All Chapters of Try to make me cry: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

17 Chapters

Chapter 1

The digital glow of the dashboard clock bled into the weary darkness of the car's interior. One of those nights. My hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white, the hum of the engine a dull throb against my skull. Veritas City, a sprawling lie wrapped in glass and steel, blurred past my window. Towers clawed at the bruised velvet sky, each window a distant, indifferent eye. Home. Finally, The thought was a dry taste on my tongue.The mansion, a hulking shadow against the artificial constellations of Veritas Heights, loomed. The Citadel, they called this ancient enclave. Compounds, not houses. A gilded cage, crafted for the Graysons, for families like mine. I killed the engine, the sudden silence deafening. A sigh hitched in my throat, but I swallowed it down. No time for weakness.Another night, another victory. Another night, another ghost houseThe main house was silent, which was normal. The staff had likely retired to the annex. I walked across the polished marble foyer. The

Chapter 2

The next morning, I woke to a profound stillness. It was the Christmas holiday break, the one period where The Citadel truly fell silent, and I didn't have to worry about the market or the next hostile takeover. I was still twenty-three, and even if I didn't act it, I looked my age—a point of silent, private pride.I began my elaborate skincare routine. Afterward, I went downstairs to the kitchen, where a perfect bowl of mixed fruit was waiting, exactly as requested.It was a Christmas holiday. No company meetings, no urgent emails, no power plays to orchestrate. A rare reprieve. I was too young to worry about such things, yet here I was, a puppet master in a gilded cage. Twenty-three, married at twenty to a twenty-eight-year-old CEO. And he is thirty-one. I looked my age, even if I didn't always act it.I stood before my large vanity mirror, admiring the smooth, rested face that looked back. Just because I didn't smile didn't mean I was a tyrant. Just because someone who offended me

Chapter 3

“I see you did check your text. I sent you a text on UsChat. I canceled the date because I have other plans today,” my husband stated, his voice low, his eyes fixed on me.I checked my phone—my UsChat app had just finished updating in the background. I opened it and saw the message, timestamped nearly an hour ago. He had genuinely canceled.So, this was not his plan. But I think I knew why he was still here. “So you have plans then why are you here?” I challenged, my own voice now regaining its sharpness, refusing to give him the satisfaction of looking ashamed.He sighed—a deep, theatrical sound clearly intended for the attentive audience surrounding us.“Well, I'm here now. I see you made a new friend,” my husband said, his gaze finally sweeping over Julian with thinly veiled contempt before he sat down in the empty chair across the table.So what is the meaning of this? Why did he say that like a kind, forgiving person? It was purely for the benefit of the people watching. You don

Chapter 4: The Gilded Cage Snaps

Before I could process the sound, Eddie was there. His hand didn't simply grab; it clamped around my wrist—the hard, non-negotiable grasp of a proprietor.“What the hell are you doing?” I demanded, immediately twisting my wrist against his grip.“I should be asking you that, Maggie,” my husband countered, his green eyes burning with a cold, controlled fury that was far more potent than any shout.I tried to yank my hand free. “Let go of me!” I shouted, the revulsion at his touch sudden and intense.Julian stepped between us, his shoulders squaring. He put his hand on Eddie’s chest, blocking his path. “Sir, I need you to step back. She's clearly upset, and I don’t think…”“I was not addressing you,” Eddie cut him off, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper of authority.The sudden shift in Eddie’s emotional display confused and annoyed me. “Your acting has really improved, darling,” I sneered.“Shut up and get in the car,” he commanded, tightening his grip on my wrist until it bit.

C hapter 5: The Hand of the Sculptor

We got to the mansion. The Citadel compound was a silent, looming witness to the violence barely contained within its walls. Eddie slammed the car into park and got out, his anger a visible, radiating heat.What’s with him? I ignored him, pulling the door handle and swinging my legs out. I should have driven my own car. My heels were high, and I wobbled slightly as I walked fast toward the main entrance.He didn't let me get far. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back, yanking me through the heavy oak door.“Hey, you better not leave a bruise!” I snapped, furious that he was actually touching me with that much force.He ignored my protest, pulling me past the marble foyer and straight into my private bedroom suite, which was on the opposite wing of the house from his. He slammed the door shut, the sound echoing like a gunshot, and stood there, radiating raw, contained power.“Get out of my room,” I commanded, immediately retreating toward the center of the spacious room.“You forget th

