Fallen Leaves And Faded Love

It was Ethan Graves' seventh birthday, and the family of three had finally managed a rare getaway. Susan Graves had booked the cruise suite weeks in advance, hoping for a perfect vacation with her family. But when she pushed open the door, her world crumbled. Amber Jacobs, her husband Jensen's secretary, lay sprawled on her bed, legs parted, a damp pen clutched in her hand as she moaned "Jensen!" breathlessly. Blinded by rage, Susan slapped her hard. The woman sobbed, darted past the rushing Jensen, and fled the suite. Susan stood trembling, demanding an explanation. But Jensen said nothing, only yanked Ethan roughly behind him. A bloodcurdling scream cut through the air—Ethan's. Susan raced out to find her son dangling over the ship's railing, a bodyguard sawing at the rope with a knife, the fibers fraying fast. Jensen blocked her path, his voice icy as frost. "Apologize to Amber." "She did such a shameful thing!" Susan shook with fury. "And I have to apologize?!" "Everyone has desires," he said flatly, as if stating a fact. "She was only pleasing herself. You hit her, so you are in the wrong." Watching Ethan shake in terror, Susan choked out a ragged "sorry" to Amber. Jensen pressed further, shoving legal papers at her. "As compensation, transfer your 20% company shares to Amber." Susan recoiled, shoving the documents away. The bodyguard glanced at Jensen, and the knife bit deeper—the rope was half-snapped! "Stop! I'll sign it!" Her hands shook violently, tears blurring the ink as she scrawled her signature. Then the rope snapped. Ethan plummeted straight into the churning sea below. "Ethan—!" Susan lunged forward, grabbing only thin air. Her head slammed into the stone railing with a sickening c***k, and everything went dark. When she woke, Ethan's gleeful voice pierced her fog. "Dad, what do you think of that? I helped Amber get revenge, didn't I?" "Well done, Ethan," Jensen purred, indulgence dripping from his tone. "What reward do you want?" "I want Amber as my mom! My real mom's so dumb and naggy—she's so annoying!" That childish voice stabbed Susan's heart like a sharp blade. She lay frozen, listening as the truth crashed over her. "Amber's smarter and more… uninhibited than your mother," Jensen added. "Totally!" Ethan cackled. "When I 'fell,' Mom looked so clueless—I laughed the whole time! Such an i***t!" This entire nightmare was a setup—Jensen and Ethan had conspired to avenge Amber, to rob Susan of everything! 'Amber had stooped to such deeds, and Jensen still praised her… calling her uninhibited?' Dizzy with rage, Susan staggered to her feet and slammed into the door with a loud bang. Jensen and Ethan snapped their heads up, panic flashing in their eyes for a split second before hardening into contempt. "Awake and eavesdropping?" Jensen's gaze turned arctic. "How typical of you." Ethan parroted his sneer, cruel and unyielding. "No wonder Grandma calls you a country bumpkin. You have no manners at all." At that moment, Susan saw it clearly—her husband and her son were cut from the same rotten cloth; even their taste in women was no different. When had they become this way? Eight years ago, a lecherous client had harassed her during a photoshoot. Jensen, the coldest tycoon in the elite circle, had spent a fortune to tear up her contract and protect her on the spot. When she treated him to dinner to thank him, the client sent thugs after them. Jensen took the beating, suffering six broken ribs, internal bleeding, and severe organ damage. His first words when waking up were, "I'm glad Susan is okay…" He was icy cold to everyone else, yet his love for her burned like wildfire. Susan dove straight into it, staying by his side for eight long years. Their child was born the following year—a fragile premature baby who was hard to raise. Nanny after nanny came and went through their home. Susan also gave up her rising modeling career, finding sweet contentment simply in hearing her baby call her "Mom." Once the wife he adored and the mother Ethan clung to, she was now their common enemy. Fighting dizziness, Susan struggled upright, staring at Jensen. "You're in love with Amber, aren't you?" Ethan blurted out, "Yes!" before Jensen clamped a hand over his mouth, his face hardening. "She's just infatuated with me. You'll always be my wife." "Then fire her. Hire a male secretary," Susan demanded. Jensen's face darkened instantly. Ethan broke free and charged at her like a feral child. "You i***t! Dad needs Amber for work! What can you do? All you do is nag me, and I'm still always sick!" Susan stumbled to the floor just as Amber burst in, deliberately tripping over her. "Amber!" "Amber!" Jensen and Ethan rushed to help her, fussing over her anxiously as if Susan wasn't even there. Amber's voice trembled as she held up her phone. "Mr. Graves, Dora's coughing up blood at home! What am I going to do?" "What? I'll take you to the vet right now!" Jensen snapped, turning to leave without a glance at Susan. "I'm going too!" Ethan rushed to say. "Jensen, Dora is just her cat! But my head hurts..." Susan grabbed his ankle, her head throbbing. He shook her off violently, disgust etched on his face. "How could you say that? A cat's life matters too! She could die any moment!" The three of them vanished, leaving Susan alone in the silent suite, cold dread crawling up her spine. A sharp ding sounded—Amber had sent her an eight-digit password, labeled iPad Passcode. Jensen's work tablet sat on the coffee table, a device he'd never let her touch. Her fingers shaking, Susan typed in the code. The screen exploded with explicit photos—Jensen and Amber in his car, on his office sofa, even in the bathtub and bed of this very cruise suite. Those vulgar, lewd intimate scenes, shot from twisted angles, nearly tore Susan's heart apart. They had been having an affair for three whole years. And Jensen had dared to call it a one-sided infatuation! Tears blurring her eyes, Susan took photos of all the damning evidence and dialed her father's number, voice cold and steady. "Pull all our funding from Graves Corporation by the end of this month. I'm coming home to take over your position."