By admin Addicted Ex 1
Chapter 1 Her Choice
When Alyssia Clairmont stepped into Rosewood Manor in Elmbrook for the last time, her hands and feet were ice cold.
A few servants huddled in a corner, whispering among themselves.
“Did you hear? Mr. Rivera was already with Ms. Johnson last night. Why did Ms. Clairmont come back?”
“She must think she hasn’t embarrassed herself enough. Mr. Rivera gave her a way out, but she refused to take it.”
“Ms. Clairmont really doesn’t know shame.”
“Let’s see how long she plans to keep clinging on.”
Alyssia had walked up the staircase to the master bedroom on the second floor for seven years. For the first time, it felt steep and endless.
The housekeeper, Luna Sharp, had been following close behind her. The moment Alyssia pushed open the master bedroom door, Luna stepped in front of her, saying, “Ms. Clairmont, Mr. Rivera isn’t home right now.
“It might not be appropriate for you to go in. If anything goes missing, we servants wouldn’t be able to take responsibility.”
If Alyssia hadn’t chosen to break up with Leonard Rivera yesterday, she probably never would have seen this side of Luna.
She hadn’t expected the housekeeper who used to greet her with warm smiles and even ask after her well-being to be hiding such disdain all along.
Alyssia shot Luna a cool glance. “Relax. I’m only taking what’s mine.”
Luna smirked, “Ms. Clairmont, I didn’t know there was anything here you actually bought yourself.”
She thought, ‘The Rivera family supported Alyssia for over ten years. If she had any sense, she’d leave empty-handed and make room for Ms. Johnson to take her place as Mr. Rivera’s fiancée.’
Alyssia’s gaze turned icy, her voice cold and stripped of emotion. “Luna, the Rivera family fed a lot of lapdogs too. Just because they bark the loudest doesn’t mean they get the bones.”
She mused, ‘Whatever happened between Leonard and me is none of a housekeeper’s business.’
Luna’s face went pale instantly. Just as her eyes flashed with spite, she froze in shock. She then lowered her head and said respectfully, “Mr. Rivera.”
Alyssia instantly turned around and saw Leonard standing right behind her. The morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the bedroom, casting a golden glow around his tall, striking figure.
For a split second, Alyssia felt that the sharp bridge of his nose and those captivating eyes didn’t seem as frosty and cutting as they used to be.
“Get out.” Leonard dismissed Luna, then walked over, his whole presence cold and distant, exuding that same air of privilege.
Even when he scolded someone, his voice was detached and icy. “Luna has worked for the Rivera family for seven years. You shouldn’t have spoken to her like that.”
Alyssia almost laughed, thinking, ‘So what? Should I remind Leonard that I’ve been with the Rivera family for thirteen years, and I used to be his fiancée, officially and rightfully so? In the end, I still mean less to him than a housekeeper.’
Then she calmed down, pondering, ‘Forget it. What am I even hoping for at this point?
‘If I meant anything to him at all, even just a little, Leonard wouldn’t have thrown me out yesterday for Milena Johnson, disregarding everything I’ve done for him and the love I’ve given him over the past ten years.’
Maybe the mockery on Alyssia’s face was too obvious, because Leonard’s expression darkened. He grabbed her arm without warning. “The Rivera family really spoiled you rotten.”
Alyssia gasped, pain shooting through her arm where Leonard was gripping her. She bit down on her lip, but a soft sound still slipped from her throat. Her eyes filled with tears, and her beautiful face turned pale from the pain.
Leonard’s brows furrowed. His gaze darkened, holding the same disgust and contempt Alyssia knew all too well, mixed with something she couldn’t read.
Before she could figure out what that look meant, she let out a startled cry as Leonard yanked her into his arms.
“No.” Alyssia tried to push him away.
“Didn’t you say you needed money?” Leonard’s voice was cold and condescending, his words as dismissive and impatient as ever. “I’ve got business to take care of. Don’t waste my time.”
Humiliation rose in her chest, but Alyssia didn’t have time to fight back.
After sex devoid of any emotion or pleasure, Leonard icily stood up and got dressed like it was nothing. He tossed a bank card onto the bed.
Every bruise and scrape on Alyssia’s body throbbed harder. She’d been in a car crash last night. She’d almost died. She didn’t want Leonard to see, didn’t want him thinking she was using her pain to beg him to stay.
The black card gleamed faintly with gold, subtle but screaming its worth. But Alyssia sat in bed, wrapped in the blanket, completely still.
Seeing her unusually quiet, Leonard felt a strange wave of irritation rise inside him. “Your cousin’s surgery costs.” For once, he offered an explanation.
“That won’t be necessary,” Alyssia said calmly.
Leonard paused as he buttoned his shirt, his cold gaze dropping down on her.
Alyssia’s explanation came out level and steady. “The lead surgeon went abroad. The operation’s on hold for now.” She thought, ‘It’s over.’
Last night, when Rosalie Clarke was in critical condition, Alyssia had nowhere else to turn.
Alyssia swallowed her pride and went to the club where Leonard was partying, crying and begging to see him, hoping to ask for his help to stop the lead surgeon from boarding an international flight and save Rosalie.
But Leonard didn’t even show up. He just had someone pass along a message—she could choose to break up or get out.
‘If Rosalie hadn’t made it through the night…’ Alyssia thought, taking a deep breath. ‘Maybe it’s for the best. He didn’t come home last night. He’ll never know how desperate I was yesterday. And even if he did, it’d only make him hate me more.’
Right before walking out, Leonard threw out one last line. “Next month, there will be a birthday party for my grandfather’s 80th. Keep the bank card.” He thought, ‘Don’t cause any trouble for me.’
Only then did Alyssia realize that Leonard came back, slept with her and tossed her a bank card just to shut her up so she wouldn’t cause him any trouble in front of the Rivera family.
But Alyssia knew she was done. Thirteen years of giving everything she had still wasn’t enough to win Leonard’s heart. From now on, she wasn’t going to keep trying.
She dragged out her suitcase and opened the wardrobe. The rows of white clothes inside stung her eyes.
Everyone who knew Alyssia knew she liked white—white dresses, white coats, white gowns. But few knew the reason she clung to white was because on her twelfth birthday, Leonard had once told her she looked beautiful in a white dress.
Back then, he said, “White suits you best. You look beautiful.” Alyssia still remembered the tone and look in his eyes when he said it—filled with praise, admiration, and encouragement.
From that day on, her wardrobe only had one color left, just like her heart, which had always belonged to Leonard alone.
Leonard didn’t like her dressing in bright colors, so Alyssia kept her style simple and plain. He didn’t like heavy makeup, so she wore none at all.
He didn’t like women being in the spotlight, so Alyssia gave up her hobbies and career. He hated her socializing with others, so she cut off all her friends and connections.
It wasn’t until Alyssia saw Milena Johnson, dazzling and bold like a butterfly at Leonard’s side, that she realized Leonard did know how to appreciate other colors.
Alyssia had turned herself into exactly what Leonard wanted, and in the end, he still fell in love with someone else.
She thought she could become Leonard’s dream girl—gentle and devoted—but what he really liked was a red rose with thorns.
Alyssia thought, ‘When Leonard said he didn’t like something, he just meant he didn’t like it on me. So everything I did was wrong.’
Sunlight poured into the large bedroom, as if it were trying to cleanse Alyssia from the surface down to her bones.
After a moment, Alyssia smiled. Then she walked away. She took nothing with her but a brand new version of herself—not the feelings that had already died, not even that bank card. From this moment on, she would live for herself.