Alle Kapitel von The Quiet Burn: Kapitel 11 – Kapitel 20

The new villa stood halfway up the hill, with sweeping views and a lavishly decorated interior. Yet it felt as cold and hollow as an abandoned palace.Roxanne had always been an early riser, but for the past three years, Fredrick had made sure breakfast was ready before she woke. He would prepare warm milk, eggs fried until the yolks were perfectly soft, and sometimes fresh toast with blueberry jam.She rubbed her throbbing temples and walked into the kitchen, only to find Jaxon in his pajamas, scrolling through a food delivery app on his phone."Roxy, you're up." He grinned and leaned closer, his overpowering cologne turning her stomach. "I ordered caviar and foie gras. It'll be here soon."Roxanne frowned at the empty counter. There wasn't even a kettle in sight.Jaxon followed her gaze. "I can't cook. Besides, you've got all this money now. Why would you bother cooking for yourself?"The food arrived soon after, and elegant containers filled the table.Roxanne picked up a spo

The champagne glass slipped from Roxanne's hand and shattered against the floor. Amber liquid splashed across the hem of her slacks, but she barely noticed. Her eyes remained fixed on the figure across the room.Fredrick wore a sharply tailored sapphire suit. His smile was bright and confident, and his eyes held a spark Roxanne hadn't seen in years.He was no longer the pale, silent husband of the Duranov Group's CEO. He was a man who radiated confidence and stood proudly beside Eleanor Grimsworth.Roxanne knew that name all too well.Eleanor was the sole successor to the Grimsworth family. Despite her young age, she controlled a business empire worth billions. She was ruthless in business but careful to avoid the spotlight. More importantly, she and Fredrick had grown up together.Years ago, Fredrick's parents had vehemently opposed his relationship with Roxanne precisely because they wanted him to marry Eleanor instead.Murmurs swept through the room as the guests glanced back

Roxanne stumbled backward, her eyes fixed on Fredrick's cold profile, and finally understood that some things, once lost, could never be recovered.She turned and staggered to her car. After starting the engine, she sat there, unsure where to go.The city lights blazed around her, yet not a single one shone for her anymore.Roxanne drove aimlessly until she somehow found herself back at the ruins of the villa district.Six months had passed since the fire. The debris had long since been cleared away, leaving only a stretch of scorched earth.She stepped out of the car and made her way to the center of the ruins, where the living room had once stood. It was the very spot where she and Fredrick had chosen their sofa together.The night wind swept through the ruins, lifting ash from the ground and scattering it into the air like dark butterflies in flight.Roxanne crouched down and scooped up a handful of scorched earth, then watched it slip through her fingers.She remembered Fre

The Duranov Group's executive office had fallen into ruin. Papers littered the floor, and shredded financial reports lay strewn across the carpet like fallen snow. Empty liquor bottles had rolled into the corners. The ashtray overflowed with cigarette butts, and the stale stench of alcohol and tobacco permeated the air.Roxanne sat slumped in the oversized leather chair, with dark wine stains on her suit collar. Her eyes were hollow as she stared at the gray, oppressive sky beyond the window.The company's stock had hit its daily limit-down for several consecutive days. Her core team had resigned one after another, and the bank's collection calls never stopped. Yet none of it seemed to reach her.She was little more than an empty husk, her spirit long since drained. She drowned herself in alcohol and sank deeper into despair with each passing day, trapped in the office that had once symbolized everything she had worked so hard to achieve.The door opened quietly. A private investig

Fredrick pushed open the car door and stepped out beneath a large black umbrella that snapped open above his head, shielding him from the raging storm.Rainwater streamed down the umbrella's ribs and dripped steadily onto the ground.He approached Roxanne and stopped three steps away. He gazed down in silence at the woman who had once seemed untouchable. Now she knelt before him, drenched and utterly broken, no different from a dog dragged out of a flood."Roxanne, all you're doing is making me pity you." His voice was quiet, yet it cut through the howling wind and rain with startling clarity, reaching everyone on the bridge. "Dying won't solve anything. Your life belongs to you, and it has nothing to do with me. Your regrets and suffering stopped being my concern a long time ago."His words struck Roxanne like a bolt from the blue. In that instant, every ounce of strength, every trace of defiance, and every last shred of hope deserted her. A few calmly spoken words had stripped he