Gone With His Treacherous Love

Gone With His Treacherous Love

Annabell Seto

3.5
Comment(s)
12.7K
View
10
Chapters

On the fifth anniversary of my father' s death, I discovered my fiancé, Graham, was having an affair with my sister, Hollie. The betrayal was compounded by a second, more devastating secret: Hollie was pregnant with his child. All this, while I was secretly carrying his baby too. He swore his loyalty to me, calling betrayal the ultimate sin, all while planning a future with her. He dismissed her as a "childish infatuation" to my face, then rushed to her side for a "family emergency." I followed him and watched them embrace, heard him promise her fireworks and my life. I saw her hand him a gift, then he carried her inside. The door closed on their shared secret, and on my entire world. My sister then sent me a picture of her ultrasound, taunting me to leave quietly. She thought she had won. But she didn't know I had already made a call. Three days later, as Graham stood with a visibly pregnant Hollie at the chapel where we were supposed to get married, he saw my car speed past. His face twisted in horror as he realized I was gone. Not just leaving, but disappearing completely. Three years later, I returned, no longer his fiancée, but Dr. Cross, a powerful strategist he couldn't touch. And he was just a man desperate to get back what he had destroyed.

Protagonist

: Corinna Cross and Graham Rios

Gone With His Treacherous Love Chapter 1

On the fifth anniversary of my father' s death, I discovered my fiancé, Graham, was having an affair with my sister, Hollie.

The betrayal was compounded by a second, more devastating secret: Hollie was pregnant with his child. All this, while I was secretly carrying his baby too.

He swore his loyalty to me, calling betrayal the ultimate sin, all while planning a future with her. He dismissed her as a "childish infatuation" to my face, then rushed to her side for a "family emergency."

I followed him and watched them embrace, heard him promise her fireworks and my life. I saw her hand him a gift, then he carried her inside. The door closed on their shared secret, and on my entire world.

My sister then sent me a picture of her ultrasound, taunting me to leave quietly. She thought she had won.

But she didn't know I had already made a call. Three days later, as Graham stood with a visibly pregnant Hollie at the chapel where we were supposed to get married, he saw my car speed past.

His face twisted in horror as he realized I was gone. Not just leaving, but disappearing completely. Three years later, I returned, no longer his fiancée, but Dr. Cross, a powerful strategist he couldn't touch. And he was just a man desperate to get back what he had destroyed.

Chapter 1

Corinna POV:

His hand on my waist felt like a betrayal before I even heard the words. It was the fifth anniversary of my father' s death, and Graham Rios, the man I was supposed to marry, the man I just learned I was carrying a child for, was discussing his affair with my sister, Hollie. Right here. Right now. In the hushed elegance of our family' s private dining room, as if my world wasn't already fragile enough.

My fingers instinctively brushed against the pocket of my dress. The small plastic stick, tucked away, suddenly felt like a weapon, or a ticking bomb. Two pink lines. A secret I' d planned to whisper to Graham tonight, a fragile hope in the shadow of my grief. Now, it was just another layer of ice coating my heart.

I had imagined the perfect moment. After the memorial dinner, an intimate quiet, perhaps by the fireplace, telling him we were about to start our own family. A new beginning, a light in the perpetual dimness since Dad left.

"She's becoming quite a distraction, isn't she, sir?" Robert, Graham's most trusted aide, murmured, his voice too loud in the sudden lull of conversation. He wore a sneer that didn't quite reach his eyes, a look I knew all too well from years in politics. It was the look of a man who held a secret, and enjoyed it.

My breath hitched. "She"?

Graham chuckled, a low, dismissive sound that grated against my nerves. "Hollie? Just a childish infatuation. Nothing serious. You know how these young ones are, always craving attention. Easily managed."

His words hit me like a physical blow. Easily managed. He was talking about my sister. My younger sister, Hollie. The one who had always lived in my shadow, always sought Graham' s approval, his attention.

He turned to me then, his arm tightening around my waist. His smile was flawless, practiced. But his eyes, they darted across the room, never quite settling on mine. It was a familiar trick. A politician's trick. Engage the body, disengage the soul. I used to think it was just his ambition, his focus. Now I knew better. It was just him.

"Corinna, my love, are you alright?" he asked, his voice dripping with honeyed concern. "You look a little pale."

I felt my blood run cold, turning to sludge in my veins. The warmth of his hand, once comforting, now felt like a brand, searing my skin. My mind, trained by years at my father's side, was already dissecting his words, Robert' s smirk, the subtle shift in Hollie's posture across the table. It was a political machine, and I was seeing its gears turn, grinding me into dust.

