The next morning when I arrived at the Hamilton Enterprises, the office felt colder than usual.

“Lavina” Alexander’s commanding voice ordered me from inside our joint glass cabin, cold and detached like he was the boss and I was a mere employee, like he wasn’t the man who had once kissed me, held me in his arms.

When I stepped inside he didn’t bother to look up from his phone or ask me to sit.

“Close the door.” Only then did he lift his eyes. Cold unreadable.

“Lavina, I will keep this brief.” he said, standing with a rigidness that made the room feel even smaller.

"People are starting to talk and frankly, I can’t afford to have my reputation dragged down by you. As of this moment, you are fired from your secretary position. Don't bother showing up at this head office again. Starting tomorrow, you will report to a different branch...far away from here."

He paused looking at me with distant eyes.

“Stephanie will take over as my secretary.”

The atmosphere chilled as I stood frozen without being able to utter a single word.

His words felt like a dagger was being pushed in my heart.

This was the firm I helped Alexander build from scratch.

When the lead investor laughed at his pitch, I chased the old man in a torrential downpour. For Alexander to have one more chance for presentation I worked as a free slave in the inverstor’s company for one long year, ran errands for him like a dog and kneeled infront of his office for an entire night, just for one single chance.

I never asked for credit and neither claimed any shares when the company went successful, instead I worked five shifts a day for three years without a break, even when I was sick I refused to take rest, all because I wanted to lesson my husband’s burdens.

And yet he did not even think twice before throwing me away.

At one time I felt he kept our marriage secret to keep me safe from jealous slanders from media houses but only now I understood, he never felt any emotion for me in the first place. Alexander’s love has always belonged to Stephanie.

“Lavina…you have enough experience to work anywhere but think about your sister, Stephanie is fragile and her husband just died so she needs support, in return I will-”

“Alright.”

The room stilled.

The rehearsed excuse crumbled mid-air.

“That’s all? Aren’t you mad?” Alexander blinked somewhat taken aback.

His hand tightened around the velvet box in his hold that he meticulously prepared.

Last night he had ordered a customised diamond pendant with our initials on it, a present to lessen the blow, like a bone to the dog.

“If that is all, I will take my leave.”

“Lavina…what do you mean? Aren't you going to ask me anything?”

He expected me to cry and beg to remain by his side, to be angry that I was being sacked and my calmness made him open his mouth in protest.

At that moment the door burst open without a knock.

“Alex! I have sorted your documents, do you need me to bring anything else… Oh! Sister Lavina?”

Stephanie’s voice rang with artificial sweetness, all doe-eyed innocence as she stepped inside, oversized bag swinging.

CRASH

The sound was piercing.

A music box with a ballerina kept on my smaller desk hit the floor and splintered open. A soft, broken melody spilled out before dying.

My breath caught in my throat as I looked at the broken porcelain doll on the ground.

The one Alexander and I had made in a pottery class together after I had a miscarriage. It had a hidden compartment, holding the sonogram picture of the child we never got to meet.

“Sister, I am so sorry, it was an accident..please don’t be mad-” Stephanie gasped fake tears escaping her eyes as Alexander rushed to her side.

“Why would she be mad at all?!” Alexander intervened.

“Lavina, why do you keep such useless junk by your side, what if Stephanie got hurt?!”

Useless junk?

The only thing that made me survive depression as I grieved the child I miscarried while Alexander returned to work the next day was junk?

I sank to the floor, hands trembling slightly as I picked up the cracked porcelain. One jagged edge sliced into my finger cutting deep.

Blood dribbled down but Alexander did not see me.

“Steph, you are cut.” Alexander whispered, lifting her hand to examine a small scratch on her wrist. “Come. Let’s clean this up.”

He didn’t take a second look at me.

Didn’t notice the blood running down my fingers.

He walked out, his hand on Stephanie’s back like she was a fragile doll made of glass. The door closed gently behind them.

I remained, sitting on the cold marble floor, the broken music box clutched against my chest , my blood soaked into a tissue and slowly I packed all my things, throwing away the unwanted memories.

