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หน้าหลัก / My Husband Faked His Death, So I Held His Funeral / บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

บททั้งหมดของ My Husband Faked His Death, So I Held His Funeral: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

10

Chapter 1

"Help me file a petition to have Alex declared legally dead."She asked hesitantly, "You're giving up the search?"My eyes burned with tears. I stared across the room at Alex, his arm still wrapped around Chloe, and struggled to keep my voice steady. "I can't find him."Why keep looking for someone who chose to hide from me?I ended the call and went back to the VIP room.My assistant took one look at my face and pressed a glass of top-shelf whiskey into my hand."Boss, what happened to Alex was tragic. But you can't ruin your health over this. If you do, he'll never rest in peace."I looked down at the glass. Its cold surface pressed against my palm as tears spilled down my cheeks.I blinked back the rest and asked quietly, "Do you think a man would ever fake his own disappearance just to fool his wife?"My assistant froze. Shock and disgust crossed her face."Oh my God, Vivian."She was so stunned that she forgot her usual formality."If that's true, then any man who treats his wife'
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Chapter 2

I pulled up the apartment's security footage. The screen showed the primary bedroom and walk-in closet.I rewound the footage to the first month after I'd reported Alex missing.Early that month, Alex walked in with his arm around Chloe. Two hours later, he left with an armful of clothes.Mid-month, he carried Chloe home and stayed until dawn.Before leaving, he helped himself to several limited-edition handbags from my closet.Just two nights ago, the two of them had snuck into the apartment together.Alex took several luxury watches from the safe while Chloe excitedly put one of my necklaces around his neck."Darling, when exactly are you going to divorce her and marry me?"Alex kissed her cheek, his tone soothing. "No divorce, baby. How could we afford all this if I divorced her? That woman is smart. As long as I stay married to her, I can keep spending her money. Once this stunt has completely tamed her, her company will be ours."The two of them collapsed onto my custom-made leath
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Chapter 3

The moment I answered, a blast of noise hit my ear.Chloe's voice cut through the commotion. "Sis, I heard you're holding a memorial service for Alex? Maybe you're overwhelmed with grief, but no one has confirmed his death. Everyone in our circles is laughing at you, saying you've lost your mind. Cancel the memorial now, or your reputation will..."If I hadn't seen the recordings, her concern might have fooled me.Now, it was almost funny."You only got into those circles because of me. You don't get to judge me."I hung up before Chloe could finish, then switched off my phone.I pulled a blanket over myself and curled up on the couch.For the first time in three months, I slept soundly.The next morning, I went before a judge with my attorneys and an expedited court order. We froze every account tied to Alex and had him listed as deceased.Once everything was done, I marched into Chloe's Pilates studio in my heels.The front desk staff tried to stop me, but I pushed past them and open
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Chapter 4

I watched the security footage my assistant had brought me and smirked."He wanted to watch me lose my mind, but now he's the laughingstock of New York. I want him to learn what it costs to betray me.""You did so much for him and his family, and this is how he treats you! How can anyone be such a monster?"The more my assistant cursed him, the angrier she became. She looked ready to tear him apart.I quickly stopped her. "Enough. Today is my husband's memorial service. I'm supposed to be grieving."A few hours later, I changed into a black mourning dress and put on a veiled black hat.The woman staring back at me from the mirror was pale beneath her makeup, her eyes filled with grief.I handed my assistant the tablet containing the yacht video and the footage of Alex sneaking into my penthouse to steal from me."Get ready to play them on the cathedral screen at any moment."With everything prepared, I left for St. Patrick's Cathedral.Richard was already waiting in a tailored black su
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Chapter 5

Alex stumbled toward me, wrapped his arms tightly around me. He called my name through his tears."You have no idea how much I've missed you. A terrible avalanche trapped me in a crevasse that day. Some locals rescued me, but I needed three months to recover before I could return to Manhattan and see you. I'm not dead. I'm perfectly well!"He seized my hand and dragged it over his body, desperate to convince me that he'd really been missing and had barely survived the ordeal.I watched his performance, stone-faced.Only when the silence around us started to make him uneasy did I laugh."Are you done with your little performance? And those locals who saved you—was one of them Chloe?"His expression froze.He forced a bitter, confused smile. "What are you talking about? I don't understand."Watching him play dumb finally shattered what little restraint I had left. Three months of anger and pain exploded out of me as I slapped him across the face."You've been hiding for three months. Why
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Chapter 6

