I stayed on the line, my hands trembling as I placed the phone on speaker, letting their moans and whispers seep into my ears like venom. My heart clenched with every sound, every declaration of love he gave to her—the love that was never mine to begin with.
Thirty minutes passed. Thirty agonizing minutes of listening to them make love, their passion raw, unfiltered, and so cruelly real. My chest ached with every breath I took, the weight of my devastation pressing down on me, suffocating me. But I didn't hang up. I forced myself to listen, to let the pain sear into my soul like a brand. If I had any love left for Jake Windsor, it needed to die here. Now.
And then, their whispers began.
“When will you get rid of her?” Kourtney's voice was soft, sultry, but dripping with venom. “She’s outlived her use, don’t you think?”
Jake sighed, and I could hear the shift of sheets as he pulled her closer. “Soon. I just need to use her one last time.”
My stomach twisted violently. My fingers curled into the sheets, my nails digging into my palm to keep me from shattering completely.
“You’ve been saying that for years, Jake,” she purred. “But you got everything you wanted, didn’t you? Her money, her name, even her kidney to save me.”
A harsh sob escaped my lips, but the mic was muted. They couldn’t hear me falling apart.
Jake chuckled. “She was an easy target. All I had to do was feed her a dream. She was desperate for love, Kourtney. Desperate enough to give up everything for me.”
“And now?” she pressed. “What’s stopping you from discarding her?”
“I still need her for one last thing,” he murmured. “The Beaumont Empire. I’ll use her to help me bring their family’s business to its knees. And then—” He laughed darkly. “Then she’ll be nothing.”
A sharp ringing filled my ears. My vision blurred with rage, with pain so deep it threatened to consume me whole. He had never loved me. Not once. Every moment, every promise, every touch had been a lie.
I ended the call. Then, I let myself break.
Tears streamed down my face as I curled into myself, my body wracked with silent sobs. I had given him everything. My heart, my trust, my life. And he had taken it all and crushed it without a second thought.
But grief was fleeting. Pain was temporary.
Rage, however, was eternal.
I wiped my tears away and forced myself to breathe. I couldn’t afford to drown in my misery. I had four days before Jake returned. Four days to disappear. Four days to reclaim the life I had thrown away for him.
My eyes landed on the calendar, and an old memory clawed its way back.
Aaron.
The last time I had seen my brother, I had betrayed him. Chosen a man over my own family. He had warned me about Jake, pleaded with me to see the truth. But I had been so blinded by love that I had burned every bridge between us.
That day was seared into my soul. The day I had chosen Jake over blood.
Aaron had caught us together—Jake and me—sneaking around behind his back. The betrayal in his eyes had been unbearable, but I refused to see reason. We had fought, our argument turning into a screaming match. He had told me Jake wasn’t the man I thought he was, that he knew him better than I ever could. He begged me to listen, to leave Jake before it was too late.
“Avril, listen to me,” Aaron had pleaded, his voice raw with desperation. “I know him. I know exactly what kind of man he is, and you don’t. He’s using you.”
I shook my head, my chest heaving with anger. “You just don’t want me to be happy! You and Dad want to control my life, marry me off to one of your business partners like I’m some bargaining chip!”
Aaron’s eyes darkened. “That’s not true. I would never let that happen to you.”
“Then why are you trying to keep me away from the only man who truly loves me?” I shot back. “You can’t stand that I’m making my own choices.”
Aaron exhaled sharply, his hands clenching into fists. “I’m trying to protect you, Avril. Jake is dangerous. He’s not who you think he is.”
I scoffed, stepping closer to Jake. “You don’t know anything.”
Aaron’s gaze flicked to Jake, full of unmasked fury. “If you ever come near my sister again, I’ll destroy you.”
But Jake had only smirked. “She’s not your problem anymore.”
That was the moment Aaron had given me an ultimatum.
Him or Jake.
Blinded by my devotion, I had chosen Jake.
And I had lost everything. My father disowned me. Aaron severed all ties, cutting Jake out of his life as well. I left Velmont City with Jake, believing he was my future. Believing he loved me.
But he had only ever seen me as a tool. And now, I realized the truth too late.
I grabbed my phone with trembling fingers and dialed his number. Once. Twice. Three times. No answer.
Panic swelled in my chest. What if he never forgave me? What if he refused to help me? What if—
The phone rang.
I froze, my heart hammering in my chest as the name flashed on my screen. Aaron Beaumont.
My breath hitched as I answered the call, but before I could say a word, his voice cut through the silence, cold and distant.
“Who is this?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “B-Brother...”
Silence.
Then, a sharp exhale. “What do you want, Avril?”
Tears welled in my eyes again, but I forced myself to stay strong. “I was wrong,” I whispered. “I was wrong about everything. And now, I want to come home.”
A bitter laugh echoed through the line. “Home? You threw that away years ago. You chose that good-for-nothing man.”
Regret clawed at my throat. “I know. And I’m sorry. I want to make it right. Please, Aaron... I’ll do anything.”
Another stretch of silence. Then, he spoke.
“Anything?”
“Yes,” I breathed. “Anything.”
He let out a slow, measured breath. “Then come back to Velmont City. We’ll see if you’re truly willing to fix what you’ve broken.”
The call ended, leaving me staring at my screen, my heart pounding.
This was it. My only chance at redemption.
I wasted no time. I booked the first available flight, my hands steady despite the storm raging inside me. I packed only the essentials, leaving behind every piece of my past that tied me to Jake Windsor. And then, as I stood by the door, my engagement ring gleaming under the dim light, I pulled it off.
I didn’t cry as I set it on the table. I didn’t hesitate as I walked out of that apartment, leaving behind the life I had sacrificed everything for.
Stanton City was now a graveyard of my mistakes.
And Velmont City?
Velmont City would be where I rose from the ashes.
