[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260322BF5857-331":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},331,3,"Chapter 3: \"He Called Me Wife\"","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The moment those lecherous hands reached for her chest, Raven Sullivan hit her limit. She grabbed a wine bottle from the table and brought it down hard on the creep’s skull.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">CRACK.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Jerry Armstrong stumbled back, his hand coming away slick with blood.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Raven!\" he roared, face purpling with rage. \"Are you out of your mind?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He drew back his hand to slap her, but Raven caught his wrist, her face a mask of cold indifference. She twisted, a sickening snap of cartilage echoing through the room. As he howled in agony, she leaned in close.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I am out of my mind,\" she whispered. \"And I’m done with this job.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She shoved him aside, the door swinging shut behind her as she walked out. She went home and slept for nearly twenty-four hours.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When she woke, the afternoon sun was bleeding through her blinds. Her phone was a graveyard of missed calls—coworkers, HR, and Kingston Stone. She skipped over Kingston’s name, dialing the office instead.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Manager Miller,\" Raven said, her voice raspy from disuse. \"How do I process my resignation?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">There was a long silence on the other end. \"Resignation? Raven, what are you talking about? I was calling to ask why you didn't show up for your shift today.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Raven blinked, confused. Jerry wasn't the type to let an insult slide. How could he not have fired her?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Is... is Jerry in today?\" she tested.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Manager Miller lowered her voice. \"Haven't you heard? Jerry’s out. Corporate sent a memo late last night. He’s been terminated effective immediately.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Raven felt a jolt of ice in her chest. To silence everyone in that VIP suite and axe a store manager overnight—there was only one person in this city with that kind of reach.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She hesitated, then tapped out a text to Kingston: [Thank you.]\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He replied instantly: [For what?]\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She weighed the words carefully: [For taking care of Jerry.]\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The phone rang immediately. She picked up, but it wasn't Kingston’s voice that filled her ear. It was Alison Hayes, shrill and dripping with venom.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Raven, do you have no shame? Kingston has made it clear he’s done with you. Why are you still clinging to him like a leech?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Raven went quiet for a moment, then replied calmly, \"I’m not clinging to him. He did me a favor, and I was expressing my gratitude.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">There was a stunned silence on the other end.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Finally, Alison hissed, \"Drop the act, Raven. You’re just a gold-digger who can’t let go of a rich husband. I won’t let you have your way.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Raven brushed it off at first. But when she walked into the mall the next day, the atmosphere felt jagged, thick with sideways glances and whispered insults. She assumed word of the incident with Jerry had leaked.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Until Manager Miller pulled her into the office, her face ashen, and turned the laptop screen toward her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">An explicit photo stared back. The woman in the frame, identifiable by the distinct tear-shaped mole beneath her eye, was undeniably her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Raven,\" Miller began, her voice trembling. \"Is this… you?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The world turned to ice. It was from six months ago—a night Kingston had forced himself on her in the back of his car. The paparazzi had caught it, and Kingston had bought the photos for a fortune. He’d kept them in his private folder. When she’d begged him to delete them, he’d smiled and said, \"Raven, if you ever dare to leave me, I’ll make sure everyone sees exactly what you are.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He had a new girl now; he wouldn't care if she left. He wouldn't leak them.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But Alison—who had full access to his phone and his messages—she was the only one capable of this.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Manager Miller sighed, looking at Raven’s hollow expression. \"The photos were mass-emailed to the staff. It’s all over the office. We’re putting you on forced leave. Go home and wait for further notice.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Raven knew what that meant. Her reputation was gutted. She couldn't stay in the City anymore.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It was just as well. The Gilded Masquerade was next week. Once the mission was done, she’d request a transfer. She was never coming back.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">***\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">At the end of the month, Kingston tossed a bar address at her. \"The money and the invitation are there. Come get them yourself.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">An hour later, Raven pushed open the door to the VIP lounge. The air reeked of cheap cologne and condescension.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Well, if it isn't the beautiful Raven,\" a voice sneered. \"Can't let go of Kingston, huh?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"He’s done with you, but I’m not. Fifty grand for the night—you in?