All Chapters of His Vows and My Silent Exit: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

I stood in the stairwell, shaking badly.Ethan Brooks and Lily Carter kept their voices low, but their conversation hit me like a sledgehammer."I owe you big for this," she said softly, taking his hand. "Anything you need, just holler. If Kelly flips out, pin it on me."Ethan blushed up to his ears, gazing at her with deep affection."I'd do anything for you," he murmured. "Kelly won't care. Every day with her makes me sick, but knowing you're happy? That's all I need."I froze, feeling my heart hallowed."How is Ryan treating you?" he asked.His concerned expression was something I had never seen before. I thought he was just cold. Turned out, I just wasn't his true love.Lily slid her hand free with a sweet smile. "He's great to me. I know it sucks being stuck with someone you don't love. If you're struggling, hit me up. I'll be there for you."He blushed and nodded, but my eyes narrowed as I saw through Lily's pretense.She was a master in the game of love, married to Rya

Chapter 2

I parked myself in a corner. The joy in the room seemed to be irrelevant to me.Soon, Lily and Ethan strolled in, one after the other. He dropped next to me like usual, while she floated over to cheers and claps.Ryan slid a diamond crown onto her head and kissed her cheek."Happy birthday, babe. I'll love you forever," he said.The crowd cheered for them.Ethan leaned in and whispered, "You're not still hung up on Ryan, are you?"Before, I'd have thought he was jealous. Now I knew he just didn't want me to steal Lily's man.Before that disaster, I had been a bratty rich girl who got whatever I wanted. But when my family crashed and my parents killed themselves, my pride and guts went down too.I smiled bitterly, "Nah, how could I measure up?"I didn't deserve to fight with Lily for either of them.What he had said to Lily earlier echoed in my mind again. "For your happiness, I'd drag anyone home to marry."To him, I was no better than a barnyard animal.He didn't catch my

Chapter 3

I stood there, totally thrown.It felt just like the day my family went down. I had begged Ryan in front of everyone, only to get humiliated.Ethan had swooped in, yanking me out of that hell. I had thought it was a lifeline. Turned out, it was a bigger hole.Lily sashayed over, grabbed my hand, and smiled all sweet. "Quit picking on her. I'm glad she's here."Even without her spelling it out, I got the jab. I used to be the golden girl, while she was just some new-money chick clawing her way in.Now the same jerks who had snubbed her back then were laughing at me. I sighed at the twist of life. I guessed every dog had its day.She played it like she was saving me. In fact, she was insinuating that I wasn't that dazzling heiress anymore.I clenched my fists, shaking with anger.Before knowing the truth, I had leaned on Ethan like he was my shield. Now he would just let her rip me apart. When push came to shove, Lily was always his choice.I forced a smile and dug up some nerve

Chapter 4

"What, still acting like a spoiled princess?" Ethan snorted.The others echoed his words."Yeah, Lily is sticking her neck out for you, and you're ungrateful.""Why didn't you bite it like your parents? Deadbeats like you are just trouble."Enraged, I grabbed a wine bottle off the table and chucked it.My aim sucked. It smashed against the wall, the glass exploding everywhere. The jerk who insulted me and my family went pale and shut up fast.A shard nicked Lily's face. She screamed as blood beaded on her cheek.Ethan grabbed my wrist and yelled, "Are you out of your mind? Trying to kill her?"He had heard that guy's nasty dig about my parents. But instead of comforting me, he flipped out for Lily's scratch.I guessed that was what true love looked like. I laughed through tears, choking as I snapped at him. "He just trashed my parents. Didn't you hear it? Or do you think I should have died too?"My shout shut the room up cold. Ethan's lips twitched, but no words came out.I

Chapter 5

The next morning, pounding on the door woke me up.I'd locked the bedroom to keep Ethan out.Grumpy, I yanked it open and met his bloodshot eyes."You're getting a visa? Where are you going?" he asked.I blanked for a second. Then he waved his phone. The notification of my visa appointment glowed on the screen.It hit me then that I had autopiloted his number into the form last night.Back when we were tight, he made me use his digits for everything. I thought it was possessive love. Now I knew that he just wanted tabs on me, scared I'd mess with Lily.As I remained silent, he grabbed my shoulders and pressed hard."You are trying to ditch me and go after Lily?" he asked sharply. "She took Ryan, sure, but your family was broke. You were useless to him. Don't you get it?"He sighed, "They're true love. How much longer are you gonna hold that grudge? You're married to me. Can't you just behave?"My heart sank at his words. It was hard to believe someone always so cool-headed wo

Chapter 6

Ethan was stunned, reaching for me.I dodged, staring him down. "I'm off to Paris. You can't fool me anymore. My parents got set up by you. I can't touch you or make you pay. Just let me go. Don't push me to perish with you."I paused and added, "And by the way, the day I married you, I let go of Ryan betraying me and Lily stealing him. I never planned to settle scores with her. My heart is not as filthy as yours.""No, I'm not divorcing you. I love you," he said.Before, I would have bought his crap. Now it just turned my stomach.I marched to the study and grabbed a book off the top shelf. My actions made Ethan's face go gray.The book was thick but hollowed out. I flipped it open and dumped a stash of Lily's pictures onto the floor. These were college shots, mostly sneaky snaps.And there was one of her in a wedding dress. His handwriting was on the back.[I'm so glad to see you in a wedding dress, even if I'm not the groom. Be happy forever.]The edges were worn from his c

Chapter 7

Ethan turned pale, and I added, "If you won't divorce, fine. We'll just wait it out. Separate for three years, and it's done anyway. I've got nothing but time."I shook off his hand and strode away.I hadn't expected him to dig in like that. I could have sued, but I wasn't wasting energy on his games.Men like him were laughable. When I was obsessed with him, he mooned over someone else. When I was over him, he talked about feelings.That was the last thing we had left to hash out.Soon, I boarded a plane to Paris. Their love triangle was not my concern.My focus was on building my strength. One day, I would come back to confront them....Days turned to nights, and seasons flipped. Three years zipped by like nothing.I worked my ass off on designing. I'd lost three years. Age wasn't on my side, so hustle was my edge.Good thing I had talent and ideas. I made a name in Paris quickly. Word spread back home before I even returned.Now I was the hottest jewelry designer. My stu

Chapter 8

Lexi teared up, saying I'd finally grown up.Then she handed me a key, saying it was what my parents had left me. If I chased my dreams and used my skills, this company they bought could fire up again.Now I figured out why she had guided me on this path. She had been guarding my future.Touched and motivated, I started hiring and building a crew.I'd banked plenty over the years, enough to make the Harper family shine again.My reputation and old contacts made it smooth sailing. In six months flat, my company went public. As for the Brooks, the Hunt, and the Carter families? My press stunt tanked Brooks Corp's stock. They were already on the ropes, and that scandal finished them.The Hunt Corp was a hollow shell. That was why they had urged Ryan to dump me and latch onto the Carters in the first place.The Carters were just new money with no brains. They threw cash around blindly until they burned through it all.Ryan forced a divorce on Lily. She'd drag him down otherwise.

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