My father had taught me to listen, not just to words, but to the silences between them. He taught me to read every gesture, every flicker of an eye. He taught me to always be three steps ahead. And right now, all my training screamed one thing: run.

I looked at Graham, his perfect face, his charismatic smile. The man I loved. The man I thought loved me. He was an open book, but I had been too blind, too trusting, to read it. He was a lie, beautifully packaged.

A tremor ran through my hand, the one resting on his arm. I quickly clasped it with the other, forcing a smile that felt brittle, like thin ice about to crack. "Just a little tired, darling," I lied, the words tasting like ash. "It's been a long day."

My decision was made in that instant. It wasn' t a scream. It wasn' t a confrontation. It was a cold, quiet resolution. I would disappear. Not just from this dinner, but from his life. And I wouldn't just leave. I would dismantle him, piece by piece, from the shadows. Three days. That' s all I needed. Three days to become invisible.

"Of course, my love," Graham said, his smile softening, believing my lie. He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to my temple. It felt hollow, a performance for the benefit of the room. I could almost hear him mentally checking a box. Wife handled. Crisis averted.

"I overheard you earlier," I said, my voice surprisingly steady. "Was there something urgent with the family business? You looked quite stressed." I watched him, searching for any flicker of discomfort.

He pulled back, a slight frown creasing his brow. "Oh, that. Just some minor internal disagreements. Nothing for you to worry your pretty head about. You know how families are. Always some drama." He waved a dismissive hand, as if brushing away a fly.

He didn' t even remember what he' d said to Robert, which hollow lie he was supposed to stick to. His arrogance was a shield, protecting him from the inconvenience of truth, from the need to even bother convincing me. I was just Corinna, loyal and predictable. I was just someone to be managed.

The air in the room suddenly felt too thick, too heavy. It was suffocating me. I needed to get out. "If you don't mind, Graham, I think I'll slip away for a moment. Get some fresh air."

"Go, my dear," he murmured, already turning his attention back to a Senator across the room. He barely noticed me leave, already lost in the political dance.

As I walked away, I felt the familiar gazes of admiration, the whispers of "the perfect couple," "the future First Lady." They saw the carefully constructed facade, the powerful man and his elegant fiancée. They didn' t see the gaping wound in my chest, the blood draining from my soul. They saw a woman on top of the world. I saw a fool.

I had believed in him, in us. I had poured my entire being into his career, his dreams. I had sacrificed my own ambitions, my own identity, to become "Mrs. Graham Rios." I thought it was love. It was just a job, and I was being outsourced without notice.

My mind raced, replaying the overheard words. "She' s becoming quite a distraction..." "Just a childish infatuation..." "Easily managed." And then, Hollie's voice, barely a whisper, laced with a triumphant edge: "But... what about the baby, Graham? It' s yours." The silence that followed had been deafening. Hollie, pregnant with Graham's child. My sister. My fiancé. The family I had left.

My phone vibrated in my hand, a discreet, familiar tone. It was a coded message, an old contact. Carroll Sparks. My father' s former campaign manager, a man who saw my potential even when I ignored it. He was offering me a position. A high-stakes, off-the-books campaign. He had always tried to pull me back into the game, to remind me of my own power.

I stepped out onto the secluded balcony, the cool night air a welcome shock to my burning skin. I immediately dialed Carroll. "It's Corinna," I said, my voice tight. "I'm in."

"Corinna? I thought you were busy preparing for your wedding," Carroll's voice came through, laced with surprise. "Last I heard, you were still playing loyal fiancée."

"That chapter is closed," I stated, the words firm, decisive. "I'm ready to work. Anything. Anywhere. As long as it's far away from here."

"I knew you had it in you," he said, a hint of admiration creeping into his tone. "You always were more your father's daughter than you let on. Too brilliant to waste your talents polishing someone else's brass."

He paused, then added, "You know, this position requires you to vanish. Completely. No contact with your old life. Are you sure you're ready for that? To leave everything behind? Family, friends..."

The word "family" stung, an open wound. I flinched, a sharp, involuntary jerk. Family. My parents were gone. My sister was a viper. My fiancé, a predator. What family? A bitter laugh escaped my lips, a harsh, ragged sound. "There is no family, Carroll. Not anymore."

My eyes burned, a familiar prickle behind my eyelids. I blinked hard, forcing the tears back. This was not the time for weakness. I had buried my parents, and now I was burying another part of myself. The grieving was over. The strategy began.

"I need the highest level of security clearance," I told Carroll, my voice now devoid of any emotion. Cold, hard, resolute. "Everything. Erase me. My digital footprint. My financial records. My very existence. I need to be a ghost."

