The Moment I Stopped Loving You

I knelt outside Hooper Manor for three days straight before my ex-boyfriend Axel Hooper finally agreed to take me back. Now we're right back to holding hands, kissing, and telling each other how much we love each other. It's as if our breakup never happened. That all changes when Hooper Manor catches fire in the middle of the night. Terrified, I speed all the way back. By the time I get there, flames are lighting up the night sky. Axel comes rushing out in a bathrobe, shielding Rosalie Quade, the fake heiress, as he gets her to safety. Our eyes meet, and without thinking, I raise a hand. I just want to ask if the burn on his shoulder hurts, but he thinks I'm about to go after Rosalie. He shoves me to the ground and yells, "Don't touch Rosie! Fine, I cheated on you again. If you can't stand it, then break up with me again!" I hit the ground hard, sharp gravel cutting into my palms. And just like that, Axel stops looking handsome to me. "Fine. We're done." Chapter 1 After saying that, I pushed myself to my feet. The firefighters had arrived and were rushing to get the blaze under control. I moved off to the side with Belinda Banks, one of the maids, while she cleaned and bandaged the cuts on my palms. When I looked up, I spotted Axel Hooper and Rosalie Quade not far away. She was curled up against him, tears in her eyes as she pointed to a tiny scratch on her arm. "Axel, it hurts." Axel's face tightened with concern. He snapped at the butler, "Watch what you're doing! Be gentle. You know Rosie can't stand pain!" His eyes were red with worry. He looked like he wished he could take the pain for her. My throat tightened, but I managed to hold back the tears. Belinda's voice pulled my attention back. "All done, Ms. Gates. You really handle pain well. Cuts on your palms hurt like crazy, but you didn't make a sound. You're tough!" Some people only had to cry to get sympathy. My tears had never gotten me anything from Axel but annoyance. I gave Belinda a grateful smile, got up, and headed for my car. I had only taken a few steps when my phone rang in my pocket. It was Mom. "Valerie, are you at Hooper Manor? I heard there was a fire, and Rosie's still there! Is she okay? She won't answer her phone. Can you put her on so your dad and I can talk to her? "We're overseas, and we're so worried we can't even sleep!" I stopped short, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. I asked quietly, "Mom, have you known this whole time that Axel was cheating on me with Rosie again? You know I'm Axel's girlfriend, right?" Mom fell silent. Even she seemed to realize how hurtful that sounded. When she finally spoke, she sounded a little guilty. "Valerie, don't take this the wrong way. You're my biological daughter, but I raised Rosie too. I love both of you. I'll explain everything to you later, okay? "For now, can you just put Rosie on the phone?" The fire at Hooper Manor might as well have been burning me too. It hurt so much. Axel didn't love me. Apparently, Mom didn't either. No one did. Mom kept urging me to put Rosalie on the phone, so eventually, I gave in. I walked over to Rosalie with Axel watching me warily and held out my phone. "It's Mom. She's worried about you." Rosalie put the call on speaker. As if she wanted to rub it in my face, she immediately started talking to Mom in an overly sweet voice. "Mm-hmm, I'm fine. Axel took really good care of me. I just got really scared. "My arm? It's fine. It's only a little scratch. "Axel already had someone take care of it. It doesn't hurt anymore." Mom fussed over her, calling her "sweetheart" and "honey" over and over as she comforted her. I stood there listening, too numb to react. Rosalie looked satisfied when she saw how devastated I was. She handed the phone back to me, and I took it before turning to leave. Axel suddenly called after me. "Hey. How's your hand?" He looked annoyed, probably worried I'd use every little ache or injury as an excuse to cling to him again and make him take care of me. Before tonight, I would've done exactly that. But now, it all just seemed pointless. I shook my head. "I'm fine. It's nothing." Then I kept walking. I had barely gone a few steps when Axel called after me again. "Hey, are you really breaking up with me? Don't show up at my door again in a couple of days and kneel outside my house for days, begging me to take you back." There was a hint of amusement in his voice. He clearly thought I'd made a fool of myself by begging him to take me back. Rosalie, still tucked against him, snickered. I didn't look back or slow down. "I won't," I said calmly, my voice carrying through the night air. "Axel, we're really done