When He Slapped Me for Her, I Erased Him Forever

During an argument with my childhood friend, he lost his temper and slapped me across the face right in front of everyone. That day, I erased all his contact information. People were shocked. Brian and I had grown up together. I had admired him for as long as I could remember, trailing behind him for nine years. "Why, Gabrielle? Was it really just because of that slap?" He asked, perplexed. "Yes. Just because of that slap." I answered with absolute conviction. ============================== When Brian slapped me, it took a moment for my mind to catch up with my body.

Chapters

Chapter 3

I don't know when Brian and she became so close.

One day, out of the blue, Martin Robinson decided to switch things up. Instead of the apple juice that Brian usually brought me every morning, he handed me a carton of plain milk.

"You know I can't stand plain milk, right?" I said, frowning at the carton in my hand.

"Oh, come on. You're just hung up on the flashy apple juice packaging. You're too old to be drinking apple juice every day. From now on, it's plain milk—it's better for you," Brian said, ruffling my hair.

Mae Parker was holding a carton of plain milk, too. She turned and gave an awkward smile at his comment.

"Sorry, Juicy. I prefer plain milk, so I asked Brian to bring it," she said.

"But honestly, apple juice is too sweet. Do all you girls really enjoy drinking this stuff?"

I set the carton down, furrowing my brow as I stared directly at her.

"Do you always have to make up nicknames for people?" I asked.

She paused for a moment, her expression shifting to surprise and then resignation.

"Ha... Why make such a big fuss? I was just joking. You're way too sensitive."

"Am I sensitive, or are you just feeling guilty? You know the answer," I shot back.

"Alright, Gabby," Brian intervened, trying to mediate with an exasperated look.

"Mae can be a bit careless with her words sometimes. Just ignore it."

"..."

I was fuming, my eyes welling up with frustration, and I gave Brian a hard shove, not forgetting to snap at Mae.

"If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all!"

Brian flinched slightly, quickly wrapping his arms around my waist, blurting out, "Okay, okay, my bad. Don't be upset. I'll bring you apple juice tomorrow, alright?"

Mae's expression soured, and she shot me a sharp glare.

Continue to next part

The crystal chandelier cast dancing shadows across the mahogany dining table as I smoothed my navy dress one final time. The political dinner party was in full swing, with Ridge's colleagues and their wives engaged in animated discussions about defense contracts and upcoming elections. I had chosen my seat carefully—or so I thought—selecting what appeared to be an empty chair near the middle of the table. The moment I settled into the burgundy velvet cushion, the entire room fell silent. Twenty pairs of eyes turned toward me with expressions ranging from shock to barely concealed amusement. My stomach dropped as I realized my mistake. The chair I occupied bore a small silver nameplate I hadn't noticed in the dim lighting: "In memory of beloved Catherine." Ridge's face transformed from diplomatic charm to cold fury in the span of a heartbeat. His knuckles whitened around his wine glass as he rose slowly from his seat at the head of the table. "How dare you." His voice was barely above a whisper, yet it carried across the room like a death knell. "How dare you sit in her chair." I started to rise, my hands trembling.

Billionaire Modern Romance

8.1

After My Husband Saved His Mistress, I Faked My Death

8.1

I smoothed down the front of my dress for the fifth time, checking my reflection in the hallway mirror. One year. Three hundred and sixty-five days of marriage to a man who still felt like a stranger in our bed. The dining room glowed with candlelight, casting shadows across the intimate table I'd spent hours preparing. Jasper's favorite wine breathed in crystal glasses, and the beef Wellington sat perfectly golden on fine china—his favorite, not mine. Nothing about this marriage had been about what I wanted. "Mrs. Spencer?" Our housekeeper appeared in the doorway, her expression carefully neutral. "The dinner will get cold." "He'll be here," I said, more to convince myself than her. "He promised." At eight-thirty, the front door finally opened.

Billionaire Modern Romance

8.8

An Heir for the Arrogant Billionaire

8.8

Sharon could not believe that the man looking sso cold and formidable was the same one who ravished ravished her the previous night. She had thought that he felt the same way that she did. But she. Was obviously mistaken. She recalled how she had screamed with wild abandon as he took her to heights of unimaginable pleasure., and was flooded with shame. She bit her lip and tasted the salt of her own blood. Damn him!

Billionaire Modern Romance

8.0

Her Sugar Boy Was A Rival

8.0

Aurelia Blackwood rules her world with precision. As the formidable CEO of Blackwood Global, she believes power is safest when it is controlled, emotions negotiated, and attachments temporary. Love has no place in her life-only desire, on her terms. So when a quiet, attentive man slips into her orbit after a chance encounter, she doesn't resist. He becomes her indulgence. Her secret. Her sugar boy. He is everything she allows herself to want-present when summoned, patient, observant, willing to give without demanding permanence. With Aurelia, he learns her rhythms, her silences, her need for dominance and certainty. She keeps him close but contained, convinced she holds every string. What Aurelia doesn't realize is that he was never accidental. As months pass, control blurs into attachment. She starts looking for him when she's tired. Trusting him with fragments of herself she never intended to share. Falling-slowly, unwillingly-for the one man who never tried to own her. Then the truth fractures everything. He is not just a man with ambition. He is not just someone else's partner. He is tied to her greatest corporate rival-and he has been gathering information from the inside, feeding secrets that could dismantle the empire she built with blood, discipline, and sacrifice. Betrayal cuts deeper when it wears the face of devotion. Now Aurelia stands at a crossroads she never prepared for. Expose him and destroy the man who made her feel seen-or protect him and risk losing everything she's ever fought for. Revenge promises safety. Love promises ruin.

Modern Mystery Romance

8.2

I Evicted My Husband’s Pregnant Lover

8.2

The call came at 2:47 AM. I know the exact time because I had been awake, sitting on the edge of the bed in the dark, watching the red numbers on the clock the way you watch something you can't stop. My left hand was resting in my lap. My right thumb was moving in slow circles over the scar tissue on my palm — that ridge of dead nerve where feeling used to live. I do it without thinking now. It's just what my hands do when the rest of me goes quiet. The phone lit up on the nightstand. Unknown number. Highway patrol. I picked up.

Modern Mystery Romance

8.2

Love Lost, Hope Found

8.2

The Regency Hotel's lobby gleamed with polished marble and crystal chandeliers, but I barely noticed as I paced back and forth, checking my watch for the fifth time in twenty minutes. Three hours early—I knew it was excessive, but I couldn't help myself. After six months apart, I needed everything to be perfect for Maverick's homecoming. "Miss Patterson, would you like another glass of water?" The concierge approached with a sympathetic smile. "You've been here since noon." I smoothed down the emerald silk dress Maverick had once said brought out the gold flecks in my eyes. "Thank you, James. And could you please make sure the Dom P�rignon is chilling? Maverick prefers it with one ice cube." My fingers instinctively reached for the small pendant necklace at my throat—my mother's final gift before she passed. The cool metal against my skin usually calmed me, but today nothing could settle the butterflies in my stomach. "The conference room is arranged exactly as you requested," James assured me.

Billionaire Modern Romance

When He Slapped Me for Her, I Erased Him Forever

Chapter 3

You may also like