The Day I Walked Away

The Day I Walked Away

July will be ok · Ongoing · 298.3k Words

712
Hot
2.2k
Views
60
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

For seven years, I was the perfect wife, only to be replaced by his first love.
Ethan didn't just break my heart;

he let his mistress steal my jewelry designs, and manipulated my own son into calling me a monster.
I was suffocating in a marriage built on lies.

But they made one fatal mistake: they pushed me too far.

The day I walked away, I didn't just leave a toxic husband and an ungrateful son.

I left behind the broken woman they created.

With the support of my best friend and the unexpected warmth of a powerful CEO who saw my true worth, I reclaimed my name, my career, and my life.

Now, as my designs shine on the world stage, Ethan is on his knees begging for forgiveness.

But he’s too late.

The day I walked away was the day I finally found myself.

And I will never look back.

Chapter 1

I saw my own design on the television screen.

"Congratulations to Bianca White, winner of this year's Jewelry Design Competition. Please welcome Ethan Locke, CEO of the Locke Group, to present the award!"

The camera panned to the side of the stage.

Ethan walked out in a black suit, his posture straight and commanding, and handed the trophy to Bianca. That usually cold face of his held a rare smile.

Then a little boy in a small suit ran onto the stage, carrying a bouquet of sunflowers.

"Aiden!" Bianca crouched down and pulled him into her arms along with the flowers, kissing his cheek. "Thank you, sweetheart!"

The reporters' cameras flashed wildly.

"Mr. Locke, Bianca's work is absolutely stunning. As the presenter, what are your thoughts?"

"It's said that the 'Starlight Kiss' design was inspired by love. Bianca, would you care to share?"

"The little boy is adorable! He looks so much like Bianca!"

"What a happy family of three!"

Yeah. They really did look like a family of three.

I tugged at the corner of my mouth, trying to smile, but I couldn't.

Today was my wedding anniversary with Ethan.

And this was supposed to be my awards ceremony.

This Starlight Kiss was something I'd spent three full months on, revising it seventeen times before finalizing the design. In the end, Bianca destroyed my original draft with a cup of coffee. And the finished piece was gifted to her by my husband and my own son.

So Bianca traced over a version of the "original" and submitted it for the competition.

Bianca was Ethan's first love. Years ago, they'd almost gotten married.

But seven years ago, Ethan was drugged by someone with a grudge. I was working a part-time job at that hotel, and through a series of accidents, I ended up in his room. The next morning, gossip reporters posted photos of us online.

When Bianca saw the news, she was heartbroken. She bought a plane ticket and left the country the next day.

Ethan had wanted to go after her, but his parents forced him to marry me to calm the scandal and stabilize the Locke Group's stock price.

I'd always known Ethan didn't love me.

So initially, I refused to marry him. Even after I found out I was pregnant, I firmly told his parents I could have an abortion. They didn't need to take responsibility.

But Ethan's mother rejected my offer outright.

To push me and Ethan together, they even threatened me with the fact that I'd received financial aid from the Locke family. I was an orphan. I never would have made it through college without their help.

Out of gratitude, I married Ethan in the end.

After the wedding, I gave up my career and stayed home to take care of Ethan and our child. And Ethan, believing I was the one who'd drugged him that night and trapped him into marriage, had been cold to me ever since.

I wasn't discouraged by this. I believed that if I kept treating Ethan well, he would eventually accept me.

But Bianca White's return turned the past seven years of my devotion into a complete joke.

Three months ago, she came back. She found Ethan and told him she had cancer. Her dying wish was to spend her remaining time by his side.

Ethan agreed immediately.

After that, not only did he stay with Bianca constantly, but he demanded I unconditionally fulfill all of Bianca's requests.

"You owe Bianca this."

"You already have the title of wife. You shouldn't expect anything more."

"I'm just taking care of Bianca. I'm not cheating. You need to be more understanding."

That's what Ethan always told me.

Yes, he wasn't technically cheating. But everything he did for Bianca—what was the difference?

I was a victim that night seven years ago, too.

I'd been heartbroken. I'd been furious.

But it didn't matter. Bianca was still a thorn lodged deep in my marriage.

Later, even the son I'd risked my life to give birth to was gradually drawn to Bianca.

I was tired. So tired.

I turned off the TV and prepared to go upstairs to rest.

That's when Ethan walked in holding Aiden's hand. Father and son wore matching dark overcoats, standing together like a large and small copy of the same person.

