The Rejected Burden: Rising From The Shadows

The Rejected Burden: Rising From The Shadows

Annabell Seto

5.0
Comment(s)
View
150
Chapters

I liquidated every asset I owned for a single gala ticket, convinced that after twenty years, Grafton Blanchard was finally going to ask me to be his partner. My husband, Kingston Riddle, even hinted that the diamond "Eternity Lock" bracelet I'd been eyeing was gone from the vault, and I was sure it was waiting for me. But when I reached the VIP suite, Grafton didn't look at me with love; he snapped that very bracelet onto the wrist of my rival, Bella Sterling. He stood before the crowd and announced their engagement, laughing as he called me his "little mascot" while I stood there in my best dress, feeling the entire world crumble beneath my feet. The betrayal went deeper when I overheard him telling his friends I was nothing more than a "burden" and a "puppy" he was too kind to kick to the curb. Desperate to fix his image, he lured me to a "peace offering" dinner where Bella theatrically threw herself down a flight of marble stairs. Within seconds, Grafton was looming over me, his face twisted in fury as he accused me of being a jealous, vicious monster. "I'm calling the cops. You want to play games? Let's see how you like a holding cell," Grafton roared, snatching my phone so I couldn't record his cruelty. The restaurant manager and the crowd sneered at me, ready to watch me be hauled away in handcuffs for a crime I didn't commit. I was a pariah, discarded by the man I'd spent my entire life protecting. I stood trembling against the wall, realizing that the man I loved was willing to ruin my life to protect a lie. I felt the weight of twenty years of devotion being thrown into the trash, and for the first time, I stopped wondering why I wasn't enough and started wondering how I could have been so blind. Just as the security guards moved in, the heavy doors swung open. My husband, Kingston-the man I thought was a cold stranger-stepped into the light and demanded the manager play the security footage on the big screen. As the video of Bella launching herself backward played for the entire restaurant, I didn't look at Grafton's pathetic apologies; I looked at the exit and realized my life was finally beginning.

Chapter 1 1

The air inside the penthouse suite on Fifth Avenue was so cold it made the fine hairs on Isadora Dyer's arms stand up. It smelled of expensive leather and a floral perfume that probably cost more than her assistant's monthly salary. She pushed the heavy walnut door open, her heart doing a nervous rhythm against her ribs that she couldn't quite calm down.

Her husband, Kingston Riddle, looked up from a schematic laid out on the dining table. He was dressed in a simple grey Henley and jeans, a stark contrast to the opulence around them. The remnants of his law career, before the federal plea deal that had shackled him and, by extension, her. His face was neutral, unreadable. He walked over, his worn leather boots silent on the polished marble floor, holding a garment bag like it contained biohazard material.

"Isadora," Kingston said, his voice a low baritone that always seemed to scrape against her nerves. "You are going to look like you own the room tonight. The champagne silk is a strategic choice for your skin tone."

Isadora reached out and touched the garment bag. Her fingers trembled slightly. She had been liquidating personal assets for this gala ticket for months, skipping board meetings and dodging creditors, all for tonight. Tonight was the night. It had to be.

"Thank you, Kingston," Isadora said, her voice sounding breathless even to her own ears. "I just want everything to be perfect."

Kingston began to lay the dress out on the bed, smoothing the layers of tissue paper. He paused, looking up at Isadora with a look that was neither smug nor excited, but analytical.

"Speaking of perfect," Kingston said, leaning against the doorframe. "Grafton Blanchard was here yesterday."

Isadora felt her stomach drop and then soar, a physical sensation like missing a step on a staircase. She gripped the edge of the dresser, the lacquered wood cool under her sweating palms. Grafton was here.

"Oh?" Isadora tried to keep her voice casual, but she knew she was failing. "Did he find what he was looking for?"

Kingston's eyes held a flicker of something she couldn't name. "He certainly did. He bought the last Aurelia Eternity Lock bracelet we had in stock. The limited edition with the pavé diamonds."

The air left Isadora's lungs. She knew that bracelet. She had circled it in a magazine six months ago while sitting on Grafton's couch, watching a Knicks game. She had jokingly told him that the lock mechanism meant you were stuck with the person forever. He had laughed then, ruffling her hair.