this time." Chapter 2 I hadn't been calm at all. I'd only been pretending. I loved Axel so much that I'd been willing to throw away my pride for him. He used to tell me all the time, "Valerie, you're crazy." So even though I'd finally decided to walk away from him, it still hurt like hell. I cried so hard as I drove that I could barely hold the wheel steady. Eventually, I had to pull over and wait until I got myself back under control. It was well past midnight. Most of the shops along the street were closed, and only a vending machine on the corner was still lit. I bought a bottle of water and awkwardly tried to twist off the cap with my injured right hand. The cuts had only just started to clot, but the effort tore them open again. I couldn't grip the cap hard enough to twist it off, but I didn't care. I kept trying, almost as if I were punishing myself. Maybe if my hand hurt enough, it would take my mind off the pain in my chest. Blood soaked through the gauze and stained the bottle cap red. Suddenly, someone pulled the bottle out of my hand. He twisted the cap off and handed the bottle back to me with a teasing smile. "I've been watching you struggle with that for a while. Here. Drink." Most people would've been scared. It was the middle of the night, and some stranger with a gun tucked into his waistband and blood on his face had just walked up to me on a street corner. He looked like someone you didn't want to mess with. But Axel was right about one thing. I was crazy. I took the bottle without hesitation and drank from it with my left hand. "Thanks," I said politely. "No problem. I was thirsty too. I was going to just take it from you. Someone put a bullet through my phone, and I don't have any cash on me. But then I saw you and figured you had enough problems already." I looked him over. Sure enough, there was a faint smell of blood in the air. I'd assumed it was coming from my own wounds, but apparently, it wasn't. I opened my car door. "You're thirsty because you've lost too much blood. Your body's trying to compensate. At this rate, you're going to go into shock. Get in. I'll take you to the hospital." The man raised an eyebrow, then shook his head. "Thanks, but I can't go to the hospital." I was starting to lose patience. If he actually passed out, there was no way I could move a guy his size by myself. So I grabbed him and shoved him into the passenger seat. "I have access to a private hospital." He passed out on the way there. Luckily, I got him there in time. The doctors stitched up his wound and gave him two units of blood. After that, he was out of danger. By the time I finally left the hospital, the sun was already up. My phone buzzed twice in my pocket. Mom and Dad had just landed in their private jet. They'd been so worried about Rosalie that they'd flown back overnight. Apparently, they'd remembered they had a biological daughter too, because they invited me to dinner at Quade Manor. I was going to make up an excuse, but Mom and Dad were unusually persistent. They called me a few times and insisted I come over that evening. They sounded so eager to have me there that I could almost believe they really loved me. So I agreed to go. But the moment I stepped inside Quade Manor, I knew I'd been tricked. This wasn't just dinner. Rosalie was throwing a dinner party, and Mom and Dad had used dinner as an excuse to get me there because they could never say no to her. The whole thing had been set up to humiliate me. A giant message on the screen made that perfectly clear. "Congratulations! Axel Hooper finally got rid of his clingy ex, Valerie Gates!" A massive table had been set up in the middle of the main hall. Axel and Rosalie were running the betting pool. Everyone was betting on how many days I'd last before I came crawling back to Axel and begged him to take me back. The second I walked in, the room erupted with laughter and taunts. "Come on, Valerie, give us a hint. How long are you planning to hold out this time? I put a lot of money on you, so don't make me lose too much!" one guy called out, laughing. "Oh, please. You really think she'll make it past three days? All Axel has to do is snap his fingers and say, 'Babe, I'm sorry. From now on, you're the only one I love,' and she'll come running. "She does it every time. At this point, she's practically his lapdog!" "Seriously, don't you have any self-respect? Anyone can see Axel only has eyes for Rosie. If he doesn't love you, then you're the other woman, not Rosie. Get it? His girlfriend? My ass!" Axel walked over slowly with an arm around Rosalie. He gave me an amused smile. "Valerie, want to get back together? If you say yes today, I promise I'll