Lahat ng Kabanata ng Hate Is an Illusion, Love Is Absurd: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

In a split second, Jordan Skinner suppressed his panic. He smoothly stepped forward, draping his jacket over Giselle Parson's bare shoulders."You leave first," he told her, his voice tight but controlled. "I'll explain everything to her."Giselle slowly pulled the jacket around herself, entirely unbothered. As she brushed past me, a wave of familiar perfume hit my senses.It was a rare, limited-edition fragrance. Just two days ago, I had stood under a blistering sun for hours just to buy it, leaving my face painfully sunburned.Giselle had dabbed soothing ointment onto my skin, scolding me for being an idiot, though a smile had played on her lips. "Still, you brought this at the perfect time. I'm meeting someone important in two days. This will come in handy."I had grinned like a fool, thrilled that I could make her happy. Only now did the sickening reality sink in: the "important person" she couldn't wait to impress was my husband, who had supposedly rushed back from a business

A suffocating weight settled on my chest.Years ago, Giselle loathed Jordan's dad for forcing her mom into a miserable marriage, while Jordan hated Giselle's mother for driving his own mom to suicide.For a decade, they despised each other. But after they met me, their toxic rivalry strangely shifted into a competition over who could treat me better.Eventually, real feelings developed between Jordan and me, and our families capitalized on it to finalize our marriage.Ten years had passed in the blink of an eye. Being fiercely protected by both of them for so long had made me forget a fundamental truth: I was only ever a transactional tool for a family alliance.I gave a bitter smile and quietly liked the comment.Meeting them had likely consumed all the good luck I was allotted in this lifetime. I couldn't be greedy enough to expect a happy ending, too.By the time I finished packing, it was well past midnight. I tucked the signed divorce agreement into my handbag and reached f

Jordan read the document three times. The bright red seal from the clerk's office burned into his eyes, proving it wasn't a joke.He staggered backward, caught just in time by the nurse. "Sir, are you alright?"He didn't answer, his body trembling.In his memory, I was always too gentle to raise my voice. Even on the rare occasions he upset me, a few chocolate cakes were enough to make me smile again.How could I sign a divorce agreement and vanish without a word? He refused to believe it, determined to find me, demand answers, and tell me this wasn't funny."Sir, you don't look well. Should I call a doctor for you?" added the nurse.Without a word, Jordan strode out of the hospital, flagged down a cab, and rushed home.The estate was pitch black when he threw open the front door. I was terrified of the dark; whenever he was away, I would turn on every light in the house.With trembling fingers, Jordan flipped the switch. The overhead lights illuminated the anniversary cake on

The sky up north was usually overcast, but the sun broke through the day I arrived.I used the key my mother had left me to unlock my new home. Inside, everything was spotless.The housekeeper, Colette, stopped cleaning and greeted me with a warm smile. "Ms. Kendrick?"I nodded blankly.She came over and took my luggage with practiced ease. "I was hired by your mother. Before she passed, she told me to keep this villa spotless, no matter whether her daughter ever came."This was meant to be your final safety net. For 20 years, I've cleaned it every day. Welcome home, Ms. Kendrick. You can start your new life now."She helped me settle in and showed me around. "This was your mother's room. She always used it on her trips north. Look, those are her paintings."I followed her finger to look over. The walls were covered with snow-capped mountains and rising suns.Colette continued, "The weather up north was rarely this nice, but your mother captured every beautiful day. After she g

I looked over and froze, never expecting our reunion to be like this.Jordan stood in the audience, bathed in the glare of the auditorium spotlights. His voice was raw and hollow. "Jane, I finally found you."He had lost a significant amount of weight. Dark shadows bruised the skin beneath his eyes.Someone whispered, "Isn't that the new billionaire, Jordan Skinner? What's he doing here?"Another said, "You haven't heard? He refused to remarry and drove his dad into the ICU over it. He's spent the last six months searching for his ex-wife. Such a devoted man! Turns out she's the breakthrough artist!"A third person chimed in, "I'm so jealous of her! A successful career and someone who loves her this much. Why can't I have a life like that?"Jordan ignored the murmurs; his eyes locked onto mine with a profound ache. "These past six months must have been so hard. I'm sorry I came too late. You must have suffered a lot."Everything before was my mistake. I've cut ties with Giselle