"Mommy!"

Aiden ran over. "Did you see the TV? Aunt Bianca won an award! That necklace was so pretty!"

I fought back tears. "I saw. Did you have fun today, Aiden?"

"Yes!" Aiden's eyes sparkled. "Aunt Bianca took me out for ice cream and bought me the new LEGO set! Daddy went too!"

He looked up at me. "Mommy, you're not mad, are you? Aunt Bianca only has one year left. If you're angry, that means you have a really small heart!"

My chest felt like it was being stabbed with needles.

But all I said was, "The doctor said your heart can't handle too much excitement. You should eat less cold food."

Aiden's little face immediately fell. "Again? Mommy, you always control me. Aunt Bianca never does that. She even eats ice cream with me!"

My eyes reddened. "That's because she doesn't have to take responsibility for your health."

"Having it once in a while is fine. Don't be so tense."

Ethan walked over, his voice low.

Always like this.

Every time I was strict, Mr. Locke stepped in to smooth things over.

As if I were the unreasonable villain, and he was the sensible father.

Aiden stuck out his tongue and ran upstairs.

The air went quiet instantly.

I looked up at the man in front of me.

He was tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his features sharp and distinguished, his presence cold and aristocratic. He seemed completely out of reach.

I blinked. "Ethan, do you remember what today is?"

Only then did he notice the decorations in the living room.

Surprise flickered in his eyes before they returned to calm. "Sorry. I had company business today, and then I accompanied Aiden to the awards ceremony."

I smiled. "The awards ceremony? That was my awards ceremony. Bianca won the gold medal in the jewelry competition because she plagiarized my work."

"Plagiarism? Selene, even now, you're still lying."

Ethan's expression was indifferent, his eyes contemptuous.

"When I gave your design draft to Bianca, she told me your draft was almost identical to a design she'd drawn before."

"So if anyone plagiarized, it's you who plagiarized Bianca's work. Bianca achieved what she has through her own ability."

"I was foolish to think about asking you to help Bianca design something."

"A housewife who depends on me for living—how could you possibly design jewelry?"

A housewife who depends on him?

That's how he saw me?

I bit my lower lip, almost laughing from anger.

"Ethan, have you seen Bianca's original design draft? She says I copied her work, and you just believe her?"

"You've been home for seven years and never shown any design talent. Bianca was already an established jewelry designer before she returned. Who do you think I should believe?"

Ethan's face darkened, his tone distant.

Fine. I understood.

Bottom line—he looked down on me from the bottom of his heart.

I clenched my fists and suddenly didn't want to argue with him anymore.

I didn't even want him as a husband anymore.

A stone that stayed cold after seven years of trying to warm it—what was the point?

"Ethan, let's get divorced. Don't you want to take care of Bianca? Once we separate, you can be with her openly."

"What did you say?"

Ethan's usually cold eyes flashed with shock.

"Stop being ridiculous."

He pressed his lips together, displeased. "Selene, you don't have a job. How will you live without me?"

"How I live from now on is none of your business!"

I looked directly into Ethan's eyes and took a deep breath. "I'll send you the divorce papers. Sign them as soon as you receive them."

With that, I stood up.

"What about Aiden? He's only six."

Ethan looked at my profile, his gaze darkening.

"Aiden loves Bianca so much. Perfect. The three of you can have a nice life together."

I kept my head down and didn't look back at Ethan.

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

Rise of the Banished She-Wolf

Rise of the Banished She-Wolf

435.9k Views · Completed · Lily
"White wolf! Kill that monster!"
That roar stole my eighteenth birthday and shattered my world. My first shift should have been glory—blood turned blessing into shame. By dawn they'd branded me "cursed": cast out by my pack, abandoned by family, stripped of my nature. My father didn't defend me—he sent me to a forsaken island where wolfless outcasts were forged into weapons, forced to kill each other until only one could leave.
On that island I learned the darkest edges of humanity and how to bury terror in bone. Countless times I wanted to surrender—dive into the waves and never surface—but the accusing faces that haunted my dreams pushed me back toward something colder than survival: revenge. I escaped, and for three years I hid among humans, collecting secrets, learning to move like a shadow, sharpening patience into precision—becoming a blade.
Then, under a full moon, I touched a bleeding stranger—and my wolf returned with a violence that made me whole. Who was he? Why could he wake what I'd thought dead?
One thing I know: now is the time.
I have waited three years for this. I will make everyone who destroyed me pay—and take back everything that was stolen from me.
The Deadly Mafia Princess

