Brushing off the confrontation with a dismissive flick of her wrist, Kyla declared, “I have things to do, so I’ll be off.”
She then turned sharply and walked away, her heels clicking ominously against the hard floor.
Sadie sank into her chair, a whirlwind of emotions leaving her unsettled.
The moment she walked into the office, an awkward silence settled over her colleagues, their eyes darting away as if that could undo the whispers from before.
Distracted by the whirlwind of her thoughts, Sadie barely registered the shift in the office’s mood.
It wasn’t until a colleague-nervous and fidgety-made her way to her desk that Sadie snapped back to reality. With a hesitant cough, the colleague seemed to struggle with words, her discomfort palpable in the thick air.
“What’s going on here?” Sadie’s voice cut through the silence, her brow furrowed in concern.
The office felt suddenly smaller as her colleagues exchanged uneasy looks. Finally, one of them stepped forward, her face flushed with embarrassment. “Sadie, we owe you an apology,” she said, unable to meet Sadie’s eyes.
“We got it all wrong. We shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions,” another colleague said.
“We thought that you and Mr. Wall… well, that you were the other woman…”
“It was wrong of us to assume without knowing the whole story. Please forgive us.”
Sadie’s mouth fell open in shock. “What happened?” she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.
“You should check the group chat,” a colleague said, pointing towards Sadie’s computer with a sheepish expression.
As Sadie turned to her screen, a cautious hope began to bubble inside her. Could it be that Noah had made their marriage public?
Was he ready to embrace their relationship openly, to declare their bond to the world?
Heart pounding with a mix of nerves and urgency, Sadie started her computer, clicking into the work group chat without hesitation. For a brief, hopeful second, her lips curved into a tentative smile.
But it faltered, then froze entirely.
The pinned message wasn’t the happy announcement she had longed for.
Instead, it was a somber clarification.
Her eyes scanned the lines quickly; they were penned by a colleague from the marketing department, one with whom she had previously clashed. The colleague confessed to having taken those photos with the sole intent of tarnishing Sadie’s reputation.
An official notice from the company swiftly followed, denouncing the colleague’s actions and imposing a strict penalty, while also issuing a stern warning against the spread of rumors.
So, it wasn’t what she had thought.
Disappointment crashed over Sadie like a cold wave, leaving a sting as if she had been slapped hard across the face. The sensation seared her, sinking claws deep into her flesh.
“Talk all you want, but at the end of the day, it’s Noah’s feelings that decide everything.” Kyla’s words haunted her, tightening around her heart like a steel vice.
Was it possible? Noah preferred pinning the blame on an innocent colleague rather than making their marriage public, simply to shield Kyla from the scandal of being the other woman?
Sadie’s hands balled into fists at her sides, her nails digging crescents into her palms. Yet, she felt numb to the physical pain.
The ache in her heart dwarfed any physical discomfort, a deep, throbbing wound far more grievous than any cut could ever be. The realization pierced her heart like a shard of ice, chilling and sharp, drawing forth a silent, seething agony.
Sadie had given everything to this marriage, putting her own dreams on hold just to stand by Noah’s side, unseen but unwavering.
Yet, this was her bitter reward.
A hollow laugh escaped her lips, tinged with the taste of disillusionment.
As the sun dipped below the horizon and the office buzz dwindled to a hushed stillness, Sadie lingered at her desk, lost in thought. The soft luminescence of her computer screen cast ghostly shadows across her features, underscoring the turmoil within.
She marveled numbly at her ability to endure the day-each sidelong glance and hushed murmur from her colleagues felt like a blade twisting in her already wounded heart.
She had believed herself resilient, armored against the slings and arrows of fate. But the harsh light of truth unveiled her fragility, a delicate glass figure on the verge of shattering.
“Sadie, why are you still here?”
The sudden intrusion of a familiar voice jolted her from her reverie. It was Tina Delgado, a beacon of kindness in the often indifferent sea of their corporate world.
“I’m just… trying to wrap my head around the new project,” Sadie replied, mustering a feeble smile to mask her inner chaos.
Tina eyed Sadie with concern, her brows knitting together. “Work’s still on your mind even now? You really should take it easy and rest,” she advised softly. “Come on, let’s go home together.”
“No, I still have a few things to wrap up,” Sadie responded, her voice tinged with exhaustion.
She craved some solitude, a moment to untangle her thoughts. After Tina’s departure, Sadie lingered in the quiet office for a while before she finally stood to leave.
Outside, darkness had enveloped the city. Despite the vibrant lights and the incessant hum of traffic, a sharp pang of loneliness sliced through her.
She meandered through the streets, the sharp click of her heels on the pavement echoing around her. The fading light of the sunset stretched her shadow long and thin across the ground.
Suddenly, the harsh screech of brakes rang out near her, and an unseen force slammed into her, sending her crashing to the sidewalk. A jolt of pain seared through her ankle, drawing a sharp gasp from her lips.
“Are you blind? Watch where you’re going!” The voice came from a young man perched on a motorcycle, his hair dyed a striking shade of yellow. He glared down at her, his black leather jacket catching the dim light.
Gritting her teeth against the pain, Sadie attempted to rise, her hands trembling.
“This day is an absolute train wreck,” the young man grumbled, his voice dripping with disdain as he revved his engine and sped off into the night.
Sadie sat on the chilly pavement, her tears carving wet trails down her cheeks. She felt completely forsaken, as if the world had turned its back on her. Her ankle pulsed with a sharp, insistent pain. She reached for her phone, her heart sinking as she realized the battery was dead.
At that moment, the purr of an engine drew her attention. A black Bentley glided to a stop before her, its presence almost surreal in the dim streetlight.
The window descended smoothly, revealing a man with striking features and an air of unmistakable elegance-it was Noah.
What the hell was he doing here?
Sadie’s mind raced, her heart fluttering with a mix of dread and unexpected hope.
“Get in,” Noah commanded, his voice deep and compelling, resonating with a familiar authority that sent shivers down Sadie’s spine.
As Sadie hesitated, her thoughts flashed to Kyla’s recent Instagram post-the very car Noah was driving now had been used to escort Kyla just the night before.
Could he be here for Kyla again?
The possibility stung, sending a wave of sorrow through her already fragile emotions.
With a defiant bite of her lip, she turned her head away, unwilling to let Noah see the vulnerability in her eyes.
“I said, get in,” Noah repeated, his impatience tinged with a sharper edge.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Sadie pushed herself to her feet, her injured ankle protesting as she limped slightly.
“That won’t be necessary, Mr. Wall. I can manage on my own,” she declared, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside.
Whatever they had was over-she wanted him out of her life for good. But after just a few steps, a tight grip locked around her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.
She glanced back-Noah had left the car and wasn’t letting her go. His imposing figure loomed, his voice carrying a quiet hint of annoyance. “Sadie, what’s the drama about this time?”
A pang of sorrow tightened around Sadie’s heart.
Jerking her hand away, she straightened her posture and masked her pain with a veneer of cool detachment. “You really think too highly of yourself, don’t you? We’re getting divorced, and the last thing I need is any drama that might confuse your precious sweetheart.”
Noah’s expression faltered, a trace of discomfort flashing across his features.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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