After His Betrayal, I Found Love in Montana

The sound of keys jangling at the front door pulled me from my afternoon work. I glanced at the clock—2:17 PM. Brandon wasn't supposed to be home for another four hours. "I'm home!" His voice carried an unusual enthusiasm that made me pause. Something was different. I smoothed my skirt and moved toward the entryway, expecting to find him alone. Instead, I froze at the threshold. Brandon stood there, his arm wrapped protectively around a woman I'd never seen before. She was petite with auburn hair that cascaded over her shoulders in perfect waves. Beside her stood a little girl, no more than six years old, clutching a worn teddy bear.

Chapters

Chapter 2

I was folding laundry in the guest bedroom—our new bedroom—when my phone chimed with a bank notification. I glanced down, expecting maybe a bill payment confirmation.

Instead, my heart skipped a beat.

*"Withdrawal: $750.00 from Checking Account #4239..."*

My fingers trembled slightly as I opened the banking app. Sure enough, the transaction was there, posted two hours ago. I hadn't taken out that money. Which meant...

I found Brandon in the kitchen, helping Scarlet arrange groceries on our counter. The ones I'd bought yesterday, before all this happened.

"Brandon," I kept my voice steady, holding up my phone. "Care to explain this?"

He barely glanced at the screen. "Scarlet needed some essentials. Clothes, toiletries, things for Emma."

"$750 worth of essentials?" I couldn't hide the edge in my voice. "Without talking to me first?"

Scarlet's eyes darted between us, her lips curving into a sympathetic frown. "I really am so sorry about this. I didn't realize it would be such an imposition."

"It's not your fault," Brandon said firmly, his gaze hardening as he turned to me. "They needed help, Eva."

"We have a joint account for a reason," I said, trying to keep my voice level. "That money was for our rent, our bills—"

"And now it's for helping John's family," Brandon interrupted, his tone rising slightly. "What would you have me do? Let them go without?"

I stared at him, stunned by the accusation in his voice. "That's not what I'm saying."

"Isn't it?" Brandon stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Because right now, you're sounding pretty heartless."

The word hit me like a slap. Heartless? For questioning an unexpected withdrawal?

Scarlet touched Brandon's arm lightly. "Please don't argue because of me. I can make do with what I have."

Her gesture seemed innocent enough, but something about the way her fingers lingered on his sleeve made my stomach twist.

---

Dinner that evening was a strange affair. I'd cooked my best meal—roast chicken, garlic potatoes, and steamed vegetables—trying to create some semblance of normalcy. But nothing about this felt normal.

"Everything looks amazing," Scarlet said, settling into what had been my usual seat. "You didn't have to go to all this trouble."

"It's no trouble," I replied, though it felt like exactly that.

As we ate, I couldn't help but notice how Brandon kept glancing at Scarlet. Not just polite attention—something deeper, more intimate.

"More wine?" Brandon asked, already reaching for the bottle before Scarlet could answer.

She smiled up at him, her hand brushing his as she accepted the glass. "Thank you, Brandon. You've been so kind to us."

Their eyes locked for a moment too long.

"Anyone need anything else?" I asked, my voice sounding hollow even to my own ears.

"I'm fine," Emma murmured, pushing her food around her plate.

"Eva makes the best gravy," Brandon said, nodding toward the dish. "Try some."

Scarlet's hand found Brandon's wrist as she reached for the gravy boat. "You're right. Everything is delicious."

Again, her touch lingered. Again, Brandon didn't pull away.

I watched them, a cold realization settling in my chest. The way they leaned toward each other, the small smiles, the casual touches—it all spoke of a familiarity that went beyond mere kindness.

---

Three days later, Brandon cornered me in the kitchen as I was preparing lunch.

"Eva, we need to talk about something."

I set down the knife I'd been using to cut vegetables. "What is it?"

"Scarlet's situation is more complicated than we thought." Brandon's expression was serious, almost stern. "She's having trouble accessing John's military benefits. The paperwork is taking forever."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said carefully.

"That's why I need you to do something." He moved closer, his voice dropping to what sounded like a reasonable tone. "I need you to give your paycheck to Scarlet."

I blinked, certain I'd misheard him. "My paycheck?"

"Yes." Brandon nodded firmly. "She needs it for household expenses, for Emma's school supplies. As a widow with a child, her needs are greater than yours right now."

"My needs?" I echoed, incredulous. "Brandon, that's my money."

"Our money," he corrected, his expression hardening. "And right now, Scarlet needs our support more than you need new shoes or whatever it is you spend your money on."

I stared at him, speechless. The Brandon I married would never have spoken to me this way, would never have demanded I surrender my income to another woman.

"Think about it," he said, his voice softening slightly as he placed his hand on my shoulder. "What's more important—your personal expenses or supporting this family?"

As he walked away, I caught Scarlet watching from the hallway, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

Continue to next part

It was a Friday evening at an upscale rooftop bar in Manhattan. The air was crisp, and the city lights glittered below us like scattered diamonds. I stood near the edge of the terrace with Sandra Okafor. She was my new colleague, and we were celebrating my new job offer. I felt light. I felt free. For the first time in years, the crushing weight in my chest was gone. Then I saw him. Castiel Pierce was standing across the terrace. My breath caught in my throat.