A long silence on the other end. "Corinna, do you understand what you're asking? Graham Rios has powerful connections. If you just disappear, he'll tear this city apart looking for you."

I let out another dry, humorless laugh. "Let him search. He won't find me. He underestimated me once. He won't get that chance again." My voice dropped, a dangerous edge creeping into it. "He betrayed me, Carroll. And not just me. He betrayed the trust I placed in him, the future I imagined. He took everything."

The admission, stark and raw, hung in the air. The words hurt more than I expected, a sharp pang in my chest. All those years, building him up, pushing him forward, standing by his side. It was all for nothing. Less than nothing. It was for his affair with my sister. My pain was a fuel now.

"So that's why the sudden change of heart," Carroll murmured, a note of understanding in his voice. "I always knew he wasn't good enough for you, Corinna. You deserve better."

"I don't deserve anything," I stated flatly. "I just want to work. To build something of my own. Something he can't touch. Something he can't corrupt."

"Consider it done," Carroll said, his voice firm. "The details will be sent to a burner phone I' ll have delivered tonight. Don't worry about anything else. Just pack a bag. The car will pick you up before dawn, three days from now."

A wave of relief, cold and unfamiliar, washed over me. It wasn't happiness, not even close. It was the quiet calm of a path chosen, a decision made. The first step towards reclaiming myself.

"Thank you, Carroll," I whispered. "For everything."

He simply hummed in response, then the line went dead. I stood on the balcony, looking out at the city lights, a glittering tapestry woven with ambition, power, and deceit. Graham' s city. But not for long. Soon, it would just be another battleground. And I, Corinna Cross, would be ready.

Continue Reading

Other books by Annabell Seto

More
The Rejected Burden: Rising From The Shadows

The Rejected Burden: Rising From The Shadows

Modern

5.0

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.

When A Date Becomes A Downfall

When A Date Becomes A Downfall

Sci-fi

5.0

My dad, a retired intelligence officer, had an unusual request: come home and meet someone. "This is critical, Ava. His name is Liam Vance. His father is Senator Vance. It's a good match." I sighed; I knew this was a setup, a potential alliance between old money and new power. I agreed, but only if I could bring my "project"-a prototype armored vehicle, Red Flag H-1-a sleek, unassuming black sedan that was also a two-hundred-million-dollar government asset. Driving the most technologically advanced vehicle on the planet to a blind date for marriage felt ironic. As I neared the restaurant, I signaled for a parking spot, but a red Ferrari screamed in, cutting me off. With a sickening crunch, the Ferrari slammed into my fender. Its front end crumpled like a cheap can, while my prototype barely shuddered. A woman in an expensive dress stumbled out, pointing at my car. "Are you blind? Did you not see me coming? What the hell is wrong with you?" She reeked of perfume and alcohol, accusing me of damaging her "one-hundred-thousand-dollar car." She pulled out her phone, hysterically claiming I' d pay for everything, including her emotional distress. Thinking she was Liam Vance's employee, I calmly mentioned meeting him. "You? Meet Mr. Vance?" she sneered, introducing herself as Tiffany Hayes, his executive assistant. "He doesn't meet with trash like you." My patience thin, I called Liam directly, explaining the situation. His tone turned cold, echoing Tiffany' s twisted version of events. "My assistant just told me some woman in a piece of junk sedan crashed into her. Now she\'s trying to scam her way into a dinner with me. Tiff handles these things, pay her what you owe for the damages and get lost." He hung up, the sheer arrogance stunning. Tiffany, victorious, demanded one hundred thousand dollars, then the crowd started whispering, "That's Tiff Hayes, Liam Vance's girl. She's ruthless. That poor woman is screwed." Something inside me shifted. They had no idea who they were dealing with.

