“Mrs. Alaric,” he said cautiously, adjusting his glasses, “I reviewed your prenuptial agreement. I’m afraid you can’t file for divorce. According to the terms you and your husband signed… it’s until death do you part.”

The words struck like bullets.

Once upon a time, those words had been romantic. Back then, Keith and I had sworn never to leave each other, had promised forever with stars in our eyes. We were so young, so foolish, believing that love alone could protect us. And when his lawyers suggested the prenup, I didn’t even question it. Why would I? We were in love. Why would we ever need an escape?

And now, staring at the paper, I realized just how stupid I had been.

I let out a bitter laugh, pressing my fingers to my temples. “Don’t worry,” I murmured coldly. “He’ll sign it. One way or another. Whatever happens, I’ll make sure of it.”

The lawyer hesitated, but he printed out the draft and slid it across the desk.

I folded it carefully and tucked it into my bag.

The next morning, I cooked breakfast. Just a few more days of pretending and I’d be gone.

Then, Keith finally came into the kitchen. He slipped his arms around me from behind, his chin resting lightly on my shoulder. For a fleeting second, my heart betrayed me—it fluttered, remembering the man I had once loved.

“How are you?” he murmured. “Sorry I was busy yesterday.”

Yesterday. Our anniversary. He didn’t even say the word.

“Fine,” I replied quietly, prying his arms off me.

That was when his eyes fell to my hand. His brows furrowed. “Where’s your wedding ring?”

I turned back to the stove, flipping the eggs. “I don’t want to wear it anymore.”

The air shifted. His voice hardened. “What’s happening, Katerina? Is this because I missed our anniversary? I told you I was busy. I would have made it up to you.”

I gripped the spatula tighter.

“You know how busy I am with the business,” he went on, voice rising. “I mean, what would you know? You don’t even work. You just stay here.”

The words cut deep, sharper than any blade.

Because suddenly, I remembered.

I remembered years ago, when I had tried to work. When I had burned my hands scrubbing boats, when my palms bled from carrying crates. And Keith had been furious.

“Don’t ever do that again,” he had said, his eyes blazing. “I’ll provide for us. You don’t have to work. I’ll take care of you.”

I had believed him then. And now? He was using it against me.

“Busy with business,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Or busy with Faye?”

His eyes snapped to mine. “Are we here again? With Faye?” He slammed his hand on the counter. “What, did you stalk us again? Did you use my own money to follow us around? When I told you it was purely business?”

“Business?” I choked.

“Yes!” he shouted. “We’re losing investors. I need her connections. Unless, of course, you can help? But how could you—when you have nothing?”

The words hit like a physical blow.

Nothing.

I was nothing.

He froze the second it left his mouth, realizing what he’d said. But it was too late. The damage was done.

“I…” His voice softened, guilt flashing in his eyes. “I’m sorry. Let me make it up to you. Dinner later. Just us. What do you say?”

But before I could answer, the front door opened.

And in she walked.

Faye. Dressed in a red silk dress that clung to her curves, her heels clicking against the marble floor. Her lips painted in the same shade as her dress. She moved like she owned the place.

“Oh!” she gasped playfully, striding up to Keith. “Sorry.” Then, without hesitation, she leaned forward and kissed him square on the lips.

My stomach turned.

Faye laughed softly. “Muscle memory. I’m just so used to kissing him.” She flicked her gaze at me, feigning innocence. “Oops.”

Then she leaned closer, her perfume suffocating me. “Mind if I borrow your husband? We have a business party to attend.”

My hands clenched at my sides.

But Faye wasn’t finished. She smirked. “Actually… why don’t you come, too? I mean, you’re his wife, right? Even if it’s still a secret.” Her tone dripped with mockery. “Maybe you can be introduced as his secretary or something.”

“Enough, Faye,” Keith said firmly. “She doesn’t need to be there. She’ll just stay home.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, but before I could reply, Sasha walked in.

“No,” my mother-in-law said smoothly, her eyes cold. “Let her come. She needs to see it for herself.”

