Lahat ng Kabanata ng Nothing Left to Return To: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 8

Poker chips clattered across the table. A second later, the entire table came crashing down.Melissa demanded, "Josh, what the hell is with that attitude?"The other guys exchanged awkward looks. None of them wanted to get caught in the middle of whatever this was. So, they'd cleared out within seconds.Melissa kicked a few chips scattered across the floor aside, her face tight with irritation. "Are you done playing games? You've been acting like this for a week. Your mother doesn't have time for this crap!"I stayed where I was, but a sharp pain lanced through my chest at the mention of my mom. When my mother first fell ill, Melissa's private medical center was the only hospital that could provide the specialized treatment she needed. By then, I'd already burned through every dollar I had. So, I swallowed my pride and accepted Melissa's terms like a dog begging for scraps.Melissa treated Nathan like he was the love of her life. They made out right in front of me, and I pretende

My ears started ringing.I swallowed hard before forcing the words out. "That's impossible. You offered to buy this ring from me before. You said it was worth two million."The jeweler hesitated. "The ring you wore at your wedding was absolutely real, Mr. Fraser. But this one..."He cleared his throat and added, "This one is fake. I'm sure of it."My mind went completely blank.Then, I opened Nathan's Instagram, almost out of instinct alone. A few days ago, he'd posted a photo of a diamond ring. I hadn't thought much of it then, but now the caption beneath it made my stomach turn."Fake people deserve fake diamonds; real love gets the real thing. I guess this is what it feels like to be the favorite."My hand started shaking as I saved the photo and sent it straight to the jeweler.A few minutes later, his reply came through."This diamond is real."I stared at the words on the screen.It was my diamond. The same one Melissa had slipped onto my finger when she promised I w

"What did you just say?" Melissa whispered in disbelief.She felt her muscles lock up one after another as she stared at the death certificate on her screen, the words refusing to sink in."Ms. Mills, your mother-in-law passed away some time ago. We assumed Mr. Fraser would tell you himself, so we didn't contact you separately."The hospital staff member hesitated before continuing, "It's very unfortunate. She took her own life. Her treatment had actually been going well. There was a real chance she could've recovered."Each word hit Melissa harder than the last."That's impossible." She shook her head, struggling to make sense of what she was hearing. "Josh never told me. Something this serious happened, and he... he didn't say a word?"She couldn't make sense of it.After all, I had always relied on her for everything. I used to FaceTime her from stores because I couldn't decide which shirt to buy without asking for her opinion.I told her everything, yet I never breathed a w

Three years had passed since I left the country with Rachel Quinn, and somehow it felt as if my life had finally come full circle.One afternoon, we were sitting in a cafe when Rachel took a sip of her coffee and started reminiscing."You told me you never wanted to see me again," she said snarkily, giving me a knowing look. "Then, you ended up being the one to contact me first. That was when I knew things had gone to hell for you.""It did, but I still made it." I turned toward the window and watched people moving through the busy streets of Pemberton. "It took me too long to realize I'm better off relying on myself. Having to hold out my hand and ask someone else for money every time I needed something..." I trailed off, inhaling deeply.Then, I turned to her and shook my head. "Anyway, I never want to live like that again."Rachel cocked an eyebrow at me in agreement.The irony didn't escape me.Back then, I'd sacrificed every last shred of dignity just to pay for my mother