[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-2603226F4B86-348":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},348,9,"Chapter 9: \"When Did You Two Get Together?\"","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His knees hit the concrete with a sickening thud.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I paused, stunned. I knew better than anyone how much Bradley Lawrence valued his image. If he were ever going to jump from a building, he’d pick the dead of night, when the streets were empty and no one was watching.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Around us, the crowd collectively sucked in a breath. Smartphones emerged from pockets, lenses zooming in, hungry for the spectacle.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bradley shuffled forward on his knees. His jaw was clenched so tight it looked painful; his throat bobbed as he fought to speak.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Madeline, I’m not asking for your forgiveness.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His voice sounded like sandpaper dragged over stone, yet he still clung to that practiced air of restraint. \"I just need you to know that I love you. That was real.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Tears streamed down his rigid jaw. \"The three nights I sat by your bed when you had a fever? That was real. Driving across half the city to find that specific dessert you craved? That was real, too.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He looked up at me, his eyes rimmed with red, his composure shattered like broken glass.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"But I’m tainted now.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The words sounded as if they were being ripped from his throat.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I swear, it was just a fling. I never meant for... any of this.\" He let out a wet, ragged breath. \"I’m garbage. I don't deserve you. But if you walk away now, there’s nothing left of me.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I stared down at him. The same Bradley Lawrence who once dismantled opposing counsel in the courtroom until they were trembling and mute was now groveling at my feet, his chin slick with tears.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Yet, I felt nothing. The sympathy had dried up weeks ago.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Are you finished? Have you signed the divorce papers? Don't make me drag you back to court.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I stepped around him and headed for the elevator. Bradley stumbled to his feet, lunging forward to jam his hand between the closing doors. I didn't say a word. As the elevator reached the lobby and the doors slid open, Wesley Cole was standing right there. He froze when he saw the two of us.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bradley locked eyes with him, his expression wild and bloodshot. He hissed, \"When did you two get together?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I froze. Wesley blinked, stunned by the accusation.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bradley leaned in, his voice trembling—cold, sharp, and pathetic. \"You were just waiting for this, weren't you? I thought you were my brother!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*Crack.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Wesley’s fist connected with Bradley’s jaw.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bradley slammed against the elevator wall, blood instantly spraying from his nose.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Are you out of your damn mind?\" Wesley grabbed him by the collar, his knuckles white. \"She nearly died in a war zone while you were busy playing around! I spent months warning you to stop, and now you’re trying to pin your failures on me?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Wesley shoved him off and took a step back, his eyes filled with nothing but contempt.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Bradley, it’s over. You’re done.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">That night, the elevator security footage hit the internet.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The clip of a blood-streaked Bradley Lawrence gasping for air against the elevator wall went viral, captioned: *Top Attorney Cheats for Three Years, Ousts Wife, and Blames the Man Who Had His Back.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The comment sections exploded. Lacey Rose’s accounts were dragged into the light, picked apart, and eviscerated. Her followers turned on her with vicious delight, and some even tracked down her address, pelting her front porch with trash.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Unable to handle the firestorm, Lacey fled to her hometown, looking for some unsuspecting fool to take her off the market.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bradley’s firm website was bombarded with hate, his clients fled in droves, and his \"Distinguished Attorney\" title was officially stripped away.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The internet didn't hold back:\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*He tried to play the martyr, but his wife didn't care, his mistress got exposed, his brother turned on him, and his career is in the gutter. Is this real life or a revenge drama?*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*Someone needs to film this. I’d title it: \"How to Ruin Your Own Life.\"*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I closed the app.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I set aside my newly finalized divorce papers and looked out the window at the office tower across the street. A few more lights flickered off, leaving the building in darkness.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Tomorrow, everything starts fresh.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272924602]