FORGOTTEN BRIDE

lia'

is mar

ght. No, this was the cold, harsh reality that was sinking in with every passing second. The man I had been married to for four years, the man w

ckwell Weds Socialite Amelia Hawthorne in Secret Ceremony." Secret? The nerve of him. Our divorce had only bee

roat, and for a moment, the room seemed to spin. I sat down heavil

ere never clear, but I knew it had something to do with their ridiculous expectations and their incessant need to control him. I had always believed, though

ng married as if our years

but I refused to let them fall. No, I

urious. How could he do this? How could he betray me like

oved on so quickly, then that meant he had been planning this behind my back. That meant he hadn't been as hurt as I had been by the end

hing-my heart, my soul, my love-and he ha

. Anger. Hurt. But most of all, I felt foolish. I had believed in him. I had believed that he would fight for us,

to break free, but I pushed them down.

he one left behind. Xander had hurt me, and I would

uttered to myself, my voice low but filled w

tion. Everywhere I went, I heard whispers. People were shocked, of course. The timing was suspicious-three days after our divorce was finalized-and no o

had it all gone so wrong? How had we gone fro

not been enough for him? Had I not tried hard enough to hold everything together? But as the m

ill married? The thought made my stomach churn. I knew how people like Xander could be, charming and persuasive, able to manipulate every

iage. Xander had become distant, withdrawn, and I had chalked it up to stress from work and the pressure from his family. But wh

ht have already checked out of our marriage before it ended. But the more I tho

ia before our divorce. I was sure of it. How else could he have moved on so

boil. How dare he think he could get away with this? How dare he throw

he was no longer the naive, hopeful wife who believed in love. No, this woman was different. This woman was a

without consequences. If Xander thought he could hurt me and

ake him r

ld ru

much from me-my love, my trust, my dignity-and now it was time for him to

m. Xander had everything-money, power, status-but there was one thing that he cared about more than anythi

I would be methodical. I would be smart. And I would make

y the path I wanted to take? Was revenge really the answer? But I shut the voice out. There was no turning

e sure to