The old plane ticket to Santorini Greece, where he first said I love you. Torn in half.

The rare Swiss watch I bought him? Still in my drawer. I left it, unworn and unwanted.

And everything else…all gone.

When Alexander returned fifteen minutes later, the cabin was hollow.

No faint perfume in the air. No messy post-its on the edge of the desk. No hum of my laptop screen.

Even the little cactus he used to tease me about vanished.

Just one thing remained.

A faint smear of blood near the leg of his desk.

He stared at it, still and speechless.

He stepped back, something rattling inside him.

Just as he turned to leave, I opened the door to retrieve the documents.

“Lavina wait!”

I paused, looking over my shoulder.

“This is temporary Lavina, this isn’t permanent. When the rumours die down…I will bring you back.” My lips curved and yet the smile didn’t reach my eyes.

“I waited for you long enough…it doesn’t matters.”

For my parents Stephanie was their beloved princess and for Alexander she was his one and only priority. Even when she choose someone else over him, he still hadn’t let go of her.

No matter how much I tried the outcome would not change.

I was about to leave when Alexander called me.

"Lavina...wait, there is an auction tonight and the organizers invited me." I was about to refuse, but he cut me off.

“You are still my subordinate. I can’t show up at something like that event without one.”

Alexander’s pressurizing gaze said that he would not listen to a ‘No.'

At last I just nodded recalling Damien message from last night.

In a month I was going to leave eitherways.

“Of course” I said coolly, voice devoid of emotion. “One last task.”

The VIP section of the auction lounge glittered with beautiful gold chandeliers.

Just as the host requested, I arrived an hour ago to submit the ‘extravagant’ items that Hamilton Enterprises will put on auction for kids fundraiser.

But as soon I stepped closer to the semi-private area marked “Elite Access Only” familiar voices sounded behind the small crack in the door.

Alexander and his childhood friends. The men I had cooked for, laughed with, served wine to like they were my own brothers laughed like wolves encircling a prey.

“Now that Stephanie’s back in the picture, you are finally free Alexander.” one said amused.

Another chimed in curiously “But what are you going to do with Lavina now?

She is decent, sure, but come on. Between her and Stephanie? One is the Winslet family’s beloved heiress, and the other…” A chuckle. “Just a plain, awkward secretary who got lucky.”

The words sliced through the door and straight into my chest.

I remembered how Alexander had smiled that day....introducing me as the ‘humble girl from a poor village’ ,claiming his friends disliked arrogance.

But now I knew.

He wasn’t protecting me.

He was hiding my identity so that his Stephanie could stay in spotlight.

“And infertile too, isn’t she?” someone added casually. “Didn’t she miscarry once and fail IVF procedures like four times? You will be an idiot to bet your legacy on a faulty woman like her.”

The silence that followed felt like a noose tightening around my throat. The words cut deeper than knife making it harder to breathe.

Alexander didn’t mind their words.

Instead, he spoke.

“It is not Lavina’s fault, she has been a good placeholder.” he said at last, tone disturbingly calm. “But in the end that is all she is. I cannot let a substitute carry my seed.”

The world tilted beneath my feet.

“The first time I got Lavina pregnant was a pure mistake and I was unsure, but then she miscarried.

I was sad but truth to be told I never meant to have a child with her. Didn’t want to take any chances so I started giving her strong contraceptives secretly.

Only with that I didn’t mind her making a fuss about going through various fertility procedures knowing that nothing will succeed in the end.”

My heart stilled.

And then it hit me.

The bitter tablets I used to gag on. The ones he insisted I swallow. The ones he claimed would ‘keep me healthy.’

Each time I went through the painful fertility process, Alexander gave me hope… hope that I could be a mother knowing completely well that it was him at the end who would make me feel despair that was worse than death.

‘We will try again, when you're stronger.’ He said each time embracing me tightly.

“Man, you knew how much your mother despised Lavina for having a faulty womb and you still made her go through that because of Stephanie…at this point I feel pity for her.”

