CHAPTER 1 Amor

“What the hell am I doing?” I thought as I frantically picked up the pieces of glass from the broken vase Ares threw at me. Thank God it barely missed!

“How many times do I have to tell you what to do?!” he yelled, making me flinch. “You just never learn, huh?!”

I bit my lower lip to stop myself from crying. How did I get so weak?

Abuelo surely didn’t raise me to be like this. He must be groveling in his grave seeing what I have reduced myself to. He made sure I grew up to become a strong, independent woman who bows to no one.

Why am I letting my own husband treat me like shit?

“Mommy?” a soft, innocent voice echoed behind me, giving me the answers to the questions swirling inside my head just now.

Right. Mira. My three-year-old daughter. She is the reason for everything I do.

“Yes, baby?” I respond, trying my best to keep my voice calm and steady despite the brewing storm inside me.

“Don’t go here, you might get hurt,” I gently told her.

“Why?” she innocently asked. “What happened?” her voice sounded closer.

When I turned to look, she was already standing by the door, curiously eyeing the room. I glanced at Ares, whose expression quickly changed. His face softened as he looked at our little girl.

“Come, mija,” he picked her up and held her in his arms.

I gulped to swallow the lump in my throat. Looking at them makes me seem to forget everything that I’ve been going through. This. This is the reason why I try to endure the pain despite everything that he puts me through.

“What happened?” she innocently asked.

“Something just broke,” he gently tucked her hair behind her ears.

Sometimes, I wish he could treat me with an ounce of that gentleness, but I guess that would be too greedy. I should be glad that at least the hate was only directed towards me. My heart would be broken irrevocably if he despised Mira too.

“Your mother will take care of it,” he smiled before turning to leave, but our daughter stopped him.

“Mommy! Blood!” she shrieked while pointing at my hand. I looked down and realized my finger was indeed bleeding. It must have been cut by a shard of glass I picked up.

I sighed. My logic flew out the window when I panicked earlier. I know I shouldn't have touched it, but...

“It’s just a small cut, baby.” I smiled at her, ignoring the stinging pain on my finger. “It’s nothing. Go with your Dad while I fix this up.”

“But, mommy…” she tried to protest, but Ares had already started walking away.

“It’s okay,” I smiled more to reassure her.

I looked up, trying to fight back my tears, when they were gone. No. I’m not crying because of the cut on my finger. I’m crying because my heart felt like it was being torn into pieces. I don’t know what I did to deserve to be treated like this.

“Come on, stop fooling yourself,” I chuckled bitterly.

This must be my karma for all the wrongs I did in the past. I was a ruthless leader. I must have made every employee’s life a living hell back when I was the one ruling Hacienda Camilla. And this is what I get in return: to be treated like a mere speck of dirt on my husband’s shoe.

I sniffed while gently shaking my head. I should stop wallowing in self-pity. Yes, I am hurting. I have probably paid for everything I have done. But I have no right to complain because, at the end of the day, I am still the one who chose to stay.

I could have chosen differently. I could have decided to walk away and leave everything behind. But I’m here now, and I don’t regret anything.

I have Mira. She’s all that matters now. I will do everything for her, even if it means suffering at the hands of my own husband. I will endure every lash of his fury if it means my daughter will get to live with a whole family, something I never got to experience.

My parents died when I was young. Too young to have any recollection of them. Abuelo, my grandfather, was the one who raised me. He was the only family I had until he died five years ago.

That was when my nightmare began…

I tilted my head, trying to push my thoughts away. There’s no use in looking back now. It’s already been done.

I stood up to wash my hands. I hastily tended my wound before going back to cleaning up the mess in Ares' office. I ensured there were no pieces of glass left and everything was put into place.

I sighed after closing the door. Who would have thought the once-proud heiress would be treated as a lowly maid? The hacienda's employees must be mocking me right now. I don't see them often since Ares removed everyone assigned to the villa.

The housemaids were reassigned to other parts of the ranch while Ares expected me to maintain the villa alone, which was done by at least ten people in the past. I was occupied most of the day, cleaning, cooking, and doing the laundry. The chores seemed to be never-ending!

It's not easy considering I had never done any of these mundane tasks before marrying him. It took a while to familiarize myself with them, but even now, things still tend to end in disaster.

I went to our bedroom just to find it dark and empty. Ares is not here. Is he in Mira's bedroom? My heart clenched as a small voice seemed to be whispering at the back of my mind. I tried to ignore it and just went to my daughter's bedroom to check on her.

"Mommy!" she excitedly squealed when she saw me walk in. She jumped out of bed and rushed over to me.

"Careful, amor," I said, catching her in my arms.

"Are you okay?" she asked when I picked her up. She tried to look at my hand, but I intentionally hid it from her.

"Of course," I smiled despite the lingering pain in my chest.

"Where's... your Dad?" I hesitantly asked.

"Out," her red lips pouted. "He told me to wait for you."

"I'm sorry," I gently brushed her hair with my fingers. "Did you wait for too long?"

"Not really," she mumbled, leaning against me.

"Let's wash you up?" I asked.

"Okay!" she grinned and nodded. I smiled at her excitement, making me forget about the inappropriate thoughts in my head.

I helped her get cleaned up and dressed. Then I tucked her into bed.

"Story?" she softly muttered, her lids obviously getting heavy.

"Sure, amor," I obliged, picking up her favorite book from the nightstand. I haven't gone to the second page yet, when her eyes closed. I read a few more lines to make sure she is already fast asleep.

I stared at her peaceful form. The sound of her steady breathing felt like calming music to my ears. I stayed beside her until exhaustion finally caught up with me. I got up begrudgingly and forced myself to go back to the room I shared with my husband.

I sighed when I realized Ares still wasn't around. I should be relieved, but something is gnawing at the back of my head while thinking where he could have gone.

I lay down and tried to sleep despite the nagging feeling inside me. I wrapped myself in sheets, making myself warm in the middle of the huge, cold bed. It didn't take long before darkness finally took over my consciousness. It was a dreamless slumber until I was woken up abruptly by the slamming of the door...