Billionaire Modern Romance

7.1

BABY FOR MR. BILLIONAIRE

7.1

Belle Triston, a pediatrician with a brilliant career faked her relationship with a billionaire. She didn't like Gabrielle Rolland's arrogance at all, but she had to become a surrogate mother to give birth to Gabrielle's offspring in order to fulfill her mother's last wishes before she died. Their relationship was complicated because Gabrielle was married to a famous actress, Fleura Delacour. Belle and Gabrielle made an agreement that their relationship would only be professional. But unexpected things happened. Fleura's affair with her co-star left a deep wound in Gabrielle's heart. When his heart was wounded and bleeding, Belle was there to heal his wounds. Their relationship was no longer as simple as they thought when hearts started playing in it. When Gabrielle realized that he loved Belle and wanted to be with her, Fleura came and begged him for a second chance. Gabrielle had to choose, while his heart couldn't choose. Belle knew Fleura's biggest secret and she wouldn't just keep quiet. She would fight for her baby and her love for Gabrielle.

Billionaire Modern Romance

8.7

Betrayed by the Alpha Twins: Her Second Chance

8.7

I sat on the edge of the cold hospital bed, clutching a positive pregnancy test. Two pink lines. An Alpha's pup. I thought this miracle would finally save me from my life as an invisible, latent wolf in the Holden Pack. But when I ran to the club to tell Anthony the news, I heard his voice through the door, cold as ice. "I am an Alpha. Do you really think I would touch a cripple like you?" Then, his identical twin brother, Emmanuel, laughed. "I don't know, Ant. She's tight. I've enjoyed warming your bed for you these past six months." My blood ran cold. It was Mating Fraud. The man I loved hadn't touched me once; he had let his brother use me as a proxy. When they caught me listening, they didn't apologize. Anthony used his Alpha Command to force me to my knees, crushing me with his aura. "Get rid of the thing in your belly," he sneered. "Bastards aren't allowed in the Holden Pack." They exiled me to the toxic Mining District so Anthony could marry my high school bully, Bianca. They forced me to jump off a cliff for "training." They watched Bianca poison my soup and saved her instead of me. To save my unborn child from being murdered by its own father, I had to make the heartbreaking choice to terminate the pregnancy myself. They thought I was dead after pushing me into traffic on the morning of their wedding. But I dragged my broken body to a terminal and hacked the church's livestream. As Anthony stood at the altar, the massive screens turned black, and their recorded confession boomed through the speakers. "Game on, Alpha," I whispered, turning my back on the city. I was going to the war-torn Borderlands to die. Instead, I found the one thing they never expected me to become. The White Wolf.

Modern Romance Werewolf

9.3

Biker In Law's death Kiss

9.3

“Don’t tease me again or else you really want it. There are no safe words in my bed.” He is rumored to know a thousand ways to disarm and pleasure a woman, and I am Olivia, the nymphomaniac. In a quest for revenge against my childhood bullies, I got locked into an unhappy marriage, with an untamed brother-in-law. Colt Fletcher, the morally-grey, rebel biker is ever excited by danger and prefers life on the edge. And from the moment he laid eyes on me, I became his forbidden want. I should know better, to steer clear of deadly desires like these but when fate forces us to live under the same roof, share the same boardroom, and every accidental touch burns, my resolve begins to collapse. But scandals don’t stay buried, and my husband is the devil. The price of this betrayal is death. I must choose between my husband who owns my name, and his brother who owns my body.

Action Modern Romance

8.6

From Cast-off To The City's Queen

8.6

I spent three years making myself small, hiding my sketchbook beneath silk blouses just to keep the peace in a marriage that felt like a museum. Then, Blair came home early, bringing his first love, Keely, into our living room to serve me with divorce papers. He didn't look at me, only at the legal document he’d laid on the glass table like a death warrant for my entire life. He told me to be smart and sign it, while Keely smiled and thanked me for keeping his home and wearing her clothes while she was away. I had been nothing more than a placeholder, a shadow filling the space she’d left behind, and now I was being discarded without a cent or a home. I looked at the Baccarat chandelier and the life I had tried so hard to build, suddenly realizing that I had spent three years desperate for a love that was never on offer. I signed the papers, took nothing but my sketchbook, and walked out into the freezing November rain with three hundred dollars to my name and nowhere to go. I was nothing, I was alone, and I was entirely free. I stood on the corner of the street, shivering in the downpour, and made a desperate, insane gamble when a black car pulled up to the curb. I looked at the stranger behind the tinted glass and asked the only question I had left: "Do you need a wife?"

Modern Romance Sci-Fi

8.1

I Divorce With My Husbands Pretends To Be dead

8.1

Sophia Reed endures five years of emotional neglect and betrayal from her husband, Brian Locke, who is obsessed with a past relationship and manipulated by lies from Lily Bennett and Joanne Morgan. After a tragic miscarriage and realizing Brian's indifference, Sophia decides to divorce him. Brian, burdened by guilt, tries to atone for his mistakes by donating a kidney to Sophia's father and exposing the lies of Lily and Joanne. Despite Brian's efforts, Sophia moves on with her life, finding happiness with Justin Cole.

Modern Romance

After His Betrayal, I Found Love in Montana

Chapter 2

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