Broken Vows And Paris Lights: My New Beginning

motherhood because my husband, Bennett,

y will suffer," he had cr

m. I made him

s twenty-two-year-old mistress as his "little sister," only t

defect. He just didn'

me. He took my grandmother's emerald necklace, reset the st

and toxic. He was confident he could break me, planning to ma

t know t

was faking the pre

going to stay to

staged emergency, blaming me for her "pain

estroyed my SIM card. I

a lie and his wife was gone, I was already

pte

Mill

at the charity gala, moments before announcing they were expecti

rystal stem of my glass threatening to shatter

een

rowning in a sea of trust funds. We built an empire out of nothing but grit and shared coffee orders. He

floor of our first apartment, stroking

ng my shoulder. "If we have children, they will suffer. I can't

to be a mother because loving Benne

hs ago, the na

Randolph Sr., had boomed at din

efend our choice. Inste

e, curated life. She was the surrogate, Bennett said. A

ied to welcome her. But toni

aning in close, his posture relaxed in a way I hadn't seen in years.

ding myself behind a la

al vitamins," Aria giggled, twirling a strand

ns well, but she doesn't understand this. What I have with her is...

Aria said, though she didn't sou

anning the room until his eyes glazed

ering a dismissive shrug. "She needs looki

d; it felt as though it had

le si

me sacrifice my own motherhood for a lie about geneti

c defect. He just didn'

ll and stared at the mirror. The woman staring back was pale, elegant, and

sharp for tears. It was a physi

r scalding, scrubbing until

just the party. I ha

the penthouse was deafening. I walked into the bedr

stubs. The napkin where he sk

it all inside. I didn't look at the w

aw it. T

esigned for our tenth anniversary. Two intertwini

said when he put

. It felt heavy

the one we never used, and threw the ring into

d the dr

like a gunshot in

severing a limb. And for the first time i