“I only married Lavina because my grandfather insisted.” Alexander continued, laughing bitterly. “He loved Lavina’s purity. I didn’t even have a say.”

“Stephanie is everything I ever wanted.”

That was it.

That was the moment.

I turned and ran away. My tears blurred everything as I clutched my mouth hard to stop the sobs as I held storm in.

I couldn’t cry here. Not where the walls might echo it back.

I didn’t realize how long it was when my phone buzzed.

[ALEXANDER: Where are you? Get back up here. Hurry.]

I stared at the screen through tears, a bitter smile ghosting my lips.

Of course.

Even now, he thought he could summon me like a trained pet.

With my heart completely shattered I called the butler at Alexander’s home.

“Bring me all the items inside my safe now.”

Wiping off my tears I strode inside calmly as if nothing had transpired, as if my heart wasn’t split in half.

The auction hall was filled with elite CEOs all over the city. Flashlights glimmered the moment Alexander arrived with Stephanie beside him.

“Lavina, you are here.” I looked at them without a word as the press swarmed around us.

“Mr. Hamilton!” a reporter yelled, shoving her mic over the velvet rope. “Is it true you made Miss Lavina resign from the company today?”

“Mr. Hamilton, is your personal assistant also your romantic partner? The rumors…are they true?”

More microphones. More cameras flashing.

Stephanie’s hold on Alexander’s arm tightened as her eyes glared daggers at me.

But before Alexander could coldly deny any sort of connection I stepped in.

“There has been a misunderstanding.” I said coolly, my voice slicing through the chaos making everyone quieten down instantly. “There is absolutely no personal relationship between Mr. Hamilton and me.”

“Mr. Hamilton is the CEO of Hamilton Enterprises.” I said, voice unwavering. “And I was a company employee. Nothing more nothing less.

I can resign any time, and it is be no different than an intern walking out. Infact, I have almost finalized a deal with another business tycoon to work for them.” A gasp ran through the crowd as Alexander froze in his place.

His jaw tensed as he looked at me, the faintest flicker of panic crossing his expression but he couldn’t interrupt without confirming the chaos.

One reporter, bolder than the rest, pushed forward with several photographs of a couple ring from Paris.

“Are you saying everything is false? That you didn’t got secretly married three years ago and that you are not his wife when the ring you never take off is a commissioned couple set of rings from the most famous designer in Paris- the male version of which Mr.Alexander is still wearing now-”

“But do you see me wearing that ring?” I said quietly before raising my fingers for everyone to see and no wedding ring was there.

The hush was suffocating.

Alexander took a step towards me, face unreadable remembering my smiling face as I vowed to never take off the ring: the symbol of our unbreakable bond.

Then I reached into my bag, pulled out a glossy folder, and handed it to the nearest reporter.

“Here’s a notarized statement from the Paris registrar. No record of marriage between Alexander Hamilton and Lavina. Infact I am already promised to another man.”

Gasps rippled through the press like electricity.

Alexander stepped forward, lips parting but the loud chime of the auction bell cut him off.

Perfect timing.

The grand hall fell into a hush as the auctioneer stepped onto the gilded podium, announcing loudly.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we begin tonight’s event with a priceless piece donated by Hamilton Enterprises.”

The velvet box opened under the spotlight.

Gasps echoed.

An emerald necklace deep, vivid green like wild forest after rain. Raw and captivating.

Alexander's smile froze, he could recognize that jewelry anywhere afterall he had chosen the emeralds himself saying that they matched my eyes…eyes that once looked at him like he was my whole world.

Now they glinted coldly beneath auction lights.

Stephanie leaned in eagerly. “It’s stunning! Who owned it, Alex? I want it.”

Before he could respond, she raised her paddle, bidding like a woman obsessed.

The gavel dropped.

Sold.

Another box. The second item: a limited-edition diamond wristwatch. I had given it to him on his 30th birthday…the first year he forgot mine and yet I never said a word. Just smiled and wrapped it around his wrist.

Sold.