Chapter 6: The Cold Show Must Go On

My hand remained lightly pressed against the stinging cheek, not in pain, but in control. The silence in the parlor was so dense you could almost hear the thoughts racing through the minds of the family members—scandal, leverage, disgrace.Oh, so nobody videoed the part where her husband later showed up, I thought, a surge of calculated insight replacing the shock. They only saw me with Julian.I watched her face, searching for the love that was never there, knowing the backstory better than anyone else. My mother hated me from the moment I was born, I thought I was even adopted. I had checked the records myself: my father and mother were both my real, biological parents. As the last of four daughters, I was the one who caused her to no longer bear a child or a son. She often claimed I took everything from her. Because she was giving birth to me I took her womb too.I slowly lowered my hand. I met her eyes. My expression didn't waver. It was utterly blank, conveying neither apology no

Chapter 7: The Cost of the Performance

Inside the CarThe blue Ferrari was a soundproof, pressurized space, and even inside the car, sharing the air with this man made me profoundly uncomfortable. I should have just driven my own car.He didn't speed this time. He drove agonizingly slow, as if enjoying the prolonged captivity.I leaned my head against the cool glass of the window, staring out at the blurred streetlights. The burning sting on my cheek had faded, replaced by the familiar, heavy ache of emotional exhaustion.“Are you satisfied?” Eddie finally asked, his voice low, controlled, and utterly flat.I didn't turn my head. “Satisfied with what? That your mother-in-law slapped your wife in front of your business partners? Or that you stood there and watched?”“I’m talking about the show you put on,” he corrected sharply. “The pathetic, self-sacrificing wife who spun a cheating rumor into corporate loyalty. You forced me to apologize to your mother, Maggie, and to the whole family.”I finally turned to face him, the l

Chapter 8: The Private Meeting

The moment I entered the mansion, the heavy silence swallowed me whole. Eddie was nowhere to be seen, likely retreating to his separate wing or his office—the predictable pattern of avoidance. I made my way slowly up the grand staircase, my limping steps echoing on the marble, each movement a reminder of the physical cost of the night.The knees were bad. Blood had already seeped through the fine ivory wool of the coat dress, drying to a sickening brown-red color. The pain was sharp, real, and uncomplicated—a welcome change from the complex, psychological agony Eddie inflicted.Once inside my suite, I locked the door, not because I feared him—I knew he wouldn't dare approach my wing tonight—but for the necessary solitude. I stripped off the ruined coat dress, dropped the expensive fabric onto the floor, and assessed the damage. The slap on my face felt like a faint ghost compared to the deep, painful scrapes on both knees.I sat on the edge of the oversized tub, pulling out the first

Chapter 9

Who is this now? I thought bitterness instantly overriding my professionalism. He has a new toy already?They were both focused on each other and hadn't noticed me yet.“You shouldn’t be here in my office, get off me,” Eddie was saying, his voice strained, though he wasn't physically pushing her away.“Oh, come on,” the woman purred, leaning closer. “I know you’ve been having your eyes on me for a while, Mr. Grayson. You’re just too shy to make your move on me.”“I said get off,” he repeated, his tone hardening.“Come on, don't you want me to make the first move?” she said, and then, brazenly, she sat squarely on his lap and licked his ear.My entrance was no longer a matter of choice. It was a required intervention.I’ve seen him uncomfortable before, but this was different—a genuine, tired discomfort. Should I leave? No. I was here for a reason.Then the lady turned her head, following a faint sound, and saw me.“Hey, you… how rude. Can’t you see we’re busy?” she snapped, her tone c

Chapter 10: The True Puppet Master

The Confession and the Betrayal My face changed, I froze. What? My father. I thought he had lost all interest in me already, what now? “It wasn't my idea to send you this document... it was your father.” I stared at his broad back, his body language deliberately closed off. All the fury I had unleashed on the woman in the red dress turned instantly into cold, paralyzing dread. My father. He doesn't even speak to me, yet he speaks to Eddie. Eddie finally turned around, leaning against his desk. “Your father is facing liquidity issues with his latest real estate development. He needs capital injection fast, and he knows I won’t give it to him without collateral.” I processed this information. "So he wants to pull my company under the umbrella of Grayson International? He wants to take the one thing that is truly mine?" "He wants to pull your company under the umbrella of Grayson International," Eddie corrected. "He gets the cash, and I get the controlling interest. And more i

1 2

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP