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All Chapters of Betrayed by Everyone I Know: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

According to the address listed on the wedding welcome sign, I headed straight to the reception. The moment I pushed open the doors, I was greeted by a sea of pink roses, with blue dolphin decorations hanging from the ceiling. It was exactly like the wedding I'd imagined countless times. The bride, Addison Ross, stood surrounded by guests in the center of the room. Even her stunning mermaid-style wedding gown was identical to the design I'd kept on my computer for the past three years. I'd only ever shown that design to my best friend, Scarlett Crosby. The absurdity of it all hit me so hard that the room seemed to spin. Before I could even process what I was seeing, an older woman collecting wedding gifts stopped me. "Miss, are you here with the bride's family or the groom's?"Everyone turned at the sound of her voice. The moment they saw me, several people gasped. Addison looked at Cedric in confusion. "Who is she?""She works with me at the Glenfield office," Cedr

Chapter 2

But this time, the Lamberts were prepared. Before I could even reach the entrance to the reception hall, Cedric's sister, Cecilia Lambert, hurried after me, her heels clicking sharply against the floor. "Naomi, I know you're hurting, but Ced has done a lot for you over the years," she said, trying to placate me. "Please don't ruin this for him today."Just the last time we'd seen each other, she'd been teasing us about when we were finally getting married. She even joked that she'd already picked out a generous wedding gift for us. Then Kian Callahan, one of Cedric's closest friends, stepped in front of the doorway. "Look, Naomi, Ced's an asshole for what he did, but there are so many guests here. Are you really going to ruin his wedding?"Just last month, Kian's mother had fallen seriously ill, and he was short on money. I'd lent him 80,000 dollars. He'd wiped away his tears, promising me that if Cedric ever did anything to hurt me, he'd be the first person to stand up for m

Chapter 3

My mind went completely blank. I spun around and looked at Cedric, who rushed onstage and smashed the screen with a chair he'd grabbed. The video was one he'd coaxed me into making on his birthday the year before. He'd sworn that no one else would ever see it. Yet now, it was playing in front of everyone at his wedding. Tears streamed down Addison's face as she stumbled backward, conveniently stopping beside the microphone. She pointed at me, her trembling voice carrying across the entire room."So you're the woman who sent Cedric those private videos to seduce him."Every eye in the room turned toward me, and I felt as though a thousand needles were piercing my skin. "I didn't—"A hand suddenly clamped over my mouth from behind, dragging me backward. "I'm sorry, Addison," she said. "I never imagined Naomi would take things this far and play a private video like that at your wedding."As her friend, I sincerely apologize for her behavior. She knowingly got involved with

Chapter 4

I froze, every hair on my body standing on end. Cedric leaned closer and reached out to touch my cheek."I know you were hurt yesterday, and I'm sorry," he said softly. "But sweetheart, you shouldn't have made that post."I jerked away from his hand. Tears fell onto the back of his hand, and he flinched almost imperceptibly. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing. The car drove straight to the hospital."Addie saw the post online and ended up in the ICU because of it. You owe her an explanation today," Cedric announced, dragging me all the way inside. I stumbled after him into the hospital room, belatedly realizing how packed it was. I saw Cecilia, Kian, Scarlett, relatives from the Ross family.The moment they saw me, they all glared at me with open hostility."Apologize," Cedric hissed, shoving me toward the hospital bed. Addison lay in bed, her lips pale and her face still tear-streaked. "Ms. Stanton, I've never done an

Chapter 5

The police officer's voice cut through the hospital room, bringing everything to a sudden standstill."Officer, there must be some kind of misunderstanding," Cedric said, frowning. "Addie was just discharged from the ICU. She's still extremely weak…""Whatever the misunderstanding is, you can explain it at the station," the officer replied, remaining expressionless as he pulled out the arrest warrant. The Rosses immediately crowded around them. "I'll call your chief," Andrew Ross said, his expression darkening as he took out his phone. "This is just a small dispute between young people. Does it really have to go this far?""Exactly!" Melanie Hughes cried. "Addie has a congenital heart condition. What happens if something goes wrong? Are you going to take responsibility?"The officer didn't budge. "Mr. and Mrs. Ross, obstructing an officer in the performance of his duties is also a crime. Please cooperate."As a standoff continued, I slowly stepped away from the window. "I'

