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Home / Romance Short Story / In the Wake of the Shattered Promises / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of In the Wake of the Shattered Promises: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

24 Chapters

Chapter 1

Kimberly Williams slumped onto the bed, stunned beyond belief.Richard's signature on the divorce agreement was sharp and decisive, with no hint of hesitation. The document had been drafted seven years ago, right when they'd just gotten married.Back then, he'd been willing to give up everything for her. But each year after that, he'd crossed out more assets.Seven years later, she was the one expected to leave empty-handed.Her phone buzzed suddenly with a text from Richard: [Unexpected business trip. Don't wait for me.]She tried calling him, but his phone was already off.Then a message from a friend popped up—a screenshot of a social media post by Lotta Anderson, the underprivileged student Kimberly had been sponsoring.[Got praised today! To celebrate my first period without any leaks, Mr. CEO says we gotta party it up.]The nine-photo grid showed Richard smiling warmly, tenderly fastening a stunning sapphire pendant around her neck. The post was geotagged at a romantic co

Chapter 2

The opulent mansion was easily worth ten million dollars.Kimberly climbed the stairs, and through the slightly ajar door, she heard moans and heavy breathing. Two naked bodies were entwined on the bed."Easy there. My period's not quite over yet," Lotta whined.Richard kissed her with a tenderness Kimberly had never seen from him. He croaked, "Don't worry, babe. I won't go all the way. Just wanna hold you."Lotta pouted playfully. "What if you can't hold back? You'd have to go home to her for that, right?"Annoyance flashed across Richard's face. "I don't even want to touch her. Aside from the bare minimum as a husband, just looking at her makes me feel disgusted."Kimberly stumbled back, her heart throbbing with dense, stabbing pain.Lotta sent her a voice message: [You heard that? He'd rather cuddle me during my period and do nothing than go back to you. Oh, and you probably didn't know. We had a baby once, but it was a miscarriage.]Kimberly's heart went numb with agony.H

Chapter 3

Opening her eyes again, Kimberly found herself in the hospital."You awake?" A nurse adjusted her IV drip. "How are you feeling? You were so pale when they brought you in. Scared the heck out of us."From the nurse, Kimberly learned that the building manager had rushed her to the ER and tried contacting Richard via the owners' group chat."She's a grown woman," he'd snapped. "Can't she handle a minor issue without bothering me?"He had hung up without sending a single concerned text. He'd completely forgotten about her claustrophobia.Bitterness surged through her as memories flooded back.In high school, when bullies locked her in a dark storage room, it was Richard who'd smashed the door open, ignoring his bleeding hands as he held her close. "Kimbie, don't be scared. I've got you."The next day, he'd beaten the bullies senseless. "She has claustrophobia, terrified of the dark! Do you realize locking her in there nearly sent her into shock?"He'd gone berserk, earning himself

Chapter 4

Lotta smiled through her tears, clinging to Richard's arm as they walked away.Kimberly let out a bitter laugh, not expecting his love for Lotta to run so deep that he'd get snipped for her.She touched her belly, feeling the tiny life inside. This child would never know a father's love. Keeping it would only bring more pain, especially since she was moving on to a new marriage.Wiping her tears, she made a call. "I need to schedule a pregnancy termination. As soon as possible."The procedure was quick. Barely recovered, she received a call from Richard. "Where are you? You're not home.""What is it?" she mumbled numbly.He faltered at her cold tone. "Come on, don't be mad. I got you a custom anniversary gift. Come home and check it out."Kimberly dragged her aching body back and opened the door, only to find Lotta there."Oh, Kimberly, you're back?" Lotta said, standing in the living room like she owned the place, directing workers as they moved things around.In the center w

Chapter 5

Richard froze, grabbing Kimberly's wrist. "Divorce? You want to divorce me?"Before she could respond, Lotta whimpered, "My belly hurts so much. Richard, don't fight with her. I..."She passed out mid-sentence, and Richard glared at Kimberly. "This is absurd! Stay here and think about what you've done!"He scooped up Lotta and bolted out.Amid the grave silence, the workers gave Kimberly sympathetic glances before hurrying away.She stood up, grabbed a kitchen knife, and smashed the sculpture into pieces. Her heart ached densely, more from humiliation than pain.It turned out that when Richard stopped loving someone, he could be utterly cruel. For three days straight, he didn't come home, and Lotta didn't text her again.When Kimberly tried sending him the divorce agreement, she found he'd blocked her number. Unsure of his whereabouts, she turned to his assistant, who answered, "Mr. Munoz is at the lounge, having drinks."She followed the location to the upscale lounge. In a pr

