Semua Bab Ashes of Love; Fire of Vengeance : Bab 1 - Bab 10

Today is supposed to be my wedding day. But instead of saying “I do,” I keep staring at the doors, waiting for my groom.Standing at the altar. Alone. The hall still glitters as if the ceremony never stopped. Chandeliers are blazing, tulips and roses are spilling fragrance into the air. I see the guests whisper in corners, pretending not to stare at me. The violinists have stopped playing our song long ago, but the melody still hums inside my chest.My makeup is supposed to make me feel beautiful. Dewy skin, rose lips, soft shimmer on my eyelids, everything the way he likes. The artist said I looked like a dream. I did. Until the dream ended. Now, the blush on my cheeks is just leftover hope, my mascara has drowned in tears, and the lipstick that once promised forever is nothing but a blurred memory. Every stroke of perfection is melting down my face like my plans, my faith, my composure. I wanted him to see me radiant. Instead, I’m here, smudged, trembling, and waiting for someone w

Tears slip down my cheeks. My chest aches as memories pour in.I remember us sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window in our apartment, our fingers entwined, lips still warm from the love we’d just made.He pressed a kiss to my bare shoulder and whispered, “If it’s a girl, we’ll name her Arya,” his arm wrapping around me like he never wanted to let go.“And if it’s a boy?” I asked.“I don’t want a boy. I want a girl just like you.” he kissed my lips lightly.I laughed. “You’re obsessed.”He kissed my hand. “I know. I’ve been obsessed since the first day I saw you at Hale Mansion.”“Then why didn’t you say anything?” I asked softly. I never knew this; he was always so distant. “All this time, I thought you hated me.”“Why would I hate you, babe?” he asked, confusion flickering in his eyes.“You never talked to me back then,” I said quietly.“Because you weren’t an adult yet, and you liked me too.” Adrian replied. “I might’ve made a mistake if I’d let myself get too close.”I couldn’t hel

All my hopes shatter when Adrian says, “No.” His jaw tightens. “After what her family has done to this country, I can’t be with her. The Smiths are responsible for my mother’s death, I could ignore that. But what they’ve done to this country… it’s beyond forgiveness.”The screen lingers on Emma’s eager face for a moment before cutting back to him.His voice drops, hard and cold. “I’m not going to date anyone. I want justice. I’ll make sure Smith & Hale rot in jail. Every last one of them.”Shock hits me like ice. My limbs refuse to obey. I sink to the carpet, my mind floating somewhere far away, untethered.Is he… announcing our breakup on live TV? For what? For the crimes my father does? I am never involved in our family business. I never want their money. I build my own life, earn my own way.So why am I being punished for sins I don’t commit?I can’t keep watching. Tears spill down my face as I collapse onto the carpet. The same carpet, where we’ve tangled together countless times,

The sweetness of the chocolate barely registers; hunger still clawing at me, when that unfamiliar voice yanks my attention to him.“How dare you cuff my client!” he bellows. His jaw clenches hard, eyes burning with a cold, controlled rage that forces the room into silence.I whip my head toward him. Why does he look familiar? He’s around thirty, the same age as Adrian. Tall and imposing, his posture commands attention, like he owns the room. His chiseled, sharp face lends him an air of intelligence.Then it clicks, he is the unstoppable attorney who almost destroyed the Smiths in court last year. But why is he here? And why is he calling me his client?Before I can speak, the female officer unlocks the cuffs. Her eyes widen in surprise; she had never expected this could go wrong. Pain shoots through my wrists as I rub them together. Though I try to stay composed, the sting betrays me. But the most important thing right now is to ask Watson why he’s here.“Mr. Watson, why are you here

I left the knife and the chopping board on the kitchen counter. Anyone could find them there. But Watson went in more than ten minutes ago. But before I can stand and peek into the kitchen, he comes out, a plate in his hands.“Where’s the officer?” he asks, walking toward me.“I told her to go,” I reply, my eyes fixed on him. “Have you found them?”He doesn’t speak. Instead, he sets the plate on the centre table. The fruits are cut meticulously, arranged with precision. Even the forks are neatly placed.“Wow… that’s amazing,” I murmur, eyes flicking over the plate, then back to him.He simply smiles, quiet and steady. “Eat. You need them,” while settling on the sofa opposite me. His eyes are still watching me like a predator observing its prey, careful, calculating, yet patient. I’ve been used to men looking at me like that for a long time. It’s fine, as long as they’re not trying to make a move on me.Deciding not to pay attention to him, I pick up the plate and start eating. He has