The Retribution of the Ex-Wife

The sun had already set, yet its rays illuminated Addison and Gideon's room. When Addison felt her husband's fingertips lightly stroke her cheeks, she couldn't help but snort. "Hon... I'm still exhausted." Her response was a murmur. A crease appeared in her brow when she laughed, and Gideon pinched the bridge of her nose.

When Gideon finished making fun of her, Addison smiled although her eyes were still closed. Not until Addison felt Gideon's lips pressing on hers, which caused her to become short of breath, did she stand up, gasping for oxygen as she did so.

Gideon was the target of Addison's glare. The man did, in fact, have a good time as he taunted her daily.

She went through her closet, looking for a summer dress while holding the blanket wrapped around her naked body and walking through her wardrobe. On the other hand, as soon as Addison caught a peek of herself in the mirror, she grimaced when she noticed that Gideon's love bites were on her neck. She could not count the marks that appeared on her body as if she had been mauled by a beast every night.

When Gideon finished getting out of bed, he scowled at her and asked, "Where's my good morning kiss?"

Then, after wrapping her arms around her husband's neck, Addison gave her spouse a kiss on the cheek. Gideon greeted the morning with a grin as he went through the bathroom carrying her as if they were married all over again. "Good morning," he said. And there, Addison bemoaned the fact that her spouse never seemed to be satisfied.

A few hours later, Addison hummed to herself while wrapping their gift for her mother. Gideon was putting the finishing touches on their brunch. "Are you planning to go and get Mom?" From the kitchen, Gideon peered into the living room.

After pausing for a few periods, Addison vomited: "Mother-in-law stated they will be the ones who will get Mom, so after eating our breakfast, we will continue to the location and organize some things before she arrives."

After the wedding, Chiara approached Addison and Gideon several months ago and asked for their permission to move closer to the city of Long Beach, which is located in Southern California. She explained that she yearned for a new setting in which she could begin a new phase of her life and that she wanted their blessing before making a move. Aside from that, Chiara felt confident that Gideon would never mistreat Addison while she was gone, which is another reason she chose to relocate outside the city.

As both Addison and Gideon arrived at the location, they wasted no time resolving the issues that must be addressed from the pastries, sweets, and culinary delights. The pair decided to get married in the Carondelet House in Los Angeles, California, because Addison recalled that her mother cherished understated yet gorgeous settings.

After a few minutes, their visitors took up all the seats in the room. It appeared that Addison was donning a vintage outfit with a turtleneck. The possessiveness of her spouse made it difficult for her to wear the summer dress she had been looking forward to wearing.

"Are all of the items prepared?" When Addison felt Gideon's hand on her waist, she asked him a question.

"Hmm, all that remains is for the celebrant to arrive." He responded with a tone that had a hint of contentment.

Everyone converged on the center of the building as soon as one of the staff members announced that Chiara had arrived. While Gideon and two other staff members held a party popper, Addison stood in the center of the room with a birthday cake for her mother.

When the door opened, the celebrant, wearing the blindfold, was revealed, along with Lisa Smith and her husband. Chiara's expression changed due to something that Lisa said to her, and she asked, "What's with the co—" but the gaiety interrupted her before she could finish her sentence as she removed her blindfold.

"Congratulations on your half-century!" They all yelled at the same time, which was accompanied by the popping sound of party poppers.

Chiara's eyes moistened with tears as she palmed her mouth and looked bewildered. While approaching her mother while holding the lit birthday cake, Addison made her greeting.

"Best wishes on your birthday, Mom. Make a wish!" A chirp came from Addison. Chiara snorted with laughter as she shut her eyes. She hoped that nothing would change and that Addison and Austin's marriage would remain harmonious and tranquil.

However, as soon as she blew out the candle, the lights began to flicker out, and a rupture occurred in an electrical circuit, which caused everyone to run out of the room and into the street.

Addison hung her head in shame as she contemplated the events that had just transpired. Because Gideon recalled that everything was in order before the commencement of the celebration, he approached the crew and requested that they investigate what had happened. They were shown a faulty wiring plug by one of the employees, which was the cause of Addison losing her voice. She turned to gaze at her mother, who appeared concerned about what had happened.

Chiara comforted her daughter by holding her cheeks and grinning as she said, "It's okay, Mom was shocked, and I am thrilled that you all remember this elderly lady's birthday." Chiara reassured Addison that everything would be all right. Even though she intended for Addison's marriage to be happy and harmonious, she sensed that the event was a portent of ill fortune when it occurred shortly after her request.

The ringtone on Gideon's phone interrupted his confusion. When he discovered who had messaged him, he furrowed his forehead in concentration. It was his ex-girlfriend, Felicity, who did it. Because Felicity was simply someone from his past, Addison was completely unaware of it, and he had no intention of telling his wife about it.

