Chapter 3 Don’t Even Think About It
Chapter 3 Don’t Even Think About It
If he had just turned his head, even for a second, he would’ve seen her–his wife, sitting alone at the edge of the sidewalk, drenched in the rain, shaking from the cold, her eyespletely
empty.
However, he didn’t.
He was too lost in the thrill. That young girl in his arms lit him up with something new. In that moment, he forgot he had a home, a wife, or a past.
Anneliese watched the car fade into the city’s neon blur. Then, she stood.
She reached into her purse, pulled out the fertility report, and tore it apart piece by piece. Her fingers moved slow and steady. When she was done, she walked to a nearby trash bin and dropped the shreds in.
Then, she turned and walked the other way.
The night had deepened, and the misty rain still fell.
Even the busy business district had gone quiet.
At the corner, an olddy squatted on the curb. Her white hair clung to her skin under the streetlight, and rain misted across her thin coat. A few bunches of flowers rested by her feet.
Life was hard. Love meant nothing.
Anneliese slipped off her wedding ring. She stepped toward the olddy and gently took her hand. She ced the ring into her palm and folded her fingers over it.
“It’s raining. You should go
home.”
The olddy said nothing. Anneliese didn’t wait for a reply. She turned and walked away.
Two minutester, a ck Phantom pulled up to the curb. The driver’s door opened, and a man stepped out.
His leather shoes tapped the pavement, polished and narrow, catching the streetlight as he moved. His suit pants lifted slightly as he stepped forward, revealing dark socks and sharp, lean ankles.
<b>11:26 </b>Fri, Sep 5
Chapter 3 Don’t Even Think About It
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He stood tall. His frame filled the sidewalk as he opened a ck umbre arid walked straight. to the olddy.
He reached down and steadied her as she tried to rise. Her voice wavered. “Don’t be upset, Jonathan. 1 didn’t expect the rain. I’m still healthy. A little water doesn’t bother me.”
She exined that she had left a concert. On the way back, her driver had identally knocked down a flower seller. He took the girl to the hospital, so she waited here since thepany building was nearby. She figured her grandson, the workaholic, coulde get her.
However, when she saw the chill in his eyes, her words slowed.
Suddenly, she remembered the ring. She fumbled to push it into his hand.
“A young woman gave this to me by mistake. She walked away before I could say anything. Quick, go after her! She went that way!”
She pointed toward the street.
Jonathan Fullbuster–the olddy’s grandson–looked where she indicated and spotted a faint silhouette. A slim figure walked into the lights and fog, her form fading with each step.
“Get in the <b>car</b>.”
He helped his grandmother into the back seat. He turned up the heat, spread out a nket, and waited until she was settled. Then he shut the door and took off after the girl.
His stride was steady, long, and determined. The figure ahead became clearer.
She walked at a calm pace, straight into the rain. Her mist–blue coat clung to her back, soaked clean through. Her waist looked small, almost fragile. She held herself upright. Her whole presence felt distant, as if nothing in this noisy world could touch her.
She turned the corner and disappeared into the night.
By the time Jonathan caught up, she was gone.
The long street stretched ahead, still and empty. Light reflected in the puddles, casting blurred shapes across the sidewalk. It felt like she had never been there at all.
Back in the car, the olddy leaned toward him. “Well<b>?</b>”
“I didn’t catch her.”
Chapter 3 Don’t Even Think About It
She scowled. You run an airline and pilot your own nes, and you couldn’t catch one girl?”
“Grandma, your logic is a little off”
“Don’t get smart with me. I’m disappointed. That girl was beautiful and kind! Why <b>didn’t </b>you show up five minutes earlier? You might’ve met her! You have no idea how perfect you two would be together!”
“She’s married,” he replied, holding up the ring. It looked like a wedding band.
The olddy didn’t take it. She shoved it back toward him. “So what<b>? </b>She took it off, didn’t she? That means something. You’d better go find her and give it back.”
Jonathan turned the ring between his fingers.
The soft pink diamond caught the dim light and glimmered like a secret.
It feels weird… holding a stranger’s wedding ring.
His grandmother stared him down.
He gave in and tossed the ring onto the center console and let out a quiet sigh.
A faint smile tugged at the edge of his lips. His sharp profile looked softer in the dark. “Well, I appreciate your faith in me.”
“<i>I </i>don’t care. That ring’s worth at least a million. You’re going to find that girl and return it. Got it?”
“Got it, Your Majesty.”
He answered without conviction, but his eyes still flicked to the ring. What a headache, he thought.
Anneliese didn’t check her phone until she was in the back of the cab. Only then did she see the message Zacharias had sent two hours ago.
“Honey, something came up. Noting home tonight. Sleep early.”
She didn’t reply. She swiped away the pinned chat. Then she deleted the contact name “Hubby” and changed it to something else.
The bedroom looked like it had been staged for a photo shoot.
Chapter 3 Don’t Even Think About It
Roses covered the floor, their petals trailing from the doorway to the bed in a winding path of red.
Anneliese had dressed the bed in her favorite silk set, a soft shade of yellow that reminded her of buttercups in carly spring.
She had gone all in. Every corner felt warm and full of promise.
But now, it felt like a cruel joke.
She stormed in and ripped the sheets off in one hard pull. Petals scattered across the floor, tumbling in every direction like confetti after a failed celebration.
The next morning, the doorbell kept ringing. The sound wed at her skull. Her head throbbed, her temples pounding in sync with every buzz.
She forced herself downstairs and opened the door.