The Deadly Mafia Princess

9.4k Views · Ongoing · Tonje Unosen
Ro was taken from her real family when she was 1 year old. Those she believed is her parents have been abusive towards her do years. Despite she being a very feared gang leader of a well known gang, she can’t find it in her to stand up against what she think is her parents. The little girl in her wants their love which she never will get.
Her gang take the matter in their own hands, to try to save their leader from the horror of her home. What none of them know, they wasn’t her real parents, and now Ro will be sent away to live with her real family. That makes her closest members in her gang pack up and move as well. They don’t want to be far away from their leader.
The Spy Who Left

The Spy Who Left

1.3k Views · Completed · Orion Vale
"She's naive. A pretty little socialite who got lucky marrying above her station."
"I still can't believe she actually did it. Aria Hart, filing for divorce. Who saw that coming?"
"How long do we think it'll take before she comes crawling back?" Another voice joins the conversation.
"Three days," Victoria declares. "Five at most. She has no money, no skills, no family. Where's she going to go?"
When Aria Chen divorced billionaire Leon Hart, New York's elite sneered, betting she'd crawl back within days. She never did.
Three years later, the world is rocked when Dr. Aria Vale, CEO of a revolutionary cybersecurity empire, steps into the spotlight. The mysterious genius who built a billion-dollar company from nothing is none other than Leon's discarded wife, the woman everyone thought was just a pretty ornament.
Now, every powerful man wants the queen Leon threw away a renowned scientist seeking partnership, a financial titan proposing an empire, and an actor offering devotion. Each sees the brilliance Leon ignored.
Then Leon discovers the truth: Aria's sacrifices, her secret double life, and the daughter she's been raising without him. For the first time, the man who once took her for granted must fight for her love. But can he compete with men who valued her from the beginning?
A story of love, betrayal, and power where the king must kneel before the queen who never needed saving.
Let Them Kneel

Let Them Kneel

235.6k Views · Ongoing · My Fantasy Stories
Kaelani spent her life believing she was wolfless.
Cast out by her pack. Forgotten by the Lycans.
She lived among humans—quiet, invisible, tucked away in a town no one looked at twice.

But when her first heat comes without warning, everything changes.

Her body ignites. Her instincts scream. And something primal stirs beneath her skin—
summoning a big, bad Alpha who knows exactly how to quench her fire.

When he claims her, it’s ecstasy and ruin.

For the first time, she believes she’s been accepted.
Seen.
Chosen.

Until he leaves her the next morning—
like a secret never to be spoken.

But Kaelani is not what they thought.
Not wolfless. Not weak.
There is something ancient inside her. Something powerful. And it’s waking.

And when it does—
they’ll all remember the girl they tried to erase.

Especially him.

She’ll be the dream he keeps chasing… the one thing that ever made him feel alive.

Because secrets never stay buried.
And neither do dreams.
Goddess Of The Underworld

Goddess Of The Underworld

919.4k Views · Completed · Sheridan Hartin
Left at a pack border with a name and a stubborn heartbeat, Envy grows into the sharpest kind of survivor, an orphaned warrior who knows how to hold a line and keep moving. Love isn’t in the plan…until four alpha wolves with playboy reputations and inconveniently soft hands decide the girl who won’t bow is the only queen they’ll ever take. Their mate. The one they have waited for. Xavier, Haiden, Levi, and Noah are gorgeous, lethal, and anything but perfect and Envy isn’t either. She’s changing. First into hell hound, Layah at her heels and fire in her veins. Then into what the realm has been waiting for, a Goddess of the Underworld, dragging her mates down to hell with her.

When the veil between the Divine, the Living, and the Dead begins to crack, Envy is thrust beneath with a job she can’t drop: keep the worlds from bleeding together, shepherd the lost, and make ordinary into armour, breakfasts, bedtime, battle plans. Peace lasts exactly one lullaby. This is the story of an orphan pup who became a goddess by choosing her family; of four imperfect alphas learning how to be better. Steamy, fierce, and full of heart, Goddess of the Underworld is a reverse harem, found-family paranormal romance where love writes the rules and keeps three realms from falling apart.
The Family Books 1-3 (A Mafia romance)

The Family Books 1-3 (A Mafia romance)

2.1k Views · Completed · Emma Mountford
Saints and Sinners- She was the light to my dark.
The saint to my sinner. with her innocent eyes and devilish curves.
A Madonna that was meant to be admired but never touched.
Until someone took that innocence from her.
She left.
The darkness in my heart was finally complete.
I avenged her, I killed for her, but she never came back.
Until I saw her again. An angel dancing around a pole for money.
She didn’t know I owned that club. She didn’t know I was watching.
This time I won’t let her escape.
I will make her back into the girl I knew.
Whether she likes it or not.
2/ Judge and Jury- I can’t stop watching her.