Chapter 6

Three days after I left the police station, I got a firsthand look at just how far the Ross family's influence reached. First, the residents in my building demanded that I move out, claiming I was damaging the community's reputation. Then I started looking for work. Companies that had been perfectly friendly with me the day before would suddenly send the same cold response the next morning."We've decided you're not a good fit."I sat on a bench in the park, staring at the balance in my bank account. It hadn't even reached three digits.I couldn't help but laugh. The Ross family really did have connections everywhere. In just three days, they had backed me into a corner with nowhere left to turn. Just then, a group of men in black suits entered the park. The man leading them looked around before his eyes finally settled on me. "Ms. Naomi Stanton?" He walked over and gave me a slight nod. "Our boss would like to have a word with you."My stomach flipped, and I instinctively

Chapter 7

The wedding was set for Saturday. The moment the news got out, the entire elite social scene in Bexley was thrown into an uproar. No one had expected Asher to suddenly announce his marriage, let alone that his bride would be me, the woman the entire internet had branded as a homewrecking whore.The Ross family was the first to panic. Andrew called Asher, only to be turned away by his assistant. Melanie showed up at the Gadbury estate with Addison, but they weren't even allowed through the gates.Cedric also started calling and texting me like a madman, but I ignored every single message. …The day before the wedding, Addison finally lost patience and confronted me outside the hotel."Naomi! Come out here!"She wore designer clothes and flawless makeup, but nothing could hide the exhaustion and desperation in her eyes.I walked out of the hotel and leaned against the doorway, looking at her calmly. "Ms. Ross, what do you want?""Why do you get to marry Asher?" she hissed,

Chapter 8

The wedding was the talk of the town. The Gadbury estate was covered in white roses, with petals lining the path from the entrance all the way to the ceremony hall.Dressed in my custom wedding gown, I walked down the aisle with Asher's arm beneath mine, step by step toward the altar. Every seat was filled. Hundreds of eyes followed us as we made our way forward—some filled with surprise, others with envy, jealousy, or barely concealed disdain. I didn't care. When it was time for the vows, Asher lowered his eyes to mine, his gaze deep and unwavering. "Naomi, do you take me to be your husband?"I held his gaze for several seconds before giving a small nod. "I do."He slipped the ring onto my finger, and the cool metal sent a chill through me. The room erupted in applause. I glanced around the room and spotted Cedric and Scarlett standing in the corner. Cedric's face was pale as he stared at me without blinking, emotions churning in his eyes that I couldn't quite dec

Chapter 9

A week later, I went to the detention center to see Cedric. He was sitting across from me, looking completely worn down. His beard had grown out, and his eyes were bloodshot. The moment he saw me, his eyes lit up. "Naomi, you came to see me! I knew you still cared about me," he cried out desperately, leaning toward the glass. "Please, you have to help me. Talk to Asher. Ask him to let me go. I'll do anything!"I looked at him calmly. "Cedric, do you regret it?"He froze. "Regret what?""Betraying me. Choosing Addison. Helping her hurt me."Cedric's lips moved, but he avoided my eyes. "I-I wasn't thinking straight back then," he stammered. "Naomi, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me. We can start over, and I'll treat you right this time. I won't lie to you ever again…"Looking at him like this, I suddenly found the whole thing almost absurd.How had the confident young man who once promised to protect me for the rest of my life ended up like this?"Cedric," I cut hi

Chapter 10

When I returned to the Gadbury estate, Asher was in his study going through some paperwork. I stood in the doorway for a moment, watching the focused expression on his face as he worked. It felt almost surreal.Just a few months ago, I had been discarded as a pawn with nowhere left to turn. But now, I was Asher Gadbury's wife. Life sure had a strange way of turning things around. Asher noticed my gaze and looked up. "Are you done with everything?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.I nodded and walked in, taking the seat across from him. "It's all over.""Now that you've gotten your revenge," he suddenly said, his gaze darkening. "We can get divorced according to our agreement."I froze. That thought had never occurred to me. Over the past few months, Asher had treated me so well that it hardly felt like our marriage was just a business arrangement.He remembered that I hated cilantro. Whenever I woke from a nightmare, he'd gently pat my back until I calmed down. Whenever s

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