From Beloved To Battered: Her Reckoning

dn't just admit it-he told me he was tired of my ambition and that his ne

ed. Under the guise of care, she brought me a foul soup, whispering it was made with bitter herbs from the garden where we'd planned our nursery. When

ears of love I had for him. He had promised to be my

now despise it? Why did he protect the monster wh

tood. The love was dead. And with it, the woman who had ever loved him.

pte

eth Wa

was having an affair. But it wasn't with a younger model or a corporate rival, it was with Joy Mccall, an o

een blurring through unshed tears. My body went rigid, cold se

er with an intensity I hadn't seen directed at me in months. His eyes, usually so sharp and calculating in bu

felt like a betrayal. He moved with the same confident stride, his perfectly tailored suit still

ending screaming. The picture, printed and stark, was on

s a shaky whisper, barely a

ent. Then, with a sigh that seemed to carry the weig

like, Elisabeth." His voice

gs. My mind went bl

g from my throat. "What about all your promises? 'Always

gs change. People change." His gaze met mine, cold and distant. "I'm tired. Tired of alw

brating your every success. Do you know how much work that is? To be constantly chasing your brilliance? To always be the

sbelief. "You talk about pride? What about m

truly sees me, not some project to be admired or an obstacle to be overcome. Aft

, Chase! Is that enough to throw away nine years? Y

w I was missing. A quiet, nurturing care that doesn't demand anything from

u. Not now. The optics would be a disaster for my company. But understand this: I'm done. D

marble floor. The man I loved, the man who had torn down my wa

mbition. My parents' messy divorce had left me guarded, wary of love, but he had been persistent. H

world spiraling. Chase, without a word, had flown back from his busin

my hair. "Let me be strong for you. You can be vulnerable with me. You can eve

"make a fuss" when I felt like it. And I had. I had learned to be sof

love me anymore. The realization was a physical ache. I wanted to believe he was

de and seemingly innocent. I offered her money, enough to disappear, to s

spered, her voice barel

in my chest. No relief,

en in a car accident. And then, the next piece of information