His Public Love Was a Private Lie Novel

Chapter 9 I stayed calm, sipping tea while Zoe panicked across the room. "Stressing out won't help," I said, handing her a cup. "Might as well drink something." Zoe gave a miserable laugh. "Let's hope it's not courthouse coffee next." But my eyes were steady. I was playing the long game. If Cyrus wanted to ruin me, I'd let him think he was winning. Sometimes you have to let them think they're winning to turn the tables. Our business war lasted three months. Silent, vicious, psychological. Every time Cyrus thought he had me backed into a corner, I found a way to fight back.

Then, the night before everything was revealed, I got a call from Vivian. "Evelyn," she purred, "how does it feel to wake up every day knowing everything could collapse at any moment?" I didn't respond. "I'm not calling out of kindness. I just wanted to share some good news, your company's not going to last another day. I thought you deserved to hear it. I'm marrying Cyrus soon, by the way." Then she told me something I'd long suspected. Years ago, when I lost my baby, it hadn't been an accident. It was Vivian.

She'd thrown tantrums, begged Cyrus not to let me have his child, and he'd silently let it happen. "Don't cry, Evelyn," she said, laughing. "Cyrus can't see you. No one cares. Do the world a favor and disappear." I listened, then said quietly, "Vivian, trash belongs in the trash. You and Cyrus make a perfect pair." I had suspected. But hearing it out loud was different. Still, it freed me. If he could kill our child, I didn't owe him a shred of mercy.

The next morning at dawn, I got a message: [Cylyn Group Files for Bankruptcy; CEO Cyrus Hill Faces Massive Debt.] I took a sip of wine and swirled the glass slowly. For three months, I kept my head just low enough for him to think he'd already won. I knew him, greedy, impatient. He borrowed money to crush me. And when he finally went for the kill, I struck first. Vivian, who had been gloating the night before, broke down completely. She had wagered everything, and lost it all. When she confronted Cyrus, he finally snapped and told her the truth. Vivian went mad.

She ran into the street like a lunatic. A speeding car hit her. She lay in a pool of blood, tears in her eyes. "Cy...rus..." Cyrus sat alone in the company we had once built together. Outside, debt collectors screamed. Inside, there was only silence. The employees had all fled. The company was truly his now. He stared at the wedding photo on the desk, our frozen smiles mocking him. He reached out, fingers brushing my face in the picture, and whispered with a hollow smile, "Evelyn... losing doesn't feel so bad." to you Outside the office, the debt collectors kicked down the door.

There was a loud, sharp crash. Blood sprayed across the room. Panicked screams echoed outside. That one final bang... rang out at the exact same moment as the fireworks at my company's IPO celebration. Lucia Morh Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she's not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.