Chapter 6

• And what a beautiful hell it is—this torment, this suffering, a punishment I can’t comprehend, yet one you have gifted me.
• RUBEN
• Broken. Shattered. No, a man was never supposed to feel these emotions. Such things made him weak, and he implored for the things he wanted to soothe his pain.
• "Beggars can't be choosers." These words were my father’s mantra during my childhood. They were engraved on my soul as if nothing else mattered. I promised myself that I would always be a chooser, never bow my head and beg for anything. Ruben Rodriguez would never be a man who cowered.
• But life has a way of tearing apart even the strongest resolves. Some moments in life steal the upper hand, no matter how strong or determined you think you are. The death of my brother was one of those moments.
• He was my strength, my anchor, and the only man I trusted with my life. He was my protector—the rock I could always lean on—and so very different from me. He was kind, soft-hearted, and selfless.
• And yet life has a cruel way of taking what we cherish most. He fell in love with a beautiful woman and, together, they gave me my lovely niece, Raya. That little angel brought happiness into our lives that we never imagined.
• And then everything came crashing down. One day, we found out they had been in a terrible accident. Both my brother and his wife were gone, leaving only little Raya behind.
• The two-year-old girl didn’t know what had happened to her. Her innocent eyes would wait at the door, staring at it expectantly, hoping her mother and father would return. But they never did.
• Days became months. Months became years.
• Her beautiful smile brightened my days, while her tears shattered my heart. That innocent girl had become my lifeline, and I hadn’t even realized when I stepped into the role of a father figure in her life.
• My parents wanted me to find someone who could heal our broken hearts with love and care, but the thought of falling in love again terrified me—until I met Reile Amor.
• She was everything I had ever wanted in a wife: intelligent, talented, independent, and, most importantly, compassionate.
• We met a few months ago. The first time I saw her, she was instructing a designer about the details of a dress. The precision and passion with which she explained every detail immediately caught my attention. Her professionalism was admirable, and it left a strong impression on me. Later that evening, I saw her again, but this time she was sharing a beer with the same woman. I overheard her cheering for the woman’s success. That glimpse of her personal side—warm, supportive, and celebratory—struck a chord within me.
• Reile joined our company as an upcoming model, and I couldn’t help but look forward to getting to know her better. From the moment she walked into the office, she made an impact. She commanded attention effortlessly, her presence leaving a mark on everyone she encountered. It was undeniable—when something feels right, you just know. And that’s how it was with Reile.
• She amazed me with her intelligence, captivated me with her confidence, and made me fall even harder with her gentle care. When she was by my side, every eye in the room turned toward us. I could see the envy in the eyes of other men—the regret that they couldn’t have her.
• Reile changed everything about me. Her fashion sense was extraordinary, and I had no doubt that, together, we would take our company to new heights. She was the missing puzzle piece that completed me, the woman who made me whole.
• When it comes to beauty and brains, Reile Amor is the name that defines them both.
• I wanted her to meet my family, but everything happened so quickly that I never got the chance to tell her about Raya or my parents. My mom and dad were out of the country when I told them about the girl I liked, and they promised to meet her as soon as they returned.
• The day I proposed to her was the most beautiful day of my life. I was a bundle of nerves, from head to toe, because for the first time, I was willing to call myself a beggar—and Reile, the chooser. I wanted her in my life so much that I had to involve my closest friends: Brayan, Kathrine, and Miles.
• These three had been my best friends since school. Brayan, after years of relentless effort, had finally won Kathrine’s heart, and now they were married and deeply in love. Miles had married Roselin—but little did anyone know that Roselin and I had a history. She had wanted to marry me once, but it never felt right. I knew Miles had loved her from the moment he laid eyes on her, and I could never stand in the way of that. It’s a truth I’ve kept to myself, one I’ll take to my grave to avoid hurting him.
• For Reile, I wanted this proposal to be nothing short of perfect. She deserved it—she deserved every ounce of happiness the world could offer. I wanted to be the man who woke up every morning, kissed her, and prayed for a lifetime more with her.
• But everything shattered.
• I remember the moment vividly—the ceremony, the vows, the veil. My heart swelled with anticipation as I waited for Reile to walk toward me. And then I saw her—or so I thought. But when the veil lifted, it wasn’t Reile standing there.
• It was someone else.
• Reile had chosen me. I was sure of it. How could this happen? How could this woman, a stranger to my dreams and promises, be standing beside me, taking vows that were meant for Reile?
• My parents’ eyes sparkled with tears of joy when they saw her, believing I had found the one. But my heart felt like it was being torn apart. A piercing screech echoed through my soul, wanting to tell them the truth—that this was not the woman I wanted to spend my life with. She was nothing like Reile. Not even a little.
• The only emotion I felt at that moment was betrayal. And, to no surprise, I saw the same expression reflected on Miles, Kathrine, and Brayan’s faces.
• My breath caught in my chest, and what should have been the happiest moment of my life turned into a living nightmare. The weight of it crushed me as I leaned in for the kiss—an act that sealed my punishment. How could I let my parents and family’s reputation crumble under the shame of walking away? One incident had already broken them, and this would have destroyed them completely.
• So, I stayed.
• But my mind was elsewhere, racing with only one question: Where was Reile? What happened to her? Why did she betray me?
• The woman standing by my side as my wife—I didn’t even know her name. How could she agree to marry a stranger? How could this happen?
