Alex’s hand was still raised in the air when he looked at my broken irises that stared at him in a painful shock, a gut-wrenching sob escaped my lips as blood trickled down from the corner of my mouth.

“A-Are you alright?Elena-”

Alex touched my face only for me to scurry away from him in fright, quickly getting up shakily to move away from him ,afraid that he would harm the children in my womb. Even now his touch felt like acid carving my skin painfully.

“Sister, please forgive me, it is all my fault, Alex quickly apologize to Elena.” Alex was frozen in his place when he saw my fearful eyes looking at him like a stranger.

“Elena, listen to me, if you apologise to Jessica I will forget this incident and we can act like nothing happened at all.”

The humiliation was horrifying as the hot tears trailing my eyes presented a blurry image of my husband that was soon going to father two children looking at me with a guilty expression.

Jessica innocently sobbed with her palms covering her mouth. "Oh my god, I..It was never my intention to create a rift between you...I cannot believe I caused harm to my sister."

Annoyed by Alex trying to appease me, my adopted sister got up before wobbling out of the room in a hurry like she was the person who was bullied but was kind till the end.

"Jessica, wait!" Alex looked at me unsure.

“Elena, go home and apply some medicine. You have disappointed me alot so don’t expect me to come back tonight.” Like a master commanding his slave Alex left me behind as he went searching for Jessica without looking back even once.

Three years of love and my pure sacrifice was thrown away in a moment of anger as Alex ruthlessly disregarded me for my sister.

Even after so much had happened on Alex’s birthday party, I once believed that even when I had a hellish life, at least my children would have their father’s love but at this moment I realised that neither me nor my twins had a place here.

I soon walked outside the luxurious mansion that I once called home, only to realise that I forgot my cell phone inside.

Dragging my feet despite the painful gash in my knee I stood outside Jessica’s bedroom going to knock yet the muffled voice resonating from within the bedroom made me feel like a bucket of ice cold water was poured over my head.

Lust filled moans and whimpers slipped through the crack in the door. My entire body quivered as I covered my mouth in absolute shock when I saw two partially naked bodies entangled on the bed.

“Oh Alex, you should take off your wedding ring…” in between their kisses Jessica complained in a dramatically sweet voice.

“No…to do what is forbidden makes it even hotter. If only Elena was half as sexy as you…” His hands clutched Jessica’s hand to stop her from taking off the ring before they continued to indulge in debauchery.

My husband not only slapped me for my sister but also used that opportunity to throw me out only to have sex with her. The shock was so profound that I stumbled backwards, my lips wobbling when I heard Alex’s words as he continued the disgusting act with my adopted sister.

This was the man whom I once loved even more than my life. Three years ago when Alex was going through a life threatening situation I urged his grandfather to use me as they liked for making my boyfriend’s health better no matter what.

Alex needed an organ donor who could donate him a kidney, at that time being blind in his love, I agreed to be operated upon and use my body for his well being. Later the doctors asked for a blood transfusion, and I readily agreed to them for taking my blood every month to help Alex recover.

When Alex came back home, I considered that he was still sick and needed rest, thus I worked three shifts daily, often working without any sleep to give my boyfriend better facilities.

Three years of memories crashed down around me as I watched the man I loved kiss another woman.

Even after giving up everything for Alex, all these years he just treated me like his maid. For Alex I was not even worth being a substitute for Jessica.

The diamond ring with Alex’s initials on my finger felt like it was a gash on my skin, bile rose my throat as I scratched my finger with nails making blood marks taint my skin in order to take my wedding ring off hurriedly.

I could never love this man anymore.

Today I will lessen his burden, I will go so far away that he will never find me anymore. Like a house of mirrors, my life came crashing down as I kept the ring on the flower table outside and ran away, my heels clicking against the hardwood floors.

This marriage was broken just like my heart.

Hiring a taxi I rushed to the place that I once referred as home- my safe haven where Alex and I spend our most beautiful moments, now it only appeared like a terrible hell where each passing moment was nothing but pure torture.

“Stop it! Please stop it!” I covered my ears in pain, the sounds of those disgusting moans still haunting me as I rushed to the bathroom in daze, my body swaying dangerously.

My stomach churned, making me lurched for the toilet, but nothing came up. After an entire day passed I just realised that I did not ate a single meal today because Alex wanted me to not disgrace him by being late at Jessica’s party.

The thought of my children’s wellbeing overpowered my senses thus I rushed to eat whatever I could grab at the moment with tears continuously trailing down my eyes.

I unlocked my phone, dialing my best friend's number.

“Please draft a divorce paper for me.”

“Alright.” Already knowing my terrible circumstances my friend who was a reputed lawyer drafted a divorce agreement that very night and I received the papers the very next morning.

It was noon when Alex rushed home with a bouquet of white lilies in his hand. Twisting the doorknob to enter through the front door he was surprised to see me having lunch on my own.

My husband gave me my favourite flowers expecting to appease me regarding yesterday’s argument yet when I simply kept them aside without a word, Alex froze in shock.

“Yesterday not only you embarrassed me in front of my friends but also ruined the party, next time you must apologize to each one of them individually for spoiling their mood-” I looked up and his intense gaze met my tired ones at that moment and Alex stopped with his words, sensing an unfathomable emotion in my eyes.

“I apologize that I forgot my place.” Those words came out as a shock making my husband of three years falter.

The screeching of my chair scraping the floor filled the utter silence as I stood up to go to the kitchen to bring a plate for Alex.

