My Destiny Found in Betrayal's Wake

Kenne

earlier guilt had vanished, replaced by a cold, hard anger. He looked at me as if I had p

just so much. This excitement." Jackson immediately turned his full attention to her, his previous concern for me completely forgotten. He ru

er chain for a moment, her eyes glinting with malicious amusement. "It's a little... gaudy, isn't it, Jackson?" sh

ing once before coming to rest near the leg of a champagne table. It lay there, forgotten and abandoned, a symbol of my discarded love.

forced cheerfulness in his voice. "Let's not let a little misunderstanding spoil the celebration! The night

staying." My legs felt like lead, but I forced myself to move. I wasn't runnin

a mixture of disbelief and simmering rage. The perfect groom façade slipped, revealing the

a sliver of irrational hope flickering within me. Nothing. No calls, no texts from Jackson. Not a single word. He hadn't even atte

stled against his chest, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. He was whispering something to her, something that made her laugh, a genuine, joyful sound. My stomach churned. That slo

more. Only a profound, aching emptiness remained. I tapped the 'heart' ico

ach item I touched brought a fresh wave of memories, fragments of a life that was never truly mine. The framed photos, the matching coffee m

o ask questions." "My parents want to meet you properly." Each time, he had a new excuse, a new promise. "Soon, my love. Just a little m

with the force of a physical blow. He wasn't afraid of commitment; he was afraid of committing to me. The pain was

small part of me always knowing I might need an escape hatch. The familiar walls, the worn

chatting about you. Remember Cole Smith? From the Smiths across the street? Such a lovely family. His mother mentioned he's

to set us up once, years ago, when I was sixteen, before Jackson. I' d politely decline

My mother gasped with delight. "Oh, Alycia! That's wonderful news! I'll tell his mother r

iately." I attached it to an email, my finger hovering over the send button. My mind wandered back to the early days, when Jackson first hired me, barely eighteen, fresh out of high school. He' d been so charming, so attent

was about control, about having me exactly where he wanted me: close enough to be his, but distant enough to be disposable. I knew, with a sickening certainty, that all those "benefit

ia. What is this?" he demanded, skipping any pleasantries. "My HR just

ted, my voice calm, unwavering.

unish me? Is this your way of getting attention?" His words were laced with a familiar contempt, a hint

anymore. "Jackson," I said, my voice steady, "I'm not trying to punish you. I'm leaving. And there's nothing you can do about it." The wor