MARRIED TO THE CEO WHO RUINED ME

way, his sharp eyes assessing her carefully, a hint of concern flickering across his face, but he refrained from voicing his thoughts. Instead, h

t and the relentless, weary hum of the city that lingered

ranger, like a place that once held warmth, now veiled in the cold fog of time and trauma. She took a shuddering breath, exhaled shakily, and reached

d slightly, but with sheer force of will, she steadied herself, refusing to succumb to the tide of unease that threatened to

the doorbell, the chime echoing

an

ding into the oppressive silence

elt suffocating, thick with unspoken words and long-buried memories, as if the walls

imself again, Marceline thought bitterly, her inner voice laced with an

about to sink to the ground, when the

, uncertainty weaving through it,

and relief crossing her face. She clutched the doorknob as if t

ll, weary smile, her lips

ould even step over the threshold, she was enveloped in

ed against her shoulder, holding her tightly, as if rel

cking under the weight of everything she had been ho

d her had turned to lead. She collapsed onto the couch, her body falling against the cushions like a d

concern etching deeper lines across her fa

oarsely, her throat dry and p

ith a warmth that wrapped around Marceline, its scent redolent with cinnamon and warm vanilla-a faint trace of a candle Cora had

er breathing, fighting against tears that threatened to spi

She handed it to Marceline, who took it with trembling fingers, raising it to her lip

epening the warmth in her voice as she took a seat across fro

gaze drifting toward the window but seeing nothing beyond th

tly, her voice barely above a whisper. "My he

ng together with worry. "You don't

to Cora's and then away again, the wei

ords slipping out too quickly,

etched in the lines on Marceline's face, bu

eading into the territory of small talk, t

that shattered the brief silence, her hands clenchi

any is?" she asked, her voice tight,

f she were sharing the juiciest gossip rather than a grave revelation. "I only found out the CEO

clammy palms. She swallowed hard, the sensation scraping her throat like shards of glass.

n confusion. "W

hat might shatter her world. "I met Cross," she breathed, the admission we

en summer storm. "Which Cross are you talking about?" Her voice acquired a sha

erate nod, each movement stee

I'm so sorry-I didn't even know he was the CEO. If I'd know

s crashing over her. "It's fine, Cora. I'm not blaming you. You couldn't have known," she reass

morphing into one of deep concern. "S

r, filled with an unsettling calm. "Because what I'm about to step i

ightly agape. "What are you talking

humor. "He gave me the job," she said slowly, each word laden with res

nging on her every word

rticulated, her breath hitching as the e

y burst from their

in his arsenal. He told me this is his way of breaking me, of forcing me to understand the anguish his mother

"Cross must be out of his goddamn mind! He's insane! Doe

he baby I carried for him? That I drowned in grief while he vanished? That night after night, for an entire year, I cried until I coul

onto the couch beside her. "So... what was your

a moment, the weight of the w

ract," she murmured

ed at her friend like she had lost her sanity. "You what?" she snapped

e speaking of a past already resigned to fate. "He didn't give me the luxury of

froze in horror. "W

ouldn't survive if I refused," Marceline recounted, her voice shaking

rage. "He's a monster. A hea

gged, as if the burden of her sacrifice had already stripped her of will. "But I can't risk lo

a lifeline in turbulent seas. "I'm so sorry. I should've checke

hilled bones. "I thought I'd moved on. That I could forget. That I could finally live in peace. But

don't deserve this, Celine. You never did. You should be the one demanding rev

ing them of the storm brewing just beyond their walls. Outside, the win

d tears. "This isn't love, Cora. This isn't even hatred. It's

determination. "Even if you feel trapped, find your

augh, tinged with desperation. "I do

her hands, the intensity of her gaze penetrating through Marceline's armor. "You'

did she feel brave. But amidst the storm of despair, she felt a flicke