• Later that night, I found myself in my penthouse office, staring out at the sprawling city lights. The vastness of the view only mirrored the emptiness inside me. The pressure of failure, rejection, and heartbreak pressed down on me with relentless force. Today, I was shattered, but I refused to wallow in weakness.
• Instead, anger simmered beneath the surface. Anger at being betrayed by the woman I loved. And whoever orchestrated this betrayal would feel the full force of my wrath.
• “Ruben…” Kathrine and Brayan’s voices broke the silence as they entered my office. They froze, taking in the sight of me drowning my sorrows in a bottle of whiskey. I raised my glass with a hollow smile, one that barely masked the shards of my broken soul.
• “Where is Reile?” Miles’s voice echoed through the room as he stormed in, Roselin trailing behind him.
• Was falling in love a mistake? Why did she betray me? What went through her mind when she decided to step back from our proposal? Was I not enough for her?
• “She left me.” My voice cracked as I extended the note the watchman had handed me earlier.
• The words etched on the paper stung like a thousand needles. She wrote that she wasn’t ready for marriage, that everything had happened too quickly, and she hadn’t had the courage to tell me. She said she felt terrible about it, but she didn’t forget to mention that she loved me as much as I loved her.
• All I could think was—if she truly loved me, why didn’t she feel she could talk to me? Why couldn’t she tell me what was troubling her? We could have worked through it together. I would’ve done anything to support her, even if it meant delaying the wedding. But instead, she left me standing at the altar. Worse, she left me to marry a stranger in her place.
• It wasn’t just unexpected—it was unthinkable.
• Brayan and Miles settled onto the couch, their expressions heavy with pity, while Kathrine still held my hand tightly.
• “I’m sorry, Ruben,” Kathrine whispered.
• But there were no words, no apologies, that could dull the pain clawing at my chest. The betrayal burned brighter with every passing moment, and my thoughts kept drifting back to the woman I left behind in that house. Her presence, her face—it would serve as a constant reminder of everything I’d lost. How could she agree to this? How could she participate in this betrayal?
• “Who is she?” Roselin finally spoke, her words cutting through the silence.
• “I don’t know…” My voice was thick with anguish. But Kathrine, standing close, seemed to know something. Her expression told a story I wasn’t yet ready to hear.
• Miles pressed Roselin’s hand, signaling her to let me be, to let me stew in the bitter reality of having a wife I didn’t know.
• I slid back in my chair, the weight of everything pressing down on me. Grabbing the bottle, I poured another glass, the amber liquid a poor substitute for the comfort I craved. Without hesitation, I downed it, feeling the burn in my throat as I silently begged for numbness.
• “She is…” Kathrine hesitated, her voice faltering as the weight of the moment bore down on her. All eyes turned to her, demanding an answer. I could see the guilt flicker across her face.
• What deal had been struck for her to stand by and allow this disaster to unfold? Money? Influence? If that were the case, I’d pay her tenfold to undo this nightmare. But divorce? That was a line I couldn’t cross. In our family, divorce was taboo—unspoken, unthinkable. No one in generations had ever dared to ask for one.
• “Tell us the name,” Roselin pushed impatiently, her curiosity a sharp blade cutting through the silence.
• “She is… Arlet Amor. Reile’s cousin,” Kathrine finally admitted.
• The revelation hit like a cold gust of wind. A sister replaced by another. It made sense in a twisted way, but I didn’t care for the explanation. I had no interest in Arlet or her reasons for being here.
• “How do you know this?” Brayan asked, his tone skeptical.
• “She’s Milo’s friend,” Kathrine replied.
• Milo, Kathrine’s cousin. No wonder she had the inside scoop.
• “I don’t want to hear anymore. Please, just leave,” I said, my voice low and controlled, though I was anything but calm.
• My friends exchanged glances but respected my request. They knew better than to press further. One by one, they left, their departure marked by the soft click of the door latch.
• I turned back to the glass, my reflection blurred against the city lights. The cigarette burned in my hand, its embers glowing faintly in the dim office. Each inhale of smoke was an attempt to stifle the rage bubbling inside me, but it only seemed to fan the flames.
• Then I felt it—a pair of arms wrapping around me from behind.
• I didn’t need to look to know who it was. The scent of her perfume, the familiar audacity—it could only be Roselin.
• “I feel sorry for you,” she whispered, her voice dripping with false sympathy.
• “Please leave,” I said, my tone sharp, but she ignored me, stepping around to face me instead.
• “I know how it feels to be rejected,” she said softly, cupping my face in her hands. Her touch was unwelcome, invasive.
• “Why don’t you give her a divorce?” she pressed, her eyes searching mine.
• “I can’t,” I admitted flatly. “My parents wouldn’t accept it.”
• Her lips curved into a smirk as if she’d found an answer I hadn’t considered. “Then let her ask for a divorce.”
• Her words lingered in the air, planting a seed of thought that I didn’t want to nurture but couldn’t ignore.
• “Don’t cry over spilled milk,” she added, stepping closer, her intentions as clear as the city lights outside. “I’m still here for you.”
• When she leaned in, her lips brushing dangerously close to mine, I felt the bile rise in my throat. Despite my pain, I wasn’t so broken as to let her cross that line. Gently but firmly, I pushed her away and stepped back.
• “Get away, Roselin,” I said coldly, the finality in my voice leaving no room for argument.
• She snorted in frustration, smoothing her hair as she turned to leave. But the idea she’d planted took root as the door clicked shut behind her.
• If I couldn’t give Arlet a divorce, I could certainly make her life miserable enough to beg for one.
• From this moment on, every day of her life would be a living hell.