Home / Romance Short Story / Empty Promises, Full Pockets / Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

All Chapters of Empty Promises, Full Pockets: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

The second I found out Neil Schmidt was cheating on me, I wanted to rip him to shreds. But I played it smart. Stayed calm. Had someone dig up the dirt.Cecelia Beech. College girl. Intern at SchmidtCorp. Seemed harmless enough—until six months ago, when Neil dragged his team to Ardenport and ended up in her bed.The private investigator said it was supposed to be a setup. Neil's rivals planned to catch him with escorts and blow his reputation sky-high. But Cecelia? She somehow saved him from that mess.Neil tried to pay her off. She refused. And, of course, she got pregnant.Rowina Dunley, my meddling mother-in-law, wasn't about to let the Schmidt bloodline disappear. Naturally, she swooped in to "save" Cecelia.Suddenly, everything clicked. Neil's constant "work trips," his last-minute dashes to the office—he'd been running to Cecelia. How many times had he bailed halfway through dinner, claiming SchmidtCorp needed him? Even our wedding anniversary had been trashed because of his

Chapter 2

This whole thing didn't make Cecelia back off. Nope. Instead, she sent me a friend request on social media.I tapped her profile pic—a lazy cat lounging in some bougie villa room. Cute. Neil hated animals. Once, I suggested getting a cat to keep me company, but he shot it down, claiming he was "allergic." Now, with Cecelia? Guess all his so-called principles were out the window.I accepted the request. Almost immediately, she slid into my DMs:[Mrs. Schmidt, I'm not trying to break up your marriage. I just want to have this child. Life is precious.]Wow. She couldn't wait to tell me she was pregnant, like she was doing charity work or something. I left her on read. A few minutes later, she messaged again:[Mrs. Schmidt, I'm telling the truth!]By then, I'd already saved all her posts and photos. Screenshots on lock.Finally, I replied:[What are you saying? You're pregnant? It's Neil's?]The typing bubble popped up—blinked a few times—like she kept starting and stopping. Then:

Chapter 3

Neil didn't seem to realize that when he was nervous, his fingers always fidgeted at the edge of his shirt.I smiled faintly. "I'm visiting a friend. She's hospitalized."Relief washed over his face. "Where are you headed? I'll drive you.""No need. You're busy. It's your employee, after all. Can't have rumors spreading that the Schmidt family mistreats staff. If she miscarried, well, that'd be on us, wouldn't it?"Neil froze, caught off guard, but I didn't wait for his response. I turned and walked out.Once outside, I gulped down a deep breath of fresh air. By the time I got home, I didn't hesitate—I packed up every last one of Neil's things and had them sent straight to that villa.This was my house. My turf. If someone had to leave, it wasn't going to be me.An hour later, Neil stormed in, his face flushed and frantic. He found me in the kitchen, calmly setting down a bowl of soup."Angela, I can explain!" he blurted, his voice desperate.I looked up at him. "Neil, did you

Chapter 4

When I came out of the operating room, my face was ghost-white. My parents were waiting for me, their expressions pained. They didn't say anything—what could they say?My phone buzzed nonstop, the screen lit up with missed calls and texts. All from Neil.[Angela, where are you? Why aren't you answering?][Angela, where did you go? Say something!][Angela, what's wrong? I'm back. I'm waiting for you at home.]I called Maya to tweak a few details in the divorce agreement. Then I texted Neil:[I went out with my parents to clear my head. Don't worry, I'll be back in a week.]His reply came almost instantly:[Okay, I'll wait for you!]I scoffed. 'You'll be waiting forever.'After I was discharged, my parents brought my bags back to the house. Not long after, I listed the property for sale—20% below market value. Neil must've heard about it, but he didn't dare say a word.Once I was fully recovered, Rowina's birthday rolled around. She called me herself, her tone as sharp as ever

