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Chapter 25 The first thread
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2025-06-07 12:13:54
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Once Upon a Marriage Chapter 27 Father’s game
Lucian The numbers looked good. Better than good, actually. But behind the figures, behind the thin smiles and the forced champagne toasts, something kept crawling under my skin like a splinter. Eloise. It was laughable, really. After everything, she was still clawing her way back,quietly, subtly. I knew she’d never launch another line under her name again. Too much shame, too much baggage. But her signature? That part of her that bled into every jewel she ever crafted? It was unmistakable. And now it was back. Not in the form of precious stones or sleek gold bands, but in rawer, unpredictable fabrics, draped and chaotic, almost like grief woven into silk. I caught wind of the buzz through a fashion scout over lunch. He was sipping gin and muttering about some underground designer with “guts” and “grit,” someone whose fabric sketches were popping up on indie mood boards, worn by mid-tier influencers. I didn’t even need to ask the name. It reeked of her. I clenched my jaw and n
Once Upon a Marriage Chapter 26 Sabotage in satin
Mike I didn’t want to be right. When Eloise confided in me about Jennifer possibly copying her new designs, again, I told her I’d look into it just to calm her down. I figured maybe it was coincidence, maybe a stylist with a big mouth, or hell, maybe Jennifer was just that good at stealing from the past. But the way Eloise’s hands trembled the first time Jennifer stood her designs, the way her voice cracked when she said, “I just wanted to start fresh,” I knew I couldn’t write it off. I made a few calls. Quiet ones. The kind that don’t leave digital footprints or blow back to Eloise. The atelier she was working with was a modest one located into a narrow building on Rue Saint-Honoré. It was a normal underground building, exactly the kind of place that made it easy for someone like Jennifer to get their hooks into. My gut told me where to start, and sure enough, it didn’t take long to find the loose thread. Her name was Elise, one of the interns. She looked harmless enough. Big br
Once Upon a Marriage Chapter 25 The first thread
Eloise The fabric samples were spread across my dining table, chaotic but beautiful. Layers of chiffon, velvet, silk blends with textured patterns, each one holding a story I hadn’t told yet. I ran my fingers across a swatch dyed deep plum. It reminded me of how I’d felt the day Jennifer’s first stolen collection debuted, wounded but still surviving. This wasn’t jewelry. Not entirely. I had taken a risk and followed a different thread, literally. Sketches that once started as necklace pendants grew into abstract patterns, evolving into textiles, eventually blooming into a capsule collection of garments. The irony wasn’t lost on me; I wasn’t just dressing women anymore, I was dressing their pain, their resilience, their rebirths. My name wasn’t attached to the collection. That was the first rule I made with Tami, the owner of the atelier in Brooklyn who’d agreed to help me produce it. “It’ll be our secret,” she said that first day in her cozy backroom studio, her curls piled high
Once Upon a Marriage Chapter 24 Beneath the glitter
JenniferThe camera flashbulbs were dizzying. A soft buzz of admiration followed me as I stepped onto the platform, wearing the limited-edition sapphire choker from my “Blue Flame” line, crafted, of course, with no real artistry of my own. But the press didn’t know that. Hell, Lucian didn’t even care.They wanted the image. And I was damn good at wearing it.A reporter leaned forward, voice syrupy-sweet. “Jennifer, how does it feel knowing your collection has outsold every luxury brand in the quarter?”I offered the practiced smile I’d honed in the mirror a hundred times. “It’s humbling,” I said, lacing my fingers over my lap. “We didn’t set out to compete, we just wanted to create pieces that tell a story.”What a joke. The only story I’d told was Eloise’s, repackaged under my name, bathed in neon lights and sold back to the world like it had never belonged to her.Behind the press seats, Lucian stood near the edge of the stage, arms folded. He looked so proud. His nod told me I’d hi
Once Upon a Marriage Chapter 23
EloiseThe world felt smaller these days, tight even, suffocating, like it was closing in on me. Every corner I turned, Jennifer’s name stared back at me, mocking me. Billboards with her smug face smiled down from above, flashing the latest collection of “her” jewelry designs. My designs. Pieces I’d spent months perfecting, only for her to steal them right from under me. It wasn’t just the ads. It was everywhere. Social media, magazines, even casual conversations overheard at the coffee shop. Her success was a constant reminder of my failure. A reminder of how I’d let her, and everyone else win. I clutched my mug tightly, staring blankly at the TV as another ad played, showcasing Jennifer’s “brilliant new collection.” My fingers tightened around the ceramic until I thought it might crack. “She’s everywhere,” I muttered under my breath, the bitterness dripping from my words. “How does she keep getting away with this?” “Because she’s good at playing the victim,” Ava said from ac
Once Upon a Marriage Chapter 22 The Reckoning
Lucian I leaned back in the leather chair, staring out at the skyline of the city. The view from my office always gave me a sense of power, as if I could control the world with the snap of my fingers. And I could. Or at least, I could control the ventures of Eloise. The thought of her made my jaw tighten. I couldn't believe the audacity of her, thinking she could stand up to me like this. All these years, I’d held the reins, guided her, shaped her into who she was. And yet, since the divorce, she’d changed. Or maybe she hadn’t changed at all. Maybe I had just missed it. Eloise had always been strong-willed. It’s one of the reasons I’d married her. She wasn’t like the others, docile, eager to please. She had a fire in her, a determination that I thought I could tame, bend to my will. She didn’t care for all the things I could give her—money, power, prestige, although her family was quite wealthy then. Or maybe she was after something deeper. That’s what made her different. And it
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