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Chapter 1
Seven years into her marriage, Jessie Hale inherited a fortune worth billions. But during the final
signing appointment with her attorney, she was hit with a devastating truth:
Her marriage wasn’t legally valid.
The entire estate could be inherited by her alone.
The attorney glanced at the file again and said, “Nelson Voss is legally married to someone named Lila Mercer. As far as the state is concerned, Ms. Hale… you’re single.”
Everyone in Silverpine knew Jessie and Nelson were betrothed from birth.
To Nelson, Jessie had always been everything his heart, his home, his entire world.
When they got married, Nelson gave Jessie the wedding of the century–grand, extravagant, and impossible to forget. Standing before a crowd of guests, he took her hands and declared with pride,
“I, Nelson Voss, will never betray Jessie Hale.”
But the truth was, the legal marriage license he filed–with Lila’s name on it–had been submitted the day after their wedding.
Jessie let out a hollow, self–mocking laugh. It took her a long while to fully absorb the truth. Then her phone buzzed with a new text message.
“Jessie, I picked up the latest Belle Vie limited–edition handbag you love–it just launched. The plane’s landed. I’m heading to the office briefly, then coming straight home to you. I love you.”
Today was the day Nelson was supposed to return from his business trip. In fact, Jessie was already outside the airport waiting for him.
She stood near the terminal exit, watching as two people walked out together.
Nelson… and Lila.
Her hands curled into fists.
A few yards away, Nelson casually slipped his phone into the pocket of his coat. Then he wrapped an arm around the back of Lila’s neck–and kissed her.
It was deep, hungry–like he was utterly lost in her.
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Jessie stood frozen as tears streamed silently down her face.
So this was who Nelson really was–a man who could text her ‘I love you‘ with one hand while kissing another woman with the other.
She stared at him from across the parking loop, barely breathing, as memories of their past unraveled one by one.
They had grown up together–next–door kids, childhood friends turned soulmates. When they were barely teenagers, her parents once considered moving the family overseas. But the moment Nelson found out, he stormed to her house and refused to leave.
He camped out in the cold for a week, stubborn and desperate. On the seventh night, delirious with exhaustion, he collapsed–still clinging to her hand.
“Jessie, you can’t go,” he had whispered hoarsely, “You belong with me. You’ve always been mine. I won’t let you disappear across the world.”
Middle school, high school… year after year, nothing ever changed. Everyone around them knew that Jessie was Nelson’s whole world.
After graduation, Nelson’s family pushed him to apply to elite universities abroad. But he turned it all down because Jessie had decided to stay in Westbridge..
“Wherever Jessie is, that’s where I’ll be,” he told anyone who asked. “And the moment we’re old enough, I’m marrying her.”
And he did. The summer they both turned twenty–two, they held the wedding they’d dreamed of since they were kids.
But never in her wildest dreams did she think Nelson–someone who loved her so fiercely–could have schemed against her so totally in this marriage.
It was Nelson who insisted they hold off on filing the marriage paperwork until the next day. He said she deserved to rest after the ceremony–that he’d take care of everything with the lawyer first thing in the morning.
She had trusted him completely.
She and Nelson had known each other since the day they were born. For twenty–seven years, their lives had never drifted apart. They had grown up believing they were each other’s forever.
But in the end, Nelson had married another woman… and he had done it behind her back. Chapter 1
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It’s been a while, but I’m finding my faith
He had taken up every inch of her life, every year, every breath.
And in that moment, Jessie made her choice.
TH
Even if it felt like tearing herself apart, she would erase him from her future completely.
She didn’t go home.
Instead, she went straight to her attorney’s office and signed the paperwork to finalize her inheritance. Every last asset belonging to the Hale family was now under her name–including the holdings in the Voss Group that Nelson had transferred to her before their wedding.
The attorney looked at her again, cautious.
“Ms. Hale, just to confirm–are you certain you want to sell off all Hale–owned assets under your name?”
Jessie didn’t hesitate.
“Yes. Not a single piece of Hale property stays in Silverpine.
That afternoon, she signed contract after contract, selling off half the Hale property.
The other half was already in motion–buyers from out of town had contacted her attorney. While they couldn’t arrive immediately, they had wired deposits and promised to finalize the deals in the next few days.
According to the attorney, the full liquidation would be complete in no more than seven days.
Nelson, your betrayal–your damage–ends here.
By the time this week is over, so are you.
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