only love you from now on." Chapter 3 There wasn't a hint of sincerity in Axel's voice. He was obviously convinced I'd come crawling back to him in no time and start obsessing over him again. For the first time, I found him incredibly annoying. When I didn't answer, Rosalie jumped in. "Valerie, you're really not going to say yes? You better take him up on it while you can. I put a lot of money on you crawling back to him today, so don't make me lose." I turned to her. "How much did you bet?" Rosalie blinked, clearly not expecting me to ask. Then she lifted her chin proudly. "A million dollars. Mom and Dad just gave it to me. They were worried the fire had scared me, so they gave me some money to make me feel better. What? Jealous?" I ignored her and walked straight past her to the betting table. I dropped a card in front of the dealer and took a tray of dark, high-value chips. With everyone watching, I tipped the whole tray onto the table. The chips clattered down, piling up over the one option in the corner that no one else had touched. It read, "Break up for good." "30 million dollars on that." Then I turned and walked out. I didn't want to stay another second. The room buzzed with whispers. Rosalie was clearly furious that I'd embarrassed her. She bit her lip and turned to Axel. "Axel, did you see that attitude? You can't go easy on her this time. Leave her hanging for a while. Better yet, make her kneel outside your house for a week or two next time. Axel?" Axel didn't answer. He was still staring after me, lost in thought. There had been something different in the way I'd looked at him. He knew that much. He just couldn't figure out exactly what had changed. "Axel! What are you thinking about? I'm talking to you!" That finally snapped him out of it. He barely seemed to be listening. "Huh? Oh, nothing. Just let her do what she wants." Rosalie pouted, lost interest, and ended the party early. But after that night, I really did stop chasing Axel. Even when we happened to run into each other at parties or dinners with people from our circle, I only gave him a brief nod. I never went over to say hello. It wasn't that I was deliberately avoiding him. I really was busy. My company was expanding, and more importantly, I was getting married. I looked up from the pile of paperwork on my desk and glanced at Jasper Orton. "What have you been doing over there? You've been hunched over the coffee table writing all morning." Jasper straightened up, then frowned when the movement pulled at the wound in his side. Still, he looked as cheerful as ever. "I'm writing the invitations by hand. They're going to family and close friends. It feels more personal that way." I blinked, momentarily thrown by how seriously he was taking this. "Why not just write one and have the rest printed? It's only a fake marriage. You don't have to put this much effort into it. And if you tear that wound open again, the doctors at my hospital are going to lecture you. "If you've got that much time, why don't you take a look at the partnership plan I just finished instead? 40% of the profits for me, 60% for you." I thought for a moment, then added, "If you're not happy with that, we can make it 30% for me and 70% for you. I'm already getting the better end of this deal anyway. "The Orton name carries a lot of weight. If this were a normal business deal, a small company like mine probably wouldn't even get the chance to put a proposal in front of you." Jasper just smiled and ignored everything I'd said. "Nothing for me. You can have it all. Come with me right now to pick out the wedding dress and suit?" I figured he was bored, and I'd be an idiot to turn down a deal that good. I pushed back from my desk and stood. "Deal!" We had barely arrived at the couture boutique when my phone started buzzing nonstop. I didn't feel like answering, so I switched on Do Not Disturb and tossed it aside. It stayed quiet for all of a few minutes before the notification sounds started going off one after another. Even Jasper glanced over. "You're not going to check?" I shook my head and kept looking at the jewelry in the display cases. "It's my parents. They've been hounding me about some stupid dinner on a private island. They already tricked me once, and I'm not falling for it again. I'd rather ignore the messages than read them and get annoyed." Jasper's expression shifted. After a brief hesitation, he asked, "They've done that before? I promise it won't happen this time. The island's mine, and my family's hosting the dinner. Why don't you come with me? "No one in our circle knows we're getting married yet, and I'm guessing your family doesn't either. This would be a good chance