“You're pregnant?” “The baby doesn't have a father,” Vanessa said with a shaky voice. “Then make the baby have one. Marry Lucian and get him to sleep with you. Then pin the baby on him.” her mother said with a stern expression. “I'm not your pawn in your business deals!” “Then prove it. Take these pills and erase the mistake before it ruins us all.” After billionaire heiress Vanessa Roothmoore catches her husband Damon cheating on her with her best friend, Sabrina who got pregnant in the process. Vanessa's marriage and trust collapse in one public, humiliating night. Determined to reclaim her life, she walks away from betrayal only to find herself tangled in an unexpected intoxicating one-night stand with a mysterious stranger, Zane. And that night leaves her pregnant. But when she confronts him, he denies ever knowing her. And just when she thinks her life couldn't get more complicated, her ruthless mother doesn't stop pushing her towards an arranged marriage with a powerful heir Lucian. Vanessa is trapped between a child no one wants to claim, a family determined to control her, and two men whose truths are more dangerous than their lies.
더 보기Vanessa's POV.
I didn't plan to slap him. I swear, I didn't.
But then I discovered the secret he had been hiding from me all along. I lost it, and my palm met his cheek with a sound that cracked the entire ballroom.
My hand trembled, but I refused to lower it. Let them watch. Let them whisper. Let the media eat it all up. Cameras flashed like fireworks, and journalists sprang to their feet, but I didn't care.
I stared at my husband with my eyes cold and my hands still burning from the impact of the slap.
He touched his face slowly; he was stunned.
“Vanessa—” he began. But I cut him off with a tap on my phone.
The voice note echoed through the ballroom speakers, slicing through the air like a blade.
“I want your wife to know that I'm one month pregnant with your child. I'm tired of hiding.”
The voice wasn't just anyone's. It was Sabrina’s. My best friend. And she was standing right there in her emerald gown with her lips curled up in a devilish smirk, and then I turned to face my husband.
“You have humiliated me enough, Damon. But this? This is the end.”
He opened his mouth, but I didn't let him speak. Not yet.
“I don't tolerate betrayal,” I said with a steady voice. “We are done with the so-called fucking relationship we shared together. I want a divorce.” I announced, and I could hear the gasps that filled the room.
Phones were recording, and whispers were spreading like wildfire.
Damon chuckled bitterly, and then he ran a hand through his hair like I was amusing him.
“A divorce?” he said. “Really, Vanessa? You think you can just walk away?”
I pulled off my wedding ring and threw it in his face so he could get his answer. “Yes.”
He laughed louder this time. “And where do you think you are going to go? Who do you think will want you now? Three years of marriage and not even one child.
When I heard him say that to me, my throat tightened and my stomach twisted inside of me.
“You are barren, Vanessa,” he continued. “You couldn't give me a family. And you think you can just divorce me and move on like that?”
“The doctor said I am perfectly fine, Damon Thorne. Every test came back normal. But you never once checked yourself, did you?” I replied to him as I balled my hands into a tight fist, but he didn't respond.
“Because it was easier to blame me,” I whispered. “To make me feel broken. Less of a woman.”
Damon stepped closer to me, trying to lower his voice. “You should be grateful. Sabrina is pregnant now. We can raise the child together. She can move in, and we can all live as one happy family. The baby can even call you mummy.” He voiced out, and my chest burned.
I turned to look at Sabrina, and she looked like she was proud of the scene in front of her.
“Don't look at me like that, Vanessa. I didn't want to miss this moment,” she said sweetly, her eyes locked on Damon.
“After everything I have done for you,” I said. “After all the memories, the secrets, the love I showered on you. You stab me in the back like this?”
“You can't blame me either, so please just save all your pity words. It's not my fault I found comfort in your husband; I mean, the baby's already halfway here.” she said, rubbing on her stomach, and I slapped her hard across her face.
She didn't flinch. She just smiled and straightened her dress, then she looked me straight in the eye.
“Are you done?” she asked coldly.
“Do you have any shame left inside of you?
“Do you have a child?” She retorted at me, and her words sliced through the air like a dagger. Damon muttered her name in a warning, but Sabrina just kept on going.
“I mean, three years and nothing? Maybe you are not the prize you think you are, Vanessa Roothmoore. Maybe he just needed someone fertile.”
“I gave you everything, Sabrina. I paid your rent and got you into events. I even introduced you to him as my best friend—”
“And I gave him what you couldn't,” she snapped.
