His Golden Ambition, Her Ruin

ter Mark' s engagement to Emily. It was tragic, they said. The

out a new Innovate Global initiative, a reporter asked abou

es have been very difficult for her. She has said... confusing things. Accusations

ively discrediting anything I might say against him. He was a loving husb

deeper into my soul. I played the part of the fragile, broken victim. I cried. I begged. I showed them the fear they expected to see. But behind my tear-filled eyes, I was counting. Each new p

y submission. He saw the growing collect

ection. He would stand in the living room, surrounded by the glittering evidence of my daily torment, and look at me with

nking. He tried to feign a gentle tone, the one

, his proximity making my skin crawl. "I know this is hard. But you have to understand. Wh

out to to

is voice dropping lower, "I won' t despise you.

ing this on me, yet he was framing it as my choice, my sacrifice. He was tryi

ace a mask of weary sorrow

ark," I

wanted to hear. He smil

miliar feeling, one I hadn't had in years. I managed to get my hand

f in the bathr

lines a

preg

was Mark' s. It had to be from our last time together, right before he an

of complication had ju