Tainted Vows, Deadly Truths

Tainted Vows, Deadly Truths

Modern

5.0

A crisp white envelope, starkly blank save for my name, Ashley Carter, typed neatly, lay on my kitchen counter. Inside, a single sheet: a confidential lab report. Tiffany Bellweather. HIV Positive. My heart hammered with a sickening dread as I drove to the new house, the future home Mark and I had planned to fill with our life. I bypassed the door, stepping in to find him, my fiancé Mark, and his high school flame, Tiff, brazenly entangled on the floor of what was supposed to be our master bedroom. The air left my lungs, a horrifyingly familiar scene echoing from a nightmare I had already lived through. Last time, I' d stumbled upon Tiff' s secrets, tried desperately to warn Mark, only for Tiff to "accidentally" fall, and him to blame me. The true horror followed: standing at Tiff' s grave, Mark, a mask of cold fury, watching as his hired thugs tortured, violated, and ultimately ended me, all live-streamed to the world. My mother, heartbroken, suffered a fatal stroke, and my strong father, David, was financially ruined and then silenced forever by those same brutes. All of it, because I tried to warn him about Tiff. Now, the lab report, undeniable proof, was in my purse. But when Mark called later, his voice accusing, "Are you trying to slander Tiff with fake medical reports again?", my blood ran cold. Again? That single word shattered my world. He remembered. He was reborn too. The game had just changed, becoming unimaginably more dangerous. This time, I wouldn't warn him. This time, I wouldn' t say a single word. My revenge would be silent, precise, and absolute.

You'll also like

The Ghost Wife's Billion Dollar Tech Comeback

The Ghost Wife's Billion Dollar Tech Comeback

Huo Wuer
4.5

Today is October 14th, my birthday. I returned to New York after months away, dragging my suitcase through the biting wind, but the VIP pickup zone where my husband's Maybach usually idled was empty. When I finally let myself into our Upper East Side penthouse, I didn't find a cake or a "welcome home" banner. Instead, I found my husband, Caden, kneeling on the floor, helping our five-year-old daughter wrap a massive gift for my half-sister, Adalynn. Caden didn't even look up when I walked in; he was too busy laughing with the girl who had already stolen my father's legacy and was now moving in on my family. "Auntie Addie is a million times better than Mommy," my daughter Elara chirped, clutching a plush toy Caden had once forbidden me from buying for her. "Mommy is mean," she whispered loudly, while Caden just smirked, calling me a "drill sergeant" before whisking her off to Adalynn's party without a second glance. Later that night, I saw a video Adalynn posted online where my husband and child laughed while mocking my "sensitive" nature, treating me like an inconvenient ghost in my own home. I had spent five years researching nutrition for Elara's health and managing every detail of Caden's empire, only to be discarded the moment I wasn't in the room. How could the man who set his safe combination to my birthday completely forget I even existed? The realization didn't break me; it turned me into ice. I didn't scream or beg for an explanation. I simply walked into the study, pulled out the divorce papers I'd drafted months ago, and took a black marker to the terms. I crossed out the alimony, the mansion, and even the custody clause-if they wanted a life without me, I would give them exactly what they asked for. I left my four-carat diamond ring on the console table and walked out into the rain with nothing but a heavily encrypted hard drive. The submissive Mrs. Holloway was gone, and "Ghost," the most lethal architect in the tech world, was finally back online to take back everything they thought I'd forgotten.

The Discarded Heiress: Marrying My Lethal Husband

The Discarded Heiress: Marrying My Lethal Husband

Xiao Wang
5.0

The rain in Detroit was slick with grime when my family finally came to fetch me. They didn't want a reunion; they wanted a sacrificial lamb to marry into the Kaufman empire to save their failing business. I thought I was just being sold off, but the limo ride ended under a dark overpass where six hired thugs were waiting with chains. My own sister had ordered them to "break my spirit" so I’d be a shaking, pathetic mess by the time I reached the altar. They called me "Detroit trash" and sprayed air freshener when I sat on their leather seats. My stepmother wanted a video of me begging for my life, and my father was ready to trade me like a used car to a man everyone called a "vegetable." They expected a submissive country girl, unaware that I was a high-level "cleaner" who could snap a radius bone before they could even scream. When I finally reached the Kaufman estate, I found my fiancé, Barron, slumped in a wheelchair, drooling and silent. But as soon as the doors closed, the "invalid" grabbed my wrist with a grip of iron and whispered a command that changed everything. I didn't understand why my own blood was so desperate to see me destroyed. What had I ever done to deserve a hit squad and a forced marriage to a man they thought was a corpse? But Barron isn't a vegetable, and I'm not a victim. We just touched down at the Moon family gala in a matte-black helicopter, and as the doors slide open, the "broken" bride is about to show them exactly what happens when you throw away the wrong daughter. "If we're going to crash a party," Barron whispered, his eyes burning with lethal clarity, "we should make an entrance."

