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Posted by ADMINMMADMIN, ? Views, Released on June 23, 2025

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Chantelle’s POV

I kept my face blank as I casually dropped the journal into the fireplace. But my voice came out hoarse, betraying me.

“Just burning something.”

Lachlan frowned, clearly unsettled. He looked like he wanted to say something, but Kirsten tugged at his sleeve.

After a moment, he finally spoke, his tone stiff.

“The twins will be staying here for a while. We’ll let them use the nursery we set up.”

My body went still, only my fingernails moving, digging into my palm.

“That nursery was meant for our child.”

His expression didn’t change. “They’re my children too.”

A bitter smile tugged at my lips at that announcement. I could only rest a hand over my belly, a habit I hadn’t quite shaken.

Seeing I didn’t reply, he softened his tone like he was trying to be kind.

“They can be your children too, you know.”

I looked him in the eye. “They’ll never be mine.”

And with that, I turned and headed upstairs, ignoring the fake whine of Kirsten’s voice drifting behind me.

Back in my room, my phone wouldn’t stop buzzing.

Every notification was from her.

[That necklace he gave you after your miscarriage? Just a freebie I didn’t want.]

[Every time he told you he was on a business trip, he was actually with me. You didn’t know? He’s already introduced me to his friends, business partners, even clients. In their eyes, I’m his wife. You? You’re just the secretary he married in secret!]

One photo after another followed–her with Lachlan.

The most recent one was from last night.

While I was trapped in a dusty storage room, struggling to breathe through a cloud of allergens…

He was with her. In bed.

Time and again, at my worst moments, he had been with her.

The realization hit hard, but the pain didn’t linger.

It faded fast, swallowed by numbness.

By the time Lachlan returned, it was already midnight.

He smelled faintly of jasmine. Red marks were still fresh on his neck.

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When he saw me sitting in silence, he pulled a crooked smile.

“Hey, I know what happened today was a bit much. But think of this as me atoning on your behalf. Look, Kirsten has already agreed to forgive you–just apologize tomorrow, and it’ll all be over.”

I let out a soundless laugh.

He hadn’t even asked what really happened.

Didn’t need to, I guess–he’d already made up his mind.

‘So this is how he sees me now–a malicious woman through and through.‘

But I’d stand my ground. “I’m not apologizing for something I didn’t do.”

His jaw tightened, but before he could shoot back anything, his phone lit up.

Through the glare of the screen, I saw a photo–her in a sheer, lacy nightgown, barely covering anything.

Something flickered in his eyes–lust. And just like that, he shut the phone and moved straight for the door.

“Stop making this harder than it needs to be. Think of your mom’s medical bills. Just apologize and it all goes away.”

He didn’t wait for a response. The door slammed behind him.

Ten minutes later, I got a video from Kirsten.

In it, Lachlan’s eyes were filled with hunger as he ran his hands over her body.

I turned off my phone and shut my eyes tight.

The next morning, just as I came downstairs, Lachlan grabbed my arm.

“Like we talked about–just apologize, and it’s over.”

I couldn’t shake him off. He was forceful enough to drag me in front of Kirsten.

He pressed a bowl of steaming soup into my hands, his voice soft but edged with warning.

“Think of your mom. Say sorry and give this to Kirsten, and I’ll keep covering your mom’s medical bills.”

The heat from the bowl stung my palms, but it was nothing compared to the cold settling in my chest.

Swallowing the last of my pride, I stepped forward and held the bowl out to her–but no apology left my lips.

Kirsten smiled, a flicker of triumph in her eyes. “I’ll make sure you’re out of the picture for good,” I heard her mumble.

The next second, she suddenly knocked the bowl from my hands, sending a scalding soL, splash across my front. Before I could react, she let out a sharp scream–as if she’d been the one burned.

Lachlan turned on me instantly.

“Damn it, Chantelle!” he shouted, shoving me to the ground. “I told you to apologize–and

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“Damn it, Chantelle!” he shouted, shoving me to the ground. “I told you to apologize and

now you’re attacking her again?!”

The pain hit fast, stealing my breath. I could only curl in on myself, trembling.

Kirsten clung to his sleeve, tears flowing freely.

“Forget it, Locke… I don’t need her apology anymore. I’ll take the twins and leave. I’m pregnant now. I… I don’t feel safe.”

His expression shifted in an instant–fear, anger, protectiveness–all for her.

After making sure she was settled, he came back.

He didn’t speak. Didn’t hesitate.

He just yanked me up by the hair and dragged me into the kitchen.

Then he forced my hands into a bowl of boiling soup!

The agony stole my voice–1 couldn’t even scream.

He looked at me–eyes full of cold judgment, with the faintest trace of pity that meant. nothing at all.

Only when I was on the verge of passing out did he finally let go.

༈

“From now on,” he warned, “whatever you do to Kirsten, I’ll make sure you pay it tenfold.”

He then kicked me aside like trash and rushed Kirsten–perfectly unharmed–to the hospital.

I made my way there alone, half–stumbling, half–limping, looking more like a madwoman than a patient.

Once they finished treating my burns, I didn’t go home.

I went straight to the office, resignation papers in my hand.

When I saw Lachlan, I tried to hand them over. He didn’t even look at me; he just stepped

around me like I wasn’t there.

An assistant glanced over awkwardly.

“Secretary Segerblom… President Gurfinchel said if you have something to say, please wait until after the meeting.”

I numbly nodded and stood off to the side.

Midway through the meeting, the projector flickered–and suddenly, photos of me and Lachlan appeared. Some of them… far too intimate.

Under everyone’s stares, I shook with humiliation, rushing to shut it off.

“So it’s true… the secretary really is sleeping with the CEO.”

“Didn’t see that coming…”

Lachlan turned toward me, frowning–like I was the one responsible.

The slideshow kept going behind me, each photo more damning than the last. Suddenly, the door burst open–Kirsten walked in, holding the twins by the hand.