All Chapters of Fate's Cruel Edit: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Aaron Tanner's panicked shouting echoed in my ears, circling like a relentless wind, and my heart felt like it was being torn apart, piece by piece.Blood streamed from the wound on my head, but the pain didn't register—I couldn't think about it. My eyes, dazed and heavy, searched for him.There he was, holding Grace Whitman tightly in his arms, panic written all over his face."Is it your leg? Did you hurt it in the fall?" he asked her, voice trembling. "Don't be scared, Grace, just hang on. I'll get you to the hospital right away!"My breath was growing ragged. The pain was a dull roar inside me, but I forced myself to speak."Honey… help me… save me…"But the man I could almost reach, the one who was supposed to see me, didn't even glance my way.Instead, he cradled Grace and ran—rushed down the stairs like nothing else mattered."Grace is hurt! Call an ambulance!" he shouted.I watched until his figure disappeared from sight, and in that moment, it felt as if I'd plunged i

"Yeah, Ms. Whitman just got a tiny scrape, and the whole hospital's top doctors swarmed to check on her. Isn't that a bit much?""Definitely! This morning, she said she wanted pastries from that famous pastry shop, and Mr. Tanner drove there himself—just like that. You know how hard it is to get anything from that place.""Ugh… poor Mrs. Tanner. If she hadn't been lucky, she would've died in that fire. Mr. Tanner used to be crazy about her, but the moment something happened, it's like she didn't even exist anymore. What a shame."Their voices faded down the hallway.I let out a quiet, bitter laugh.I had been waiting—waiting for Aaron to come see me. To tell me in person that he'd fallen in love with someone else. To tell me he wanted a divorce. Or maybe just to give me a reason.A reason for why the man who once made vows to love me forever had drifted away… and how he ended up entangled with Grace.But I never imagined that instead of explanations, he would simply forget about

"Audrey?!" Aaron instinctively let go of Grace's hand, staring at me in disbelief. "You're hurt?"His expression didn't look like he was lying—but to me, it was almost laughable.We were husband and wife, yet he knew nothing about what had happened to me."We were at the same fire scene. How do you think I got injured?"When the shelves collapsed, I didn't even hesitate. I had shielded him without a second thought. If it hadn't been for me, the one lying in this hospital bed would've been him.Aaron's face paled. He rushed to my bedside, eyes scanning my injuries in panic. My wound had torn open again—bloody and gruesome.He looked heartbroken, trembling as he reached out but didn't dare touch me, afraid to make it worse."Audrey, Grace was hurt too, and I—I panicked. I wasn't thinking."There it was. Grace.So familiar. So intimate.Even with me right in front of him, he didn't bother to hold back. Or maybe he simply didn't think he needed to.I gave him a hollow, mocking s

Seeing the anger and disbelief in my eyes, Aaron must've realized just how far he'd crossed the line. He panicked, stumbling toward me, unsure of what to do with his hands. "Audrey, are you okay?"But before I could answer, Grace stepped out from behind him, her voice dripping with triumph as she looked down at me. "I told you—Aaron will always be on my side.""Is that so?"I glanced at the two of them, my voice cold. I wanted to ask her: if Aaron really loved her so much, why hadn't he divorced me yet?But I didn't want to waste my breath arguing. Why should I care anymore?Still, I couldn't swallow the fury in my chest. I wasn't going to let them walk away without consequences."Kathy," I said calmly, "Call the police. Attempted arson. Multiple injuries. And attempted murder.""Audrey, do you have to be so aggressive?" Aaron interrupted, visibly upset. "Grace was just overwhelmed. It's all been a misunderstanding. Why won't you let it go? Don't be unreasonable."His eyes were

Six months later, my company went public.I stood in the center of the celebration, surrounded by a sea of people, their praise flowing endlessly around me. I smiled with the ease of someone who had conquered, who had survived. Champagne glass in hand, I moved gracefully through the crowd, accepting congratulations with a practiced nod and the occasional word of thanks.When my legs began to ache, I slipped away to a quiet corner to rest. That's when I felt it—a gaze, sharp and full of malice, slicing through the hum of laughter and clinking glasses.I turned my head casually, scanning the room, but nothing seemed out of place.And then—just as I looked back—a woman in a server's uniform lunged at me, wild-eyed, a knife clutched in her hand.For a second, I was caught off guard. But instinct took over. I lifted my leg and kicked the knife from her grasp.Almost immediately, my bodyguards emerged from the shadows and restrained her. I looked down to see who it was.Grace.I ha