The Placeholder Bride's Secret Billionaire Revenge

The Placeholder Bride's Secret Billionaire Revenge

Luo Ye
5.0

For two years, I was the invisible force behind tech billionaire Kieran Douglas, convinced that our "private" romance was his way of protecting us from the tabloid spotlight. I managed his mergers, warmed his bed, and waited for a future that didn't exist. The illusion shattered at 6:00 AM when a Page Six alert debuted Kieran’s "real" romance with socialite Aspen Schneider. Before I could even process the betrayal, Kieran sent me a cold, professional text: "Order flowers for Aspen. Pink peonies. Her favorite." When I tried to walk away, my own mother called me a disgrace and threatened to lock my inheritance forever unless I married a sixty-year-old businessman to save her failing estate. At a high-society gala that same night, Aspen intentionally crushed my burned hand in front of the cameras, while Kieran stood by and dismissed me as a "mediocre assistant" who had overstayed her welcome. I stood in the cold New York rain, drenched in champagne and humiliation, realizing that every sacrifice I made for Kieran was a joke. I was a ghost in a penthouse that was never mine, discarded the moment his "soulmate" returned. To the world, I was just a placeholder whose time had run out. But Kieran forgot one thing: my father’s multi-million dollar trust fund unlocks the moment I legally marry. I didn't need love; I needed a signature and a shield. I walked into a discreet law firm and signed a marriage contract with a man I believed was the city’s most notorious, scandal-ridden playboy. I thought I was marrying a degenerate "beard" to buy my freedom and secure my revenge. I didn't realize the man who signed that paper wasn't a playboy at all, but Gaston Collins—the most powerful and dangerous man on Wall Street—and he had no intention of letting our fake marriage stay fake.

No Longer Mrs. Cooley: The Architect's Return

No Longer Mrs. Cooley: The Architect's Return

Xiao Xiaosu
4.5

I went to the City Clerk’s office for a routine copy of my marriage license to finalize a trust fund audit. I expected a simple piece of paper, but the clerk’s pitying look told me my entire life was a lie. "The license was never finalized, Ms. Oliver. In the eyes of the state, you are single." The three-hundred-guest wedding at the Plaza and the Vogue features meant nothing. My husband, Gray Cooley, had intentionally filed the documents with a "procedural defect" so he could discard me without a legal divorce. Moments later, an iCloud invite titled "Our Little Secret" popped up on my screen. It was a photo of my best friend, Brylee, holding a positive pregnancy test at our Hamptons estate. Gray’s text to her was the final blow: "Happy anniversary, babe. This baby is the best gift. Once the trust unlocks today, we’re done with the charade." I soon discovered they were even stealing my career, reassigning my architectural masterpiece to Brylee while preparing my eviction notice. Gray's mother called me a "barren mule" in a leaked recording, mocking the infertility I suffered after saving Gray’s life in a construction accident. I wasn't a wife; I was a three-year placeholder used to secure his inheritance. How could the man I bled for treat me like a disposable prop? How could my best friend carry his child while pretending to comfort me through my darkest moments? The betrayal burned until it turned into a cold, hard stone of fury. I didn't cry. Instead, I walked into the penthouse of the Barretts, the Cooleys' most powerful rivals. I signed a marriage contract with Kane Barrett, the man the tabloids called the "Beast of Wall Street." "I want a wedding," I told his father, my voice steady and lethal. "Bigger than the one I had with Gray." If they wanted me gone, they would have to watch me become the woman who owns their world.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
Gone With His Treacherous Love Gone With His Treacherous Love Annabell Seto Romance
“On the fifth anniversary of my father' s death, I discovered my fiancé, Graham, was having an affair with my sister, Hollie. The betrayal was compounded by a second, more devastating secret: Hollie was pregnant with his child. All this, while I was secretly carrying his baby too. He swore his loyalty to me, calling betrayal the ultimate sin, all while planning a future with her. He dismissed her as a "childish infatuation" to my face, then rushed to her side for a "family emergency." I followed him and watched them embrace, heard him promise her fireworks and my life. I saw her hand him a gift, then he carried her inside. The door closed on their shared secret, and on my entire world. My sister then sent me a picture of her ultrasound, taunting me to leave quietly. She thought she had won. But she didn't know I had already made a call. Three days later, as Graham stood with a visibly pregnant Hollie at the chapel where we were supposed to get married, he saw my car speed past. His face twisted in horror as he realized I was gone. Not just leaving, but disappearing completely. Three years later, I returned, no longer his fiancée, but Dr. Cross, a powerful strategist he couldn't touch. And he was just a man desperate to get back what he had destroyed.”
1

Chapter 1

11/12/2025

2

Chapter 2

11/12/2025

3

Chapter 3

11/12/2025

4

Chapter 4

11/12/2025

5

Chapter 5

11/12/2025

6

Chapter 6

11/12/2025

7

Chapter 7

11/12/2025

8

Chapter 8

11/12/2025

9

Chapter 9

11/12/2025

10

Chapter 10

11/12/2025