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All Chapters of A Lie without a Trace: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1 Betrayal Found

The blade slipped from my hand and hit the floor with a sharp clatter. My mind was a mess, but the sting at my wrist dragged me back to reality."Hello? Earth to Yvonne? Girl, you used to reply instantly."I still did not text back, so Louise called me. "Miss me, girl? I bet you're excited to hear about my return!"She sounded jovial. My cold, hard fingers were wrapped around the phone, and I barely managed to squeeze out a reply. "That's… wonderful."Louise noticed that something was off with me. "What's wrong? Is your depression acting up again? Honestly, Solomon calls this taking care of you? Oh, I'm going to bite his head off when I get back. I'm not letting you suffer, not on my watch!"She still cared for me just like she used to. It was thanks to her that I managed to survive my darkest days. I could not believe she was the traitor. I did not want to believe it. So, I forced a smile she could not see. "It's not. It's just… work's been wearing me down. You're landing tomor

Chapter 2 Sent to the Hospital

When I met Louise, she hurried over to me. "I've missed you, Yvonne!"My body froze up, and I pushed her hand away in discomfort. She frowned. "What's wrong? You've been acting weird since I called you yesterday." She glanced at Solomon and huddled closer to whisper into my ear, "Are you two fighting? Did he push you around? I heard your wedding's been delayed indefinitely."A smirk twisted my lips. "You have excellent sources. Only Solomon and I knew about that."The atmosphere immediately turned awkward. Solomon frowned and quickly explained, "I ran into her on the way back, so we had a little chat. It's not like I don't want to marry you, Yvonne. It's just… Well, you've been oversensitive lately. I barely had a good night's sleep for six months thanks to you. I need to slow down."The old me would have kept digging for answers, asking them what they talked about and how long he wanted to delay the wedding.However, right now, all I felt was exhaustion. I was tired.We exch

Chapter 3 Sent a Message

Louise pulled me out of the hospital room. She remained silent for a moment before apparently deciding to give me a small piece of the truth. "To be honest, yes, I've been catching up with Solomon while I was overseas, but it was all due to business. It's easier to talk in person."She held my hand. "We're best friends. Solomon didn't want you to take the meetings the wrong way, and you're prone to overthinking, so he said nothing. We're practically family, girl. You can't suspect me."Her hands were warm. Louise had stood beside me when teachers spread false rumours about me. She had protected me when I had almost no one else, but people changed.Again, the comments popped up."Nice strategic retreat, FMC! No idea why this side character is still hanging around, but she's irrelevant anyway.""Yeah, FMC is carrying MMC's baby. She's not going to lose this!"I froze, and my eyes flitted to Louise's stomach. She noticed where I was looking, and a stiff smile curled her lips. "Wha

Chapter 4 Blocked

"These are photos of the flight tickets, hotel booking records, and transaction history that happened during their seven-year affair, courtesy of my PI. I already had my suspicions when I scented another woman's smell on Solomon six months ago."He took anti-allergy meds for six months because he would have a rash breakout every time he lied, and me exposing him was the last thing he needed. Solomon and Louise will lay the truth bare to me today, and he'll tell me Louise is pregnant with his child."Given current facts, I propose that we cancel the wedding, a reimbursement of 200 grand from Mr. Zimmer for my lost youth, and a public apology from him to me."Solomon went white. "How did this…"The members that usually only lurked in the group now made themselves very noticeable, especially the people in his work chat."My God, he actually has a side chick? And I called his girlfriend crazy when she marched to our workplace every day. Unbelievable!""Man, I'd be broken if I were th

Chapter 5 Berated

Solomon hurled the phone down onto the ground. His breathing was ragged, and his expression dark. Even when the truth was out, he still could not believe I had known everything, much less announce it to everyone.And then I had the gall to go on a blind date behind his back. His fury stemmed from a mix of my perceived betrayal and his guilt of getting exposed.Solomon's silence was worrying Louise to the point of breaking, and she was nearly crying. "What do we do? Everyone knows about this now. How am I supposed to face them tomorrow? Honestly, why didn't you stop her?"His mind was still reeling from the shock. Before he could stop himself, he blurted, "It's a bit too late to realize this affair destroys your social standing now."Louise went white. It hit Solomon that he had gone a bit too far, and he tried to backpedal. "That's not what I meant." He swallowed before adding, "We have to calm Yvonne down. You know she's very unstable. Everything will be fine if I just talk to h

Chapter 6 Chase Off

A silhouette darted out of the yard when Hermes dropped me at my place."Yvonne!" Solomon glowered at Hermes. "She's my girlfriend! Why were you on a date with her?"Hermes looked at him coolly, and then a sardonic smile filled his eyes. "Are you drunk, Mr. Zimmer? She's not your girlfriend anymore. Your whole social circle knows what you and her friend did. Even I have seen the photos. You're delusional."Solomon's face fell, and he swung his fist at Hermes. "Shut up!"I stood between them. Coldly, I warned, "Fight, and I will call the police."Solomon froze. Then hurt flashed across his face. "It's only been a few days, and now you're defending another man right in front of me? How could you…"I interrupted him calmly, "Have you brought the reimbursement money?"He stared at me. For a moment, he looked genuinely stunned. "You've changed. So, you only dated me for money? Yes, I did cheat on you, but you can't measure a relationship with money."I sneered and slapped him. He

Chapter 7 Repayment

Her arrogance was nowhere to be found, and she stammered. Eventually, she said, "You know Louise is pregnant with Solomon's son. He's fired from his job. He's already punished. You should let them off the hook now."I arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I didn't decide on that punishment for their mistake. This has nothing to do with me."Melissa's expression froze. She wanted to insult me, but she clenched her teeth and swallowed her words."Louise had a miscarriage. She's unconscious from all the bleeding. I know you share her blood type… Can you save her?"I thought that request was ludicrous. "You want me to give her my blood?""Yes!" She nodded profusely. "If you can save her…""No," I replied. "The hospital has a blood bank, so why me? Does Solomon know?"She said nothing, but she might as well have told me the answer."Mrs. Zimmer, I don't mind spreading your family's scandal online. I don't really care if the whole world is going to laugh at you, so don't try anything

Chapter 8 Lies

Louise was discharged two weeks later. Hermes and I were going through a travel guide when she texted me, saying she wanted to see me.This city held a lot of memories for me. Good ones, sad ones, dark ones, and ones that were filled with 'what ifs'. I would not leave this place for good, but sometimes taking some time off and seeing a new place was needed.Hermes had just taken some leave from work, and for once, both of us had time."What about Kiwirea? Nice weather and good scenery there."I nodded. "Sure, Kiwirea then.""I'll check the hotels. And you have to try this local delicacy…"As I stared at the screen, I became aware of Hermes inching closer beside me. Then, he asked casually, "So, what kind of travel partner am I this time?"My cheeks heated up, and I looked away awkwardly. "A… friend."Hermes chuckled. "After so many years, I finally get to be your friend. That's nice."My heart began to race. I was not ready to get into another relationship. Fortunately, he was

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