Alex pointed at me and roared, his face twisted with rage.I used to fear his anger. Now all I saw was a man terrified of losing his meal ticket.I repeated myself calmly. "You have no leverage. Sign it.""Those kisses were just social greetings!"Alex shamelessly tried to use New York's no-fault divorce laws to his advantage. "Without photos of Chloe and me in bed, no court will find that I committed adultery or strip me of my share! Enough, Vivian. Withdraw the petition. I'll forgive this little tantrum and let you remain part of the Stirling family."I stared at him in silence.His shamelessness made me sick, but he was right about one thing. I didn't have solid proof of the affair. And even with his cards frozen and his identity flagged, he'd find some way to keep harassing me.Just then, a low voice cut through the tension. "Evidence of adultery? Will this do?"Richard pulled out his phone and played an intimate recording of Alex and Chloe in a hotel room. Parts of the footage wer
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Chapter 7

I walked to the curb to hail a cab.Richard pulled up beside me. "Vivian, would you like a ride?"I looked at him warily. "Alex and I are divorced.""And?""I don't think I should rely on the Stirling family's influence anymore."Richard opened the car door, a confident smile tugging at his lips as he teased me, "So you plan to use me and then cut me off?"I raised an eyebrow but refused to take the bait.His smile vanished, replaced by the authority of a man used to being in power."Get in. I came to talk about leading the Series C round for that AI company of yours. Before, your company's equity had a bloodsucker attached. Now that the ownership structure is clean, it's finally worth my investment."That got my attention. Working with him had no obvious downside.I got into the back seat and asked him directly, "What is it about my company that interests you?"Richard leaned back and got straight to the point. "I know exactly what that idiot Alex is capable of. He can make a little m
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Chapter 8

I stopped a few feet away, unable to hide my disgust. "Leave my property immediately or I'll have security throw you out."Ignoring my warning, Alex rushed forward and grabbed my hand."How can you say that, Vivian? I'm only worried about you! Look at you. You've worked late again. Do you know how much it hurts me to see you like this?"My stomach churned. I nearly threw up everything I'd just eaten.I jerked my hand free. "What do you want?"His eyes immediately filled with tears. "I'm worried about you. Stop sulking, Vivian. A workaholic like you doesn't know how to live without me. I can bring you a coat and warm your hands. Without me, how will you take care of yourself? Let's get remarried. I truly love you."I stared at his face and hesitated for just a moment.My mind went back to the hardest days of building the company. Alex really had taken care of me.He brought me an umbrella when it rained and extra clothes when the weather turned cold.Back then, I'd believed ours was the
อ่านเพิ่มเติม

Chapter 9

I never learned what Richard said to Alex. For a long time afterward, Alex disappeared from my life completely.My life finally became peaceful again, and I threw myself into the final push toward our IPO.Richard showed me exactly what a Wall Street titan could do. He brought one resource after another to the table, and through countless late-night executive meetings, our trust in each other steadily grew."Richard, did you say something to Alex? He hasn't shown up in a long time."Richard glanced at me, took out his phone, and pulled up several photographs.All of them were of Alex and Chloe together."Once he was certain you would never forgive him, he went to Chloe."I idly swiped through them, but went one photo too far. On the screen was a photo of me from the side as I presented an AI algorithm onstage in Silicon Valley three years earlier."What is this? Why do you have a photo of me? It looks like it was taken without my knowledge."Richard stiffened and snatched back his phon
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Chapter 10

I contacted the fjord region's search-and-rescue team again.The coordinator shook his head wearily when he saw me."Vivian, we already told you he can't be found. After all this time, there's no chance of finding him!"I nodded absently, pulled a thick stack of cash from my bag, and pressed it into his hand. "Buy the team some drinks. Make a few rounds through the safe zone every day so it looks like you're searching. There's no need to risk anyone's life for a piece of trash."The team searched for three days without finding a trace of Alex.Chloe spent every day in the hotel lobby sobbing until she was nearly falling apart.I watched her coldly and felt nothing.Because of her, I'd spent three months crying in that same kind of despair.Now it was her turn. And she was already falling apart after only three days?On the fourth evening, Alex reappeared.The moment he saw me, his eyes lit up and he rushed forward to hug me."Vivian! I knew you still loved me! You can't live without me
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