to tell them. They'll have to find out eventually." I didn't answer. I still didn't really want to go. Jasper seemed to read my mind. "I heard Tobias Lyon from Dravelle will be there. Want me to introduce you?" My eyes lit up. "I'll be there on time!" Chapter 4 On the day of the dinner, Rosalie pulled Mom and Dad aside. "Mom, Dad, you have to help me. Valerie walked out that day without even looking back. She embarrassed me so badly I had to end the party early. "And every time we've run into each other lately, she hasn't even bothered to say hello. All I'm asking is for you to introduce her to Mr. Williams. What's the big deal?" Mom and Dad looked uncomfortable. They clearly knew Mr. Williams was hardly a catch. He was a divorced, overweight, balding middle-aged man with three kids who'd gotten rich fast. This wasn't about finding me a date. Rosalie just wanted to humiliate me. When Mom and Dad still hesitated, Rosalie's eyes filled with tears. "I knew it. Ever since Valerie came back, you don't love me anymore. If all I do is annoy you now, what's the point of me even being alive? I might as well just die!" Of course, Mom and Dad couldn't stand seeing Rosalie upset. They had doted on her for more than 20 years. I was the biological daughter who'd only recently come back into their lives. I could never compete with that. Mom tugged on Dad's arm and finally gave in. "Just agree to it. Valerie's put up with things like this before, hasn't she? At worst, she'll stop answering our calls and stay mad for a while, just like she is now. "It's not like she's actually going to cut us off." Dad finally nodded. Rosalie looked thrilled. Then she spotted Axel approaching the entrance and walked over to him with a smile. I arrived a little late. Jasper had taken me around to meet his family first, but from the way the conversation was going, they were about to discuss some private family matters. Jasper had told me, "It's fine. You can stay and listen." But our marriage was only for show, and I still knew where to draw the line. So I excused myself and headed to the dinner on my own. The moment I walked in, Rosalie and Axel stepped into my path. Mom and Dad were coming up behind them with a middle-aged man I'd never seen before. He was potbellied and gave me a sleazy grin as he looked me over. Rosalie immediately hooked her arm through mine, beaming. "Valerie, there you are! You and Axel broke up a while ago, right? Since you're single now, I thought I'd introduce you to Frank Williams, a friend of Mom and Dad's. Who knows? Maybe sparks will fly." Axel frowned, almost objecting on instinct. But the second he saw Frank, whatever he was about to say died on his lips. Clearly, Axel had his own reasons for going along with this. He probably figured that meeting someone like Frank would remind me how crazy I'd once been about him. When Rosalie gave Mom and Dad a look, they immediately chimed in. "That's right, Valerie. Mr. Williams is, well, a bit of a late bloomer. You two should get to know each other." "I-I heard Mr. Williams is interested in your tech company too. Maybe you could talk for a bit and see how it goes." Frank looked me up and down, his eyes lingering on me in a way that made my skin crawl. He walked over with a wide grin, showing off teeth stained yellow from years of smoking. "Ms. Gates, you're really beautiful. Very classy!" The way he looked at me made my stomach turn. I didn't even want to shake his hand. I tried to pull free of Rosalie and leave, but she seemed pleased by my reaction. Instead of letting go, she grabbed my other arm and held both of them behind my back, keeping me firmly in place. Then she smiled at Frank. "Oh, Mr. Williams, look at Valerie. She's too shy to even shake your hand. Maybe a kiss on the cheek would help break the ice." That was all the encouragement Frank needed. His whole body practically quivered with excitement. A sleazy grin spread across his face as he puckered his thick lips and leaned toward me, his breath reeking. My stomach churned. I tensed my leg and waited for him to get close enough. The second he did, I was going to kick him straight in the groin. Even Axel couldn't stand watching anymore. He reached out to shove Frank away, but someone beat him to it. Jasper rushed past him without a word. He kicked Frank hard enough to send him crashing to the floor, then grabbed him by the hair and slammed his head against the tile several times. He didn't stop until blood was streaming from Frank's temple. Then he pulled the gun from his waistband and pressed the barrel hard against Frank's skin. "You fucking dare put your hands on my wife?" Jasper snarled, barely able to contain his rage.