All Chapters of That’s Not How Love Works: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

“Alright, I accept your proposal.”An excited voice came through the phone right away. “Summer, I’m so happy you said yes! Don’t worry. I’ll treat you well, I promise—”I cut him off. “But I have one condition.“I want to start a company. I need funding.”“I’ll give it to you!”Caden Frost agreed without hesitation, but a second later, he hesitated. “What about James? Have you told him?”“I will. Within a week.”Just hearing James Grayson’s name messed with my head. As soon as I hung up, my hand trembled, and the glass I was holding fell to the floor and shattered, just like what we had between us. The moment when I told him I loved him, there was no going back.Our families used to be neighbors. When I was ten, James was kidnapped by human traffickers.My dad tried to protect him and was stabbed three times. Each wound was fatal.James survived, but my dad lost his life.My mom could not handle the pain. The shock made her go gray overnight, and she passed away too.Just l

Chapter 2

Over the years, Monica had always been kind to me. I could not bring myself to say no to her, so I followed her downstairs.The moment I reached the bottom stair, I saw Mila Sawyer curled up in James’s arms. I had no idea what they were talking about, but Mila was pouting in annoyance. James quickly leaned in and whispered sweetly to her until she smiled again.A pang of sadness hit me. James had never looked at me with eyes like that.But at the same time, I felt relieved that I had just agreed to Caden’s proposal. At least I would not be standing in their way.When I reached downstairs, Mila looked at me provocatively. Her arm was still wrapped around James’s neck.“It’s been a while, Summer.”I quietly mumbled a reply and sat on the couch farthest from them. I pulled out my phone and swiped aimlessly.I tried my best not to listen to their flirtatious voices. It was not until the couch beside me dipped that I realized Mila had approached me. She looped her arm around mine i

Chapter 3

When I was 16, I had no parents, and my classmates mocked me at that sensitive age. They said I was cursed and doomed to be alone. One day, when I was hiding and crying by myself, James showed up like a hero and chased those bullies away.He did not ask what happened. He just looked at me and said, “Summer, no matter what, it’s their fault if you’re crying. I’ll make sure they pay for it.”His promise still echoed in my ears, but the man standing in front of me was no longer that knight in shining armor.I pulled the ceramic shard out of my skin and tossed it aside. I stood up, one hand covering my wound.“I’m the victim here. I don’t owe anyone an explanation.”James stared at the cut on my arm, then lowered his eyes. His expression was unreadable.After a few seconds of silence, Mila whimpered dramatically in pain. James did not hesitate. He picked her up in his arms and rushed her to the hospital. Alone and cut off, I stood among the broken shards while the store staff stared

Chapter 4

The guard stood at the side and watched. He took a slow puff from his cigarette and said, “Don’t blame me, Summer. When Mila marries Mr. Grayson, she’ll be in charge. She’s the one who pays me. And it was Mr. Grayson who told me to throw you out.“If you want to blame someone, blame them.”My clothes were ripped. My face was red and swollen from several hard slaps.Just as the man extended his filthy hand toward my underwear, he suddenly went flying, slammed into the wall, and then crumpled to the ground.Everything went dark for a moment. Then, I realized someone had wrapped a jacket tightly around me.The familiar, comforting scent calmed me. My tense body finally relaxed.“I’m sorry, Summer… I was late.”Caden’s voice trembled slightly, but it still made me feel safe.“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure everyone pays for what they did.”He held me close and wrapped his jacket around me. Not a single part of my body was left exposed.“Summer, how about we let someone else take the

Chapter 5

His vague, misleading statement basically confirmed to the world that I had been assaulted outside the house.In an instant, my blood surged with rage, and my hands and feet went cold.Did James not realize what this would do to me? How many rumors and judgmental stares would I have to endure in the future?My hands trembled as I tapped the screen to call him.Why? Why could he not just let me go? The call connected quickly. His lazy voice came through. “Hello?”My mind was a mess, but my voice came out low and cold. “It wasn’t me outside your house last night. Why didn’t you clear that up?”James just sneered. “Summer, what game are you playing now?“Even if it wasn’t you outside, you still drugged me. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. Even if Mila fell into your trap, I’m still going to marry her.”My fingers trembled as I gripped the phone. I forced out each word, “It wasn’t me.”He snorted, clearly not believing a word.“I get that you want to protect Mila, bu

Chapter 6

But I did not want to give up. I sent the designs to different places. I just wanted my dad’s work to be seen again.That was how I met Caden again.At first, we did not even recognize each other.He fell for me at first sight. He proposed the second time we met. I thought he was just a flirt, so I kept my distance.Back then, my heart was completely set on James. I had no room for any other man.Later, during a casual conversation, Caden shared a story from his childhood. I stared at his face for a long time. When we compared a few details, I realized he was the boy I had saved from the mud years ago.After I lost all hope in James, I finally agreed to marry Caden when he proposed again. My only condition was that he would have to invest in my business so I could bring my father’s designs to life.The next morning, hunger woke me up. I walked into the kitchen and saw Caden making breakfast. Something in me quietly shifted. I did not even notice that I had been staring.While

Chapter 7

I was stunned by how shameless James was. I shoved his hand away and shouted, “Get out! Just get out!”“Summer, why can’t you just be my sister like I asked? “If it weren’t for you, we could’ve stayed together forever!”I slapped him across the face. “You’re insane! I wanted a future with you once, but you didn’t want it. Now that I finally have a life of my own, you’re trying to ruin it!”My fingernail left a faint scratch on his cheek. He gently ran his fingers over it, but his eyes never left mine.“Summer, you’re the one who stopped behaving.”I had never seen this side of James. He seemed crazy and obsessive. I ran away in fear.When I got home, Caden saw how shaken I was and asked me what had happened. I did not hesitate and told him everything about my past with James.I thought he might get jealous. He had always cared a lot about the men around me.But instead, he just pulled me into his arms.“You must have gone through so much.“From now on, I’ll love you twice a

Chapter 8

James’s voice was hoarse and broken, but all I felt was a surge of anger.Why?Why did everything always have to go his way?While he looked at me with pleading eyes, I raised my hand and slapped him across the face.“James, you’re insane.”He opened his mouth to say something else, but Caden’s men stepped in and dragged him out.The wedding finally continued. Some of the guests whispered to each other. I glanced at Caden, worried he might be upset, but instead, he was smiling like a fool.“Summer, I’m finally married to you!”He wrapped me in his arms and kissed me deeply.After the wedding, my fashion company came together. I went back to school to study design, made improvements to my father’s original sketches, and finally turned them into real clothing.Everything seemed to be going well until I was kidnapped.There was a black cloth covering my eyes, but somehow, the place felt strangely familiar.“Summer, now you’re completely mine.”Someone pulled off the blindfold

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