The third: a vintage brooch inlaid with rare rubies. Passed down from Alexander’s grandmother, gifted to me when I became his wife. It was the only heirloom I had ever received.

Sold.

Each memoryladen piece sold off like it was scrap metal. And I stood beside Alexander, composed like he wanted me to…just as his secretary.

Alexander turned sharply towards me, completely ignoring the eyes, the murmurs and the cameras altogether.

“Lavina....that...that necklace was your favorite, you bawled your eyes when it was merely scratched then how could you just give it away? Don't you remember thatit was my gift to you on our wedding night?”

He watched in horror as the necklace was brought to Stephanie and even though he gifted her more expensive things…this one necklace of mine around his mistress’s neck felt…wrong.

“All I did…” I said, my voice low “..was enhance your public image. Kept your reputation spotless without costing you a dime. Isn’t that what you always wanted, Alexander?”

Picking up a glass of red wine from a nearby tray I raised it in the air.

“Cheers to Mr Hamilton!”

The crowd erupted in applause, raising their glasses.

Alexander didn’t move. His eyes locked on mine…his heart feeling unfathomable.

Then he turned away, swallowed by a sea of powerful men and fake laughter.

I downed the wine in one sharp gulp and walked out, the applause echoing behind me like cruel laughter.

The hallway was dim but as I turned the corner, I froze.

Stephanie.

I stilled, blood draining from my face when she smiled...that same cruel smile from when we were children.

When she shoved me headfirst into the pond until I nearly drowned.

When she pushed me down the stairs and framed me as a liar infront of the Winslet family.

Then came the shove.

I stumbled backward into the freezing cold storage room. The heavy door slamming shut.

“Tonight was mine!” She sneered “But you stole the spotlight my spotlight? So here..have your moment..alone, in the dark while I toast champagne with your husband.”

“Stephanie, you are insane!” I pounded on the door. “Let me out!”

“No one’s coming, bitch. You thought auctioning off those trinkets would make Alex pity you? Feel guilty?"

"I don’t care about Alexander! You can have him!”

“Oh, I will.” she purred, voice laced with poison. “But really, thank you. While I was moaning under silk sheets in Paris with your husband, you were busy playing housemaid scrubbing Alexander’s mess, building his empire from the dirt."

“You shameless snake! If anything, you are the other woman. The mistress!”

“Mistress?” she laughed. “I was his first. His everything. He lost his virginity to me, Lavina. And when you were miscarrying? I told him I had the flu, and he left you in the hospital to hold me through the night in Paris.”

My heart sank as miserable tears threatened to escape my eyes. Stephanie laughed at my stunned silence before she turned and walked away, her heels echoing, her last word hanging in the air:

“Enjoy the cold, sis.”

The auction ended and Alexander with a stomach full of anger waited for me to show up.

“Alex sister was too angry with me, I messed up big-“

“You messed up? It is her who has been throwing a tantrum just because I sacked her off! Let her be if this is what she wants!

Let me see how many days can she live without me!” With that Alexander left with Stephanie.

I pulled out my phone, fingers trembling…no signal.

Time blurred as I lost the feeling in my body and my body swayed before collapsing.

But just before everything faded, the door burst open with a loud, violent crash.

“Clear the way! MOVE!”

I couldn’t lift my head, but I caught the deep voices, the urgency in their steps and the sharp command that silenced everyone.

Men in a dark suit threw a coat over me while paramedics rescued me. "Ms. Winslet please hold on!"

Hours later I woke up to my hand attached to an IV drip.

A familiar doctor who was attending to me for the past three years for fertility treatments appeared by my side slong with others.

“Miss Lavina you are lucky.

Master Damien was deathly sick yesterday but when you did not answer your phone, he forced us to stop his treatment and go search for you instead. Even a moment of delay and your life could have been in danger. Or both of you wouldn’t have made it.” I could not speak due to astonishment before a single word registered in my mind.

"Both?" I asked making the fertility specialist smile.

“Yes, you and your baby. Congratulations Madam, you have finally conceived. The IVF treatment that failed four times previously was successful.

Last night we found that you are five months pregnant.”