The Rich Mans Bride

While I Was Bleeding Out, He Lit Lanterns For Her

Katie Oettgen

As I lay on the floor of our manor, bleeding out from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, I used my last ounce of strength to call my husband, Cole. I begged him for help, my vision blurring. But the only thing I heard was the clinking of champagne glasses and his mistress's giggle in the background. "Stop the drama, June," Cole snapped, his voice cold. "We're about to go on stage. Don't call again." He hung up, leaving me to die alone on the Persian rug while he accepted an award with another woman on his arm. I woke up in the hospital days later. My baby was gone. They had removed my fallopian tube. Cole finally arrived, smelling of expensive scotch and his mistress's perfume. He didn't hug me. He didn't cry. Instead, he leaned over my hospital bed, pressing his knee into the mattress until my fresh stitches tore open and bled. "You embarrassed me by calling an ambulance," he hissed. "My mistress, Alycia, says you're faking it. Clean yourself up." He left me bleeding again to go announce a $10 million donation to Alycia's "groundbreaking" medical research. I stared at the TV screen, numb. The research Alycia was taking credit for? It was mine. I wrote that patent years ago under a pseudonym. They thought I was just a poor, orphan housewife who needed Cole's money to survive. They had no idea I was actually a billionaire scientist hiding my identity. I pulled the IV needle out of my arm. A drop of blood fell onto the divorce papers I had been hiding. I didn't wipe it off. I signed my name right over it. Then I walked into the bank, reactivated my dormant account with $128 million, and bought the penthouse directly overlooking Cole's house. The mourning widow is dead. The avenger is born.

Romance Crime Revenge Pregnancy Enemies to Lovers Pregnancy Personal Growth

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The car drove along the winding path, through green hills and thick trees that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. Lyana leaned her forehead against the window, her gaze fixed on the landscape, while trying to calm the whirlwind of emotions that was growing inside her. Excitement, nervousness, and a slight pang at the thought of leaving behind everything she knew until now. She had just arrived in Crescentville, a place she had barely heard of until this hasty move. Yet something in the air of this city already fascinated her.

"Are you feeling ready for this new adventure, darling? » asked his mother with a kind smile, her gaze fixed on the road.

Lyana took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, I think so. It's just... strange. »

"Strange how? »

She hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I don't know... It's like this place is hiding something. As if..." She stopped, feeling her own words too vague to express her feelings.

"You'll get used to it quickly, I'm sure," his mother replied reassuringly, while giving him a knowing look. "Besides, it's a beautiful place, isn't it? »

Lyana nodded silently, her eyes lost in the landscapes they were crossing. Every house, every alley, seemed to belong to another time. Nature itself seemed different, denser, deeper. A shiver ran through her when she saw in the distance an imposing silhouette silhouetted in the fading light. A castle, perched on the neighboring hill, stood majestically, surrounded by mist.

"Mom, look! That castle over there! »

His mother turned her head briefly. "Ah, this must be the famous Valmont estate. I heard he belonged to an old family in the area. They are discreet, but I believe they are very influential. »

"The Valmonts? » repeated Lyana , fascinated, her gaze still fixed on the dark silhouette of the castle.

"Yes, and from what I've heard, they don't come out often. The city considers them a little... apart. But you know what small towns and their rumors are like. »

Lyana smirked. She loved this kind of mystery, these stories that were told quietly, the rumors that circulated and brought life to a place. The Valmont castle became for her the promise of a mystery to be unraveled, an additional reason to be enthusiastic about this new life.

Soon after, they finally arrived in front of their new house. It was an old-fashioned house, with wooden shutters and a small wild garden where the flowers seemed to have grown freely. The place had a slightly old-fashioned charm, but Lyana liked it. She felt that she could quickly feel at home there.

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