Soon after,a white luxury car drove slowly in front of Lydia.The window rolled down to reveal a young,handsome face.The man looks to be in his early twenties and is wearing a white three piece suit. His hair is blonde,and his skin is so white.
He was a friend she grew up with, the one who knew her true identity, George.The two were enemies in high school,but they grew up to be "best friends".
"Congratulations!, you are finally out of hell" He said, waving.
"Get out of here!" Lydia blurted at him.
" Where to?, I'll do whatever you want today, just mention it." George said with a smile.
Lydia entered and leaned back against the car seat and replied in a slightly tired voice."Go to Benjamin's place. I want to pick up my things and move out today".
"Well,ok" George nodded . He was expecting 'let's go to the bar to drink away my sorrow',but it seems like she had other plans.
"So how do you feel? "
"About what? "Lydia asked.
"The divorce, you really loved Clinton that you were willing to abandon your family, their wealth and your identity just to marry this man. "
Lydia sighed.
Of course,it wasn't easy for her but you can't force someone to love you.
Love can't be forced ,it only going to hurt more.
"What are you going to do?Should we hit the bar for some drinks to clear your thoughts?,if you want to cry ,you can lean on me ,I'm always here for you." George said, holding her hands.
Lydia bursted out in laughter which made George curious on what's happening.
"The bar? ,To clear my thoughts ?" She asked, laughing.
"Cry ? For what ?,for a loser ?"
"Lydia?"
"Dear, I'm done crying,I cried back then when I was being tormented in that thing called marriage. Is it a crime to love someone? ,Is it a crime to get married to the love of your life?"
"Lydia, actually Clinton never loved you ."
"And so? I thought he would change. I thought I could change his mind ,I thought I could make him love me but I was wrong.He so much hated me , he did bring other ladies to the house,having fun with them on our matrimonial bed !" Lydia screamed which made George press the brake.
"He never hit me but he does worse than beating me. He made me feel bad about myself like I wasn't enough or like he was doing a favor by marrying me .
Damn! ,I was such a fool thinking I could make him love me with time. I was foolish to make excuses for his misconduct even though his family, especially his mum, hated me ."
"It's okay dear, take heart ." He extended his hands to pat her shoulder.
"No." She pushed his hands away.
"No, what?" He withdrew,scared of what she might do. Lydia has been behaving strangely these days.
"I won't cry, I won't drink ,I won't take heart. I need to dance ,I need to celebrate,I am free!"
"Excuse me?"
"I am free from that hell called marriage. Now let's go to Benjamin's mansion and get my stuff ."
"Do you want me to book a hotel room for you ?"
"I don't need that. I'm going back home."
"Home?"George was shocked hearing that.
"I am an heiress and it's time for payback!" She said, staring into the air, clutching her fist.
George looked into her eyes , he hadn't seen this type of her before. Lydia, the kind-hearted woman, seems like a monster before him.
Well the saying was true "People bring out the beast in other people"
After a short while,the car pulled up at the entrance of the mansion. George gave her a worried look and asked in a soft voice,"Do you want me to go in with you?
"No,not a lot of luggage".She smiled and closed the door behind her.
As soon as she entered the courtyard,Lydia saw a room full of Servants busy moving things in and out of the house.When they saw her, they ignored her completely. Only Henry,who was waiting for her, came up to her and asked.
"Miss Lydia, what brings you here?"
"I've come to get something and would be leaving,She whispered and went into the mansion. She entered the living room,she saw two people sitting on the sofa.
Clitton was back already before her ,dressed in a black house suit,and he looked so handsome,his cool face was unprecedentedly soft.
Close to him was a woman wearing a moon white floral dress,her long black hair parted in the middle of her head and she seemed cool.
She's a pretty girl,and her pale skin adds a touch of pity to her softness.
From a distance ,it looks like a white flower that one would pity.
Kelly,his first love is finally back .She is Felix's eldest daughter. Mr Felix's company collapsed after a car accident and Mrs.Felix married another man. Kelly is entrusted to Mr.Felix bestfriend,Clitton's father,Benjamin Barry.
Mr.Benjamin has always loved Kelly and has taken her in as his own daughter.
Clitton was only one year older than kelly,and they lived and ate together under the same roof and went to school together,so their relationship was different.To be honest,Clitton's mother would have asked Clitton to marry kelly if it weren't for her poor health and hidden genetic disease.
