Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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The next morning, Yolanda was ready to head out when she ran into Charles coming downstairs.
He wore a dark suit, his 6’2” frame giving off a heavy sense of pressure. Seeing her at the door, he frowned.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
Yolanda bent down at the entryway to change her shoes. She had shed her usual softness and dressed sharp. “I want to check on my old studio.”
She had once co–invested in a studio that trained talents, but after getting married, she barely managed it.
Now she still had some savings left to put in, and she had signed a few talents before—she wanted to see how they were doing.
Charles’s face darkened. “Sixty thousand dollars a month in allowance isn’t enough?”
He thought she should stay home, a vase waiting for him to come back. For the past two years, she had done just that.
Yolanda felt a tightness in her chest. Her shoes were on. “I want to go back to work.”
His eyes lingered on her for a few seconds before he looked away, his tone flat again. “Suit yourself.”
He believed she would come back defeated soon enough, once she saw how harsh the outside world was.
He walked to the dining table and noticed breakfast was different.
“Who made breakfast today?” he asked.
Before, Yolanda had cooked his meals herself, but today’s food clearly wasn’t hers.
“We did,” a maid said. “Mrs. Sinclair said from now on, we’ll handle the cooking.”
Charles stayed quiet, too lazy to argue,
He figured she was just throwing a tantrum because he had ignored her lately. A few gifts would calm her down.
*****
11:28 Wed, Sep 10
Chapter 3
Yolanda followed her memory and drove to the studio.
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When she passed by the mall building, she happened to see a giant poster hanging outside. On it was the brand ambassador chosen for Sinclair Group’s perfume this season–the same young starlet who had been fooling around with Charles last night.
Yolanda pulled her gaze back and gripped the steering wheel even tighter.
The starlet’s name was Sophie Sutton, a girl Charles had personally brought into the spotlight. Yolanda didn’t know what it was about Sophie that obsessed him, but now he had even made her the face of the brand.
She took a deep breath and pressed the gas pedal.
The studio wasn’t far from Sinclair Group, only about a ten–minute drive. She had rented the entire top floor back then. Now the doors were wide open, and all she could hear was the sound of fists pounding against a punching bag.
She turned the corner and saw a young man inside the studio wearing a black T–shirt, boxing gloves on his hands, hitting the bag again and again.
His hair was a bit long, his muscles elegant and well–defined, not overly bulky, carrying a raw youthfulness. He was slightly taller than Charles.
Yolanda only saw his side profile. He looked younger than Charles. Though silent, his beautiful eyes, now lowered, gave him a charm that was hard to put into words.
Yolanda spoke up. “Excuse me-
“1
The man turned his head to glance at her, and because he stopped moving, the bag swung back and hit him in the face.
She hurriedly pushed open the glass door and walked inside. “Are you okay?”
He tilted his head, his cheek a little red. Then he pressed his lips together without saying anything.
Yolanda looked around. Her memory wasn’t wrong–this was indeed the studio she had rented
years ago. Back then she had paid five years‘ rent in one lump sum, which was no small
amount.
But now it seemed to have turned into a boxing room. Yolanda stood there without a word, like a socialite who had accidentally stepped into a back–alley gym, utterly out of place with her surroundings.
The man lowered his head, unfastened his gloves, and tossed them aside. He turned and opened the glass door, about to leave. Sweat dripped from his hair, his expression tight, and
11:28 Wed, Sep 10
Chapter 3
as he walked, he carried with him a restless, heated air.
When he reached the door, he bumped right into Megan Carter coming in.
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Megan looked confused at first, but when she saw Yolanda, her face lit up with surprise. “Yolanda? What are you doing here? Oh my God, I’m not seeing things, am I? You haven’t been back since you got married.”
Seeing her old partner and friend, Yolanda finally let out a breath. For a moment, she thought she’d gone to the wrong place.
Megan shoved the man toward her and scolded, “What’s the rush? Weren’t you just asking when the boss was coming? Well, here she is.”
The man still had a wrist brace on, wrapped tight around his wrist. He turned his head aside and gave a faint nod.
That was when Yolanda really looked at him. He was handsome–different from Charles, who had that rich, cold, untouchable aura. This man was more like a lone tree standing on a mountaintop. He might’ve looked distant, but his lips were impossibly alluring.
There was something about him, a contradiction that made it hard to look away.
Megan quickly pulled Yolanda aside and whispered, “You’ve been gone for two years, and I don’t have much pull. Most of our talents left, so now it’s just Ian. Thank God he stayed, or I’d have been begging on the streets by now.”
Yolanda felt a pang of guilt. She noticed the young man standing off to the side, head down, lost in thought.
“Why didn’t he leave?” she asked curiously.
Megan rubbed her chin. “Beats me. He’s only twenty–three, looks like this, and tons of companies have tried to poach him.
“If he’d signed somewhere else, he’d be a superstar by now. Directors can’t stop giving him roles just from his looks alone. He was born to be an actor.”
Yolanda said nothing. Back when she opened the studio, she made a huge splash. And with her background as part of the Grant family, directors all went out of their way to support her.
But after she got married, she stopped caring about it. She thought the studio had long since fallen apart. She never imagined there’d still be an actor left–and one with this much talent.
She stared at the young man, and he slowly lifted his head. Their eyes met for an instant before he quickly looked away, dropping his gaze.
