Filed To Story: The Broken-Hearted She and The Icy He Book PDF Free
She reached out with trembling fingers, touching the red mark on Bodger’s face as she sobbed, “I know you hate me. Maybe I should’ve never come back. But if you hate me, hit me! Why would you hurt Bodger?!”
For once, Lily thought Mathilda had actually said something reasonable.
Yes-she should be the one getting hit.
Without a word, Lily slapped her.
Hard.
“Aah-!”
Mathilda was stunned.
She had never imagined Lily would actually hit her-in front of Bodger and Luna, no less. Clutching her cheek, she started crying harder than ever, tears streaming like they cost nothing. Luna and Bodger adored her. Seeing her hit made them absolutely lose their minds.
“You’ve bullied her before, and you’re still doing it?!” Bodger’s face darkened with rage. His phoenix eyes glinted with murderous intent/
He stepped forward, hand raised-just like so many times before-ready to grab Lily by the throat and teach her a lesson. Ready to avenge Mathilda.
But then Grace and the others arrived in the living room.
“What’s going on?”
The Luke family villa was enormous. The dining room was sore distance from the living area.
But even so, the noise was loud enough for Grace and Nancy to hear it clearly.
The moment they laid eyes on Luna, Mathilda, and Bodger, their expressions soured.
Nancy and Luna had once been close friends. But over the years, their relationship had grown distant. Still, Luna was technically Lily’s adoptive mother, so the servants hadn’t dared stop them at the door.
Grace and Nancy were startled when they saw Lily’s swollen, red face.
“Oh my God, what happened to you? Who hit you?”
Grace rushed over and held Lily’s hand, her gentle face full of worry. “Lily, does it hurt?”
Nancy was just as heartbroken.
She gently touched Lily’s check, eyes brimming with tears. “Sweetheart, if someone hits you, why didn’t you dodge?”
Being comforted and cared for by Grace and Nancy made Lily cry, despite herself.
She wasn’t someone who cried easily.
In all those memories of being hurt and bullied, she’d learned that crying never helped.
Tears couldn’t save her-only made her look more pathetic.
But people are strange like that. When you’re hit, cursed at, or slandered, you might not cry. But when someone actually shows they care, your tears betray you
Seeing her cry, Nancy and Grace both panicked and tried to console her, flustered and worried.
Henry, Blanc, and Ivan, being men, didn’t step forward to wipe Lily’s tears. But the concern in their eyes was unmistakable.
The thought that Lily was bullied by outsiders on their own turf darkened their expressions even further. Luna had always seen Lily as a fake-someone who couldn’t compare to her real daughter, Mathilda.
She had assumed the Luke family would also find Lily beneath them, but she hadn’t expected Grace and Nancy to be so kind to her.
With a look of anger and disdain, Luna glared at Lily before greeting the two elders. Then she turned to Nancy.
“Nancy, you know perfectly well-Mathilda was the one originally engaged to James”
“Lily is a liar-selfish, vicious, shameless. She doesn’t deserve James at all.”
“I came here today to set things straight. Lily needs to get out of the Luke family so Mathilda can marry James.”
Mathilda greeted the elders politely and with perfect manners. Then, with pure sincerity, she said, “I’ll take good care of James from now on.”
Nancy almost laughed out loud at their act.
Yes, Mathilda was the original fianc?e.
But Nancy wasn’t stupid. In the end, it was Lily’s name and ID that the Ginger family sent over. Clearly they didn’t want Mathilda to be tied to a man in a coma, but also didn’t want to give up the hundred million, so they sent the adopted daughter instead.
When James was unconscious, Mathilda didn’t want to be burdened.
Now that he was awake, she suddenly wanted to come back and take care of him? How convenient.
Nancy was just about to say something sarcastic to the Ginger family when she saw James coming down the stairs.
He wore an all-black suit that day.
A handmade, high-end custom suit tailored perfectly to his frame. He looked even more striking and untouchable than usual, like royalty born.
Mathilda was stunned.
She had seen pictures of James before.
Even then, she had thought he was unbelievably handsome. What a shame he was a vegetable.
But now, seeing him in person-better looking and more noble than in any photo-her heart pounded uncontrollably.
James was truly exceptional. None of the simps who trailed after her could compare.
Only a man as brilliant as him was worthy of her.
She had to marry him.
“James,” she greeted sweetly, her voice soft and demure.
James gave her a cold glance, his expression completely unreadable.
Luna, used to James’s frosty demeanor, held Mathilda’s hand and eagerly stepped forward.
“James, I’m sure you haven’t heard-we found your Mathilda, This is her! You two used to play house together when you were little. Anyway, I’m here today to talk about your engagement with her. You know Lily’s just the girl I adopted. She’s selfish, manipulative, always trying to take things from Mathilda. She forced her way into marrying you for the Luke family’s wealth. Mathilda was kind enough to step aside, but that’s not fair to either of you. I really think you should divorce Lily and marr Mathilda instead!”
Mathilda’s eyes shimmered with a misty glow-so innocent, so pitiful.
She didn’t say a word, but her gaze was filled with silent accusations against Lily.
Bodger hated seeing Mathilda wronged.
Seeing her like that, he quickly chimed in, “James, Mathilda is your true fianc?e. You owe her an explanation!”
James remained unmoved, his icy composure unchanged.
But deep in his pitch-black eyes, a hint of cold mockery surfaced.
He might’ve been a vegetable for four and a half years, but he wasn’t brain-dead.
Lily and Mathilda fighting over the chance to marry a vegetable? As if.
The Ginger family had clearly forced their adopted daughter to take the fall so their real daughter wouldn’t suffer.
He only ever wanted to marry Leila-there was no chance he’d marry someone as fake as Mathilda
Lily had already agreed to divorce him in six months. The last thing he wanted was Mathilda clinging to him.
“Don’t listen to them! Lily’s a good person-she’s nothing like what they’re saying!”.
Ivan jumped in, afraid James might misunderstand Lily.
He was about to say more when James’s cold, commanding voice cut through the air.
“Afraid your real daughter would fall into a pit, so you sent your adopted one to take her place. And now that your real daughter wants back in, you’re trying to force the adopted one to get divorced…..
“Wow. The Ginger family really has no shame.”
“I don’t like women who are fake, selfish, and two-faced. There’s no way I’d ever marry Mathilda.
Mathilda went pale.
This was the first time they’d met as adults, and she’d done everything right-how could he insult her like this?
It had to be that shameless bitch Lily slandering her behind her back. That was the only reason he would think so poorly of her!
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.