Ditching Me for His 'Soulmate'? His Loss. Next Stop: My New Life novel Chapter 69

Chapter 1

At the bustling Chicago Business Summit, yet again, a young woman mysteriously “fainted” right in front of Silas Duncan. It was becoming an all-too-familiar scene, one that filled the room with whispered speculation. Without hesitation, Silas grabbed the girl firmly by the collar of her dress and flung her nearly fifteen feet away, his movements sharp and unyielding.

His expression was cold, almost frozen, as his icy glare locked onto the city official who was managing the event. “If my wife calls me dirty, then you can kiss that patent goodbye,” he warned, his voice low and threatening.

But fate had other plans. Three months later, Silas personally returned Rebecca Brown—the very woman I had sponsored—to serve as his personal assistant. It was a decision that surprised me, stirring a mixture of curiosity and unease.

Less than a month after Rebecca’s arrival, a scandalous video surfaced and quickly spread throughout Chicago. The footage showed Rebecca fleeing from the private back room of Silas’s office, her clothes disheveled and her face pale with fear. The city buzzed with rumors.

Silas knelt before me, his voice trembling with conviction as he swore on his life that nothing had transpired between them. He promised to fire her that very night. I wanted to believe him, but my heart ached for Rebecca. Feeling sympathy for the young woman, I recommended her to my old mentor in Boston, hoping she might find a fresh start.

Who could have predicted that, on Silas’s birthday, Rebecca would return—flying a thousand miles back into the city, clutching a homemade cake in her hands? The gesture was innocent, yet it set a tragic chain of events into motion.

Their plane was hijacked by the mob in a terrifying incident. Rebecca was savagely assaulted and then abducted. Overnight, everything changed. Suddenly, I was painted as the cruel, scheming, jealous woman in everyone’s eyes.

Throughout the ordeal, Silas remained stone-faced, his emotions tightly guarded. But behind closed doors, he scrambled to raise the five-million-dollar ransom needed to bring her home. When he finally returned, he was supporting a broken, traumatized Rebecca, who looked fragile and frightened—like a small, trembling fawn caught in a storm.

“Rebecca’s pregnant,” Silas confided quietly, “with one of the kidnapper’s children. She’s battling severe depression. I have to be her rock, her comfort.”

His words hit me like a blow.

“Charlotte Martin,” he said, his voice steady but cold, “let’s get a divorce.”

I was still reeling from the shock when Rebecca suddenly collapsed to her knees, the sound of her fall echoing painfully in the room.

“Charlotte, it’s all my fault,” she sobbed, her voice cracking with despair. “I’m worthless. I should have died over there.”

“Please, Charlotte, don’t misunderstand Silas,” Rebecca pleaded, tears streaming down her face. “He loves you. I had no choice.”

With that, she crumpled forward, sobbing uncontrollably on the floor.

Silas immediately rushed to her side, pulling her close in a protective embrace. He pressed gentle kisses to her forehead, his voice soothing. “Shh, Rebecca, none of this is your fault. People will understand. No one will say a word.”

He continued, his tone firm but tender. “From now on, you belong to me. Your child is not a bastard. We’ll get engaged, and I’ll publicly claim the baby as mine.”

“Charlotte, I’m atoning for your sins! If you hadn’t sent her away, she could have had a bright future. Do you know how many young men at the institute were crazy about her?”

I dug my nails into my palm, desperate to hold onto what little sanity I had left. “Silas Duncan… and I suppose you were one of them?”

“Tell me, when did you fall for her? Or better yet, when did you two start sleeping together?”

Before I could finish, a sharp slap echoed through the room—Silas’s hand striking my cheek with a fierce crack.

His voice thundered, filled with rage. “Charlotte, you’re disgusting! Is sex all you ever think about? Can’t you show an ounce of compassion? A shred of human decency?”

I stood frozen, hand pressed to my burning cheek, staring at him in stunned silence.

For a brief moment, a flicker of emotion passed over Silas’s face. His raised hand dropped limply to his side.

“Charlotte, I really…” he began, his voice softening.

But before he could finish, Rebecca’s timid voice interrupted, fragile yet clear.