All Chapters of Love Lost Along the Way: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

“Yvette, you're such a generous person. I'm sure you'll step aside and let Luke and me be together, right?”The message on my phone was from Luke's assistant, Megan Spencer.Below that single line were dozens of photos and videos.The two of them locked in a passionate embrace beneath the Eiffel Tower.Whispering sweetly to each other inside the Louvre.Completely naked together on a beach in the Maldives.There were even photos of them having sex in front of a floor-to-ceiling window.Only then did I finally understand.Luke Miller was no longer the man I'd fallen in love with.We'd met when neither of us had anything.For the sake of his acting career, I'd worked from dawn until late at night. Every cent I earned went toward his performances, his auditions, and getting him from one production to the next.For seven years, I worked myself to exhaustion.I'd fallen asleep on the subway ride home.I'd drunk so much at business dinners that I'd ended up with a bleeding stoma

“No need.”I spoke coldly.“I don't want the one on the floor, and I don't want anything you buy me in the future either.”Then I strode out of the office.But nineteen-year-old Luke suddenly rushed after me and grabbed my arm.“Yvette, wait. Please.”His eyes were red.“Can we go back and get that watch? I gave it to you.”His tone was tentative, as though he was afraid I'd be angry with him.Looking at that handsome, familiar face, my heart softened despite myself.“Okay.”I looked at him.“But this will count as your second chance. Are you sure you want to use it?”Nineteen-year-old Luke nodded firmly without the slightest hesitation.I reached up and ruffled his hair.Then I turned around and headed back from the elevators.I pushed open the office door again.And what I saw sent nineteen-year-old Luke completely over the edge.Megan had her arms around twenty-seven-year-old Luke, leaning close to his ear as she whispered something intimately.The moment I walked

I gave the two of them a brief, indifferent glance and turned to leave.Nineteen-year-old Luke was gone for good.There was no reason for me to have anything to do with either of them anymore.But before I'd taken more than a few steps, Luke's voice came from behind me.“Yvette, wait. Don't go.”Maybe it was the way he said my name, so much like the Luke I'd once loved, but I stopped.I stopped, curious to hear what else he had to say.Luke's face lit up when he saw me pause.“Yvette, I'm sorry. I forgot.”His voice was frantic.“I'll have everything set up again right away, okay?“Yvette, I was wrong. Please forgive me.”But his apology only struck me as ridiculous.Even while begging for forgiveness, he still hadn't let go of Megan's hand.Maybe he noticed where I was looking.Only then did he seem to realize it and quickly release her.Luke started to come after me.But Megan grabbed him and whispered something in his ear.His steps stopped.I didn't bother lookin

I paused.“Megan, where are we?”---I kept my voice as calm as possible, afraid of provoking the woman in front of me.Megan burst out laughing.“Yvette, you're a smart woman. Can't you figure it out?”Of course I could.But right now, keeping Megan calm was my best chance of getting out of this alive.Before I could decide what to say next, one of the men beside her spoke in broken English.“Boss, hurry. Just kill her. Ski resort find out sooner or later. If something goes wrong, bad.”His words seemed to set Megan off completely.“Shut up!”She spun toward him.“I paid you this much money, and the ski resort is huge. So what if one person goes missing?”Then she whirled back toward me and slapped me hard across the face.Before I could recover, she grabbed a fistful of my hair.“Yvette, you bitch. Do you have any idea how much work it took me to get Luke?“I bent over backward for him. I washed his feet, gave him massages, treated him like a king. I even hand-washed

I laughed until my throat hurt.“Luke, do you know what I told myself when I heard those words?”Luke stared at me blankly, hope flickering in his eyes.“What... what did you say?”I looked at the face that was almost exactly the same as the one I remembered.Only now, it was covered in carefully applied makeup.“I told myself that I never regretted meeting you.”My voice was calm.“And that I was willing to give you one final chance.”Luke's whole body trembled.His eyes lit up with sudden hope.But before he could say anything, I continued.“You already used it.”His expression froze.“You apologized to me while you were still holding Megan's hand."“And after I went home, I stayed there for two full hours before I left.”I looked at him.“Where were you?”Then I abruptly pressed the call button beside my bed.When a nurse came in, I spoke coldly.“Please have this man removed from my room. I don't want to see him again.”I handed her the recording.“And please