When Loyalty Ran Dry

When Loyalty Ran Dry

Marvella

5.0
Comment(s)
109
View
11
Chapters

We were ten minutes away from getting our marriage license, for the eleventh time. Just as we neared the office, her phone buzzed with a call from Liam, her 'sick' ex, instantly draining her face of color and her devotion from me. She abandoned me again, speeding off to his side for what felt like the hundredth time, leaving me alone in the car. Hours later, while I drowned my sorrows in whiskey, she called not to check on me, but to furiously worry about her image after I posted a raw, heartbroken selfie. Her voice wasn't concerned; it was furious, demanding I consider 'her reputation' and 'Liam's friends' rather than my pain. This was a recurring nightmare, a pattern of abandonment and emotional manipulation that had plagued our seven-year relationship. Each time, her loyalty to Liam, a man who always seemed to experience a 'critical episode' whenever Chloe and I neared a milestone, overshadowed any commitment to me. How could she continuously choose him, a man she claimed was 'just a friend,' over the life we were supposed to be building? Was I truly so selfish for wanting her to choose us for once? Her casual dismissal of my pain, declaring 'Liam needs me more, you' re healthy, you can wait,' echoed in my mind like a cruel mantra. But this time, something broke inside me, and the weariness transformed into a stone-cold resolve. The very next day, a life-changing opportunity landed on my desk: a lead architect position in Austin, Texas. It wasn't just a job; it was my one-way ticket out, a chance to finally choose myself and escape the endless cycle of heartbreak. I took it.

Introduction

We were ten minutes away from getting our marriage license, for the eleventh time.

Just as we neared the office, her phone buzzed with a call from Liam, her 'sick' ex, instantly draining her face of color and her devotion from me.

She abandoned me again, speeding off to his side for what felt like the hundredth time, leaving me alone in the car.

Hours later, while I drowned my sorrows in whiskey, she called not to check on me, but to furiously worry about her image after I posted a raw, heartbroken selfie.

Her voice wasn't concerned; it was furious, demanding I consider 'her reputation' and 'Liam's friends' rather than my pain.

This was a recurring nightmare, a pattern of abandonment and emotional manipulation that had plagued our seven-year relationship.

Each time, her loyalty to Liam, a man who always seemed to experience a 'critical episode' whenever Chloe and I neared a milestone, overshadowed any commitment to me.

How could she continuously choose him, a man she claimed was 'just a friend,' over the life we were supposed to be building?

Was I truly so selfish for wanting her to choose us for once?

Her casual dismissal of my pain, declaring 'Liam needs me more, you' re healthy, you can wait,' echoed in my mind like a cruel mantra.

But this time, something broke inside me, and the weariness transformed into a stone-cold resolve.

The very next day, a life-changing opportunity landed on my desk: a lead architect position in Austin, Texas.

It wasn't just a job; it was my one-way ticket out, a chance to finally choose myself and escape the endless cycle of heartbreak.

I took it.

Continue Reading

Other books by Marvella

More
Incubator No More: The Billionaire's Secret Heir

Incubator No More: The Billionaire's Secret Heir

Modern

5.0

I sat in the VIP waiting room of the fertility clinic, clutching the report that confirmed my implantation was a success. After years of struggling, I finally had a reason to make my marriage with Garnett work. But when I went to find him in the lounge, I heard a woman’s laughter coming from behind the door. It was his mistress, Alison. I froze as I heard Garnett’s cold, dismissive voice. "She’s just an incubator." "Once the heir is born, we kick her out. The trust fund only requires a legitimate heir born to my wife. It doesn't require the wife to stick around afterwards." The betrayal went deeper than I could have imagined. I soon discovered the clinic had botched the procedure—the baby I was carrying wasn't even Garnett’s. It was donor sperm from Sterling Sharp, the most powerful tech mogul in the world. When my in-laws forced me to move into their estate for "monitoring," I realized I was entering a cage. Garnett and his mistress were paying the family doctor to inject me with hallucinogens to mimic a mental breakdown. They planned to declare me legally incompetent and commit me to an asylum the second I gave birth. I stood in the shadows of the East Wing, realizing my husband wasn't just stealing my child—he was trying to delete my mind. The people I called family were poisoning me daily, waiting for me to break so they could claim a legacy that wasn't even theirs. They wanted a madwoman, so I decided to give them one. I turned the doctor into my double agent, faked every symptom of a breakdown, and began building a secret empire from the shadows. Garnett thinks he’s trapped an incubator, but he’s actually locked himself in with a nuclear weapon.

Eight Years, One Betrayal

Eight Years, One Betrayal

Romance

5.0

For eight years, I, Chloe Davis, lived in the shadows, pouring my soul into Liam Stone's music, ghostwriting his hits, and supporting his every dream. I was his secret girlfriend, enduring hidden holidays and hushed dinners, all for the promise that one day, he' d reveal me as the woman he loved. Tonight was supposed to be that night. But as Liam stood on the glittering stage of the Starlight Music Awards, clutching the "Best New Artist" trophy, his eyes scanned the crowd not for me, but for stunning, famous Scarlett Blake. "My inspiration, my muse," he declared, beaming at her. Then, the crushing blow: "Scarlett, darling, once I solidify my A-list status, I' m yours forever." My world went silent. The eight years of sacrifice, my unseen labor, my unwavering devotion-all erased by a public declaration meant for another woman. He celebrated with champagne and victory, completely oblivious to the hollow ache in my chest, the numb limb that was finally acknowledged as dead. He called my quietness a flaw in his perfect evening. He thought a diamond necklace could fix it. He thought his casual affair, texting Scarlett the night of his triumph, would go unnoticed. He still believed there was an "us." I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I just packed. I was no longer the girl who loved him more than herself. That 18-year-old was gone. The 28-year-old Chloe, the one who just sold her entire song catalog, was done being a stepping stone. This was over. He didn't know it yet, but his secret weapon had just become his biggest threat.

