Revenge In Repose (Valerie and Aiden) novel Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Pain. Searing pain. Valerie Clark’s eyes flew open–and there he was. That familiar face.

Him. The man who had ruined her life.

She remembered it clearly now–she had died. Eight months pregnant, pushed down the stairs by Juliette Scott. Both she and her baby had perished.

Her mind snapped into focus. She thrashed, trying to get away from him, but his grip held her fast.

Tears brimmed in her eyes. “Aiden, are you even human? Let me gol I’m carrying your child!”

Aider Walker let out a low, cold laugh–angry, bitter. His eyes blazed with fury, as if he wanted to strangle her on the spot.

“Let you go?” he sneered. “Not in this lifetime.”

The next time Valerie came to, Aiden was gone.

She blinked, taking in her surroundings. This was his bedroom. She hadn’t stepped foot in here since the divorce.

And that was half a year ago–when she’d walked away with nothing, not even a cent.

She thought, ‘Have I… come back to life?”

A knock at the door pulled her out of her thoughts.

Valerie’s eyes snapped to the door. She tensed. “Who is it?”

Valerie thought, ‘Aiden wouldn’t knock. It’s his room.‘

“It’s me–Juliette.”

Juliette. Hatred surged through Valerie. Her fists clenched the sheets beneath her.

Juliette–her so–called best friend. From middle school through college, they’d shared dorms and secrets. She once believed no one in the world

understood her better.

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She couldn’t have been more wrong. All those seemingly sincere words of comfort had been knives in disguise–designed to push her into conflict with Aiden, until he snapped. Until he broke her, locked her up, used her.

While Valerie suffered, Juliette thrived–selling her out to Aiden for favors, stealing her compositions to win competitions, basking in praise as a musical prodigy, reconnecting with her wealthy birth parents, and living the life of a high–society darling.

In the end, it was Juliette who pushed her–along with her unborn child–down the stairs.

Now, the stood at the door. When no response came, she simply walked right in.

Valerie was a mess, and for a moment, jealousy flickered in Juliette’s eyes. But she quickly replaced it with a mask of concern, looking like she might

む

She rushed over “Valerie, you and hum last night

it was a happening again She really had come back. Even Juliette’s words were the exact same as before.

valere swalized her burtred and lowered her gaze. Her voice was cold and steady. “Isn’t it obvious?”

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Chapter 1

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Juliette’s face twisted in heartbreak. “How could you? I thought you promised to stay pure for Nelson.”

Nelson Hall was Valerie’s ex–boyfriend.

In her previous life, after her adoptive parents forced her to marry Aiden, she never truly accepted the marriage. Instead, she leaned heavily on Nelson. Juliette encouraged it every step of the way–pushing her to reach out, to meet with him. She’d finally agreed.

But before she could see him, Aiden showed up.

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And by the time she woke up–it was already too late.

Juliette wiped at invisible tears, her voice trembling with false sympathy. “Nelson waited for you all night. If he finds out you were in another man’s bed…”

Valerie thought, ‘The same lines. Word for word.‘

Juliette knew exactly what Valerie’s weakness had been in her previous life.

The old Valerie would’ve already crumbled–wracked with guilt and self–blame. But this time…

Valerie gave her a puzzled look. “Another man? You mean Aiden?”

Juliette replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Who else could it be? Don’t you hate him? Just yesterday, you said you wished he’d drop dead so you could finally be free!”

Her voice rose just a bit–loud enough for someone to overhear.

She glanced toward a mirror not far away, catching a reflection of a man standing on the balcony, cigarette in hand. His expression was unreadable, but the air around him was steadily growing colder, darker.

Juliette’s heart fluttered with glee. She thought, ‘That idiot probably doesn’t even realize he’s right there. If she did, she’d be too scared to say a word.

‘And with how much she hates Aiden, whatever she says next will definitely cut deep. Let’s see how Aiden reacts to that…‘

But Valerie’s response threw her off completely.

Valerie looked her straight in the eye. “When did I ever say that?”

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Juliette blinked in surprise, quickly grabbing her hand. “You said it just a few days ago! You told me you and Nelson were truly in love. You even said you wanted to run away with him–didn’t you?”

“Juliette.” Valerie gently pulled her hand away. Her voice was cool, almost casual. “I’m Mrs. Walker now. It’s one thing to talk like this between us, but if Aiden overhears and gets the wrong idea, it could cause unnecessary trouble.”

Juliette stared at her, utterly confused. She wondered, ‘What the hell is going on? This girl used to hang on my every word. When did she grow a backbone?‘

“I never even met Nelson,” Valerie continued. “I only agreed to go last night to tell him it’s over–so he can move on. I don’t know who ran off and told

Aiden…”

Juliette’s stomach dropped. That tattletale wasn’t/far–it was her..

Valerie turned her gaze back to Juliette. “So Aiden was furious last night, of course. Normally, he’s… really gentle with me.”

Her tone softened at the end, her cheeks tinged with just the right amount of bashfulness.

Out on the balcony, Aiden’s throat tightened, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

He wondered, ‘Normally? When has she ever let me get close, let alone said anything like that? What is she playing at now?!

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Chapter 1

Meanwhile, Juliette stood frozen, seething with disbelief and envy. “You mean… you’ve done it with him? More than once?”

Valerie lowered her gaze and nodded shyly. “Yeah. So please, tell Nelson not to reach out again. If Aiden gets jealous… I’m not sure I can handle it.”

Juliette clenched her fists, heart burning with resentment. Her face twisted in frustration as she choked out, “It was freezing in Endver City last night. Nelson waited for you at that café until after ten. He only left when it closed. He even cried. And while he was heartbroken over you… you were with another man.”

She wiped away nonexistent tears, her voice trembling with emotion. “I know you’ve got your reasons. I know you feel like you owe the Clark family for raising you. But does that mean you have to throw away your whole future? Your happiness?”