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Raven ignored them, locking eyes with Kingston. He was sprawled on the leather sofa, tie undone, eyes glassy with intoxication. She couldn't stand the leering eyes of the men around him for another second. She leaned over, digging into his coat pocket.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She found the envelope. She was about to turn when Kingston’s hand snaked out, grabbing her wrist. He squinted at her, his voice a broken, drunken murmur.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Wife.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Her heart stuttered. He hadn't called her that in years. Not since she was pregnant. Back then, she’d blushed and told him to stop, saying they weren't married yet, and he’d just laughed, kissing her temple and whispering the word until it felt like a promise.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It felt like a lifetime ago.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He pulled her into his chest, burying his face in her hair. \"Wife... I’ve missed you so much.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He sounded so desperate, so shattered—the old Kingston. But she knew better. He was just wasted, and she was just a ghost in his liquor-fogged mind.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She bit her lip, using the physical pain to drown out the yearning, and shoved him away. \"I’m not your wife.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"No,\" he insisted, his eyes tracking her with drunken stubbornness. \"You are.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The door swung open. Alison rushed in, a sharp, stinging slap echoing through the room as she struck Kingston across the face.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Kingston, look at me! Who is your wife?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The slap hit home. Kingston blinked, the haze in his eyes clearing. Instinctively, he reached out and pulled Alison into his arms, burying his face in her neck, whispering the same word over and over again.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Wife... my wife...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Don't be mad, babe,\" one of the sycophants piped up. \"He’s just sloshed. We all know who he really wants.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Exactly. Raven’s nothing.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*Nothing.* She laughed to herself. She knew exactly when to exit. She gripped the invitation and the five-million-dollar check, turning on her heel.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She hadn't even made it to the corner when a man blocked her path, grinning like a predator. \"Hey gorgeous, you look familiar. Oh, I remember—I’ve seen those photos. You’re a real wild one, aren't you?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He reached out, his hand groping at her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Raven’s eyes turned to jagged glass. In a flash, she caught his wrist, kneed him in the stomach, and slammed him into the floor in a perfect back-throw.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The man groaned on the ground. She raised her heel, ready to drive it into his ribs. \"Get lost.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The man scrambled away, cursing. Behind her, a slow, mocking clap echoed through the hallway.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Alison stood there, smiling. \"Not bad. But what does a right hook matter when thousands of people have seen you naked? Can you beat up every single one of them?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Raven leveled a cold gaze at her. \"You leaked the photos?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I did. What of it?\" Alison challenged. \"If you’re going to do something that trashy, you deserve to be exposed.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"The 'trashy' thing you’re talking about? It was your boyfriend doing it to me.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Alison’s face twisted. She lunged forward, shrieking for her to die.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Raven caught her wrist easily, pinning it. \"If I’m a bitch, then Kingston is the garbage who wouldn't leave me alone. And what does that make a girl who’s desperate to pick up his trash?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Alison began to shake, her eyes darting to the door. As Kingston emerged from the suite, she instantly dropped the facade, her face crumbling into tears. \"It hurts... Raven, let go!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Kingston charged, shoving Raven aside to pull Alison into his arms. \"What the hell is wrong with you, Raven?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Alison held up her wrist, trembling. \"I was just asking her about you, and she grabbed me. She’s hurting me!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Kingston looked at the faint red mark on Alison’s wrist. When he looked back at Raven, his eyes were burning with a hatred so raw it scorched. A waiter passed by with a tray of red wine; Kingston snatched a glass and slammed it against the wall near her, the liquid splashing entirely over her head and face.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The cold wine dripped from her hair, stinging her eyes, soaking her collar. Through the blurred, wine-stained vision, she saw Kingston’s icy glare and Alison’s triumphant smirk.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Touch her again,\" Kingston snarled, \"and next time, it won't be wine.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He turned, fingers interlaced with Alison’s, and they stepped into the elevator.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Raven stood alone in the hallway, the red droplets hitting the floor like clockwork. The cold seeped through her skin, right into the marrow.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She realized then that her Kingston was gone. He’d dragged her into this swamp of misery and left her to drown while he walked away clean.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Fine.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She let out a long, shuddering breath and wiped the wine from her face. Once the mission was done and she was out of the City, she would forget him. She would escape the swamp.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">And like him, she would never look back.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272929326]