iel
lief and pride, my hands shaking as I let out a sharp yelp. The office people turned and stared, some raising eyebrows at me, but I couldn't care less. My cheeks hurt from trying to hold back a grin. I mumbled, "Sorry," and turned back to the computer
ael to get that client. I worked late into the night
ing me and snapping m
Daniel
Who i
ny, we are attemp
k app, clicked on my credit card, and when I saw the amount, I tu
t be a m
ear, knuckles white. My fingers numbed. Hotels. Late nights. Sometimes he never came home. My mind raced to piece it together, but all I
I checked the checking account and saw only 5
he was not there. I asked a coworker about him, and they
posit
ncy," and looked annoyed, as
eturned. I drove home an
So, you're happy, too happ
. As we walked into the liv
it's been great. We
mach d
"I need you to sign the divorce pa
t I helped you rise? My voice quivered, anger boiling until my body was rigid. Ra
, Daniela." Her
t silence because you know th
face. I couldn't breathe; the world spun. I snapped, shoving her off. She stumbled, fell from the couch, gasping. The room was sil
s, as if my life had fractured in the
, and now I'm disposable? You maxed ou
know what you
it now, who is she, the blo
? Sign the pap
d to get you to the top;
his phone, turned it to show me an image: my grandm
el, r
my name on the documents. He continued, "Go pack your things and leave. Oh, by the way,
lled Lara while stuffing things into
a, ¿qu
ick me up,
teen. I wil
ut the door and waited by the curb f
opened the trunk, and threw the suitcase
ll in sick and
nk you for letting me s
Hi, I said softly, can I c
f course. Tell
the end, he promised to keep it bet
d woke up with Lara's arm
I couldn't tell anyone about it. Raphael left me in a ton of debt, alone and homeless. Lar
gent, not knowing he was aiming to be the boss. I've been played badly. It hurt more that I wasted three years; I had ju
iting downstairs. I had to disappear. But even as I walked away from everything I knew, a small part of me clung to hope. Maybe, somewhere ahead, I could start over. I didn't know w
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