I’m not even sure I want to.

Taylor Lawson, blonde, beautiful, and totally oblivious to how much dangers she’s in.

She’s also the one juror in my upcoming murder trial that hasn’t been bought.

The one who can put me behind bars for a very long time.

I know I should execute her.
After all that’s what I do.

I am the Judge.
I eliminate threats to The Family.
And Taylor is a threat.
But I don’t want to kill her.
Possessing her, making her love me seems like a much better plan for this particular Juror.

3/ Rags and Ritches-
His Lethal Obsession

His Lethal Obsession

2.3k Views · Ongoing · Olivia Chigozie
"Big Kai?"

He didn't respond but moved his eyes around the room, scanning the place.

"Wha...what are you doing here?"

His icy blue eyes returned to me, sending shivers down my spine. Then further dropped to my dress and then back to my eyes.

"The shit going on downstairs, what does it mean?" he asked, making my legs as weak as they are eager to flee.

"It's....it my wedding,"

He scoffed darkly. "Excuse me?"

I swallowed. "I am......getting married,"

He let out a humorless laugh, looking away and giving me lesser comfort. He looked at me with a demonic frown.

Terror washed me.

"Every single motherfucker/human being here, be it adult or child, including you, will burn before that happens,"

〽️〽️〽️

The quiet but pathetic life of Twenty-year-old Mia Jefferson changed the night she found a few months old interracial baby boy abandoned in a dumpster on her way home. She saved him and kept him in her care for almost a month until she was taken by a deadly gang who accused her of abduction. She thought it was it for her until the ruthless gang leader, Nathaniel Kincaid, known on the streets as Big Kai and the father of the baby appeared and added to her punishment. At the point when Mia is about to give up, Nathaniel makes her his baby's nanny as the only way to convince him that she is not the abductor. As she picked up her care for the baby, Nathaniel watched her every move consistently, placing his heart in a dark and passionate risk.
Tempted By The Enemy

Tempted By The Enemy

3.9k Views · Completed · rituparna darolia
Twenty-two-year-old Alyssa Van Every is in a dilemma. Her close friend, Sienna, is marrying billionaire, Lucas Donnelly who, along with his brothers, happens to be her older brother, Alex's sworn enemy.
She escapes to Preston Island to attend the wedding without informing him only to collide with Lucas’s hot, fiery and arrogant brother, the twenty-three-year-old, Nicholas Donnelly. Sparks immediately fly between them but Alyssa refuses to acknowledge them fearing her brother's wrath.
The wedding is over and Alyssa tries hard to forget the mysterious Nicholas Donnelly but can he forget her? Can he ignore the attraction he feels for her, feelings that have resurfaced after ten years?
What will Allyssa do when she is stalked by the man who has been invading her dreams since the day she met him? What will she do when she is whisked away to a deserted island by the unpredictable Nicholas Donnelly? Can she tame her heart or surrender to sinful temptations? Read to find out!
Part of the Temptation Series. Can be read as a standalone.
Bella and Her Beast

Bella and Her Beast

14.9k Views · Completed · Sheridan Hartin
For all the little girls who grew up wondering what happens after the prince kisses the girl—this is the story they never told you.
.
Locked in her frozen tower, Bella dreamed of warmth, of touch, of freedom and of love. Cursed with the power of ice and snow, she’s spent her life alone. A secret they tried to protect the world from. Her only escape comes in the form of the books she reads. Stories of heat, desire, and the kind of love that could melt even her frostbitten heart.
Damien is the Beast. A dragon King with a temper forged in flame and a soul hollowed by duty. The world fears him. The people call him a monster. But beneath the scales and the rage lies a man who has never been touched by love.
When frost meets fire, the world shatters. She was never meant to leave her tower. He was never meant to find her. But destiny doesn’t bow to kings or care for cages and now the question burns through them both: Can Bella have her Beast? Or will the girl of snow melt in the heat of his desire?

