Serenity’s Story 1
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Serenity’s Story 1
The party shimmered with the low hum of conversation and the delicate clinking of champagne flutes. I glanced at my husband, Liam, his wrist conspicuously bare.
“Where’s your
sandalwood
bracelet?” I asked, my voice a calm ripple amidst the ambient noise.
He didn’t answer. Instead, his cousin Chloe flushed a deep crimson, her hands trembling as she started to rise. A small, intricately carved lotus bead tumbled from beneath her leg, followed by another, and another. My vision blurred, and a buzzing sound filled my ears.
Those beads… my beads. The sandalwood bracelet, painstakingly crafted by my own hands. Each lotus blossom was a prayer, a testament to my pilgrimage up Mount Shasta. I had prostrated myself 999 times, pleading for a miracle, a sign from a renowned buddha. This bracelet had been the miracle–a cruel, mocking one. Liam had desecrated its sanctity… with her.
I didn’t scream. I didn’t create a scene. Instead, the next morning, I filed for an immigration visa. Liam, with all his connections, wouldn’t be able to leave the country easily. This was my escape, my oblivion.
“Good morning, I’d like to apply for an immigrant visa,” I said, sliding my paperwork across the counter to the immigration officer.
The officer stamped the forms, then pulled up another file.“Ms. Serenity Stering, your visa will be processed in two weeks. Please wait patiently.”
I nodded, turning to leave. But then I heard them whispering.
“Is that… Mrs. Sterling? What’s she doing here? Problems with Mr. Sterling?”
“A fight? But he’s known as Mr. Perfect! What could she possibly be
upset about?”
“Right? Their wedding seven years ago was legendary. And five years ago, when she nearly died of kidney failure, he donated his kidney without hesitation. Two years ago, she disappeared, and he moved heaven and earth to find her. And now she’s leaving him without a word? He’ll lose it!”
A bitter laugh escaped me. Everyone knew Liam’s reputation. The ruthless, efficient CEO of Sterling Industries, a man of icy demeanor who kept the world at arm’s length–until me.
He had pursued me relentlessly: a mansion, a luxury car, an array of dazzling jewels, and even a three–night fireworks display declaring his love. He once braved a hurricane, crossing five cities to bring me a discontinued strawberry cake I had casually mentioned liking. He’d arrived drenched, but the cake had been warm.
What had opened my heart, though, was the day my parents died in a car accident. Liam was in Monaco, closing a billion–dollar deal. But he dropped everything, flew back, and held me close through my grief.“Serenity, don’t be afraid. You have me. I’ll always protect you,” he had sa his eyes red and puffy.
His love had felt… real. This was it. I knew.
Three months ago, the illusion shattered. Chloe, staying at our house, had left traces of their betrayal in every corner of the mansion. Every room became a monument to my heartbreak. He thought he’d hidden it well, but there are no secrets in a shared home. The pain, the disbelief–it all led me here.
I hailed a cab back to the Sterling Estate. The cloying scent of semen greeted me as I stepped inside. Liam and Chloe turned, mid–conversation, their faces freezing at my sudden appearance.
Liam’s eyes
softened immediately. He rushed to my side and clasped my hand. “Honey, you’re freezing! I thought you were staying at the gala. You’re back early–I was planning a surprise.”
A surprise? My eyes drifted to his neck, where faint love bites marred his skin. A sharp pang tore through my chest.
Chloe giggled, stepping forward.“Serenity, Liam really outdid himself this time! Even for a simple anniversary…” She gestured toward a table laden with gifts.“Look at all this!”
My gaze fell to the gifts, but it stopped at a damp stain on the carpet below. The semen scent, the dampness… It all clicked.
Love? His “love” involved making love to Chloe on the sofa while preparing gifts for me. The realization hit me like a punch to the gut.
Liam didn’t notice my distress. He clasped an emerald necklace around my neck, his voice a honeyed caress.“Happy anniversary, sweetheart. And I have a candlelit dinner waiting.”
My body trembled. I shook my head.“I don’t feel well. I…”
Every second with Liam was torture. I’d always told him, I have a zero–tolerance policy for infidelity, a clean break or nothing. Why lead me on and then betray me?
Liam panicked. He summoned doctors, then bought tonics, made me milk, and coaxed me to sleep. Four hours later, thirst woke me. I opened my bedroom door…
The door to the guest room stood ajar. Moonlight illuminated the scene within: Liam and Chloe, naked and entwined.
“That necklace cost millions, and you wouldn’t give it to me. Serenity gets everything!” Chloe’s voice dripped with resentment, her legs still wrapped around Liam’s waist.
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< Serenity’s Story 1
Liam sighed, stubbing out a cigarette.“Chloe, remember your place. I only love Serenity.”
Chloe’s face paled. “Only secretly? If she finds out…”
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Liam opened a drawer and pulled out a nearly identical necklace, the only difference being its color.“Wear this in secret. If she finds out, we’re done.”
Chloe’s face lit up. She held the necklace to her bruised neck.“Thank you, Liam! I knew you cared! But you’re really scared of Serenity leaving, huh?”
He didn’t hesitate.“Yes. I can’t lose Serenity. I’d go crazy.”
He pulled her back down, resuming their intimacy. The bed creaked, Chloe’s moans filling the air. Tears streamed down my face. I stared at our wedding photo on the wall.
Liam, in fifteen days, I’m waiting for you to go crazy.
