Upstairs,Lydia looked at the room she had lived in for three years and felt an infinite Sadness in her heart.
Once,she was so happy to marry Clitton and become his wife that she chose the bedsheets and curtains in the bedroom. Unfortunately,the number of times he entered the house was very few.
"Click".
The door,which had been closed,was unscrewed from outside with a slight thug.
Lydia turned back and saw Kelly standing at the door with a gentle face.
Ugh, what's she doing here?
"Lydia,Let me help you clean up". Kelly slowly walked to her offering a hand.
Help her clean up?Is she that Kind?She was sure Kelly's just trying to make a mockery of her.
"No, I don't need any help,You are dear to Clitton's heart,and I will be sorry if I stress you out."
With that,she opened the wardrobe filled with her clothes mostly in pink ,blue and black. Clitton had only one suit in here for a change of clothes.
There was silence before Lydia began to remove her clothes from the rack,her white fingers inadvertently touching his suit and trembling slightly.
There were many nights when she slept with this coat in her hands,because his scents were on it,it would help her sleep peacefully.
Kelly glanced at the wardrobe and a look of joy appeared on her face as she sighed quietly in Lydia's ear.
"I didn't think Clitton would still have the suit after all these years". She reached down and took the suit off,Cradling it in her arms and folding it away from the Sleeves.
The Small, not- so-obvious word "K" appeared in Lydia's eyes.
Boom!
A deadly cold ran from the sore of her feet to her heart,and for a moment,it was as if she was in a cold pool of pain.
Kelly saw her reaction and smiled smugly,"I gave this suit to Clitton as his 20th birthday gift, at that time he lied to me and said it didn't fit him and he had thrown it away long ago. Originally,He treasured it."
Lydia was sick in her stomach at the thought that Kelly bought the stuff she had been comforting herself with!
Kelly continued to brag in her ear." Oh my, he still has this frame.It was years ago when Clitton was in a basketball league and I cheered for him and watched him win the league". She smiled, placing the frame close to her heart.
That photograph was the only one of him Lydia had.
Clifton is not a fan of photography. He never takes selfies,nor does he allow himself to be photographed, and when he publishes information to the public he just uses a plain background for it instead.
They have been married for three years now,but they don't even have a wedding picture.
Lydia knew that he did not want to marry her,so when grandpa offered to take wedding photos,he refused because he doesn't like having his picture taken. It didn't occur to her that Kelly was an exception to the rule.
Although she knew the cruel truth,Lydia's heart still tightened. After a long moment,she smiled slowly,the gray in her starry eyes turning into a slutry glow,then she walked up to Kelly with her hands over her chest.
Slighting, bowing her head,she whispered into Kelly's ear,"And did you know that your clitton goes crazy on my body in bed with this dress on everytime?".
"Whew!"
The scent on Lydia's body was so light and pleasant that Kelly almost had an Emotional breakdown.
The gentle smile on her face froze and her hands clenched into fists on either side of her dress.
She looked at the sweet smile on Lydia's face and wanted to destroy her Clitton for the fact that he cared so much about her but yet married this bitch and even had sex with her. But on a second choice,it must be because she was not with him,and now that she's back,she would never let another woman have Clitton. Never!
"You two got married so...this...this is normal" Kelly said.
Lydia was so happy to see the fake smile on Kelly's face that she reached up and flicked her long hair in a hapless gesture.
"Well,whether it was because he wanted an heir or because grandpa forced him to,he still slept with me. By the way, Miss Kelly,as a friendly reminder,Clitton is not very good at it,and I get sore every time."
"Bitch!" Kelly's eyes instantly turned red and her face turned even whiter with anger.
"Lydia,don't be cocky,you've been abandoned by Clitton now! I,on the other hand,am the real mistress here."
An abandoned woman who has no right to be arrogant in front of her!
"Lydia, are you finally willing to take off your hypocritical mask? "
At that moment,a tall figure approached. A man with a cold air around him glanced at the two women.
As his eyes fell on Kelly's red eyes,he subconsciously questioned Lydia.
"If you have any grievances,just come at me,Why are you giving Kelly a hard time?"
At the news,Kelly burst into tears and jumped on his arms.
Clitton pushed her away without a trace,a gesture that made Kelly feel a little lost.
His eyes were fixed on Kelly's pale face,which was looking at him with a smile.
A look of Innocence spread through his eyes.
"I just told her about your bad sex technique,and she cried, there was nothing I could do".
"Lydia!"
Suddenly,Clitton reached out with a hand and cupped her neck.
"Don't you ever say that again, you hear me! "
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