Total pages in book: 196
Estimated words: 180438 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 902(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 601(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 180438 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 902(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 601(@300wpm)
So where did everything go wrong? Although it had fast become a hollow victory with Ryder shunning and humiliating me the very same day of our wedding when he had a moment of clarity and asked aloud what the fuck I was doing near him, things had smoothed themselves out with time. That and the help of some powerful magic.
Speaking of which, I need to call Mom; she’d know what to do. But where was she going to find another magic woman this soon? Obviously, she and the aunts weren’t strong enough for what we needed, or they would’ve handled things on their own, to begin with.
No matter what, though, I won’t give Ryder up. No matter what, I will always be Mrs. Sumner, and no one was going to take that away from me. He’s my whole life, my only identity. Without him, I’m nothing, and after this fiasco, I’ll be even less than that.
This is all I’ve ever wanted since the first time I laid eyes on him. I knew when my dad came on board that it was only because of the money, but I didn’t care; I wanted Ryder, and nothing else mattered.
My heart raced with the memories. The days and nights when I had to watch him be with her. Times when I was too young to do anything about it. I’d bided my time well, and the stars had aligned in my favor, just as Mom and Dad had promised.
So what if I did all those things to help me reach my goals? I’m sure I’m not the first one. That woman, Gisselle, Brisiel, or whatever the hell her name is, was around here long before I showed up, so I’m sure I’m not her only client and that no one else was going to her just to have their palms read.
I know the fans are going to have a field day with this now, and the people who loved me yesterday are going to hate my guts today. It doesn’t matter; I’ll just stay off the Internet for a while.
I’d downloaded the best praise posts over the years to pull out each time I needed a boost. Maybe I’ll reread them all for the next couple of days while I lay low and think of my next move.
The one good thing was that no one knew about my hidden account, and I was glad now more than ever that I’d had the foresight to put that money away. In the beginning, I didn’t use to think that way. I thought with the love of my man; I wouldn’t ever have to worry about the future.
But those hopes were dashed almost immediately when I saw the hate and disdain in my new husband’s eyes. And even though he was still under my control with the drugs and whatever else Mom and the aunts were doing, something warned me to look out for myself.
It was a bitter pill to swallow; having to wear two faces hadn’t been easy either. So no matter how we started, I’d done more than enough to deserve his love. My stomach turned, and I fought back tears as I recalled all the times he’d rebuffed me.
I knew at some point that he only even left the house with me and put on a happy face to save his own face and reputation. But no one knows the hell I suffered once the door was closed and the curtains drawn.
He never hit me; that might’ve been easier to deal with instead of his disdain and outright hostility whenever I tried getting near him. Bruises heal, but knowing that the person you were obsessed with hated your guts is a pain you could never escape.
The thought of being away from Ryder left me physically ill. As usual, my first fear and worry was that he was with her. I’ve spent many a sleepless night worried about that over the last five years. I’d got to the point that I almost hated him for not loving me the way he’d so publicly loved her when they were together.
Then the speculation started about our marriage and the haste in which it had happened, only making matters worse. I’d spread the story of how in love we were, made the public see and accept that he had chosen me after all.
But now everyone knows that it was all a lie. That I’d tricked him, lied to him, and it won’t be long before they realized that all the things that had been said about her over the past five years were all lies made up by the Hudsons and me.
My stomach dropped when I realized that Ryder, too, would be counted among that number. If he ever finds out that I’d used his social media handles to spread hate against her, I’m almost certain he’d hate me even more.