11:28 Wed, Sep 10
Chapter 4
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
Part 1: The Discovery of BetrayalYolanda Grant’s marriage was built on patience, sacrifice, and quiet endurance — but that illusion shattered in one night. It was late when she arrived at a dark, empty alley after receiving a mysterious message with an address. At first, she thought it was a misunderstanding. After all, her husband Charles Sinclair — a man of wealth, power, and refined taste — would never lower himself to something so vulgar. But when she saw him holding a young woman in his arms, kissing and touching her like a man possessed, every ounce of denial drained from her. Charles, the proud and disciplined businessman, was cheating — and in a filthy alleyway, no less.Part 2: The Scene of HumiliationFrom the safety of her car, Yolanda watched as the scene unfolded. The woman clinging to Charles was frail, trembling, and emotional, like a flower blooming in the mud. The surroundings — the stained floor, damp walls, and suffocating darkness — mocked everything Charles had always claimed to be. This wasn’t just infidelity; it was degradation. Yolanda’s mind swirled with disbelief. Her husband, who obsessed over class and perfection, had become a man of impulse and dirt. She didn’t confront him or make a scene; she didn’t even cry. Instead, she leaned back in her seat, numb, realizing that her marriage was already over in spirit.Part 3: Two Years of DevotionAs she sat there, flashes of the past flooded her mind. Two years of marriage — two years of her trying to please him in every way. She had known from the start that Charles didn’t love her. On their wedding day, he had made it painfully clear that his heart already belonged to another woman. Still, Yolanda married him out of hope, out of love, out of the foolish belief that devotion could melt even the coldest heart. She gave up her career, her ambitions, and her independence, just to prove she was worthy of him. She cared for him like a nurse for her patient — cooking his meals, planning his wardrobe, and tending to every detail of his life. And in return, she got nothing but distance and silence.Part 4: The Breaking PointNow, watching him entwined with another woman, everything she had built inside her — the patience, the sacrifice, the illusion — collapsed. The man she had once called her husband had become unrecognizable. He had torn off his noble mask and revealed himself as nothing more than a beast driven by desire. Yolanda felt like she’d been slapped, her dignity shattered into pieces. But instead of screaming or crying, she felt an eerie calm. Her pain was too deep to express. All she could think was: This marriage must end.Part 5: Charles’s UneaseWhile Yolanda drove home, Charles suddenly sensed that something was wrong. The headlights of a passing car illuminated his face, and a chill ran down his spine. He didn’t know whose car it was, but unease stirred in his chest. The girl in his arms whimpered for his attention, but his mind was already elsewhere. Straightening his clothes, he pulled away coldly. “That’s enough for tonight,” he said flatly. “The company’s got big projects. I can’t afford divorce rumors right now.” His words revealed not love, but calculation — every move guided by image and control. The girl, blinded by her feelings, agreed softly, claiming she would wait. But to Charles, it was just another temporary indulgence.Part 6: The Return HomeWhen Yolanda returned home, the villa felt colder than ever. She had just come out of the shower when Charles entered the bedroom, carrying his jacket. He looked as immaculate as always — tall, handsome, commanding — but tonight, his arrogance seemed cruel. On his pristine white shirt, Yolanda noticed a faint smear of pink lip gloss. She had never worn lip gloss; she hated its stickiness. That small, shiny mark told her everything she needed to know. As she dried her hair, she kept her expression neutral, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing her pain.Part 7: The Cold ConversationCharles glanced at her and asked casually, “When did you get back?”“This afternoon,” she replied.He loosened his tie, unbuttoning his shirt as if nothing had happened. “I was out playing golf tonight,” he added. The lie rolled off his tongue effortlessly. Through the reflection in the window, Yolanda saw the dirt on his back — proof that golf wasn’t the only game he’d been playing. With quiet fury, she shot back, “Then I guess you scored plenty of holes. Congrats.”Her sarcasm caught him off guard. For the first time, he frowned, slightly unsettled. He wasn’t used to this tone from her — the woman who once worshiped him now sounded indifferent, almost mocking.Part 8: His Cruel ArroganceInstead of apologizing, Charles smirked and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Are you mad? I told you when we got married that I didn’t love you. If you’re that unhappy, find someone else to cheat with.” His words cut through her like a blade. It wasn’t just betrayal anymore — it was humiliation. He treated her heartbreak as an inconvenience, as if her pain were irrelevant. Inside, Yolanda’s chest felt like it was being strangled with wire, every breath searing. Yet she stayed silent. Her quietness, once a sign of love, now turned into armor.Part 9: The Memory of InnocenceIn that moment, Yolanda’s mind drifted back to when she first met Charles. She was young, freshly adopted into the Grant family, and he was already the picture of perfection — disciplined, confident, untouchable. Back then, she looked at him with admiration and love. To her, he was everything she aspired to be. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that this same man would someday make her feel worthless. All those years of love, of marriage, of giving — they now felt like a cruel joke.Part 10: A New Beginning Hidden in the Word “Fine”Charles chuckled when she finally said, “Fine.” To him, it was just another empty threat, another outburst that would fade with time. He kissed her cheek, confident that her love would keep her shackled to him forever. What he didn’t realize was that this time, “Fine” wasn’t surrender — it was goodbye. Behind her calm eyes, Yolanda had already made her decision. The love that once bound her had turned to ash, and from that ash, something new was forming — strength.Chapter 1 ends with Yolanda’s quiet determination to take back her life. She won’t cry or beg anymore. This time, she’ll walk away — not as a broken wife, but as a woman reborn through betrayal.