Jessica Sweeting stood there with fury all over her face. Before Anneliese could say a word, Jessica pulled her into a tight hug and started shouting.
“That j*rk! *sshole! He can forget about bing the richest man now!
“He’s got another woman in his heart, treats you like a stand–in, and still manages to fool everyone into thinking he’s such a good guy. D*mn. That’s some next–level maniption.
“What storm drain did he crawl out of? Who let him loose to wreck people’s lives?
“I swear, I hope he lives long enough to regret everything. May he stay infertile forever, and still have grandkids he doesn’t deserve!”
Jessica’s mouth didn’t stop. Each curse came harder than thest.
Anneliese pulled her inside, guided her to the couch, and poured her a ss of water.
Jessica downed it in one long gulp. When she looked at Anneliese again, she noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the tired slump in her shoulders. She stopped yelling and dug through her bag for a stack of photo
“Annie…”
“I’m fine. Just show me what you’ve got.”
Chapter 3 Don’t Even Think About It
Anneliese gave her a weak smile and took the pictures. She had tried to prepare herself. But the moment her eyesnded on the photos, her chest went right.
Zacharias had Coral tucked away in a private vi just a few streets from hispany.
They walked around together like a couple on vacation, bold and casual, with their hands locked like they had nothing to hide.
In one photo, taken just before dusk, Coral had her legs wrapped around his waist as he carried her into the vi. Her body pressed close. Her expression smug.
On her private social ount, Coral showed off designer bags–bags identical to the ones. Zacharias had given Anneliese.
In hertest post, Coral wore a diamond bracelet. Her fingers rested on <b>a </b>man’s chest, her
my hand.
caption written like a im–‘His love is in the diamond. His heart is uhan’s chest, her
Anneliese clenched the photo. Her knuckles went pale, and her eyes burned.
It wasn’t about missing him. It wasn’t even about heartbreak anymore.
It was about everything she had poured into a man who gave her back nothing but lies.
Jessica snatched the photos from her hand and hissed under her breath.
“Thank God you never slept with him. Or you’d be at the doctor by now. And even if everything came back clean, you’d still be sick just thinking about it.”
Anneliese gave a tiredugh. “Yeah. Lucky me, right?”
She stood up and headed upstairs. A few minutester, she returned with two big bags and dropped them at Jessica’s feet.
“Help me sell all of it. And use the money to support some girls who actually need it. Someone who deserves a shot.”
The bags were full of expensive gifts–watches, perfumes, purses, and jewelry. Things Zacharias had given her over the years.
But packing them made her realize something. None of it had ever meant anything. It was just money.
effortless spending. Thoughtles
She used to treasure those things. Now she couldn’t stand to look at them.
Why keep them, just to risk running into Coral wearing the same purse?
Chapter 3 Don’t Even Think About It
Jessica and Anneliese had grown up together in the same group home.
In Tree Coins
Jessica now ran a small hustle with two friends–part–time detectives, fake girlfriends, side–job specialists.
They did everything from catching cheaters to reselling luxury bags.
Anything for a price.
Jessica pulled the bags closer and gave a sharp whistle.
“Don’t worry. I’ll flip this stuff and find a few broke, hot high school guys to mentor. Let Zacharias know women can do the same demn thing.”
Sponsoring wasn’t just a man’s game.
Anneliese smiled and shook her head.
“No need. Let the stuff go to someone who needs it. Not every girl down on her luck turns into Coral. And Zacharias? He’s garbage. But I’m not crawling in after him.”
Jessica let out a deep sigh and cursed Zacharias again under her breath. A hundred silent ways.
He didn’t deserve a woman like Anneliese. And once she was gone, he’d never find another.
<b>go </b>
“What’s your n now? That *sshole’spany is blowing up. Guys like him, the ones who
of that came from nothing, they care more about image than anything. He’ll never let ‘perfect husband‘ mask. He’s probably not gonna make divorce easy…”
Jessica didn’t trust him. Not really. She had a bad feeling. Zacharias seemed obsessed, and part of her believed he hadn’t let Anneliese go at all.
Anneliese stayed home that day. She boxed up everything she owned,beling each item, organizing what she needed to take when the time came.
Her grandmother had left her a small apartment before she passed. Once the divorce went through, Anneliese nned to move in and start over.
By evening, Anneliese sat at her vanity, brushing her hair under the soft, warm lights. Her reflection looked steady, but her chest felt tight. Zacharias hade to pick her up for dinner at the Whites‘ estate.
He stepped behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders. His gaze met hers in the mirror.
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11:26 Fri, Sep <b>5 </b>
Chapter 3 Don’t Even Think About It
“Someone looks beautiful,” he said gently.
Hershes trembled. She turned to face him and tilted her chin up.
“Zacharias, do you really love me?”
He leaned closer and reached for her.
TO Free Come
“Why are you asking me that? Is it because I’ve been working too much? Not spending enough time with you?” His voice softened. “Once I get a break, we’ll make up for it. We’ll do the wedding, the honeymoon. You always wanted to see Bragg, right?”
Anneliese leaned away just enough to keep out of his arms. Her voice stayed calm. “No thanks. If you don’t love me, we can get a divorce. I don’t need the title of Mrs. Shaw.”
They had known each other for thirteen years. Even without love, there should have been some sense of care between them.
She wanted to give him a chance to be honest. She wanted to end things with dignity, but Zacharias‘ hand mped around her jaw.
His brow creased, and his voice dropped low and cold.
“Divorce? Don’t even think about it. Only death can break us apart!”
That word hit her like a hammer.
Her shoulders stiffened. Her face turned pale.