My Coldhearted Ex Demands A Remarriage

In the bustling, weathered heart of Orkset, flames erupted violently within an ancient apartment building. Propelled by gusts of wind, the fire devoured the structure, belching dense smoke and bright, searing tongues of flame.

"Saved! They've been saved." The words echoed amidst the chaos.

Firefighters emerged from the smoldering inferno, carrying Carrie Campbell to safety at the roadside.

Her features, usually refined and expressive, were now smeared with soot; her sparkling eyes dimmed to a vacant gaze, hollow and lost.

As reality seeped back into her consciousness, Carrie felt a rush of gratitude overpower her usual composure. Her voice, hoarse and weak, conveyed a profound "thank you" to her rescuers. Shaking, she fumbled for her phone, her fingertips quivering as they found the familiar number.

"Hello, the person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please try again later..."

The automated message played after a few rings, leaving her with a lump in her throat, her unvoiced frustrations and sorrow welling up inside her.

Bang!

With a deafening roar, the explosion abruptly silenced the cold, mechanical voice echoing through the line. Carrie's head snapped upwards, shock painted on her face as she witnessed the apartment she had just exited erupt into flames.

Chunks of debris were hurled into the air by the force of the blast, scattering across the sky.

Panic engulfed the crowd as survivors, freshly rescued, screamed in terror. They huddled together, seeking solace in each other's arms, their cries piercing the tumultuous scene. In stark contrast, Carrie lay alone on a stretcher, her isolation magnified amidst the chaos.

"Kristopher..." Fighting the dread creeping up her spine, Carrie pressed her lips together tightly and dialed her husband's number again, her resolve unwavering.

Yet, the call disconnected after a few short rings, leaving her with a haunting silence.

Just then, a Twitter notification flickered on her phone screen.

The gossip feed was alive with the latest gossip: #LiseNash #MysteriouBoyfriend.

According to the tweet, a producer from a well-known variety show had invited the renowned star Lise Nash to a dinner, which had quickly soured when she declined to partake in a toast.

This act of defiance had sparked a confrontation, only to be interrupted by Lise's domineering boyfriend. He stormed into the private dining room, dismissing the producer with a dismissive wave and escorting Lise away.

The tweet described the scene vividly, painting a picture of a powerful man defending his beloved partner.

Yet, perhaps due to his prominence, only the back of the man was visible in the accompanying photos, preserving his anonymity. Meanwhile, Lise, donning an oversized suit jacket, beamed a smile, reaching out to clasp his hand as they departed together.

Carrie's eyes were glued to the screen, her stare intense and unblinking as she absorbed the image before her.

There he was-Kristopher Norris!

The suit jacket draped carelessly over Lise was a dead giveaway.

Every piece of clothing Kristopher owned had been meticulously tailored by a master craftsman abroad, a detail Carrie knew all too well.

Her grip on her phone tightened, her knuckles blanching to a stark white, as if her very soul were being squeezed by an invisible hand, the pain sharp and acid-like in its intensity.

In her most desperate moment, Kristopher had coldly disconnected their call, choosing instead to be at Lise's side.

What was the worth of their two-year marriage?

The tears she had been holding back now overwhelmed her, streaming down her face.

Even as she tilted her head back in a futile attempt to stem the flow, the tears continued to escape.

Lise had always been Kristopher's first love, a fact whispered and gossiped about among their circles. The Norris family had never approved of Lise, seeing her ordinary background as unfitting.

Forced apart by family pressures, it had been Lise who ended things, but the past, it seemed, was not easily left behind.

Kristopher had diligently pursued the leadership of the Norris family, harboring dreams of finally being with Lise.

Yet, when he reached his goal, he discovered that Lise had already chosen another.

In defiance of his family's expectations and perhaps out of bitterness, Kristopher turned to Carrie, a woman equally devoid of wealth or status, to become Mrs. Norris, thereby blocking any matchmaking attempts by his relatives.

At that time, Carrie faced immense pressure from her father, Tristan Campbell, who was pushing her towards a marriage with a playboy, the son of a business associate, to cover her grandmother's steep medical expenses.

Both Kristopher and Carrie, driven by their personal motives, consented to a marriage of convenience.

Originally set for just one year, their contractual marriage stretched beyond its term, sustained by a shared understanding between them.

Over time, Carrie began to believe in the authenticity of their union, never suspecting that it was merely an extension of her hopes.

Just moments ago, a fire had nearly claimed Carrie's life. In that critical moment, she reached out to Kristopher, only to be twice rebuffed as he spent his time with Lise.

This harsh reality shattered Carrie's illusions, revealing that her perceived transition from pretense to genuine relationship was nothing but a facade maintained by her own desires.

Carrie wasn't even a temporary substitute in Kristopher's life but merely a pawn used to spite his family.

After a poignant pause, tears welled up in Carrie's eyes, unstoppable and poignant.

It might be time for her to release herself from the shackles of her own hopeful delusions-to stop deceiving herself.