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Chapter 25: The Conflicted Confidante

작가: Frank J.P
last update 최신 업데이트: 2025-06-10 16:59:44

Dean Carter’s distraught outburst, still echoing from his confrontation with George Reed, sent a ripple of tension through the room. Bella and Jason exchanged a grim look, this wasn’t just about lies anymore. It was about people they trusted being turned against them one by one.

Jason’s voice was low, almost dangerous as he took a step closer to Dean. “He told you that?” he asked tightly. “That Bella is a distraction? That Lila is a burden?”

Dean shifted uncomfortably under Jason’s gaze, his shoulders hunched. “He said you were both reckless. That you were losing control. And Bella… that she brought scandal and instability. He implied the little girl would jeopardize everything you built.”

Bella inhaled sharply, as if struck. Dean’s words weren’t malicious, but hearing Lila referred to that way tore through her. Still, she steadied herself, reminding herself that Dean was a pawn in a much larger, more dangerous game.

“Dean,” she said gently, but firmly, “George Reed paid my mother to
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  • Once my Wife   Chapter 89: The Next Generation

    Time had a way of moving without asking permission.The years drifted past, soft at first, then quicker, until the chaos and scars of the past felt like memories from another lifetime. What Jason and Bella built out of those ashes didn’t just survive, it flourished.The Phoenix Foundation had become more than a name on buildings. It was classrooms filled with laughter, paintings born from kids who once had nothing, hospitals where mothers no longer prayed alone in the dark. Every brick carried their promise.Reed & Co., too, stood tall. Not because it was untouchable, but because people trusted and respected the name again.And then there was Lila.Not the small girl they once held between trembling arms, but sixteen now with bright eyes, sharp questions, and a stubborn streak that could stop Jason in his tracks. She carried both of them in her blood: Bella’s fire, Jason’s steel. And though she didn’t know every detail of what they had faced, she sensed the weight of a history built o

  • Once my Wife   Chapter 88: A New Legacy

    The morning after the gala, New York was still buzzing. Newspapers splashed the photo of Jason kissing Bella across their front pages. Social media feeds looped the video over and over, captions screaming: “The Kiss That Stole the Gala” and “Love Stronger Than Scandal.”It wasn’t just gossip, it was a statement. A public coronation of their love.Bella’s phone wouldn’t stop vibrating. Messages poured in; friends, colleagues, journalists, even old acquaintances she hadn’t heard from in years.“That kiss,” one text read, “was everything. You shut everyone up.”Another said: “You two… power and fire. No one can touch that.”Bella sat at the kitchen counter in her robe, scrolling, smiling faintly, a cup of coffee untouched beside her. She wasn’t used to love being something celebrated instead of dissected.Jason walked in, barefoot, still half-asleep but carrying the quiet power that never left him. He leaned against the doorframe, arms folded, watching her.“Still famous?” he teased.“Ap

  • Once my Wife   Chapter 87: A New Kind of Show

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  • Once my Wife   Chapter 86: The Ghost of What Might Have Been

    The café smelled like roasted coffee beans mixed with oil paint, a strange blend that pulled Bella into a past she thought she had buried. It was a small spot tucked away in a quiet corner of New York, its walls covered with paintings from local artists; wild splashes of color, uneven strokes, sharp lines that spoke of chaos and hope.And then she saw him.Chidi Obi.He hadn’t changed much. His hair was shorter now, touched faintly with gray. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and a well-used book sat open on the table in front of him. But it wasn’t his clothes or the gray that held her, it was his eyes. The same deep, calm eyes that once made her believe her life could have gone in an entirely different direction.“Bella.” He stood up, uncertain, caught between reaching for a hug or bowing in quiet respect. His voice was low, a little stunned. “You look… radiant. Victorious. I’ve followed your work. What you’re doing—it’s incredible. You’ve become a light.”She gave a ne

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  • Once my Wife   Chapter 84: The Defiant Return

    The doors slammed open.For one terrifying heartbeat, Bella thought it would be Dean’s shadows, Seraphina’s agents, or worse…Ryan himself come to finish the betrayal. But then she saw David Cole, his face pale, his chest heaving as if he had sprinted the whole way here.“Jason!” David’s voice cracked with relief. “Bella! You’re safe.”Behind him, the team flooded the penthouse, weapons ready, eyes scanning every corner. They secured the perimeter with a speed and precision that left no doubt that they had been waiting for this moment.Jason rose from his chair, still gripping Bella’s hand. His eyes met David’s.“You’re late,” Jason said quietly.David winced, his shoulders heavy with guilt. “I know. I should have been here sooner. I should’ve stopped Ryan before it got this far.” He swallowed hard, shame thick in his voice. “I let my own brother slip past me. I…”Jason cut him off. “You came back.”For a second, David looked at him, stunned. Then he nodded, his voice breaking. “I’ll m

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