Chapter 1 Anniversary
I didn’t hear it from him. I learned through whispers. Four years together, and our anniversary meant nothing to Bradley- at least not when Hallie Clark, his new obsession, called.
Her post exploded across social media, a sharp reminder of how little I mattered. With all the arrogance she could muster, Hallie flaunted their so–called intimacy for the world to see. There she was, draped over him in a picture–perfect pose at some exclusive villa, the epitome of false elegance, surrounded by the elite of the Martin family’s inner circle. But what really cut me to the core wasn’t her possessive grip on him. It was Bradley’s smile–rare, unguarded–a smile I hadn’t seen in years.
Chapter Anniversary
+ 5 Points
The caption stung, dripping with malice:
“Thank you, Boss, for making me your number one.”
And then, the flood of comments came rolling in, each one sharper than the last: “Hallie and Bradley are perfect together,” they said. “He should ditch the nobody.”
The “nobody” being me.
That humiliation followed me everywhere. Work, family gatherings, even the women’s restroom at Ribaldi Enterprises, where I overheard two secretaries gossiping over lunch.
“Did you see Hallie’s post last night?” one of them giggled, her voice like the high–pitched hum of a teenager.
2/10
Chapter 1 Anniversary
+ 5 Points
“Of course! She’s glued to Bradley now. They’re unstoppable, the new power couple.”
Their laughter rang in my ears as I fled the room, the bitter taste of betrayal rising in my throat. I promised myself I wouldn’t check the post again, but I did. Over and over. The second those pictures and videos went live, I knew. I was nothing more than a forgotten promise.
Bradley’s message came through:
“Something came up. I’ll be home late. Don’t wait up.”
No explanation, no apology. Just like that, he . canceled our anniversary dinner.
I read the message again, frustration surging through me before I responded, my words clipped: “Safe trip.”
Chapter 1 Anniversary
+5 Points
A long sigh slipped from my lips as I put the phone down on the counter. I had just finished a brutal day–running errands, juggling deliveries, and meeting deadlines for the first job I’d had in months that actually mattered. I was spent, my body aching, and I collapsed onto the bed, wishing I could forget. I knew better than to hold on to Bradley’s empty promises, but I had anyway. Why? To be reminded once again. that nothing would ever change?
We’d been together since senior year at Hampshire Academy. Four years of watching him evolve from the dangerous son of a cartel enforcer to the feared heir of the Martin syndicate. The cold, untouchable Bradley Martin.
And I? I was Ashley Harris, a nobody from the outskirts of Lilburn. No powerful family
4/10
Chapter Anniversary
5 Points
backing me, no influential business ties. My family scraped by, living miles away from the criminal world that Bradley ruled. Yet somehow, I got swept up in it all.
I had no illusions about what our relationship meant in Bradley’s world. To his associates, I was a mere placeholder–a sheep in a pride of lions. To the vultures online, Bradley belonged with Hallie, the heiress of the Clark family, whose cartel ties ran so deep that even federal agents knew her name. Together, they embodied everything the underworld admired–a power couple forged from steel and silk.
When Bradley first went public with our relationship, it sent shockwaves through the city.
The heir to a ruthless kingpin, linked to an ordinary woman like me? My inbox flooded
with crual messages–insults, mockery, and worse Some acted curious, but most were laced with venom. Still, Bradley stood by me. At least, that’s what I thought. Even Hallie, in her own way seemed to support us–until the rumors grew louder, until the photos of them together–always without me–began to surface.
And then came her latest post, the one that stung the most:
“Big thanks to Bradley Martin @King
Bradley! Last–minute, but as always, you pulled through for me. And Ashley @Ashley
Harris, you’re a gem for letting me have him tonight. Good luck finishing your project! I owe you!”
The pictures that accompanied it twisted something deep inside me–an opulent villa on a hill, a lavish dinner left half–eaten, and
Chapter 1 Anniversary
Bradley laughing beside Hallie, looking as if the world beyond their bubble had ceased to exist.
I froze, watching the video of Bradley laughing–a genuine, unguarded laugh that I hadn’t seen in years.
That cold, distant mask he wore for everyone else, the one that kept the world at arm’s length, had melted away in Hallie’s presence. I had never gotten that version of him. Not since our wild teenage years, when we ran through the streets at midnight, untouchable, reckless, and free.
Now, the comments below cut deeper than anything:
@UnderworldRoyalty. “Bradley and Hallie are made for each other. Why isn’t this official yet?”
Chapter 1 Anniversary
+5 Pointh
@Eyes Everywhere: “Anyone notice how Bradley only smiles with Hallie? Never seen him smile like that with Ashley.”
@CartelGossip: “Poor Ashley. She’s living in a fantasy!”
I tried to hold the tears in, but they came anyway. Alone in the empty penthouse bedroom, I curled into myself, struggling to breathe through the sobs, feeling the weight of everything breaking apart. I shouldn’t have looked. I shouldn’t have let this get to me- but it always did. It always did.
Hallie was everything I wasn’t–everything Bradley needed. This was the life I’d signed up for–the heartache, the betrayals, the constant reminder that Bradley would never truly be mine.
Chapter 1 Anniversary
5 Points
I picked up the phone, my hands trembling, and called him. He answered on the first ring.
“What is it, Ashley?” His voice was flat, cold -like he’d long since stopped caring. In the background, I heard laughter, music, the crackling sound of fireworks–a celebration that wasn’t meant for me.
“Where are you?” I asked, barely managing to keep my voice steady.
“Business meeting,” he replied, the indifference in his voice cutting deeper than the distance between us. “What’s going on?”
The sound of fireworks outside, so distant and loud, was a cruel reminder of everything I didn’t have. Everything I would never have.
“Are you crying?” he asked, his voice
Chapter 1 Anniversary
5 Points
unchanged, as if he hadn’t noticed the devastation in mine.
I squeezed my eyes shut, taking a shaky breath. This was the moment I had been dreading for months.
“Bradley…” I said, choking on the words. “We need to end this.”
