ManyWriters

For ten years of our marriage, whenever Damian Blackwood cheated, I was the one who cleaned up his messes.
It had become an open secret, whispered throughout the elite circles of Los Angeles.
Until he started toying with a viral model from Texas and carelessly knocked her up.
As was my routine, I threw down a ten million dollar check, ordering her to have an abortion and disappear.
But that very night, as Amber Lynn lay in the hospital, tears streaming down her face, Damian lost all control and kicked the door open.
"Who told you to lay a hand on her?"
"Claire, Amber isn't like the others. I'm keeping this child."
"From today onwards, you are to take care of her every need. If anything happens to the child, you'll be held solely responsible!"
His investment partner, standing nearby, tried to placate me:
"Mrs. Blackwood, this is just a passing fancy for him. Don't take it to heart. Amber is merely a pretty plaything; how could she ever measure up to you?"
"Making a bit of a fuss is one thing, but that should be the end of it. You wouldn't actually dare to divorce him, would you? You've endured this for ten years; this time will be no different."
He had cheated hundreds of times before, and each time, I was the one managing the public relations fallout.
Everyone said I was hopelessly devoted to Damian, that I'd sooner die than leave his side.
But this time, I suddenly felt… weary.

Gilded Cage, Broken Wings

Amber’s expression grew more and more savage as she raised her hand and delivered several sharp slaps across my face.


When she finally tired, she released me, a cruel smirk suddenly playing on her lips.


I doubled over, coughing violently, but no matter how loudly I cried for help, no one in the villa came to my aid.


"Save your breath," Amber sneered. "Everyone here is far more clever than you are. They know perfectly well who the real mistress of Blackwood Manor is. Without my nod, they won't lift a finger for you."


"Want to know how that little riding 'accident' of yours really happened? Such a terrible shame. The baby was only two months along. Stuck with a useless mother like you, it was doomed from the start. I wonder, now that it’s in the great beyond, if it regrets ever being conceived in your womb?"


Chapter 6