The ballroom glittered with chandeliers and crystal glasses, laughter and music echoing against the marble walls. Keith never once held my hand. Never once looked my way.

I became invisible. A wallflower standing at the edge while cameras flashed on him and Faye, while guests whispered about how perfect they looked together.

“They’re meant for each other,” someone said behind me. “Such a perfect pair.”

Sasha leaned close to my ear, her voice a dagger. “See? You don’t belong here.”

I stood frozen, swallowing my pain, until I decided to simply eat. Maybe if I kept my head down, no one would notice. But as I made my way toward the buffet, Faye intercepted me.

“You should eat a lot,” she said sweetly, though her eyes burned with cruelty. “After all, you never had the chance when you were that poor little island girl. See the difference between our worlds? You don’t belong here. So why don’t you just give him back to me?”

I bit my tongue, refusing to answer.

But then her heel slipped forward—deliberately. She shoved lightly against me. My body crashed into the towering display of food. Plates shattered. Trays toppled. An avalanche of sauces and meats splattered across my dress.

The room gasped.

“Who the hell is she?” someone shouted.

“She ruined everything!”

Laughter followed. Cruel. Merciless.

Guards rushed forward. “Ma’am, you need to leave.”

“No—please,” I whispered, trembling. “I’m sorry. I was with Keith—”

“No, I don’t know her.”

My jaw dropped. He never even moved. He just stood there. Silent. Watching. Embarrassed.

As mocking hands shoved me toward the door, as laughter chased me out of the ballroom, my vision blurred. And then, in the cold shadow outside, I fainted.

When I opened my eyes, I was no longer in the glittering ballroom, nor among the laughter and whispers that had crushed me. I was in a darkened room in our house but my head ached, my body heavy. For a moment, I couldn’t remember how I had gotten here.

Then voices outside the door made my stomach twist.

“Lock her in,” Sasha’s voice ordered coldly. “And don’t let her out. Starve her if you have to. She deserves it, after ruining the party.”

“Yes, ma’am,” a maid whispered.

The sound of a key turning in the lock made my blood run cold. I pressed my trembling hands to my face, muffling a sob.

So that was what I was to them. A nuisance. An embarrassment. A prisoner.

I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, tears streaming down my cheeks. All day passed without Keith even checking on me. Not once. He hadn’t knocked, hadn’t called my name, hadn’t asked if I was alright.

When I finally reached for my phone, my hands still shaking, a notification blinked at the top of the screen. A video message.

It was from Faye.

I tapped it—and my breath caught in my throat.

The video played on loop: Keith and Faye, lips pressed together, kissing as though the world around them didn’t exist.

I wanted to scream, to break the phone, to tear my heart out.

But instead, I blocked her number.

I sat there, staring at the wall, until my hand moved on its own. Until my heart remembered a name I had buried long ago.

Nathan. My childhood friend. Even after we parted ways, he had promised me once—no matter what, if I ever needed him, he would be there.

With trembling fingers, I dialed his number.

He answered on the second ring, his voice older, deeper, but familiar. “Katerina?”

My throat tightened. “Nathan… can you help me? Please. I’m divorcing my husband. Pick me up in three days.”

There was a sharp inhale on the other line. “What happened? Did he hurt you?”

“Yes,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “So please… just come. See you in three days.”

I dropped the call before I could lose my courage.

And when I turned—Keith was standing at the door.

My blood froze.

His face was unreadable, but his voice was sharp. “What’s happening? Who are you calling? Who are you seeing?”

I swallowed hard. “It’s just Nathan. He’s visiting.”

Keith’s jaw clenched. “Nathan? That guy I told you I was jealous of? The one I told you to stop seeing? You’re calling him now?”

“He’s my best friend,” I defended weakly. “He’s always been—”

“I don’t care!” he snapped, his voice rising. “Even if he is, you can’t just run to him.”

I looked at him, my anger finally bubbling to the surface. “And you can run to Faye while I can’t go to Nathan? Tell me, Keith, how is that fair?”

