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The Rejected Burden: Rising From The Shadows

Chapter 3 No.3

Word Count: 918 | Released on: 04/02/2026

d to use both hands to push it open. As soon as the seal broke, the m

moved through the crowd with sparklers attached to magnum bott

tching the small gift bag containing t

over the music, pointing to

the world. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top, his hair perfectly

at treacherous leap ag

w who he wa

on the couch in front of him. All Isadora could see was a cascade of

a guy named Topher, yelled. "

w her. It was the same smile he had given

mping down from the ba

ght he was going to hug her. But he stopped a few f

black ve

e club faded into a dull roar. He had it. He had the bracelet. He was holding i

id, his eyes gleaming. "I've be

her eyes. She took a step

ger. He turned back to the blonde woma

ood up and t

Bella S

ora wasn't-tall, statuesque, with a face that was beautiful in a sharp, predator

Isadora. It didn

or Bella's hand. He pulled her to his side,

bag heavy in her hand. Her br

booming over the music. The DJ lowere

with a look of adoration Isadora had never seen directed at herself.

d from the ceiling. Strips of gold paper rained down,

ed the black

celet. The diamonds caught the s

Grafton took Bella's wrist. He

sadora, it sounded like a gu

t. She looked at Isadora, her eyes glittering with malice. "Oh, hi

whispered. The wor

f champagne and poured it into a tower of glasses

so hard champagne sloshed over her fingers. "It's a double cel

answer. He turned back to Bel

e twisted in rage. "Grafton,

ist. Her grip was iron-h

Isa

f emotion. She couldn't let them see.

ti tangled in her hair. She looked at the bracelet on Bella's

rist toward Isadora's face. "The salesman said it

oat felt like it was full of

ind, resting his chin on her shoulder. He looke

y for me, Izzy," he s

he thought it might snap. She forced the corners of her m

st," sh

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.”