Chapter 9
How did Anya even find us here?
I was totally blanking out. The woman burst into the room and looked like she’d been through hell–her clothes were a mess, her face aged by years, and those bruises were a bad sign.
“What are you doing here? Get lost!” Cedric yelled, anger bubbling up as soon as he recognized her.
Mr. Eastwood looked nervous, and Wendell moved closer to me, ready to shield me from whatever chaos was about to unfold.
“Oh, there you are, dear! You did this to me! You fired me and blocked me from everything, all for this bitch! Do you even know how hard my life’s been?” Anya wailed, looking like a far cry from the sweet girl I once knew.
Cedric’s face was turning red. “If you hadn’t asked for that stupid cake and
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tried to move into the school district house that Astrid bought, she wouldn’t have divorced me! Lucky for you I haven‘ t asked you to pay for what you’ve done, Anya. Now leave me alone!”
Anya kept crying and grabbed at his sleeve. “No! Cedric, I… I’m pregnant!”
His voice turned ice cold. “Yeah? Then why don’t
you get lost and get an abortion?
What do you want me to do about it?”
The room fell silent. I couldn’t believe how
heartless he could be.
Anya froze, glaring at me like I was the enemy before she ran out, tears streaming down her face.
Mr. Eastwood didn’t stick around either.
“Mr. Donovan, I’m afraid we can’t continue our partnership. Goodbye.”
Cedric stood there, fuming and looking like he was about to lash out. Wendell kept a firm grip on my arm as he guided me to the
exit door.
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Suddenly, Cedric grabbed my arm and dropped to his knees, looking desperate. “Astrid, I messed up, okay? But please, come back! The company’s a wreck without you!”
Wendell wasted no time pulling Cedric’s hand off me, and he warned, “Don’t touch her!”
With that, we were out of there, quickening our pace as I felt the tension lift.
That night, a shocking exposé hit the local news. Anya publicly revealed her affair with Cedric and showed evidence of his tax evasion and embezzlement, with staggering amounts that left everyone speechless.
I couldn’t believe it; beneath the calm surface, the company was sitting on a ticking time bomb. Cedric had wrecked everything we’d built together.
The company crumbled rapidly. Stock prices plummeted, Cedric fled with the
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funds, and Anya went missing.
Mr. Eastwood spread the news of the chaos. he had witnessed in the room.
Cedric’s reputation was in ruins.
“I always thought that asshole can’t be trusted. Honestly, the only thing I’m jealous of him is that he had a marriage with you. But he blew it, and now he’s got what’s coming to him,” Wendell said as he switched off the news, leaning in to kiss my forehead.
I smiled at him but didn’t say anything.
It felt like ages ago that I was sulking over Cedric’s obsession with Anya. Now? It was like a whole different lifetime.
Wendell leaned closer, his warm breath on my cheek, and he kissed me softly. I fumbled a bit, trying to match his pace.
“Focus, babe,” he murmured, and I couldn’t. help but grin.
When Wendell took me home to meet his
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family, I was surprised. His parents were
cool, living pretty well off.
Turns out, Wendell is the boss of the company my friend works for.
When Wendell’s parents found out about my divorce, they shrugged it off, saying, “If our son likes you, that’s all that matters.”
I felt relieved and grateful.
But I had to ask Wendell. “Hey, your family seems great! What happened in high school?”
I hesitated, but he got it. “Well, Mom passed away, and Dad remarried really quickly.”
He smiled like it was nothing, glancing at his stepmom, who was sitting with his dad.
“That hit me hard. I couldn’t believe how fragile love could be. I turned cold and shut people out. Thank God I met you. You brought the sunshine back into my life,
Astrid,” he said, his voice calm, but I
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noticed a hint of pain in his eyes.
I wrapped my arms around him, feeling his pain.
“But it’s alright now. Dad and my stepmom get along great, and they treat me well. Life goes on,” he said, flashing a smile that made my heart melt.
When he leaned in, there was a mischievous glint in his eye. “Babe, you wanna be Mrs. Winslow?”
I blinked, caught off guard. “What?”
He slipped a ring onto my finger and kissed. it softly. “I want to marry you. I don’t want to be apart from you again, Astrid.”
My heart swelled, and tears threatened to spill. “Wendell… Oh, Wendell, yes, I–I wanna marry you!”
Wendell threw me an incredible wedding, and Josie was the best bridesmaid ever.
“Astrid, I’m super happy for you! I wish you and Wendell all the happiness!” she
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cheered, her joy infectious.
Tears welled up as I smiled back at her and looked back. Wendell showered me with
love, always respectful, never making me
feel alone.
Soon, we headed abroad for our
honeymoon.
Wendell swept me off my feet on the beach. at sunset, our love wrapped in romance. We made endless beautiful memories.
Every morning, I woke up to his face beside me, and happiness wrapped around me like a warm hug.
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