Chapter 1 Let’s Get A Divorce.

• Amanda
• I clutched the small white stick in my trembling hands, my heart pounding against my ribs. Two pink lines. That meant I was pregnant.
• A mixture of fear and excitement coursed through my veins. I had spent the last two years in a loveless marriage, yet this child was mine—a piece of myself I could love unconditionally. But I didn’t know if Damian would be happy hearing the news. Maybe with a baby on the way, things would change between us.
• I sat by the window drinking green tea as I waited for him. Hours passed. The sky darkened, the city’s lights twinkling outside, but Damian never came home. Eventually, I drifted off, only to be awakened by muffled groans and whispers.
• Frowning, I followed the sound down the hallway, stopping outside the guestroom door. The moans became clearer, unmistakably intimate. A lump formed in my throat as I hesitated before pushing the door open slightly.
• The dim light illuminated two figures tangled in the sheets. My stomach twisted painfully as my gaze locked onto Damian’s bare back, his head thrown back in pleasure as he fucked the woman he was with.
• “Maya,” he groaned.
• I staggered backward, my breath catching in my throat. It was her. Maya Sterlin. Damian’s first love.
• I wanted to scream, to storm in and rip them apart, but my feet wouldn’t move. He had always been indifferent to me, never really shown me love.
• Maya’s name echoed in my mind, each repetition a dagger to my heart. Had he ever truly seen me? Had I been nothing more than a convenient placeholder for the woman who had left him?
• Tears blurred my vision as I turned away, my hands curling into fists at my sides. Our marriage had never been about love, but I had foolishly clung to the hope that, someday, it might become real.
• I spent the rest of the night staring out the window, the cool breeze drying my tears. The weight of betrayal settled in my chest, suffocating and unrelenting. The chill of the night seeped into my bones, but I didn’t move. The city below was alive—laughter, cars honking, the distant hum of music. How ironic that the world continued moving while mine stood still, broken and crumbling.
• I thought back to the past. Damian had come into my life at the worst possible time—when my family was falling apart. He had been my savior, the one who offered me a way out. I had jumped at the chance to marry him, foolishly believing it was fate. But now, as I sat alone in the darkness, I realized the cruel truth. It was never fate. It was a business arrangement disguised as salvation.
• I closed my eyes, the image of Damian with Maya burned into my mind. I had given him everything—my trust, my love, my devotion—and in return, he had given his heart to someone else.
• As the first rays of morning light crept through the window, I remained motionless, the exhaustion weighing me down like a lead blanket. I had barely slept, but the pain in my chest kept me wide awake. I felt hollow, empty, as though a part of me had been carved out and discarded.
• The door creaked open behind me. I didn’t turn. I knew it was him.
• “Amanda.”
• His voice was indifferent, as though nothing had happened. As though he hadn’t just finished fucking another woman in our matrimonial home.
• I took a deep breath, bracing myself, and finally turned to look at him. His face was unreadable, his dark eyes watching me carefully.
• “Why are you sitting there?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. He didn’t look concerned; he never did. He was just curious. The same way someone might ask why it was raining outside.
• I took a deep breath, gathering the remnants of my shattered pride. I turned to him, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. “Let’s get a divorce.”
• For the first time in a long time, I saw something flicker across his face—something close to surprise. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by his usual stoicism.
• “A divorce?” he repeated, as though testing the word on his tongue.
• “Yes.” I stood, brushing past him as I made my way to our bedroom. “I’ll pack my things and find a place to stay.”