Todos los capítulos de The Moment I Stopped Loving You: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

After saying that, I pushed myself to my feet.The firefighters had arrived and were rushing to get the blaze under control. I moved off to the side with Belinda Banks, one of the maids, while she cleaned and bandaged the cuts on my palms.When I looked up, I spotted Axel Hooper and Rosalie Quade not far away. She was curled up against him, tears in her eyes as she pointed to a tiny scratch on her arm."Axel, it hurts."Axel's face tightened with concern. He snapped at the butler, "Watch what you're doing! Be gentle. You know Rosie can't stand pain!"His eyes were red with worry. He looked like he wished he could take the pain for her.My throat tightened, but I managed to hold back the tears.Belinda's voice pulled my attention back."All done, Ms. Gates. You really handle pain well. Cuts on your palms hurt like crazy, but you didn't make a sound. You're tough!"Some people only had to cry to get sympathy. My tears had never gotten me anything from Axel but annoyance.I gave

There wasn't a hint of sincerity in Axel's voice. He was obviously convinced I'd come crawling back to him in no time and start obsessing over him again.For the first time, I found him incredibly annoying.When I didn't answer, Rosalie jumped in. "Valerie, you're really not going to say yes? You better take him up on it while you can. I put a lot of money on you crawling back to him today, so don't make me lose."I turned to her. "How much did you bet?"Rosalie blinked, clearly not expecting me to ask.Then she lifted her chin proudly. "A million dollars. Mom and Dad just gave it to me. They were worried the fire had scared me, so they gave me some money to make me feel better. What? Jealous?"I ignored her and walked straight past her to the betting table. I dropped a card in front of the dealer and took a tray of dark, high-value chips.With everyone watching, I tipped the whole tray onto the table. The chips clattered down, piling up over the one option in the corner that no

The entire room fell silent.Jasper's face was dark with fury, and I had no doubt he was seconds away from pulling the trigger. I tore myself free from Rosalie's grip and rushed over, grabbing Jasper wrist.I lowered my voice. "Don't shoot! Jasper, not here. Everyone's watching, and there are too many people around. Word will get out!"He turned to me, a vein throbbing at his temple."He didn't even get a chance to touch me.""Valerie, you don't think he deserves to die?"I tightened my grip and forced his arm a little lower. "Please let him go. I don't want his blood on my hands."Jasper's chest heaved with anger, but after a long moment, he finally lowered the gun. He tucked it back into his waistband and motioned to the bodyguards behind him."Break his arms and legs, then get him off the island."Frank was still dazed from having his head slammed against the floor and barely seemed to know what was happening. But the moment he heard Jasper speak again, he snapped back to h

"Axel, you're the last person who gets to say that to me," I said.I let go of Jasper's hand and stepped closer, taking a long look at the face I'd once loved enough to lose myself over. I'd suffered because of this man, fallen apart over him, and thrown away every bit of dignity I had.But now, all I felt was a deep exhaustion. Whatever I'd once felt for him was gone."Axel, I gave you everything I had. I gave you my whole heart. If you didn't want it, you could've said so from the start."I tilted my head slightly, thinking back."But you didn't. You let me believe you felt the same way. You swore you loved me and only me. Then you cheated on me with Rosalie again and again as if it meant nothing."You had no respect for my feelings or my dignity. Every time you betrayed me, you watched me fall apart. You drove me crazy. Did playing with my feelings make you feel good, Axel?"I held his gaze, determined to get an answer.Axel looked away, visibly rattled. His throat worked as

The conference room fell silent.Dad looked from the agreement to me, unable to make up his mind.Mom and Rosalie looked ready to speak several times, but each time, they held back. They kept glancing at Dad, silently urging him on.Finally, he made his choice."I'll take the money."Mom and Rosalie both let out a breath, the tension visibly leaving them.Dad signed the agreement, then slumped back into his chair, looking defeated."When will the money come through?" he asked.I looked at his signature on the page. Any last trace of emotion I had toward them finally faded."Avery, help Mr. Quade with the remaining paperwork. The money will be paid in installments as outlined in the agreement.""Yes, Ms. Gates."I stood and walked out.From then on, we would go our separate ways. There was nothing left between us.In the end, the Quade family went bankrupt anyway.The money I'd given them kept them afloat for barely two weeks before something else went wrong. I never found