His eyes flashed. “That’s different! Faye is business.”

“And Nathan is loyalty,” I said bitterly.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Finally, I turned away, my voice low. “I’m sleeping. Get out.”

But Keith didn’t leave. He stepped closer, desperation flickering across his features. “Katerina, come on. Are you still mad about the party? I’m sorry for denying you, but I only did that to protect you. I just… I can’t lose the merger. I need Faye’s connections, but once the deal is signed, I promise I’ll take you on a trip. We’ll tell the world about you.”

He pulled a small box from his pocket, revealing a delicate ring. Slipping it onto my finger, he whispered, “This is a promise. Tomorrow, we’ll have dinner. Just us. Okay?”

I stared at the ring, my chest hollow, and nodded.

The next morning, Keith was in his study, busy with a pile of documents. His pen scratched against the paper, his attention fixed.

I approached quietly, slipping the prenup modification among the stack. “Here, can you sign this? It’s for the house.”

He didn’t even glance at it. Just scrawled his signature and moved on. His phone buzzed beside him—messages from Faye flashing across the screen. He smiled faintly at one before tucking the phone away.

I said nothing.

Instead, I went upstairs, pulled out a box, and began packing everything. All the clothes, the letters, the trinkets of a love that no longer existed. Every piece of myself I had once given to this house.

When the box was full, I dragged it outside, lit a match, and watched it burn.

The flames roared, smoke curling into the sky. My memories turned to ash.

“What are you doing?” Keith’s voice demanded behind me.

I turned, my face blank. “I just want change.”

His brows furrowed, confusion and anger flickering in his eyes. But before he could say more, his phone rang.

Faye’s voice echoed faintly from the speaker. “Ready for the business meeting?”

Keith sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’ll see you at dinner later, okay?” he told me, then walked away.

I prepared myself. I wore the dress he once said made me look beautiful, fixed my hair, set the table.

Dinner, he had promised.

But the hours stretched thin. One hour. Two. Nearly three.

And he never came.

I stood, ready to walk away, when the television in the living room caught my eye.

Breaking news flashed across the screen.

Heir to the Alaric empire, Keith Alaric, and Faye Laurent—soon to be married.

My world stopped.

On the screen, Keith stood beside her, smiling, their hands clasped as the press cheered.

I pressed a hand to my chest, but the pain was unbearable.

A laugh tore from my lips—bitter, hollow, broken.

Of course.

Of course, this was the truth.

I was nothing.

And maybe I had always been.

Because truly, Keith and I never belonged in the same world.

The argument erupted like wildfire.

“I didn’t steal this ring!” I snapped, clutching the band that gleamed faintly on my finger. “Keith gave it to me. It’s mine.”

Faye’s lips curved into a cruel smile, her eyes glinting. “Yours? Don’t flatter yourself. That ring was given to me years ago. I left it in this house when I stayed over. And now—how convenient—you’re wearing it. If that’s not stealing, then what is?”

My chest tightened, fury clawing its way through me. “You’re lying. Keith placed this on my hand himself. Don’t twist this.”

Before I could say more, Sasha stormed into the room, her eyes blazing with contempt.

“Take it off,” she commanded, pointing at my hand.

“No,” I whispered, holding my ground.

I glanced down at the band, my heart aching. It wasn’t even worth much—an old, simple ring. He had given it to me long ago, when we had nothing, when we were poor and struggling.

Back then, he promised me the world, but this ring was enough. To me, it wasn’t about wealth. It was a memory, a vow, a piece of the man I had once loved.

Her hand struck my face before I could even flinch. The sting burned my cheek, but what hurt more was the venom in her voice.

“You’re nothing but a gold digger!” she spat, grabbing my hair and yanking me forward until my scalp screamed. “You don’t deserve that ring, you don’t deserve this family. Isn’t it enough that you stole Keith from Faye? They were the ones meant to be married!”

Something inside me cracked. For years, I had endured. For years, I had stayed silent, swallowed my pain, endured their cruelty. But in that moment, I couldn’t take it anymore.

