All Chapters of Her Man, My Betrayal : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Every morning felt the same—Mom’s sharp voice echoing through the walls, reminding me how foolish I was to walk away from Dickens, as though breaking free from his suffocating grip was the greatest crime I could ever commit. “You had everything with Dickens,” she snapped one morning as I buttoned my uniform for work. “Money. Security. A man who could take care of you. And now? Look at you, running around in that cheap uniform, carrying trays like a servant.” Her words stung, but I forced myself to breathe through them. If I reacted, it would only feed her fire. Clara leaned against the doorway, smirking like a queen whose throne had been polished. “She’s just bitter,” Clara said sweetly, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Not everyone is lucky enough to have someone like Dickens. You should have seen the new necklace he bought me yesterday. Real diamonds.” She touched her neck dramatically, as if she were on a stage. I kept my gaze down, fixing my collar. “Good for you,” I mu

Something in the air felt different that morning, heavy with promise and danger. I didn’t know it yet, but the day that began with me clasping an old necklace would end with me sitting face-to-face with the Governor’s family.That day, I tried to keep myself busy, pacing my room as if that would make the clock move faster. My hands brushed over my old jewelry box—most of the pieces Dickens once bought me were still there. I never wore them, not because they weren’t beautiful, but because every stone carried a memory I wanted to bury.Still, I picked up a necklace and clasped it around my neck, just to see how it looked against my dress.That was when my phone buzzed.Eli.“Hello?” My heart skipped as I picked up.His voice came warm, smooth, and commanding all at once.“Isabella, be ready in two hours. I’m coming to pick you up myself.”My mouth fell open. “You… you’re coming? Yourself?”“Yes,” he said simply, like it was nothing. “Don’t keep me waiting.”I sent him my address with tr

His mother’s disapproval burned deeper than her words, but Eli’s lips promised me a different future. For one fragile night, I almost believed him—until the shadows in the park whispered I wasn’t alone.My heart screamed yes, but my mind whispered danger. I had just agreed to be Eli’s girlfriend, yet a knot tightened inside me, pulling me in two directions. The garden looked too beautiful for doubts—the moon glowing full above us, the lake rippling like silver, the fountain whispering softly in the night—but the thought of his parents lingered like a shadow I couldn’t shake.“I don’t know,” I murmured, keeping my eyes on the water. “I feel… mixed. Like maybe I’m making a mistake.”Eli leaned closer, his gaze never leaving mine. “A mistake?” he repeated, his voice low, careful, almost wounded.Before I could answer, his lips brushed against mine. It wasn’t demanding, not controlling like Dickens’s kisses had been. This was slow, gentle—almost questioning. My chest fluttered, the tightn

The next morning, I stepped out of my room, tugging at the sleeves of my work blouse, preparing myself for another long shift at Bella’s Diner. But the sight that met my eyes stopped me cold.Eli.Eli was sitting in my living room.Not just sitting, but sitting like he belonged there, leaning back on the sofa with an ease that made my breath catch. Around him were boxes and shopping bags stacked like small towers—designer labels I had only ever seen in glossy magazines, sparkling jewelry cases, even a brand-new blender still wrapped in clear cellophane. It was as though a department store had exploded right in our modest home.And my mother—my sharp-tongued, ever-critical mother—sat beside him, her face stretched into a smile so wide I almost didn’t recognize her. Her eyes glowed as though Eli were the sun she had been waiting for all her life.“Good morning, Isabella,” Eli said smoothly, rising to his feet the moment he saw me. His voice was warm, confident, the kind of voice that co

My phone buzzed again, slicing through the silence like a blade. My pulse jumped as I snatched it from the bed, half-expecting another threat, another unseen whisper from whoever had been watching me.But when I saw the name flash across the screen—Dickens—my breath caught for an entirely different reason.For a long moment, I just stared at it. My thumb hovered, trembling, before I finally opened the message.Take care of yourself, Isabella. You shouldn’t be too loose around people. Not everyone who smiles at you means well. I know you probably hate me now, but I still care about you.I read it twice, then a third time, my mind spinning. The words weren’t cruel—not like the others. They were calm, almost tender, the kind of message that once would have softened me. But now, they made something cold crawl up my spine.I sank slowly onto the edge of my bed, my hand clutching the phone so tightly my fingers ached. My thoughts scattered like broken glass.What did he mean by “too loose a