Alle Kapitel von Cheated Twice: Fake Marriage, Real Betrayal: Kapitel 1 – Kapitel 8

Once I got a yes, I murmured a quick thank you and hung up.Everyone at the law firm knew our history. The year Mom died in a car crash, Megan—who had already retired from the courtroom—stepped back into the game to handle my case.Back then, I was just a nobody intern. She personally guided me through trials and handed me the best resources on a silver platter.The year my career skyrocketed, she agreed to marry me.I gave her my whole heart, managing her Calystron branch without ever asking for a dime in return. I worked myself to the point of throwing up blood and relying on medication just to cope with the crushing stress.And yet, all that devotion meant nothing to her.…The next day, I arrived at Helmont alone.Colleagues I used to work with were throwing strange looks my way. It felt like they were all waiting around for a circus to start.Then, Edward walked up, looking like he owned the place, and gave me a smug smile. "Zachary, Ms. Mitchell gave me the presentation

Panic seized me, making my vision blur. I ran blindly toward the awards ceremony.On the stage, Edward was giving his acceptance speech in a bespoke suit with his hand wrapped snugly around Megan's waist.I stumbled into the venue, drawing looks of disgust and disdain from the crowd.Only Megan let out a barely perceptible smirk, clearly thinking I had regretted my departure and had come back to beg for forgiveness.But she was in for a disappointment.I bypassed her entirely and approached Edward, looking straight into his mocking eyes. "Did you abduct my father? Tell me where he is right now!"The next second, a violent shove sent me tumbling down the stage steps."Zachary, what kind of stunt are you pulling now?"My back crashed hard into the edge of a table, sending a sharp, agonizing pain through my body.Megan instinctively moved forward to step in, but Edward beat her to it, rushing down the steps to help me up."Zachary, I have no idea what you're talking about. You'r

Megan froze, staring at the screen. Even with the mosaic blur over the deceased's face, she could tell exactly who it was."Aaron… is dead?"She immediately dialed Nathan's number. "Aaron's company has been under my strict supervision this whole time. How could anyone report them? Was it an inside job?"Nathan rushed to explain, "We wouldn't dare do anything without your direct order, Ms. Mitchell. But… if I may be frank, Mr. Moore has your personal seal and the passwords to the firm's finances. Should I look into that?"Megan hesitated for a fraction of a second. She didn't want to believe it, but she managed to squeeze out, "Yes."Aaron's case was handed over to another law firm.When she tried to pull some strings to dig into the details, she found the information completely locked down."The deceased is my father-in-law! I'm a senior attorney! Why am I being barred from this case?"The case officer gave her a helpless look. "This was arranged by the victim's immediate famil

Megan's eyes were sunken, swimming with tears, and her fingers were trembling uncontrollably."Zachary," she called out.I ignored her, but she remained relentless, shadowing my every step like a ghost. It wasn't until we reached the courtyard of my apartment building that my patience finally snapped."Do you have an ounce of dignity left? Look at yourself. How are you any different from a stalker?"Megan flinched, a painful flush rising to her cheeks. "I-I just wanted to see how you were doing. Please don't shut me out like this."I could only find her words ironic.Back then, she was the one who left me alone in Calystron, making long-distance our reality. Yet she kept Edward right by her side, only hopping on a flight to Calystron because she wanted to buy him a box of pastries.And she had the nerve to call it missing me.From beginning to end, the one doing the shutting out had always been her."Megan, don't tell me you're here to beg for mercy on Edward's behalf. Because