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The Rejected Burden: Rising From The Shadows

Chapter 2 No.2

Word Count: 1004 | Released on: 04/02/2026

he velvet ropes, the humidity making her dress stick uncomfortably to her lower back. Zoe had met her at

ok at them. He was staring over Is

voice over the thumping bass leaking from

gh his iPad with agonizing

ped, stepping forward.

tient sighs. One of them, a blonde with sharp features, leaned in.

the digital invite, but the signal in the Meatpacking District was choked b

king slightly. "It's my company's futu

at her. His eyes were flat,

lling her back, but Isadora planted her fe

atmosphe

line died down. The paparazzi, who had been lazily smoking cigarettes, s

ntly like a predator. It stopped right in front of t

hauffeur stepped out, moving briskly to the

k dress shoe hi

ever seen before em

an who handled the assets of the city's most powerful and discreet players. He wore a dark suit that fit him so perfectly it looked like it ha

mpletely unreadable. It wasn't anger; it was an indiffe

who had just dismissed Isadora, practically bent in

man said, his voice tr

n't acknowledge him. He walked

but the crowd surged forward, trying to get a

cobblestone. Her arms flailed, grasping at empty air. She squeezed her eyes shut,

act nev

a gentle grip; it was a stabilizer. It hauled her up with an eff

e was staring directly into

a startling shade of blue-grey, like the ocean before a storm. He wasn't smiling

arwood and something cr

," he said. His voice was d

her knees weak again. He released her a

" Isadora stamme

oorman. He didn't raise his voice. H

e. "Of course, Mr. R

t Zoe. He tilted his head toward the open

g against her ribs. She could feel the eyes of the girls wh

but his presence was a shield. The noise of t

e was tall, towering over her even in her heels. He looke

cond floor," Mr. Riddle said. "

alked toward a private elevator guarded by tw

nails digging in. "Did Kingston

ff the sight of his broad back. She rubbed her arm

o," Isador

, "is a good omen. Come on.

But the coldness of the proxy's eyes lingered in

Chapter End

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The Rejected Burden: Rising From The Shadows

Annabell Seto Modern

“I liquidated every asset I owned for a single gala ticket, convinced that after twenty years, Grafton Blanchard was finally going to ask me to be his partner. My husband, Kingston Riddle, even hinted that the diamond "Eternity Lock" bracelet I'd been eyeing was gone from the vault, and I was sure it was waiting for me. But when I reached the VIP suite, Grafton didn't look at me with love; he snapped that very bracelet onto the wrist of my rival, Bella Sterling. He stood before the crowd and announced their engagement, laughing as he called me his "little mascot" while I stood there in my best dress, feeling the entire world crumble beneath my feet. The betrayal went deeper when I overheard him telling his friends I was nothing more than a "burden" and a "puppy" he was too kind to kick to the curb. Desperate to fix his image, he lured me to a "peace offering" dinner where Bella theatrically threw herself down a flight of marble stairs. Within seconds, Grafton was looming over me, his face twisted in fury as he accused me of being a jealous, vicious monster. "I'm calling the cops. You want to play games? Let's see how you like a holding cell," Grafton roared, snatching my phone so I couldn't record his cruelty. The restaurant manager and the crowd sneered at me, ready to watch me be hauled away in handcuffs for a crime I didn't commit. I was a pariah, discarded by the man I'd spent my entire life protecting. I stood trembling against the wall, realizing that the man I loved was willing to ruin my life to protect a lie. I felt the weight of twenty years of devotion being thrown into the trash, and for the first time, I stopped wondering why I wasn't enough and started wondering how I could have been so blind. Just as the security guards moved in, the heavy doors swung open. My husband, Kingston-the man I thought was a cold stranger-stepped into the light and demanded the manager play the security footage on the big screen. As the video of Bella launching herself backward played for the entire restaurant, I didn't look at Grafton's pathetic apologies; I looked at the exit and realized my life was finally beginning.”