team. “Trace her call. Get satellites aligned. Move now.” “Fedora, look around. Anything you can tell me—street signs, landmarks?” There was shuffling on her end. A moment of silence. “There’s a sign… says ‘Little Haven.’” “Copy that!” shouted one of the techs. “We’re narrowing it down!” Judah’s voice softened again. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” She was quiet for a moment. “I’ve got cuts. Bruises. But I’m alive,
No Apologies, No Regrets Chapter 27: Where is Fedora?
The rope was tight, digging into the skin of Fedora’s wrists, but not impossibly so. She’d been still for hours—breathing, counting, watching the patterns of the guard who stood at the door of the dingy fifth-floor room. The old textile factory was a crumbling skeleton of rust and rot, but it gave her something Korben hadn’t counted on: silence. Silence that let her hear every footstep. Every whisper. Every opportunity. Korben had gone out for food. The guard was bored. And Fedora… was ready. She shifted in the chair slowly, careful not to draw attention. Earlier, while Korben ranted about demands and consequences, she’d swiped the tiny piece of jagged metal from the broken vent behind her. Now, she pressed it against the rope, sawing back and forth behind her back. Her wrists bled, but she didn’t stop. Her arms trembled from the strain. Still, she kept cutting. Minutes felt like lifetimes Then—snap. The rope gave. She moved fast. Before the guard could react, she was on him. T
No Apologies, No Regrets Chapter 26: The Release
“Dammit!” Korben snarled, kicking over a rusted pipe as he stormed into the room. The bowl of street noodles he brought crashed to the floor, splattering the wall. The guard he’d assigned to Fedora lay writhing, bloodied and dazed, clutching his jaw and muttering incoherently. The ropes were on the ground—cut clean through. The window? Shattered.The air was rank with rage and panic.“Where is she?!” Korben bellowed, grabbing the man by the collar, shaking him violently. “You had one job!”He didn’t wait for an answer.Upstairs. Downstairs. Through the stairwell. Behind crates and rotten furniture. He tore through every room in the crumbling warehouse. No Fedora. He charged outside, diving into the dense brush behind the building, gun drawn, scanning for movement. Nothing.She was gone.She’d outmaneuvered him.And the handover to Judah was in just a few hours.He paced, breathing hard. Options flickered in his mind like static. He couldn’t show up empty-handed. That would mean he ca
No Apologies, No Regrets Chapter 25: Kidnapped
Judah’s knuckles were white on the conference table. The room was dim, tension slicing through the air like a scalpel to the throat.“Confirmed?” he asked.Trenholm’s expression was grim, jaw set. “Confirmed. Korben Lyle isn’t just back—he’s activated. He’s reached out to Rivas' network. He’s offering names, files, ops. Everything.”Judah stood slowly. His voice was a whisper soaked in fury. “He’s selling me out.”Trenholm nodded. “And Fedora.”Judah’s eyes narrowed into slits. “I should’ve ended him in Tel Aviv.”But this wasn’t about failed missions anymore.This was personal.This was Fedora.***Judah knows Korben very well. In fact, he had worked with him on several cases before he went rogue. Before he became the agency’s most hunted asset, he was one of their best.Operative-classified. Special activities division. A handler’s nightmare and a field agent’s legend. He didn’t follow rules—he rewrote them. Missions that should’ve failed became ghost stories whispered in Langley’s
No Apologies, No Regrets Chapter 24: The Shadow That Watched
The text came through at 2:03 a.m.Unknown Number: “She looked happy with you. Let’s see how long that lasts.”Judah stared at the screen, fingers tightening around his phone. The air in his apartment suddenly felt colder. He rose from the couch, checked the windows. All locked. Still, something didn’t feel right.Someone had seen them. Someone had watched.And that someone wasn’t Rivas.***In her room, Fedora stood in front of her bathroom mirror, brushing her teeth in silence. Her phone buzzed on the counter.Anonymous: “You were always too soft, Fedora. I’m surprised you’re still alive.”She froze, foam drying on her lips. The number was untraceable.Another message followed.Anonymous: “Cynthia said you couldn’t stomach blood.”Her grip on the toothbrush loosened. It clattered into the sink."Cynthia? What does she have to do with this? How did this stalker know she hated the sight of blood?" She quizzed rhetorically.She knew that Cynthia was vengeful, but not to this extent. Or
No Apologies, No Regrets Chapter 23: Jealousy in the Horizon…
It started as an ordinary Saturday. Fedora and Judah were at the mall, doing something as simple as picking out curtain swatches. They blended into the crowd—Judah in his dark glasses and cap, Fedora in jeans and a cropped sweater—relaxed for the first time in days after what they went through during the first consignment delivery for Rivas.They were laughing at something silly—a pretzel vendor who insisted his snacks had “marriage-saving salt”—when a voice called out, slicing through the peace.“Fedora?”Her smile froze.Fedora turned to see the one face she’d never hoped to see again.Tyler.There he was, in jeans and a button-down, older and clearly worn out. Fedora’s heart stuttered, not because she still felt anything for him—but because she didn’t.“I just need fifteen minutes,” Tyler said, desperation bleeding through his words.“Who is he?” Judah asked.“He is my ex. We broke up about five years ago.” She answered“Fedora, please, can you give me fifteen minutes of time, if y