"The Eternity Lock," Isadora repeated, the words tasting like ash on her tongue.

"I had it sent up from the vault myself," Kingston said, turning his attention back to the schematic on the table. "I have a feeling you're going to be very happy tonight. Good luck with the fundraiser, by the way."

Isadora watched him, this man who was legally her husband but functionally a stranger living in her home. She paid for his existence, and in return, he offered cryptic warnings and maintained the facade of their transactional marriage. She walked out of the bedroom hugging the dress to her chest, the noise of Fifth Avenue traffic fading into a dull buzz. She felt hollow, as if gravity had decided to stop working just for her.

She got back to her dressing room and hung the dress on the back of her door. It shimmered under the warm light of her vanity. Her phone lit up on the marble countertop.

Grafton.

Isadora took a deep breath, counting to three before she swiped the screen.

Meet me in the VIP box at Gilded Lily tonight. I have something important to tell you. This deal is ours for the taking, Izzy.

Important.

She read the word over and over again. Important meant the bracelet. Important meant the lock. Important meant that after twenty years of being his family friend, his shadow, his "little Izzy," he was finally going to ask her to be more. A partner. In business, and in life.

Her phone buzzed again. It was a FaceTime request from Zoe. Isadora answered, letting out a shaky breath that she had been holding in since Kingston's announcement.

"He bought the bracelet!" Isadora yelled before Zoe could even say hello.

Zoe's face appeared on the screen, pixelated but clearly skeptical. "Are you sure, Izzy? Did he actually say it was for you?"

"Kingston told me he bought it yesterday," Isadora said, pacing her small room. "And he just texted me to meet him at the club because he has something 'important' to tell me. What else could it be, Zoe? It's the Eternity Lock."

Zoe sighed, but she smiled. "Okay. Okay, maybe you're right. He's dense, but maybe he finally woke up. Just... keep your guard up, okay?"

"I don't need a guard," Isadora said, stopping in front of her mirror. She looked at her reflection. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright. "I need to get ready."

She spent two hours getting ready. She did her makeup the way Grafton liked it-natural, soft, nothing too bold. She put on the champagne dress. It fit like a second skin, the silk cool against her heated body. She left her wrists bare. She wanted nothing to interfere with the bracelet.

The sun began to set over Manhattan, casting long, orange shadows across her floor. She remembered being ten years old, scraping her knee on the playground, and Grafton carrying her to the nurse's office. He had been her hero then. He was her hero now.

Her phone buzzed. Her Uber was downstairs.

Isadora grabbed her purse. Inside was a small velvet box containing vintage cufflinks she had bought for him. A gift to celebrate their new venture. She checked her reflection one last time, spritzed on the gardenia perfume he once said smelled like summer, and walked out the door.

Her neighbor, Mrs. Gable, was getting the mail. She stopped and stared. "You look like you're glowing, dear."

"I feel like it," Isadora said.

She sat in the back of the Uber, watching the city blur past. The car moved toward the Meatpacking District, the streets getting narrower, the cobblestones vibrating beneath the tires. Her palms were sweating. She wiped them on her thighs, hoping she wouldn't stain the silk.

The car pulled up to the curb near Gilded Lily. The line was already around the block. The bass from the club thumped against the car windows, a rhythmic heartbeat that matched her own.

Isadora stepped out. The humid night air hit her. She looked up at the neon sign buzzing above the heavy iron doors. This was it. She took a step forward, ready to walk into the rest of her life.