There would have been no chance for lydia.
"What are you doing back here?"Clinton looked at her with disgust,thinking of how shameless she was.They divorced and she is still here.
Is this an attempt to fight with Kelly?
For a moment there was a look of warning and wariness in his eye that made Lydia snigger.
Well,she doesn't have time for that.
"Clitton,don't do this to Lydia.She's the mistress here,i'm just a guest". Kelly's voice was so soft and she shook her head slightly with a look of embarrassment.
As soon as she said that,Clitton immediately announced ,"As from today she's no longer the mistress of the Benjamin's household .
"What?Why would you say that? " Kelly asked him.
"I'm divorced from her. "
Kelly's face was full of amazement and she looked at Lydia incredulously,her heart fluttering with great delight.
Clitton's words were so categorical that he was afraid that his beloved would take them the wrong way.
"I'm sorry ,I don't know. Why don't I help you to persuade Clitton so that he can't be so hasty about the divorce ?" Kelly said to Lydia.
Her face was so anxious that she looked even more upset than her.
Although it was disgusting, Lydia glanced at the two of them,withdrew her gaze and smiled upward.
"No,I already knew that Clitton's likes you. It's good we divorced so that I can look for a young body with a good heart. As those words left her mouth,it was clear that Clitton was looking at her with a colder gaze.
Kelly's heart was filled with relief and Satisfaction as she heard the words "Clitton likes you" She had always been Jealous of Lydia since Clitton got married to her,although there was nothing she could do ,but she had always prayed and wished that they seperate someday,and here it came.
On the other hand,Lydia knew that Clitton ,her ex-husband,never loved her. He was forced into the marriage by his grandpa. His father and mother never liked the idea,but since she won the heart of his grandpa,there was nothing anyone could do about it,not even Clitton's father.
Lydia has always passed through Maltreatment from either her inlaws or their Son,Clitton,One way or the other.
After about some minutes of silence,Kelly finally spoke." Mmm, so what are you doing here?, you know after the… divorce., "
Clitton did not refute Lydia's words,but simply kept staring at her with a surprising cold stare .
"Well,i'm going to pack my things right away,and if you are not sure,you can keep an eye on me to see if i've taken an extra paper from you ,Lydia said ".
With that,Lydia lifted her long black dress and walked up the stairs. Her back was slender,her pale butterfly bone contrasting to her long black dress and every step she took was so elegant and subdued that Kelly was jealous .
There is no denying that Lydia is very beautiful,she is elegant in every way, she had been with Clitton since he was a child and has been around countless women who have tried to get close to him,all of whom she has dealt with in secret.
Only Lydia,through the love of grandpa,got married to Clitton.
The chance that she had longed for and worked for over ten years but had never been offered was so easily taken away from her. The fact that Clitton's first woman was not her but Lydia,stuck in her heart like a thorn in her side .
After a moment of Silence,a light flashed in Kelly's eye and when she looked up again ,she had a gentle,kind look on her face ,"Clitton,let me go up and help her," She said to him gently stroking his hand.
"OK" He replied indifferently.
Then she got up and left the room.
" Time to execute my plan." She said within.
