Stolen Life
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The old pickup truck rattled down the familiar dirt road, three years to the day since Ethan Miller had seen this town, this sky. He was finally home, a bag full of expensive gifts on the passenger seat, a fortune in his bank account from the diamond mines of South Africa. He' d survived a collapse, been given up for dead, all for his beloved Olivia and family. He imagined her tears of joy, her arms around him, a future blooming. But as he approached his house, the scene shattered his hopeful delusions. A new fence, professional landscaping, an expensive sedan in his old rust-bucket' s spot. Then he heard laughter from the backyard – Olivia's. And a child' s squeal. A child? They hadn't had children. Peering through the fence, his stomach dropped. There was Olivia, glowing, pushing a little boy on a new swing set. Beside the barbecue, a handsome man, Daniel, laughed with the child, and Olivia looked at him with the same smile she once reserved only for Ethan. Then his own mother walked out, cheerfully calling Daniel "son," his father clapping him on the back. His family. Olivia' s new family. The air left his lungs. His wife, his house, his family-all taken over. He stood there, a ghost at his own wake, the raw, ugly truth of their betrayal hitting him like a physical blow. Their faces weren' t filled with shock or joy when they saw him, but annoyance, even hostility. His mother screamed at him, his brother sneered. Olivia, terrified, hid behind Daniel. They had moved on, using his "death" and his insurance money to build a new, comfortable life on his grave. He had returned from hell for them, endured unbelievable hardship for their future, only to find they were happy he was gone. They wanted him dead. The naive, hopeful miner died right there on his doorstep. But from the ashes, something harder rose. He wouldn't just leave; he would reclaim what was his. "I want a divorce," he declared, his voice cold and steady. "And I\'m not the one who\'s going to be leaving this house."

Introduction

The old pickup truck rattled down the familiar dirt road, three years to the day since Ethan Miller had seen this town, this sky. He was finally home, a bag full of expensive gifts on the passenger seat, a fortune in his bank account from the diamond mines of South Africa. He' d survived a collapse, been given up for dead, all for his beloved Olivia and family. He imagined her tears of joy, her arms around him, a future blooming.

But as he approached his house, the scene shattered his hopeful delusions. A new fence, professional landscaping, an expensive sedan in his old rust-bucket' s spot. Then he heard laughter from the backyard – Olivia's. And a child' s squeal. A child? They hadn't had children.

Peering through the fence, his stomach dropped. There was Olivia, glowing, pushing a little boy on a new swing set. Beside the barbecue, a handsome man, Daniel, laughed with the child, and Olivia looked at him with the same smile she once reserved only for Ethan. Then his own mother walked out, cheerfully calling Daniel "son," his father clapping him on the back. His family. Olivia' s new family.

The air left his lungs. His wife, his house, his family-all taken over. He stood there, a ghost at his own wake, the raw, ugly truth of their betrayal hitting him like a physical blow. Their faces weren' t filled with shock or joy when they saw him, but annoyance, even hostility. His mother screamed at him, his brother sneered. Olivia, terrified, hid behind Daniel. They had moved on, using his "death" and his insurance money to build a new, comfortable life on his grave.

He had returned from hell for them, endured unbelievable hardship for their future, only to find they were happy he was gone. They wanted him dead. The naive, hopeful miner died right there on his doorstep. But from the ashes, something harder rose. He wouldn't just leave; he would reclaim what was his. "I want a divorce," he declared, his voice cold and steady. "And I\'m not the one who\'s going to be leaving this house."

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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.

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