Settling it down on table in front of me I uncovered the dishes I made today. It was all Alex’s favorite.

Years ago, after Alex’s kidney transplant was completed, the nutritionist had a huge issue in serving Alex something that he liked also while making it healthy for him. Many of the doctors could not come up with a solution so I took it upon myself to learn traditional cooking from an old master.

All these years even while I was suffering from a terrible fever and was on the verge of fainting, my husband never ate anything other than the dishes that I personally cooked, to please him I suffered all along in silence.

Alex’s face contorted to that of guilt and shame when he saw me limping while I set the dishes for him.

Unknown to Alex, we sat down for our last lunch together as husband and wife.

“Elena, I drank too much yesterday…is your wound alright?” I hummed making him continue.

“There is no need to take what happened yesterday to heart. Once you apologise to Jessica everything will just return to normal.

I know you were raised in the countryside, unknowingly their unsightly manners have rubbed off on you, so you must understand that what I am doing is only for your good.”

My husband coaxed me without any sense of shame, all these years I took his berating words as reminders that I must excel in all fields to keep him happy, that I was unworthy of him, but now it was clear that Jessica was the one who occupied his heart while I could never compare to her.

“Okay, I will apologise to my sister.” Brightened by my reply Alex smiled gently.

“Perfect, I will invite Jessica and my friends tomorrow for dinner. You can cook for all of them. Your sister will surely forgive you.” The lunch ended with me feeling nauseous as I barely ate with Alex sitting infront of me, the imagery of him with Jessica clouding my mind.

“That day I could not give you a birthday present, this is from me.” I smiled through tears before taking out a beautifully wrapped box and presenting to Alex to which he kissed me, quite satisfied with the docile, obedient wife that would ultimately bow down to him.

“I will open it after I have freshened up.” I nodded as my husband walked upstairs with me following him quietly to our bedroom.

I stood outside the door, looking in through the crack while he unlocked his phone dialing a number that I guessed belonged to my adopted sister.

“Didn't I tell you not to worry about anything baby? You will get ill if you take so much stress. Elena even gave me a birthday gift.

What else can it be? It would be a stupid tie at most.

Forget it, I am inviting you and others to my house at a small get-together. Elena will cook dinner for you tomorrow, just text me the dishes you want to eat, I will ask her to make all of them for you.”

Hot tears blurred my eyes as I heard those words yet the damage was still left to be done as Alex opened his wardrobe and threw my gift at the back.

“When you come here tomorrow night…I will send her away after making some excuses. Let’s celebrate our love here.”

My heart sank with the implications of those words.

Each nook and cranny of the home was reminiscent of my past. Yet at this moment it was all pitch darkness for me inside this house as my husband discarded me and shamelessly discussed having sex with another woman in our home- in our marital bed.

It was barely dawn when I woke up, a corner of my heart still hoping that everything that I saw and heard yesterday was simply a nightmare.

Looking at the visage of the man sleeping beside me I recalled our once loving, happy family. We used to be so in love, no the truth was that I was so deeply in love with my husband that I could have never imagined even in my wildest dreams that he would betray me.

Collecting my suitcase, I looked at Alex’s face one last time, before turning around to leave.

“Mom would take care of you both from now on.” I clutched my belly promising my children a better future while taking a taxi to the hospital where my grandmother who raised me was admitted.

Grandma was worried sick about me thus as soon as I stepped in her ward she engulfed me in her stronghold, crying softly. I had told her everything previously and it shattered her heart gravely.

“Elena, my precious child, how can they make you suffer like this?!

Are you sure about this decision my dear?” She asked while clutching me warmly in her hug.

“Yes.” All the arrangements to take her abroad with me were done.

I decided to accept a new life and made a call to my manager, Mrs John at work, explaining to her everything about me leaving for abroad and starting anew. She supported me thoroughly and even sent me some pocket money to take care of myself.

“Mrs. John, my husband is a ruthless person, he will continue to persist you for my location.

I have sent you a parcel. If Alex comes asking for me just give it to him. He will stop bothering you after that.”

Upon waking up, my husband could not find me and automatically assumed that I was at work thus he did not bother calling me even once to check if I was alright and just dropped a message.

[Alex: I have sent you a list of items to prepare, everything should be perfect so don't mess it up.]

In the middle of our journey, I was talking to Grandma when upon looking at the message a small tear escaped my eyes.

“I am done with this marriage.” I whispered before blocking the number.

The evening came faster than Alex anticipated. The living room buzzed with laughter and clinking glasses. Alex's friends were sprawled across the furniture with Jessica at the center of it.

"Alex we heard your elder brother Damien is returning after military training. He suddenly disappeared after your wedding, if we didn't know better we would have thought that he was heartbroken over Elena marrying you."

"Who says he is not? He was so against Alex's wedding. It was a rumor that both masters of Giovanni family lost their heart to a countryside bumpkin-" The crashing sound of the glass was heard making the friend jump in fright as he looked at Alex's red face.

"Elena is my fucking wife! She will only love and obey me!"

Jessica's face paled as she recalled how the rumor was somewhat true but how could a worthless woman like me could get Damian Giovanni's attention, even she failed to do so and had to change her target to Alex who was an illegitimate child of Giovanni family.

The tense atmosphere was broken when a friend asked.

"Alex, where is your wife? " When hours passed with no signs of me, a friend awkwardly said, making Jessica’s face turn ugly.

Alex clenched his jaw in anger, checking his watch twice before dialing my number which was switched off.

When the call went straight to voicemail, dread gripped him. The number that had always been within reach was now disconnected.