Chapter 6

Kimberly stared blankly at the message.When she married Richard, they'd kept it simple: just a table at a hotel with a few relatives and friends.She'd suggested it, not wanting him to spend his last savings on a wedding while in debt. But on that day, he had still given her the wedding dress of her dreams. She'd been overjoyed yet sad.The dress maxed out his credit card; his suit was a cheap thrift-store fare. Even so, he'd hugged her, tears in his eyes. "I can't give you the best right now. But when I make it big, I'll throw you the grandest wedding ever."Yet once he succeeded, he gave that wedding to Lotta instead.Kimberly shut her eyes and typed: [Bigamy is illegal.]Before she could send it, Lotta replied: [Yay, he agreed! Kimberly, for all the years you've served him, I'll let you attend our wedding. Honestly, not making him kick you out of the house already is me being generous.]The words stabbed like knives. Still, Kimberly wanted to see Richard's perfect wedding fo

Chapter 7

Opening her eyes again, Kimberly found herself in the back seat of a car, her hands bound with rope.Richard sat beside her, still in his wedding suit, urging the driver anxiously, "Faster! Step on it!"Unease gripped her. "Where are you taking me? Untie me!"Richard's face was stone-cold. "Lotta's been kidnapped. I need to save her."Her eyes widened. "What does that have to do with me?""They meant to grab Mrs. Munoz but took the wrong person," he said. "You have to swap places with her."Mrs. Munoz? Conveniently, she was his wife when it suited him. Otherwise, he was marrying someone else.Her heart sinking, she thrashed tearfully. "Trading me for her? You're out of your mind! This is your fault. You two paraded a public wedding, making them think she's your wife.""You know?" He blinked, his emotions swirling.He reached for her hand, but she slapped it away. His chest ached, and he looked away. "I'll explain later. Saving Lotta comes first. These guys are rough. She's you

Chapter 8

As the car raced down the road, Richard called his top bodyguard. "Gather a team and go to this location. Get Kimberly out at all costs."Back home, he checked Lotta for injuries, relieved to find none.She clung to his arm, whining, "You've already sent people for Kimberly, so we're good. Let's pack and go on our honeymoon."He stared at her, unease gnawing at him. During the wedding, visions of another woman in that gown kept flashing in his mind.Kimberly would look stunning in it. He owed her a grand wedding. Once Lotta was settled, he'd make it right with the biggest ceremony.He paced anxiously. "We'll go once Kimberly is safe."Lotta pouted. "But you promised. Every minute we're late means I see less of the northern lights.""They won't disappear if we're a bit late. Don't you have any conscience?" Richard snapped, losing it for a second.Lotta burst into frightened tears. "I-I didn't mean it. I just want to finish your promise on the bucket list sooner, so our lost baby

Chapter 9

Richard took Lotta to see the northern lights. The natural spectacle was stunning, but he found it utterly boring.Her excited shrieks pierced his ears, grating on his nerves. He called his top bodyguard. "Any updates? Did you get Kimberly home safe?"Silence lingered on the other end.He drifted into a daze, his mind replaying the recent scene. When he'd handed Kimberly over to the kidnapper, he'd watched the spark in her eyes dim and die out.Back in high school, those same eyes had always shone brightest whenever they met his gaze. Recalling it now sent sharp, rhythmic pains through his heart.In the end, Kimberly was just a woman. She must have been terrified. Sure, he had faith in his elite bodyguards to rescue her, but what if something went wrong?Irritation surged through him inexplicably, and he pushed her away. "Lotta, be sensible for once. Go take your pictures by yourself."She bit her lip, looking hurt. "Richard, look around. All these honeymooning couples are lovey

Chapter 10

Below his original agreement, three words stared back: [As you wish].Richard's heart clenched in agony, making it hard to breathe. So, Kimberly had discovered his divorce papers long ago and had been enduring in silence all this time.Her handwriting was typically elegant. But this final message trembled on the page, the ink smudged at the end—as if blurred by tears.Visions of her face, etched with sorrow as she penned those words, flooded his mind, leaving him shaking uncontrollably.The lead bodyguard knocked and entered. "Boss, sorry. We came up empty. Maybe we should involve the police."Richard glared, clenching his teeth. "My wife is not dead!"If authorities stepped in and pronounced her gone... He couldn't even entertain the idea.No trace meant hope. She had to be alive.He tapped his underworld contacts to hunt the kidnapper. After exhaustive checks, they uncovered bloodstained clothes in a creek near the suburbs—a man's shirt and pants.It pointed to the kidnapper

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