Clinton stared at his phone, hands trembling slightly. The walls around him suddenly felt suffocating.He had seen that pain in her eyes too many times—brushed it off like it was nothing, ignored it like background noise.He grabbed the phone, thumbs flying over the keys, words pouring out like a confession he could no longer bury: “Lydia… I don’t deserve to ask how you’re doing. But I saw you yesterday. And I realized—I never knew the woman I married. Not really. You were always powerful. Brave. Beautiful… in ways I was too blind to see."A pause. He deleted, and rewrote, his pulse hammering. "I was cruel. I define you when you were always priceless. I don’t expect forgiveness. But wherever you’re going, whatever storm you’re walking into—remember this: I was a fool to let you go, and I'm sorry for everything.” His thumb hovered over SEND. One tap. It didn’t undo three years of silence.It didn’t erase the bruise on her heart or the ache in her soul.It wouldn’t undo the dam
The sun blazed high above the pristine golf course—lush green stretching endlessly, surrounded by whispering trees swaying gently in the wind. Mr. Zander adjusted his stance, lining up for the final putt. He exhaled and tapped the ball. It rolled clean, sinking into the hole.Before he could smirk, his PA, Mark, hurried toward him.“Sir, it’s urgent.” He extended the phone, his hands trembling slightly.Zander collected the phone with a frown. “Yes?”“WHAT?! Lydia was arrested?!” He yelled, Nearby golfers turned.Zander’s club clattered to the ground.“Get the car. Now.”AT THE POLICE STATIONThe station buzzed…telephones ringing, officers pacing in boots, murmurs of unresolved cases filled the air. Due to her status, Lydia was kept in a locked office room instead of a cell. The air was stuffy, dim. One bulb flickered above. Her hands were clenched into fists.The door burst open, Mr. Zander stormed in like a cyclone.“Dad,” she rose quickly.Before another word escaped her lips, he
TWO DAYS BEFORE THE MEETING Kelly opened the iron bacade, humming softly.La la la mm mm.In the dark small room, Susan harry was lying on the filthy puddle soaked floor. Her face was bruised, her lips cracked. Her once-glossy hair was matted with dirt and dried blood.Kelly’s shadow fell over her.“Hey, sunshine,” she said, her voice laced with faux sympathy. She gave Susan a kick, not too hard, but just enough.Susan groaned and weakly lifted her head.Kelly crouched beside her, smiling. “Good news. You’re getting out today.”Tears welled in Susan’s eyes. “A-are you serious?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.Kelly’s grin widened. “Of course. But only if you do something for me.”Susan recoiled instinctively. Her instincts screamed danger.Kelly stood, crossed her arms. “You’ll go to Ben’s company and tell everyone that Lydia kidnapped and tortured you.”Susan’s eyes widened in horror. “No. No, I can’t. That’s a lie. It’ll ruin her!”“Oh boohoo,” Kelly sneered, pacing slowly.
"Warning: This chapter contains graphic and disturbing content, including kidnapping, physical assault, and beating. These scenes may be triggering for survivors of trauma, abuse, or violence. ***The next morning, Lydia had just had breakfast Lydia sipped the last of her coffee, flipping through the financial reports on her tablet. A sense of unease settled in her gut—today was important. Something about it felt... off. when she got a call from Ben's company. Today is the day they would select the new CEO. Something felt wrong.Then her phone buzzed.She picked it up, she frown when she saw a message from Clinton.Lydia clicked on the notification, and her blood ran cold.Two pictures appeared on her screen. Pictures of Ryan hugging her. The angles were intimate, misleading. Her hands trembled as she scrolled down to the message beneath the images:“Make me CEO, or I will expose this to the board. The world will believe you’re secretly dating Ryan—cheating with a married man. The
Two days later, Lydia sat in the back seat of a sleek black car, her fingers toying with the silver ring on her middle finger. The date with Mikhail was happening, despite her father’s disapproving frown when she was leaving the house.When she arrived, Mikhail was already waiting, lounging back in his chair at the rooftop restaurant. A lazy smirk played on his lips as he gestured for her to sit."Finally," he said . "I was beginning to think you'd stood me up."Lydia rolled her eyes but took her seat. Mikhail poured her a drink. "Let’s skip the pretense. What do you really want?" she asked.His smirk widened. "To keep Clinton’s secrets. If you marry me, that is."Lydia’s stomach twisted. "And how do you know he’s behind all this and the kidnapping, attempted murder?” Mikhail raised his hands in mock surrender. "I don’t have to be sure," he said, laughing. "I just need to drop the files at the police station. They’ll find out on their own."His laughter was light, playful but there
Lydia's heart raced as the man lowered his tainted window. “Get in,” he said to her.Lydia hesitated, She glanced over her shoulder. Behind her, inside The Verona restaurant, Clinton was on his seat staring at the door she had just exited.“Why should I?” Lydia asked, adjusting her purse strap.The man chuckled. “Still as sharp-tongued as ever.” His fingers drummed lazily against the steering wheel. “Come on, Lydia. You and I both know you’re not walking away from this.”Her jaw tightened.He was right.Taking a breath, she entered the car.The car moved smoothly, and Lydia finally spoke. “I assume you didn’t show up here just for small talk, Mikhail.”Mikhail Ivanov. He is a Russian businessman. He is ruthless and powerful.“And I assume you already know why I’m here.” He smirked.Lydia’s fingers curled against her lap.“Your name is causing quite the commotion,” he continued. “First, you shake up your father’s empire. Now, you disrupt the board meeting of one of the most influentia