Chapter 5

It didn't take long for people to dig up Cecelia's social media account.She was still holed up at the Schmidt house, totally clueless, and couldn't delete anything before the screenshots were grabbed.[Someone mentioned before that she was the mistress, but the posts got deleted so fast. Turns out it was true!][Wow, the audacity. She knew he was married and still went for it.][She's got that innocent college-girl look, but come on—she's nowhere near as stunning as the wife.][As they say, what you haven't had always seems sweeter. After years with a strong woman like Angela, Neil probably thought a little wildflower would feel like a change of pace.]Within hours, I was trending.Rowina's birthday party? Completely ruined. By the time Neil came racing back to the villa, he found it empty.He lost it, pounding on the door, trying to break in. Problem was, the house didn't belong to him anymore. The new owner wasn't having it and called the cops.I helpfully sent a reporter t

Chapter 6

I watched as the shareholders cornered Neil, pushing him to the brink.Smiling faintly, I said, "This is the price you pay for betraying our marriage. I gave you three chances, Neil. Three. And you wasted every single one. So today, you have no right to complain. If there's no issue with the agreement, sign it."I had made adjustments to the terms. Neil was at fault, and I wasn't going to let him walk away unscathed. No wealth, no comfort, nothing. I wanted him to leave this marriage with less than nothing.Neil's face paled as he read through the paperwork. I could see it—he hadn't realized how deep my hatred ran until now. The car, the jewelry, the antique paintings—I had listed everything.Suddenly, Neil laughed bitterly, his voice cracked and empty. Then, without warning, he grabbed the papers and ripped them to shreds."Angela, are you trying to ruin me? What good does this do for you?!"I shrugged. "Plenty. I'll be rich, able to live well without a man. Besides..." I let my

Chapter 7

Neil knew me too well—once I made up my mind, nothing on Earth could drag me back.Back in college, I had a boyfriend who cheated. I dumped him on the spot, and when he wouldn't take no for an answer, I made sure someone taught him a lesson. He got the message and never looked my way again.Neil should've known better. Even when we were dating, I told him straight up: cheat, and I'm gone. No warnings. No second chances. So now that I knew about Cecelia, he could forget about holding onto hope.I'd made myself clear. Whatever love we'd had? Completely gone—buried under the weight of my hatred. Neil finally sighed, his voice breaking. "I can't give you everything. If I do, my family's ruined. SchmidtCorp will collapse. I can't let that happen.""Then I'll see you in court," I said flatly.I glanced at Maya, who gave me a quick nod. We were done here. No point dragging this out. I stood to leave.Neil lunged, grabbing my hand. "Angela, was there never any love between us?"I ripped

Chapter 8

I didn't stick around to hear her hiss out another word. I turned to leave. Neil looked like he wanted to say something, but Rowina grabbed his arm like a vice. "Don't go after her! Cece is still in the hospital. Now that you're divorced from that woman, marry Cece immediately!""Just stay out of it!" Neil snapped, yanking his arm free. Whatever meltdown happened between them after that? Not my problem anymore.What did surprise me, though, was how fast Neil managed to pull himself together.Rowina sold off their old estate and even liquidated some of her precious jewelry, scrambling to keep them afloat. But the damage had been done. The Schmidt family had lost its footing, and there was no catching up.Neil and Cecelia ended up together—unofficially, at least. She took my place, though it wasn't the upgrade she'd probably imagined. I glanced at her latest social media posts. She was still at it, curating the illusion. From the outside, she looked... okay, I guess.Two months late

Chapter 9

A few busybodies poked around, fishing for details about the settlement. "How much did you get?" someone asked with a forced smile.I just smiled back, all calm confidence, and gave them nothing. That money was mine—rightfully mine—and I didn't owe anyone an explanation.As for the future? I had no plans of settling for anyone older when there were plenty of younger, better-looking options around.When we got home, my dad let out a long sigh as he unlocked the door. "I didn't expect you to turn so many heads tonight. Do you know how many people asked me about you?""Dad, I'm not worried about finding someone. Let's be honest, most of them aren't sincere—they're after the money. I don't want any of that."He nodded knowingly. "Alright. If someone suitable comes along, it's up to you."I was about to respond when I noticed a figure standing by my building. Neil.Scattered cigarette butts littered the ground at his feet—he'd clearly been waiting a while.My dad's face tightened as

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