The Rich Life She Deserved - Chapter 8: Chapter 8
You are reading The Rich Life She Deserved, Chapter 8: Chapter 8. Read more chapters of The Rich Life She Deserved.
Watching her being dragged away, a pang of guilt twisted in my chest.
Vivian might not have deserved my sympathy, but I couldn't shake the image of what horrors awaited her in Herbert's clutches. She might not make it out alive.
"This was her choice," Cedric said abruptly.
I stared at him, speechless. He hadn't said much, but the weight of his silence told me everything. He knew. He knew I wasn't Vivian. And he knew the woman screaming moments ago hadn't been Jeanette.
Swallowing hard, I slipped my hand from his grip and lowered my gaze. "Cedric, I know this wasn't what I intended. But if you can't accept it… we can—"
The word divorce hovered on my lips, unspoken.
Our time together had been brief, but I'd already grown attached to him. Yet the truth remained—this was a deception. It wasn't fair to Cedric.
"I can't accept it."
His voice cut through my thoughts. Before I could react, his hand reclaimed mine, firm and unyielding. "But this wasn't your fault. Or mine. We were thrown together by fate, expected to just accept it. That's not fair to either of us."
I had no words.
From the moment I became Vivian, I'd resolved to live her life. But for Cedric? His wife was supposed to be Vivian—not Jeanette wearing her face.
A quiet sadness settled in my chest as I met his gaze. Still, I forced a smile. "I understand. So, I—"
"So, would you let me pursue you?"
I froze.
Cedric's expression was earnest, his grip steady. "Let's start over. Get to know each other properly. And spend the rest of our lives together."
One Year Later
After finally shedding the extra weight, Cedric and I took new ID photos. Under the guise of updating our marriage certificate, we replaced the old one.
"This means we're really married now," he declared.
I rolled my eyes at his childishness but humored him anyway.
The past year had been… peaceful.
Ours wasn't a whirlwind romance—just slow, steady warmth.
Cedric picked me up after work. We shopped for groceries, cooked dinner, and curled up on the couch watching movies we both loved. Weekends meant trying affordable restaurants and wandering the city streets.
Some might call it mundane. I called it perfect.
Eventually, my hard work paid off with a promotion. Cedric climbed the corporate ladder too, becoming a partner at his firm. Life kept improving.
Then came the news about Vivian.
The Yates empire had collapsed.
Herbert was arrested on multiple charges, his family's legacy crumbling overnight. And the forgotten "Mrs. Yates" resurfaced in the headlines.
For a year, she'd been locked in the basement of their villa.
She'd screamed that she wasn't Jeanette, but the Yates couldn't have their matriarch branded a madwoman. Refusing to institutionalize her, they'd imprisoned her instead.
Not that it spared her from Herbert's brutality. When rescuers found her, she was scarred, one leg shattered.
In the end, they sent her to a psychiatric facility.
Vivian might not have deserved my sympathy, but I couldn't shake the image of what horrors awaited her in Herbert's clutches. She might not make it out alive.
"This was her choice," Cedric said abruptly.
I stared at him, speechless. He hadn't said much, but the weight of his silence told me everything. He knew. He knew I wasn't Vivian. And he knew the woman screaming moments ago hadn't been Jeanette.
Swallowing hard, I slipped my hand from his grip and lowered my gaze. "Cedric, I know this wasn't what I intended. But if you can't accept it… we can—"
The word divorce hovered on my lips, unspoken.
Our time together had been brief, but I'd already grown attached to him. Yet the truth remained—this was a deception. It wasn't fair to Cedric.
"I can't accept it."
His voice cut through my thoughts. Before I could react, his hand reclaimed mine, firm and unyielding. "But this wasn't your fault. Or mine. We were thrown together by fate, expected to just accept it. That's not fair to either of us."
I had no words.
From the moment I became Vivian, I'd resolved to live her life. But for Cedric? His wife was supposed to be Vivian—not Jeanette wearing her face.
A quiet sadness settled in my chest as I met his gaze. Still, I forced a smile. "I understand. So, I—"
"So, would you let me pursue you?"
I froze.
Cedric's expression was earnest, his grip steady. "Let's start over. Get to know each other properly. And spend the rest of our lives together."
One Year Later
After finally shedding the extra weight, Cedric and I took new ID photos. Under the guise of updating our marriage certificate, we replaced the old one.
"This means we're really married now," he declared.
I rolled my eyes at his childishness but humored him anyway.
The past year had been… peaceful.
Ours wasn't a whirlwind romance—just slow, steady warmth.
Cedric picked me up after work. We shopped for groceries, cooked dinner, and curled up on the couch watching movies we both loved. Weekends meant trying affordable restaurants and wandering the city streets.
Some might call it mundane. I called it perfect.
Eventually, my hard work paid off with a promotion. Cedric climbed the corporate ladder too, becoming a partner at his firm. Life kept improving.
Then came the news about Vivian.
The Yates empire had collapsed.
Herbert was arrested on multiple charges, his family's legacy crumbling overnight. And the forgotten "Mrs. Yates" resurfaced in the headlines.
For a year, she'd been locked in the basement of their villa.
She'd screamed that she wasn't Jeanette, but the Yates couldn't have their matriarch branded a madwoman. Refusing to institutionalize her, they'd imprisoned her instead.
Not that it spared her from Herbert's brutality. When rescuers found her, she was scarred, one leg shattered.
In the end, they sent her to a psychiatric facility.
End of The Rich Life She Deserved Chapter 8. Continue reading Chapter 9 or return to The Rich Life She Deserved book page.