Chapter 2

• I strolled into the company, all eyes following my every move, as I walked. Where was I headed? His office.
• I was going to return a favor back to my devil of a husband. I did everything for him…I worshiped the ground he walked and I was repaid with not only a divorce, but with the evidence of his sexual relationship with my best-friend.
• My heart felt numb. I felt like nothing. All I wanted was to get done with this and be freed. My lips parted as I mumbled but not even I, could grasp my own words.
• “Hello ma’am.” A soothing, yet authoritative voice cut me short, gaining my attention. Blue eyes stared back at mine, belonging to a lady on blonde. “Who are you looking for?” She asked, standing up from behind the counter.
• “I’m looking for your boss,” my eyes fell down at the tag on her shirt. “Cora.”
• “Who are you? Do you have an appointment with him?” She asked, her eyes falling down at the system as her fingers hovered above the keyboard.
• “I’m his wife and no, I don’t. I can’t see my husband?” I asked her, my brows creasing at her unending questions.
• Her brows furrowed as she gave me a skeptical look. “You’re his wife?” She paused, then said something that made my stomach drop. “I’m sorry, but Mr. Clint is in his office… with his wife.”
• My heart stuttered. “What?” The word came out louder than I intended.
• I wanted to scream, to tell her I was his wife—well, soon-to-be ex-wife—but then it hit me. What if she wasn’t wrong? What if Clint was in there with someone else and had introduced her as his wife?
• And then, like a blade twisting in my chest, the realization hit: It’s her. He introduced my best friend as his wife.
• I felt betrayed. Betrayed by the realization that my husband was so ashamed of my shortcomings that he didn’t deem it necessary to be publicly introduced me as his wife? What if—what if…
• “Madam.” The receptionist, Cora, called again. “You’d have to wait for…”
• “That’s not going to happen.” I interfered, brows furrowing and fists tightly clenched, as I smacked the counter-top. “Look, Cora. I’d be heading to his office and you best, stay out of my way .”
• “Security! Bound that crazy woman hands and feet and throw her out!!”
• My fists clenched in resolve. There was no way I was going to leave here, without giving Clint a piece of my mind. I was enraged by the sudden option for divorce and knowing that my husband, was only using me as his sex toy and would have left me either way.
• “Let me go!” I yelled as they grabbed my hand and attempted to pull me towards the exit. Some of the employees watched the unfolding drama in silence.
• “What the hell is going on here?” It was Clint. I snapped my head towards him and there he was, stepping right out of the elevator with Astrid. “What are you doing here?” He asked, his brows furrowed, as he held on to Astrid’s hand.
• My gaze fell on their interlocked fingers. I wanted to feel something—I ought to, right? Perhaps jealousy or something even more but I didn’t. I just felt nothing at the sight. I had fallen out of love for him, as well.
• “Come with me—“
• I cut him off with a slap against his cheek. I could hear the gasps from the employees and even Astrid’s face went pale in shock. I bet none of them believed I’d got balls to pull out something like this. I’m no man but I sure do get the balls.
• The audacity of him to casually talk like he had done nothing wrong, struck a nerve. I was breathing heavily, and he just stared at me, stunned and in short of words. He gritted his teeth, a vein popping at the forehead as he held back from lashing out from the humiliation.
• “You coward!” I said to him, my brows furrowed. “Are you that scared of facing your own wife and telling her right to her face that you are done, that you sent an old man to do that for you while you slept with a cheap whore, even while knowing that you were expecting a baby? You think you can hurt me with your pathetic affair? Let me tell you something—you’re not the only one having one.”
• Except I lied. He was the only one and I had only wanted to strike his ego. It was working and I could see his fist clenched even tighter. Astrid was also stunned, as she just listened to my nonsense.
• “What happened? Cat cut your tongue?” I asked him, my brows furrowed even more. “You think I had no idea that you’ve been cheating on me all these while? You must be delusional to think I was the faithful wife or that I actually loved you. What a joke.”
• With that, I pulled out the divorce file from my handbag. I stared at it in my palm—A bitter sweet smile on my face before I stared up at him. “Here…we are officially done!” With that, I hurled the document at his face, ignoring my ex-friend and walking out of the company building.
• My heart ache and I feel wetness on my cheek—I’m crying. Not because of Clint, not because of Astrid but because of the baby I had lost. Because of the time I had spent, deluding myself with the thought that my husband was only busy with work and actually cared. Because I had no say and was given to him by my family, who didn’t care if I wanted to go through with the marriage or not.
• I missed a step and fell. My heart stopped as I realized I was about to hit the concrete face-first. There was no escaping this—I was sure the stone edge would drive into my face, leaving me disfigured. I might even die. Shutting my eyes tight, I braced myself for the inevitable pain. But it never came.
• Instead, a strong arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me toward a solid body. I collided against warm skin, my head gently resting against it, the arm holding me securely. A sweet, intoxicating scent—gentle yet unfamiliar, like something that felt oddly like home—filled my senses.
• “Are you hurt?”
• The voice. Deep, smooth, and rich, like velvet with a sharp edge. It belonged to a man. My stomach fluttered as I raised my head to look at him.
• Dark brown eyes stared back at me, striking and intense. His polished black hair was neatly combed, complementing his sharp, chiseled features. The tuxedo he wore fit perfectly, hinting at the strength hidden beneath. His cologne was subtle but expensive, and behind him stood ten guards—each handsome in their own right, though none could rival him.
• Who is this man?
• I couldn’t place him, but I knew instinctively he was someone important, someone with influence and power. His expression shifted slightly when he looked at me—shock? Or was it something else? I had no idea. Maybe I disgusted him, or maybe there was something on my face.
• Flustered, I pulled away from him. “I’m sorry,” I stammered, but he didn’t respond. He just stood there, staring at me, utterly silent.
• I apologized again, bowing my head before hurrying away. My heart was pounding, and I didn’t dare look back until I was at a safe distance. When I finally turned, I froze.
• He was still watching me.
• He moved a step forward, hesitating as if he wanted to follow. His arm lifted slightly, his lips forming silent words I couldn’t make out. But his eyes—they were filled with sadness, an ache I couldn’t understand.
• Just who is this man?