His Madness, Her Unforgiving Vengeance

I gave my childhood sweetheart, Kade, ten years of my life and the code that built his empire. I thought we were a team. Then, on the night of our success, I overheard him call me his "unpaid intern" and "beta test." He publicly discarded me for a strategic marriage, shattering my world. I fled, rebuilt my life from scratch, and found real love with a kind man named Heath. But Kade came back, obsessed and unhinged. When I refused to take him back, he had his thugs beat Heath bloody in an alley. He cornered me, begging for another chance, his eyes wild with a twisted love. "It was always you, Addy! I made a mistake!" I walked straight into his corporate office, my heart cold as stone. I looked the monster I once loved in the eye and delivered my final promise. "You will stay away from me and the man I love," I said, my voice lethal. "Or I will expose every last one of your family's secrets and burn your entire empire to the ground." Chapter 1 Addison Fitzpatrick POV: "She's just an unpaid intern, Dixon. A beta test, really." Kade's voice sliced through the thin wall of the adjoining room, sharp and dismissive. It wasn't loud, but the words hit me with the force of a physical blow. The champagne flute I was holding slipped from my numb fingers, shattering on the polished floor. My breath hitched. Kade. My Kade. The faint sound of Kade's business partner, Dixon Perry, chuckling reached me. "And the crush? You really played that up." A cold dread spread through my veins, freezing every nerve ending. My heart started to hammer against my ribs, a frantic bird trapped in a cage. "Of course," Kade said, his tone oozing with casual arrogance. "It was practically written in the stars. She' s always looked at me like I hung the moon. Easy, really. I needed the code, and she had it. For free. Like everything else." His words were like acid, burning a hole through my chest. Dixon's voice was a low murmur. "What about Jodi Dawson? She's not going to like any lingering… attachments." A fresh wave of nausea hit me. Jodi. The rival CEO's daughter. The strategic business merger Kade had mentioned so vaguely, so casually. "Jodi understands. This was purely transactional. A means to an end." Kade scoffed. "Addison? She' s a placeholder. A warm body when I needed one, and a brilliant mind when the venture called for it. Nothing more. She'll be gone by the time the app launches. I'm unveiling the app and my relationship with Jodi at the gala next week. It's all planned." My world tilted. The room spun. The floor seemed to rush up to meet me. Unpaid intern. Beta test. Placeholder. Kade' s voice continued, oblivious. "Besides, she practically threw herself at me. What was I supposed to do? Say no to free genius and a night of… distraction?" He laughed, a short, sharp sound that tore through me. Dixon's response was crude. "Well, she is pretty, in a quiet sort of way. Not exactly Jodi's league, but decent enough for a quick hookup." "Exactly," Kade agreed, his voice laced with disdain. "And she was so eager to please. Pathetic, really." My vision blurred. Pathetic. The word echoed in my head, mocking me. Every late night coding session, every passionate discussion about the app's potential, every tender glance I believed we shared – it was all a lie. A calculated transaction. I remembered the feel of his lips on mine just hours ago, the whisper of his promises against my skin. He had held me tight, told me I was brilliant, that we were a team. I had believed him. Fool. Blind, idiotic fool. My hand flew to my mouth, stifling a sob. I needed to get out. I needed to disappear. Dixon spoke again, a hint of amusement in his voice. "And what about her family? They're quite fond of her, and of you. Won't they be upset when she's... discarded?" Kade's response was chilling. "They'll get over it. My mother, especially. She adores Addison. Thinks she's practically family. But business is business. And frankly, Addison' s a smart girl. She'll understand. Eventually." Family. My family. The Daltons and the Fitzpatricks had been intertwined for generations. His mother, my parents-they' d always hoped Kade and I would end up together. My face burned with shame. "She looked smitten tonight," Dixon observed. "Almost like she thought it meant something." "She always does," Kade said, his voice laced with a cruel amusement. "It's endearing, in a way. Her unwavering devotion. Makes her predictable. Easy to manage." Endearing. Predictable. Easy to manage. Each word was a nail in my coffin. I felt a cold, empty ache where my hope used to be. My chest tightened, making it hard to breathe. The air in the room suddenly felt heavy, suffocating. I pressed my back against the wall, trying to control the tremor in my hands. My mind raced, replaying every moment of the past few months, searching for a sign, a hint I had missed. The truth, now laid bare, twisted everything. His compliments, his late-night calls, his encouragement-all a performance. Just last night, he had told me I was indispensable. He had called me his. The memory, once cherished, now tasted like ash. My phone buzzed in my pocket, a jarring intrusion. I pulled it out, my fingers trembling as I unlocked the screen. It was a message from Kade, sent just minutes ago. Hey. Last night was... intense. FYI, I'm with Jodi at the gala next week. Keep a low profile, okay? And remember to take care of things. Don't want any surprises. "Take care of things." The casual presumption, the callous disregard for me, for us, for everything I thought we shared. It was a final, brutal confirmation. The bitter taste of his words filled my mouth. The room was still spinning. My stomach churned. I had to leave. Now. Before I completely fell apart. I stumbled out of the room, leaving the shattered glass and my shattered heart behind.