I shoved her back, my voice shaking. “I said I didn’t steal it!”

It was then Keith appeared, his face twisted in shock.

“What the hell are you doing?” he roared. His gaze landed on his mother, who now had a gash on her temple from the fall, blood seeping down. “You dare—push my mom?!”

“No, Keith, you don’t understand—she hit me first—”

“She started it!” Faye cried, running to Sasha’s side. “Katerina lost control. She’s dangerous.”

“I didn’t—” My words tangled in my throat, panic clawing at me. “I didn’t mean it—”

But Keith wasn’t listening. His fury drowned out everything else.

“You deserve punishment,” he growled, his voice low, dangerous. He turned to the guards. “Take her. Drown her until she learns her place.”

My blood turned to ice. “No—please, Keith! I don’t know how to swim—”

He looked at me, his face hard as stone. “Then learn.”

For a second, my breath hitched. A memory, sharp and merciless, clawed its way back.

Even though I grew up on an island, the sea had always terrified me. Because it had taken everything from me. My parents—drowned in a storm that shattered our boat and left me clinging to driftwood. Since then, the water was no longer life, but death.

Keith knew that. He was the only one I had ever told, the only one who knew how I would freeze at the sight of deep waves, how even the sound of crashing tides haunted me. He had once held me in his arms, whispering that he would never let the water touch me again.

And now… he was the one throwing me to it.

My scream tore from my throat as rough hands dragged me outside. The world blurred as I fought, kicked, begged, but they were stronger. The pool glittered beneath the sun, cruel and merciless.

And then—cold. Water swallowing me whole.

I thrashed, my lungs burning, my body desperate for air. My arms flailed, but I sank deeper, heavier. The muffled world pressed in, black spots blooming in my vision.

And then nothing.

When I woke, I was back in bed, but my body was trembling, feverish. My skin burned, my lips cracked. I struggled to sit up, but weakness pinned me down.

“Oh, you’re awake,” a honeyed voice said.

Faye.

She sat beside me, a bowl in her hands. “Here. Eat something. It’ll help.” She pressed a spoon to my lips.

I forced myself to take a sip. The taste was bitter, foul, like poison sliding down my throat. I gagged and pushed it away.

The bowl slipped, hot liquid splattering across the floor.

Faye screamed, clutching her hand as if burned. “Ahh! She pushed me!” She turned to Keith, who had just entered the room. Her eyes brimmed with fake tears. “I was trying to be nice, to take care of her, but she pushed me and now burned my legs!”

Keith’s gaze snapped to me, fury flashing again. “Seriously, Katerina? You dare do this when she’s only being kind?”

My voice cracked. “I didn’t—she—”

He cut me off, stepping closer. “What should I do with you, huh? You’re impossible.”

“Maybe…” I whispered, my chest tightening, “…let me go.”

His eyes narrowed. “Let you go? So you can run to Nathan? Hell no. My mother was right—you’re cheating on me. That’s why you’ve been so dramatic, isn’t it?”

“I never cheated,” I said desperately. “Nathan is just my friend—”

“Lies.” His voice dripped with venom. “All lies.”

Tears blurred my vision. “Keith, please… listen to me—”

But he only shook his head. “You’re making me regret marrying you. I thought you loved me, but all you ever wanted was my world.”

The words sliced through me, sharp and merciless. And then, without another glance, he turned and left. He walked out with Faye clinging to him, his arm steadying her as if she were the one hurt.

As the door shut behind them, I slid from the bed, my legs giving way. I fell to the floor, pain radiating through me as my knees hit hard.

For a moment, the world spun, and memories flooded me.

Keith bandaging my wounds when I had cut my hands working on the island. Keith cooking soup when I had caught a fever, holding my hand through the night. Keith once my protector, my partner, my love.

But that Keith was gone.

Now, I only had myself.

And for the first time, I realized—I couldn’t keep waiting for him to come back.

Because maybe he never would.