Twenty-Two Again: The Ultimate Reckoning

Twenty-Two Again: The Ultimate Reckoning

Gavin

5.0
Comment(s)
149
View
11
Chapters

At fifty, my body broken and worn, I lay dying on a cold, stained mattress. Every ounce of my being had been spent on Ethan Vance, the man who now stood across the room in his expensive suit, callously discussing his future with Chloe Harrison – the stepsister who had effortlessly stolen the life intended for me, leaving me with nothing but exhaustion and regret. "Scarlett was just a means to an end," Ethan smoothly confessed to Chloe, his voice dripping with deceit. Then, adding to the crushing weight of betrayal, my supposed brother, Marcus Thorne, revealed the ultimate lie: "Scarlett, I was never your brother. I was adopted solely to protect Chloe, the true Harrison family heir in their privileged eyes." The double betrayal was a physical agony, yet I was too weak to even stir. My life felt like a cruel, wasted joke; my deepest love, a meticulously crafted illusion; my very family, a grotesque sham designed purely for my exploitation. As darkness finally consumed me, the profound weight of this ultimate deception was unbearable. How could I have been so astonishingly naive? How could I have sacrificed everything for those who, with chilling indifference, orchestrated my downfall and used me as a mere pawn? The burning injustice of my stolen identity, my sabotaged existence, ignited a furious despair that transcended death itself. Then, a sharp, life-affirming gasp. I bolted upright, my hands young, smooth, undeniably twenty-two again. This was the exact pivotal moment, the critical turning point that had led to my tragic past. But not this time. The past was dead, replaced by a fierce determination. I was alive, I remembered everything, and my destiny was mine to reclaim.

Introduction

At fifty, my body broken and worn, I lay dying on a cold, stained mattress. Every ounce of my being had been spent on Ethan Vance, the man who now stood across the room in his expensive suit, callously discussing his future with Chloe Harrison – the stepsister who had effortlessly stolen the life intended for me, leaving me with nothing but exhaustion and regret.

"Scarlett was just a means to an end," Ethan smoothly confessed to Chloe, his voice dripping with deceit. Then, adding to the crushing weight of betrayal, my supposed brother, Marcus Thorne, revealed the ultimate lie: "Scarlett, I was never your brother. I was adopted solely to protect Chloe, the true Harrison family heir in their privileged eyes."

The double betrayal was a physical agony, yet I was too weak to even stir. My life felt like a cruel, wasted joke; my deepest love, a meticulously crafted illusion; my very family, a grotesque sham designed purely for my exploitation. As darkness finally consumed me, the profound weight of this ultimate deception was unbearable.

How could I have been so astonishingly naive? How could I have sacrificed everything for those who, with chilling indifference, orchestrated my downfall and used me as a mere pawn? The burning injustice of my stolen identity, my sabotaged existence, ignited a furious despair that transcended death itself.

Then, a sharp, life-affirming gasp. I bolted upright, my hands young, smooth, undeniably twenty-two again. This was the exact pivotal moment, the critical turning point that had led to my tragic past. But not this time. The past was dead, replaced by a fierce determination. I was alive, I remembered everything, and my destiny was mine to reclaim.

Continue Reading

Other books by Gavin

More
When Love Turns to Ash

When Love Turns to Ash

Short stories

4.6

My world revolved around Jax Harding, my older brother's captivating rockstar friend. From sixteen, I adored him; at eighteen, I clung to his casual promise: "When you're 22, maybe I'll settle down." That offhand comment became my life's beacon, guiding every choice, meticulously planning my twenty-second birthday as our destiny. But on that pivotal day in a Lower East Side bar, clutching my gift, my dream exploded. I overheard Jax' s cold voice: "Can't believe Savvy's showing up. She' s still hung up on that stupid thing I said." Then the crushing plot: "We' re gonna tell Savvy I' m engaged to Chloe, maybe even hint she' s pregnant. That should scare her off." My gift, my future, slipped from my numb fingers. I fled into the cold New York rain, devastated by betrayal. Later, Jax introduced Chloe as his "fiancée" while his bandmates mocked my "adorable crush"-he did nothing. As an art installation fell, he saved Chloe, abandoning me to severe injury. In the hospital, he came for "damage control," then shockingly shoved me into a fountain, leaving me to bleed, calling me a "jealous psycho." How could the man I loved, who once saved me, become this cruel and publicly humiliate me? Why was my devotion seen as an annoyance to be brutally extinguished with lies and assault? Was I just a problem, my loyalty met with hatred? I would not be his victim. Injured and betrayed, I made an unshakeable vow: I was done. I blocked his number and everyone connected to him, severing ties. This was not an escape; this was my rebirth. Florence awaited, a new life on my terms, unburdened by broken promises.

You'll also like

I'm Divorcing with You, Mr Billionaire!

I'm Divorcing with You, Mr Billionaire!

The Wine Press
4.6

I received a pornographic video. "Do you like this?" The man speaking in the video is my husband, Mark, whom I haven't seen for several months. He is naked, his shirt and pants scattered on the ground, thrusting forcefully on a woman whose face I can't see, her plump and round breasts bouncing vigorously. I can clearly hear the slapping sounds in the video, mixed with lustful moans and grunts. "Yes, yes, fuck me hard, baby," the woman screams ecstatically in response. "You naughty girl!" Mark stands up and flips her over, slapping her buttocks as he speaks. "Stick your ass up!" The woman giggles, turns around, sways her buttocks, and kneels on the bed. I feel like someone has poured a bucket of ice water on my head. It's bad enough that my husband is having an affair, but what's worse is that the other woman is my own sister, Bella. ************************************************************************************************************************ "I want to get a divorce, Mark," I repeated myself in case he didn't hear me the first time-even though I knew he'd heard me clearly. He stared at me with a frown before answering coldly, "It's not up to you! I'm very busy, don't waste my time with such boring topics, or try to attract my attention!" The last thing I was going to do was argue or bicker with him. "I will have the lawyer send you the divorce agreement," was all I said, as calmly as I could muster. He didn't even say another word after that and just went through the door he'd been standing in front of, slamming it harshly behind him. My eyes lingered on the knob of the door a bit absentmindedly before I pulled the wedding ring off my finger and placed it on the table. I grabbed my suitcase, which I'd already had my things packed in and headed out of the house.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book