.
"I’m keeping her."
"What?"
Before I can react, he scoops her up. Her small body fits easily in the cradle of his talons. For a split second, she looks startled, but not afraid. Her hand rests against one scaled finger, and she stares up at him with that same curious wonder, as though she’s already forgotten she was ever meant to fear me.
"Put her down," I try to command, panic threading through my thoughts. "You’ll hurt her."
"She’s ours," the beast insists, possessive and fierce. "Our snowflake."
Pawn of the Starless God

Pawn of the Starless God

1.5k Views · Ongoing · Dee Fietz
I was supposed to die alone in an alley.

Instead, a god found me.

One moment, I was bleeding beneath the neon glow of the city, my life slipping through my fingers. The next, a glowing blue screen appeared before my eyes, offering me a choice that was never really a choice at all.

Accept the Summoner’s Mark. Or die.

Now I belong to the Death Game — a brutal cosmic system where ordinary people are turned into Players, thrown into impossible missions, and forced to survive horrors designed for the amusement of gods.

Every trial has rules.
Every monster has a weakness.
Every victory comes with a reward.

And every reward makes me less human.

My name is Nerissa Valehart, and I refuse to be anyone’s pawn.

But surviving the Game means trusting the one man everyone warns me to fear.

Veyren Ashford is ruthless, powerful, and dangerously beautiful — a veteran Player with blood on his hands and secrets in his soul. He says attachment will get me killed. He says love is a weakness the Game always punishes.

Yet when death comes for me, Veyren is the one standing between us.

In a world where gods gamble with mortal lives, monsters hunt from the shadows, and desire may be the deadliest weakness of all, I have only one goal:

Survive long enough to cross the board.

And make the Starless God regret choosing me..............
Confined To The Alluring CEO

Confined To The Alluring CEO

2.1k Views · Ongoing · Ava John
Penelope is heartbroken when she gets to know that her fiance is going to get married to her step-sister Mireya who is already carrying his child.

As she tries to pick up the broken pieces of her heart and move on she is forced to make a life-changing decision in order to save her grandpa's life from the clutches of her wicked stepmother.

Tyrell Achilles is the man whom Penelope has to marry. He is rumoured to be a crippled, hot-tempered, cruel man with a damaged face and the son of the Achilles family which was once the wealthiest family in the country until they went bankrupt.

After the wedding, Penelope realised everything was not what it looked like, but one thing was sure, she was going to use this opportunity to make every single person who betrayed her pay.

She was going to ruin them till the very end but to achieve her goal, she must be able to thread through the traps and conspiracy unscathed.

When she is on the verge of giving up, a hand is stretched out to her, and it is none other than that of her alluring husband Tyrell Achilles and he says these words to her gazing into her eyes. "I never thought this would happen but I'm in love with you, Pennie."

Will she give love a chance or keep fighting the feelings she has for her enigmatic yet alluring husband?
Offside With You

Offside With You

2.3k Views · Ongoing · Eanie Ruth
For eighteen years, Aveline Carter has lived in the shadows, forgotten by a mother who only seems to see her identical twin brother, Asher Carter, whose heart disease demands constant care. She resents him until the night she finds him lying unconscious on his bedroom floor.
At the hospital, Asher falls into a coma. His scans reveal bruises, internal bleeding and signs of prolonged physical abuse. Broken and furious, Aveline vows to expose the cruelty hidden behind the prestige of Crestwood Academy.
Cutting off her hair and disguising herself as her brother, Aveline infiltrates Crestwood Academy and fights her way onto the hockey team determined to unmask those responsible. Revenge should have been simple until she meets Kieran Hampton, the team’s arrogant and sharp-eyed star player. From their first clash, tension ignites. Aveline is certain he’s guilty and has no problem making his life miserable, but their undeniable chemistry only draws them closer with every confrontation.

While Aveline focuses on the wrong target, the real threat stands closer.

Cassian Thorne seems strange at first, his interest in her uncomfortably personal yet he gradually becomes her friend. Meanwhile, Kieran despite believing Aveline is male finds himself drawn to “him” in ways he can’t understand. When he uncovers her true identity, he chooses to protect her at all costs even as she refuses to trust him.
Revenge turns to grief when Asher dies, leaving Aveline drowning in guilt for falling for her brother’s supposed tormentor. Questions remain unanswered, and the truth is far darker than she imagined because Asher Carter was never just a victim. The bullying wasn’t just random.
As secrets unravel and loyalties shatter, Aveline must face one devastating question: what happens when the brother you were ready to destroy the world for isn’t who you thought he was?