The Ruined Bride of Velvet Nights by Brick Moving Ant

Chapter 8

After leaving the Reyes estate, I returned home one last time.

The house felt different now every treasured memory tainted by betrayal. The family photos on the walls, Mila’s drawings on the fridge, even Callum’s coffee mug on the counter–they all seemed to belong to another woman’s life now.

I packed methodically: two outfits, important documents, my mother’s necklace. Everything else would stay behind. Seven years of memories, seven years of what I thought was love all abandoned

like outdated furniture.

to Chicago felt like a lifeline in my wallet. A fresh start in a city where nobody knew me as Callum Reyes‘

were probably still at the hospital, Sophie’s minor scratches being treated

Mila’s rehearsed defense of her “Aunt Sophie.”

phone.

elaborate lie my life had become.

pressure in my chest began to ease, like a physical weight lifting. The bitter taste of betrayal, the ache of my daughter’s rejection, the humiliation of being the last to know – all of it began to feel more distant with

then, with absolute certainty, that I could build a good life on my own. Sometimes the bravest thing isn’t fighting for a broken marriage – it’s knowing when to