You'll also like

The Scars Behind My Golden Dress

The Scars Behind My Golden Dress

Catherine
5.0

I spent four hours preparing a five-course meal for our fifth anniversary. When Jackson finally walked into the penthouse an hour late, he didn't even look at the table. He just dropped a thick Manila envelope in front of me and told me he was done. He said his stepsister, Davida, was getting worse and needed "stability." I wasn't his wife; I was a placeholder, a temporary fix he used until the woman he actually loved was ready to take my place. Jackson didn't just want a divorce; he wanted to erase me. He called me a "proprietary asset," claiming that every design I had created to save his empire belonged to him. He froze my bank accounts, cut off my phone, and told me I’d be nothing without his name. Davida even called me from her hospital bed to flaunt the family heirloom ring Jackson claimed was lost, mocking me for being "baggage" that was finally being cleared out. I stood in our empty home, realizing I had spent five years being a martyr for a man who saw me as a transaction. I couldn't understand how he could be so blind to the monster he was protecting, or how he could discard me so coldly after I had given him everything. I grabbed my hidden sketchbook, shredded our wedding portrait, and walked out into the rain. I dialed a number I hadn't touched in years—a dangerous man known as The Surgeon who dealt in debts and shadows. I told him I was ready to pay his price. Jackson and Davida wanted to steal my identity, but I was about to show the world the literal scars they had left behind.

He Thought I Was A Doormat, Until I Ruined Him

He Thought I Was A Doormat, Until I Ruined Him

SHANA GRAY
4.5

The sterile white of the operating room blurred, then sharpened, as Skye Sterling felt the cold clawing its way up her body. The heart monitor flatlined, a steady, high-pitched whine announcing her end. Her uterus had been removed, a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding, but the blood wouldn't clot. It just kept flowing, warm and sticky, pooling beneath her. Through heavy eyes, she saw a trembling nurse holding a phone on speaker. "Mr. Kensington," the nurse's voice cracked, "your wife... she's critical." A pause, then a sweet, poisonous giggle. Seraphina Miller. "Liam is in the shower," Seraphina's voice purred. "Stop calling, Skye. It's pathetic. Faking a medical emergency on our anniversary? Even for you, that's low." Then, Liam's bored voice: "If she dies, call the funeral home. I have a meeting in the morning." Click. The line went dead. A second later, so did Skye. The darkness that followed was absolute, suffocating, a black ocean crushing her lungs. She screamed into the void, a silent, agonizing wail of regret for loving a man who saw her as a nuisance, for dying without ever truly living. Until she died, she didn't understand. Why was her life so tragically wasted? Why did her husband, the man she loved, abandon her so cruelly? The injustice of it all burned hotter than the fever in her body. Then, the air rushed back in. Skye gasped, her body convulsing violently on the mattress. Her eyes flew open, wide and terrified, staring blindly into the darkness. Her trembling hand reached for her phone. May 12th. Five years ago. She was back.

The $300 Husband Is A Zillionaire

The $300 Husband Is A Zillionaire

Nap Regazzini
4.5

I woke up in a blindingly white hotel penthouse with a throbbing headache and the taste of betrayal in my mouth. The last thing I remembered was my stepsister, Cathie, handing me a flute of champagne at the charity gala with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Now, a tall, dangerously handsome man walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his hips. On the nightstand sat a stack of hundred-dollar bills. My stepmother had finally done it—she drugged me and staged a scandal with a hired escort to destroy my reputation and my future. "Aisha! Is it true you spent the night with a gigolo?" The shouts of a dozen reporters echoed through the heavy oak door as camera flashes exploded through the peephole. My phone lit up with messages showing my bank accounts were already frozen. My father was invoking the 'morality clause' in my mother’s trust fund, and my fiancé had already released a statement dumping me to marry my stepsister instead. I was trapped, penniless, and being hunted by the press for a scandal I hadn't even participated in. My own family had sold me out for a payday, and the man standing in front of me was the only witness who could prove I was innocent—or finish me off for good. I didn't have time to cry. According to the fine print of the trust, I had thirty days to prove my "rehabilitation" through a legal marriage or I would lose everything. I tracked the man down to a coffee shop the next morning, watching him take a thick envelope of cash from a wealthy older woman. I sat across from him and slid a napkin with a $50,000 figure written on it. "I need a husband. Legal, paper-signed, and convincing." He looked at the number, then at me, a slow, crooked smile spreading across his face. I thought I was hiring a desperate gigolo to save my inheritance. I had no idea I was actually proposing to Dominic Fields, the reclusive billionaire shark who was currently planning a hostile takeover of my father’s entire empire.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book