His Placeholder Bride, My Bitter Revenge

Trevin

hallway. My phone vibrated, a relentless summons from

ough laced with concern, quickly shifted to its usual demanding tone. "Grant just called. He said he was going to your p

d, my voice flat, devoid of emotion. The words

be silly. Are you still upset about... that other woman? Grant's worth it, honey. He's rich, handsome, p

iliar narrative, woven into the fabric of my family, choked me. I closed my eyes, a sharp pang o

aged, my voice strained, and hung u

image of Grant Sutton. It was a financial news segment, highlighting his "transformation" into a responsible, philanthropic leader, expanding Sutton Holdings into eth

rnalist A. Trevino Fired from Nexus Global News. Sutton Holdings Considers Legal Action f

eporter for a controversial piece. The comments section, scrolling furiously below, was a cascade of ve

darkness. I had never once compromised my ethics, never published a single word I didn't believe to be true, backed by irrefutable evi

avens opened, and rain began to fall in sheets, blurring the city lights into shimmering stre

me. The rain plastered my hair to my face, blurring my vision, indisting

in each other's arms. Further down, a family of three, a father hoisting a small chil

thing, left to drown in the cold, unforgiving rain. The pain was

. I stumbled into the living room and collapsed onto the sofa, shivering uncontrollably. The cold seeped into my bones, chilling me to

udly showing off Grant's expensive watch. My mother, timidly accepting my sister's excited chatter about future plans, the "unfortunate delay" forgotten. I saw Grant, his hand resting on Ivory's ba

gainst me. I blinked, my eyes gritty, as the pale morning light streamed through the window.

stumbled into the bathroom, flicked on the light. The reflection in the mirror was a stranger: pale, gaunt, dark ci

ttempt to wash away the grime, the pain, the defeat. When I emerged, my ski

d packed weeks ago. I added a few more essentials, then zipped it shut. No

ymphony of departures and arrivals. The announcement for my flight, "Flight BA268 to London Heathrow," ec

us glass wall overlooking the runway. Planes, immense steel birds, soared into

268 is now

then lifted, climbing steeply into the endless blue. As we broke through the clouds,