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like outdated furniture.

fresh start in a city where nobody knew me as Callum Reyes‘ wife or Mila’s

taxi, my phone lit up with Callum’s call They were probably still at

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

phone.

security felt like crossing a threshold. Each step forward was a step away from the elaborate lie my life had become. On the plane,

off, I watched Los Angeles shrink beneath me. The pressure in my chest began to ease, like a physical weight lifting. The bitter taste of betrayal,

build a good life on my own. Sometimes the bravest thing isn’t