Ch. SECRET KID `33 SECRET KID `33

hapter 5 

Chapter 5 

“What the hell do you want from me, Seraphina Cooper?!” 

“You disappeared for two weeks without a word–do you have any idea how worried I was?” 

I almost laughed. 

He’d been all over Anna’s Instagram this whole time, 

but now he wanted to play the concerned fiancé? 

“You actually expect me to believe that?” 

His eyes flickered. 

Just for a second- 

I saw panic. 

“Let’s talk about this at home,” he said, reaching for my hand. 

“No thanks.” 

I yanked my arm away. 

It was the first time I’d ever defied him like that. 

But from the moment I decided I was done, 

that house stopped feeling like home. 

His expression hardened instantly. 

“Don’t push me, Seraphina.” 

“You’re really testing my limits.” 

Limits? 

Please. 

He’d been testing mine for seven years. 

Every compromise, every sacrifice, 

every time I backed down- 

until he took even my marriage away. 

cro wha Takod Crazy for Me 

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Chapter 5 

“I didn’t ask you to pick me up, did 17” 

“You showed up all on your own, hoping I’d grovel like always.” 

His face turned ghost white, then burning red. 

“Let’s break up,” I said. 

“This way, neither of us has to pretend anymore.” 

“We can both walk away with a little dignity left.” 

And I walked. 

Dragging my suitcase behind me, 

leaving seven years of love in the dust. 

But what I didn’t expect 

was how far Dashiell would go to twist the story. 

He called my family and friends- 

telling them I was the one who overreacted. 

That I’d gone completely off the grid for two weeks 

and nearly gave him a heart attack. 

That he’d even taken time off work to pick me up, 

only to get screamed at in public. 

That we were supposed to get married, 

and now I was throwing it all away. 

He even told them, 

“Well, what do you expect from a spoiled Cooper girl?” 

And people believed him. 

Relatives and friends started calling, texting. 

Telling me to be more understanding, 

that relationships are about compromise. 

Even my parents said the same. 

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Chapter 5 

I never wanted to drag them into this. 

I’m almost thirty–this isn’t some teenage heartbreak. 

I wanted to deal with it privately, 

then tell them when I was ready. 

But of course, Dashiell had to get in first- 

crying victim, playing the perfect fiancé. 

Now if we broke up, 

I’d be the one blamed. 

If he ended up marrying someone else? 

Everyone would say I didn’t appreciate what I had. 

What a game he was playing. 

Fine. 

If he wants to play dirty- 

then I’ll flip the damn board. 

I messaged Anna from my burner account. 

Told her we needed to talk. 

Face to face.