From Burning Bride to Runaway Wife - Chapter 8: Chapter 8
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Monica let out a weary sigh. "Your father and I have said our piece. Think hard about what we've told you."
She shot Justin one final disappointed glance before walking off with Francis. Justin stumbled to his feet, ready to chase after them—until Leah grabbed his arm.
"Justin," she pleaded, her voice trembling. "Even if Lara doesn't want you anymore, I'm still here. Why can't you just look at me?"
As she reached for him, something slipped from her pocket and hit the floor. A torn scrap of fabric. Justin's breath hitched—Lara's amulet. The one her parents had left her.
The same one she'd placed on his hospital pillow during his fifth near-death experience. The one he'd carelessly given to Leah, humiliating Lara like it meant nothing.
Now it was destroyed. Something inside him shattered. Before he could stop himself, his hand closed around Leah's throat, his grip iron-tight, his voice a deadly whisper.
"Leah," he growled, eyes blazing with fury. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Leah's lips quivered. She'd never been more terrified. Within days, her world imploded. Justin threw her out without a second thought.
Then the skeletons came tumbling out of her closet—exposed academic fraud, revoked degree, a scandalous video with another man going viral. With her reputation in ruins, Leah made multiple suicide attempts before slinking out of Hartmere in disgrace.
Meanwhile, Justin spent every waking moment scouring the city for Lara.
Lara's POV:
By then, I was halfway across the world, stretched out in a sun-drenched villa garden, blissfully unaware of the chaos I'd left behind.
Shane Simmon—my honorary uncle, no blood relation—approached with a fruit platter. At thirty-five, he was a decade older than me, the business protégé who'd become my father's sworn brother. After my parents died, Shane took over our family's Meridion operations.
He'd begged me for years to come stay with him, but I'd always refused—because of Justin. Now, after wasting so much time, I was finally here.
And for the first time in forever, I could breathe. I accepted the fruit slice Shane offered with a guilty smile. "I'm sorry for being so stubborn before... all that worry for nothing."
Shane ruffled my hair, but his expression darkened as he leaned in, piercing gaze locking onto mine. My pulse jumped.
"The apology should be mine," he said, voice rough. "I had no idea what that bastard was putting you through."
His jaw clenched. "If I'd known Justin was such trash, I would've dragged you out of there the day your parents died."
His fists balled just like they had two weeks ago at the airport—when he'd collected me fresh off surgery, my face still swollen from Justin's slap, forehead bruised from the thrown vase.
The moment Shane saw me, he'd nearly boarded the next flight back to make Justin pay. It took all my strength to talk him down.
That night, he'd held me so tight I could barely breathe, whispering endless regrets about not protecting me sooner. And in that moment... his embrace didn't feel familial at all.
It felt like something far more dangerous.
She shot Justin one final disappointed glance before walking off with Francis. Justin stumbled to his feet, ready to chase after them—until Leah grabbed his arm.
"Justin," she pleaded, her voice trembling. "Even if Lara doesn't want you anymore, I'm still here. Why can't you just look at me?"
As she reached for him, something slipped from her pocket and hit the floor. A torn scrap of fabric. Justin's breath hitched—Lara's amulet. The one her parents had left her.
The same one she'd placed on his hospital pillow during his fifth near-death experience. The one he'd carelessly given to Leah, humiliating Lara like it meant nothing.
Now it was destroyed. Something inside him shattered. Before he could stop himself, his hand closed around Leah's throat, his grip iron-tight, his voice a deadly whisper.
"Leah," he growled, eyes blazing with fury. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Leah's lips quivered. She'd never been more terrified. Within days, her world imploded. Justin threw her out without a second thought.
Then the skeletons came tumbling out of her closet—exposed academic fraud, revoked degree, a scandalous video with another man going viral. With her reputation in ruins, Leah made multiple suicide attempts before slinking out of Hartmere in disgrace.
Meanwhile, Justin spent every waking moment scouring the city for Lara.
Lara's POV:
By then, I was halfway across the world, stretched out in a sun-drenched villa garden, blissfully unaware of the chaos I'd left behind.
Shane Simmon—my honorary uncle, no blood relation—approached with a fruit platter. At thirty-five, he was a decade older than me, the business protégé who'd become my father's sworn brother. After my parents died, Shane took over our family's Meridion operations.
He'd begged me for years to come stay with him, but I'd always refused—because of Justin. Now, after wasting so much time, I was finally here.
And for the first time in forever, I could breathe. I accepted the fruit slice Shane offered with a guilty smile. "I'm sorry for being so stubborn before... all that worry for nothing."
Shane ruffled my hair, but his expression darkened as he leaned in, piercing gaze locking onto mine. My pulse jumped.
"The apology should be mine," he said, voice rough. "I had no idea what that bastard was putting you through."
His jaw clenched. "If I'd known Justin was such trash, I would've dragged you out of there the day your parents died."
His fists balled just like they had two weeks ago at the airport—when he'd collected me fresh off surgery, my face still swollen from Justin's slap, forehead bruised from the thrown vase.
The moment Shane saw me, he'd nearly boarded the next flight back to make Justin pay. It took all my strength to talk him down.
That night, he'd held me so tight I could barely breathe, whispering endless regrets about not protecting me sooner. And in that moment... his embrace didn't feel familial at all.
It felt like something far more dangerous.
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