[Felicity Mitchell: Gideon, Do you have any plans for tonight? I have some vital information that I need to share with you. You are the only person I can communicate with at this time. I am no longer capable of suppressing my feelings. If I couldn't find someone to talk to about this, I might attempt suicide soon. I would ask that you would meet me at XX coffee.]

When Gideon was on the verge of erasing Felicity's phone number, a voice within his head told him to type out his response instead.

[Felicity Mitchell: All right.]

"Who was that, your honor? You gave the impression of having some anxiety." When Addison approached him and grabbed his face, Gideon could feel the sweat pouring down his palms in bullets.

"Oh, sorry, I thought you were one of my coworkers. He suggested that some publications regarding the most recent data made public a few weeks ago should be updated."

Despite his best efforts, Gideon could not look his wife in the eye. He got a dreadful feeling as if he had done something wrong. The request for Addison's wife came from his mother, and he merely nodded his head.

Gideon made a fist and gripped it tightly. He had no way of deceiving his wife in any way. He may run across Felicity and advise her to avoid them and their life. He told Addison's parents and in-laws that he would never make her weep and did everything he could to win Addison's approval.

On the other hand, when Felicity received a message from the men she had bribed to ruin Chiara's birthday, she took a glass of champagne and reflected on the situation. It regarded the accomplishment of her strategy. After learning that Addison would throw a party in honor of Chiara on her birthday, Felicity hatched a plot to ruin the celebration.

Felicity commented to Addison, "That was just the beginning, my love," as the conversation continued. She smiled devilishly as she read the message that Gideon had sent her once she had received it. Gideon had consented to meet her later on tonight.

When evening arrived, Gideon informed Addison that he would be meeting one of the investors in his company, and he asked his wife what she enjoyed doing most so that he might purchase it on his way home from the meeting. The strawberry cake was what Addison wanted for her birthday. Gideon checked to make sure that Addison had already fallen asleep before he exited their home and went on his way.

Gideon experienced a twinge of guilt as a result of the lie that he said to his wife. He got in his car and drove to the restaurant where Felicity had texted him.

As soon as he arrived at the location, he went inside as quickly as possible and observed Felicity, who was dejected and nervous. Her lips were chapped, her eyes red, and she didn't appear like her typical self.

"How are things going for you?" Felicity questioned with a raspy voice. Gideon had feelings of pity and compassion for the woman who had been his former love. The Felicity he had previously known was nothing like the lady standing before him now.

"I am fine. Stop making excuses, Felicity; it's time to face the music. I have a husband." Gideon said, deadpan.

Felicity managed a feeble smile. "Good for you," she spoke again after a few seconds of stillness, "Would you mind if I borrowed your attention for a second?"

After a moment of confusion on Gideon's part, the situation became more evident as Felicity began to shake and cry.

"I had been keeping this information to myself up until now. I was sexually assaulted by Landon Baker. H-he coerced me to have sex with him, and he threatened to cut off his financial support for my research if I didn't allow him to take advantage of m-me."

"What?" Gideon was taken aback by the news. His throat became parched. Because Felicity was still shaking, Gideon had to comfort her by holding her tightly in his arms.

"Gideon believed me! I had no intention of becoming his mistress and bringing Addison's family into disrepute. I tried to prevent him from divorcing Addison's mother, but I was pregnant with his child then, and now... I've lost my child... I tried to prevent him from divorcing Addison's mother." Felicity was in such much pain that she even considered hurting herself.

"Felicity, calm down." While drying Felicity's tears, Gideon thought about how cruel Landon Baker was to frighten a helpless woman, so he kept his voice low.

When Gideon saw Felicity in such a helpless situation, it caused him great pain. The woman put some distance between them and gave him a friendly smile. "Considering that you are now married and have parted ways, I've meant to explain why I ended our relationship all those years ago..." When Felicity took hold of Gideon's hand, he became frightened.

"Back then, I wanted you to be successful, so I parted ways with you because I believed I was holding you back from reaching your goals. I am pleased with myself that I was able to accomplish this goal for you. Look at you now. You are a successful individual...and you have a happy marriage."

Before she went, Felicity left Gideon in stunned amazement as she bowed her head and smiled wickedly behind her hand. The sight of tears streaming down Addison's cheeks prevented Gideon from pursuing the woman despite his desire to do so. Even though he knew he loved his wife, he shouldn't have let Felicity's tears affect him.

"What could possibly be wrong with me? It's not right that I should feel this way..." Gideon made a low sound. He was aware that he shouldn't be feeling this way, but he couldn't deny that there was something in his heart telling him that Felicity had and would always have a unique position in his life.