Continue Reading

Other books by Annabell Seto

More
When A Date Becomes A Downfall

When A Date Becomes A Downfall

Sci-fi

5.0

My dad, a retired intelligence officer, had an unusual request: come home and meet someone. "This is critical, Ava. His name is Liam Vance. His father is Senator Vance. It's a good match." I sighed; I knew this was a setup, a potential alliance between old money and new power. I agreed, but only if I could bring my "project"-a prototype armored vehicle, Red Flag H-1-a sleek, unassuming black sedan that was also a two-hundred-million-dollar government asset. Driving the most technologically advanced vehicle on the planet to a blind date for marriage felt ironic. As I neared the restaurant, I signaled for a parking spot, but a red Ferrari screamed in, cutting me off. With a sickening crunch, the Ferrari slammed into my fender. Its front end crumpled like a cheap can, while my prototype barely shuddered. A woman in an expensive dress stumbled out, pointing at my car. "Are you blind? Did you not see me coming? What the hell is wrong with you?" She reeked of perfume and alcohol, accusing me of damaging her "one-hundred-thousand-dollar car." She pulled out her phone, hysterically claiming I' d pay for everything, including her emotional distress. Thinking she was Liam Vance's employee, I calmly mentioned meeting him. "You? Meet Mr. Vance?" she sneered, introducing herself as Tiffany Hayes, his executive assistant. "He doesn't meet with trash like you." My patience thin, I called Liam directly, explaining the situation. His tone turned cold, echoing Tiffany' s twisted version of events. "My assistant just told me some woman in a piece of junk sedan crashed into her. Now she\'s trying to scam her way into a dinner with me. Tiff handles these things, pay her what you owe for the damages and get lost." He hung up, the sheer arrogance stunning. Tiffany, victorious, demanded one hundred thousand dollars, then the crowd started whispering, "That's Tiff Hayes, Liam Vance's girl. She's ruthless. That poor woman is screwed." Something inside me shifted. They had no idea who they were dealing with.

Tainted Vows, Deadly Truths

Tainted Vows, Deadly Truths

Modern

5.0

A crisp white envelope, starkly blank save for my name, Ashley Carter, typed neatly, lay on my kitchen counter. Inside, a single sheet: a confidential lab report. Tiffany Bellweather. HIV Positive. My heart hammered with a sickening dread as I drove to the new house, the future home Mark and I had planned to fill with our life. I bypassed the door, stepping in to find him, my fiancé Mark, and his high school flame, Tiff, brazenly entangled on the floor of what was supposed to be our master bedroom. The air left my lungs, a horrifyingly familiar scene echoing from a nightmare I had already lived through. Last time, I' d stumbled upon Tiff' s secrets, tried desperately to warn Mark, only for Tiff to "accidentally" fall, and him to blame me. The true horror followed: standing at Tiff' s grave, Mark, a mask of cold fury, watching as his hired thugs tortured, violated, and ultimately ended me, all live-streamed to the world. My mother, heartbroken, suffered a fatal stroke, and my strong father, David, was financially ruined and then silenced forever by those same brutes. All of it, because I tried to warn him about Tiff. Now, the lab report, undeniable proof, was in my purse. But when Mark called later, his voice accusing, "Are you trying to slander Tiff with fake medical reports again?", my blood ran cold. Again? That single word shattered my world. He remembered. He was reborn too. The game had just changed, becoming unimaginably more dangerous. This time, I wouldn't warn him. This time, I wouldn' t say a single word. My revenge would be silent, precise, and absolute.

You'll also like

He Thought I Was A Doormat, Until I Ruined Him

He Thought I Was A Doormat, Until I Ruined Him

SHANA GRAY
4.5

The sterile white of the operating room blurred, then sharpened, as Skye Sterling felt the cold clawing its way up her body. The heart monitor flatlined, a steady, high-pitched whine announcing her end. Her uterus had been removed, a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding, but the blood wouldn't clot. It just kept flowing, warm and sticky, pooling beneath her. Through heavy eyes, she saw a trembling nurse holding a phone on speaker. "Mr. Kensington," the nurse's voice cracked, "your wife... she's critical." A pause, then a sweet, poisonous giggle. Seraphina Miller. "Liam is in the shower," Seraphina's voice purred. "Stop calling, Skye. It's pathetic. Faking a medical emergency on our anniversary? Even for you, that's low." Then, Liam's bored voice: "If she dies, call the funeral home. I have a meeting in the morning." Click. The line went dead. A second later, so did Skye. The darkness that followed was absolute, suffocating, a black ocean crushing her lungs. She screamed into the void, a silent, agonizing wail of regret for loving a man who saw her as a nuisance, for dying without ever truly living. Until she died, she didn't understand. Why was her life so tragically wasted? Why did her husband, the man she loved, abandon her so cruelly? The injustice of it all burned hotter than the fever in her body. Then, the air rushed back in. Skye gasped, her body convulsing violently on the mattress. Her eyes flew open, wide and terrified, staring blindly into the darkness. Her trembling hand reached for her phone. May 12th. Five years ago. She was back.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book