All Chapters of Survived a Tsunami, but Not My Marriage: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

I barely made it to the hospital. The fever was so high that I kept drifting in and out of consciousness."Acute pneumonia. There's an infection in your lungs, and you need to be admitted immediately." The doctor studied my test results with a grim expression before looking up at me. "Go get the paperwork started, and have a family member come in."A family member?I leaned against the cold wall and managed a bitter smile. The phone in my pocket buzzed relentlessly. I fumbled it out and found the screen flooded with messages from Nicole Weston, each one nastier than the last."What the hell is wrong with you, Simon? "Delete that post from the company chat. Now. Or I swear to God, you'll regret it."You did this on purpose, didn't you? Trying to ruin things between Finn and me? Not a chance."I almost laughed. I didn't even have the energy to reply.What family did I have left? The girl who used to stay up all night when I had a fever, cooling me down with a damp cloth, was gon

Chapter 2

Nicole looked back at me, and her eyes were startlingly bright. That light was like a bolt of lightning through the darkness, illuminating every bleak year that had come before her."Sir, wake up. We need to draw some blood."A nurse gently shook me awake. I opened my eyes to the harsh fluorescent lights of the hospital room and couldn't tell the dream from reality for a moment. She noticed I was alone and gave me a sympathetic look."Your family still hasn't come? Maybe you should hire an attendant. A fever this high is dangerous."I shook my head. My throat was so dry I couldn't get a word out.I dragged myself toward the lab, but as I rounded the corner, I spotted two familiar figures up ahead.Finnegan was carefully supporting Nicole by the arm. She walked slowly, her cheeks still tinged pink."I told you I didn't need to see a doctor. You're the one who insisted.""It's my fault. I was too rough." Finnegan wore a look of concern, but the satisfaction in his voice was unmis

Chapter 3

Nicole's fists rained down on my chest like a hailstorm, while her kicks landed on my shins. My body was already too weak to take it.I staggered back until I hit the wall. Every strike tore at something inside me, but I had no strength left to fight back. All I could do was stand there and let her rage run its course."You worthless piece of garbage! You eat my food, spend my money, and you have the nerve to call me trash?"She hit harder with every swing until my legs finally gave out and I collapsed to the floor. Even then, Nicole didn't stop. She drove her foot into my ribs."Quit the act! I barely touched you, and you're already playing dead!"My face went white. Blood seeped from the corner of my mouth. My chest felt like it was being torn open, and every breath felt like it might be my last."Stop it! What are you doing?" A group of nurses rushed over and pulled Nicole back."This man was brought in from the tsunami. He's in critical condition. You can't treat him like

Chapter 4

Back when we started the company, Nicole didn't want people saying she'd gotten ahead by riding her husband's coattails, so I gave her the CEO position and took the role as marketing director instead.But Nicole seemed to have forgotten one thing. The company was mine.…Finnegan walked into the CEO's office carrying a cup of pour-over coffee. He kicked the door shut behind him and wrapped his arms around Nicole from behind while she was reading through some documents, resting his chin in the crook of her neck and nuzzling against her."What are you so busy with?"Nicole squirmed a little at the ticklish sensation and gave his hand a half-hearted swat. "We're at the office. Behave yourself.""What am I doing wrong?" Finnegan grinned and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her to the wide leather couch. He pressed her down onto it and kissed her hard."What's there to worry about? It's not like this is our first time in your office."Nicole resisted half-heartedly before giving

Chapter 5

Nicole laughed as if she'd just heard the most ridiculous thing in her life. "Fire me? I'm the CEO of this company. Who would dare? Has this gone through the board?"Samantha pushed her glasses up and replied without a shred of emotion. "The order comes from the chairman himself, Mr. Simon Lancer. And yes, the board has already voted unanimously in favor."Over the years, Nicole had used her position to make more than a few reckless decisions. On several occasions, she'd nearly tanked major projects and cost the company a fortune.If I hadn't been working behind the scenes to hold things together and clean up her messes, she would have run the place into the ground. So when it came to letting her go, the board didn't need any convincing.Samantha waved her hand, and the security team behind her immediately got to work, packing Nicole's belongings into boxes one by one.Nicole stood frozen. It was only now that a certain fact finally dawned on her again, but it was far too late. Th

Chapter 6

A flicker of contempt crossed Finnegan's eyes, but he instantly replaced it with the helpless, pitiful expression he'd perfected. "It's not about the company," he said. "I'm just scared I won't get to see you anymore."Privately, he'd always assumed Nicole was a self-made woman who'd clawed her way to the top on her own talent and hard work. But it turned out she was just another fraud who couldn't survive without a man propping her up.Determined to reassure Finnegan and prove she was still someone worth being with, Nicole gritted her teeth and pulled him toward the luxury mall across the street."Come on. Let me buy you something to make up for all this."The second he heard that, Finnegan's face lit up. The sweet talk came pouring out of him like it cost nothing, and Nicole ate up every word. The humiliation from minutes ago vanished as though it had never happened.Finnegan had started out as a fresh college graduate she'd hired as a junior assistant. He was charming, always

Chapter 7

"The previous owner was kind enough to pack up your things and leave them right there. You're welcome to take them whenever you're ready."Nicole's mind went blank. She stared at the beat-up suitcases and couldn't believe what she was seeing.How was this possible? How could I sell the house we'd lived in together for all these years?No matter how far she'd pushed things in the past, I'd always given in and let it go. I had never done anything this final.She snatched the deed out of his hands and scanned every line. The name on it was Elijah Duggan, and the date was yesterday."This can't be real. Simon would never do this." Her voice shook, and she was on the verge of tears.The man shrugged. "It's all right there in black and white. If you don't believe me, take it up with him."Meanwhile, I was back at the office working through a pile of things that needed my attention. My phone rang, and a glance at the screen told me it was Elijah."Hey, Mr. Lancer." His voice was cheer

Chapter 8

Nicole played the part of a woman wasting away for love, and she played it perfectly.She wept as she recounted the early days of our business, how we'd split a single cup of instant noodles in a basement apartment, how we'd held each other up through every low point to get to where we were. The studio audience was in tears. They cursed my name in unison.When the host asked what caused the marriage to fall apart, Nicole dodged the question. She brushed it off with a vague reference to growing apart after seven years, then turned to stare into the camera with a look so tender it was as if she could see me through the screen."As long as Simon doesn't give up on me, I can endure anything." She bit her lip, her eyes glistening. "Even if he… even if he brings someone else home, I wouldn't care."The moment the words left her mouth, she lowered her head and let the tears fall freely.The audience erupted. People shouted that I was scum. Even the host grabbed Nicole's hand with a sym

Chapter 9

"Oh my God, that woman deserves an award for acting.""She was just up there bawling her eyes out, and the whole time she's the one who was cheating!""And that Finnegan guy is even worse. Sleeping with someone's wife and then bragging about it to the husband!"Nicole screamed and cried and tried to explain, but nobody was listening anymore. The tears that had made an entire audience ache for her just minutes ago now looked like nothing more than a cheap performance.The host was stunned. She hadn't seen this kind of reversal coming.Nicole finally cracked under the pressure. She broke down completely, shrieking through her sobs. "None of this is real! Finnegan set me up! I never betrayed Simon!"But her protests fell flat.The host made an awkward attempt to regain control of the show. "Everyone, please, let's calm down and hear what Ms. Weston has to say."It was no use. The audience's fury had found its new target. Words like "liar" and "cheater" came flying from every direc

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