From Left Behind to Living Lavish

Chapter 1

Someone snapped a photo of me, dirty, digging through a dumpster for plastic bottles, and posted it online. It quickly went viral, and the comments flooded in.

"The prettiest dumpster diver."

"Look at that, quiet little one. The net's buzzing about you."

I took small bites of a bagel, trying to keep calm while Marcus Dale read the comments aloud.

He pushed his hair back and kept scrolling on his phone.

"Isn't that Lindsey Thomson, the eldest daughter of the Thomson family?"

"I've got the photos to prove it, definitely her. The one who went crazy over Carter Hall and even caused his dad's death!"

Marcus went silent, and my whole body froze. I nearly dropped the bagel. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the enlarged photo on his screen.

It was from our wedding day, three years ago. The woman in the photo was smiling, but the man beside her was distant. That name, Carter Hall, hadn't crossed my mind in ages. The flutter in my chest I once felt for him had turned to pure dread. I wanted to run, to disappear, right then and there.

"Don't worry, quiet little one. I'll protect you. Soon, I'll take you far away from all this."

Marcus noticed my reaction. He didn't ask questions; he just comforted me quietly.

For three years, I'd been homeless, shunned by everyone. Only Marcus had ever reached out, offering his help without hesitation. He'd said these words to me more times than I could count. But this time, I knew, he couldn't save me.

I grabbed the recyclables I'd collected, preparing to sell them and vanish once again. But no matter how quickly I moved, I was still too late.

As I dragged the bag toward the door, a cold voice cut through the thick summer air.

"Lindsey Thomson, where do you think you're going?"

The voice, three years had passed without hearing it, but I recognized it instantly.

My hands went clammy, my grip tightening on the bag as my heart pounded. The terror I'd buried deep inside came rushing back.

I heard his footsteps getting closer and closer.

I couldn't take it anymore. I collapsed, trembling uncontrollably on the ground.

Carter Hall.

He still wasn't ready to let me go.

For the past decade, I'd loved Carter with everything I had. But he hated me just as much.

Our engagement was arranged by our grandfathers.

There was just one problem: he already had someone else in his heart, and he hated the idea of marrying me.

But I was too naive to see it.

As the only daughter of the Thomson family, I'd been spoiled, treated like royalty. I thought if I just tried hard enough, he'd come around.

Then, when the Hall family hit financial trouble, my father stepped in and gave them the money to survive, forcing Carter into a marriage with me.

I was such a fool.

I truly believed that if I treated him well enough, he'd learn to love me. But I couldn't force him. And that was the spark that fueled his hatred.

His disdain for me only grew worse on our wedding day.

His father took his own life in our home, leaving a note blaming me for his death.

Our wedding turned into a funeral, and Carter seemed to change overnight.

I tried to explain myself, deny any involvement.

He just smiled, grabbed my hand, and led me through the motions.

In front of everyone, he played the perfect husband, kind and respectful. But when the doors closed behind us, he was a different person.

He would grab me by the throat, his voice low and venomous: "Lindsey Thomson, you deserve to rot in hell, paying for your sins for the rest of your life."