Reporters were already creeping towards the door. I could hear the faint sound of shutters, whispers, and recording devices clicking on. And Sabrina raised her voice deliberately.
“This baby is his, and Damon wants to be a part of its life. If that bothers you—” she paused, then smirked at me. “You can walk away, and I will take your place.”
“You will never be me.” I said, inhaling slowly.
“Good,” she said, flashing a smile at me. You are barren, bitter, and boring, so I will pass.”
The rage exploded in my chest like fireworks. I stepped closer until we were face-to-face.
“You will never wear my ring.” I said, and she tilted her head.
“But I will be sleeping in your matrimonial bed tonight,” she announced, and the cameras were relentless now. Reporters shouting questions.
“Vanessa Roothmoore. Is it true you have been married for three years without a child?”
“So is the heiress of the Roothmoore Conglomerate barren?”
“Will you be raising Sabrina's child as your own now?”
Questions from different directions were thrown at me as they all filled my ears, and I finally turned towards them.
“I am not barren,” I said loud and clear. “The doctors say I'm healthy. But even if I wasn't, my worth is not tied to a womb.”
The crowd went silent.
“You want a headline?” I continued. “Here it is. I gave my loyalty to a liar, my friendship to a snake, and my love to a man who didn't deserve it. But today, I'm taking it all back.”
Damon looked stunned, and the press didn't know whether to cheer or keep filming. I pulled out my phone and lifted it to my ear.
“Lawrence?” I said calmly. “File the divorce papers. Tonight.”
And with that, I walked past them. Past the flashing cameras. Past the whispers and pitying stares.
My heels clicked against the marble, each step louder than the last. My heart was pounding, my chest tight, but my spine was straight.
This was my downfall, yes.
But it was also the beginning of something new.
Because the slap wasn't just rage.
It was a goodbye.
And God help them both. This was only the beginning.
Vanessa's POV.I hung up the call on Lawrence and I felt relieved and sad at the same time. One chapter of my life was about to end and there was nothing I could do to reverse it.My throat felt dry when I heard the word finalized. That word hit me like a blow and a relief all at once. It was finally happening, the end of my marriage. The end of Damon and I.But I had another chapter of my life which was the forced marriage. The dinner, the smiles, the fake happiness was already being scripted for me. All I needed to do was act according to it.“Thank you Lawrence.” I whispered, though my voice shook and I ended the call instantly.I turned my back and I was about to walk back to the dining table but my mom unexpectedly showed up in front of me and she read my face before I could even speak the word.“It is tomorrow right? Isn't it?” she asked and I nodded my head at her.“Yes. The divorce is by ten in the morning.” I replied and she smiled at me.For once, there wasn't bitterness in h
Vanessa's POV.I drove into the garage of my parents house as I turned off the engine of my car and stepped down to bring out my boxes.I was struggling with the three boxes and just when I succeeded in rolling the boxes to the front of my car. The last thing I was expecting was to see my mother standing by the door like a trained dog looking for a criminal to attack.Her lips were pressed against each other and she crossed her arms against her chest. She began to tap her leg on the floor as she looked at me dangerously. And it was exactly just what I would always receive.“Vanessa” she called out my name and I rolled my eyes at her. Because I knew I was about to have a talking session.“Mom please can you just let me breathe. I am no longer a kid and you have to understand that fact, you don't have to stand here like you have been waiting all night for me. I didn't run away, I'm a grown-up for goodness sake. I'm a fucking adult.” I expressed but the frown on her face did not disappear
Vanessa's POV.The air inside Damon's house felt as though it had been filled with smoke but there was no fire to confirm it yet.Damon was surprised, in fact he stood frozen to the floor. Any Sabrina on the other hand, her face went instantly pale and for the first time since I had walked into this house. Her arrogance was gone and I was proud of myself.I folded my arms across my chest as I watched the scenario that unfolded in front of me like a queen who had just declared war.“Go on, officers. Please put the cuffs on her, I believe it will suit her more than her fancy jewelleries” I said softly as Sabrina's lips began to shake, then she turned to Damon.“Damon, please say something. Don't just stand there as though you can't see what is going on! Don't let them take me away. They are going to put me in jail and those prison inmates will make my life a living hell” Sabrina begged and to me it felt as though her thoughts had already gone far and she was already thinking about how he
Vanessa's POV.By the time I drove my car into Damon's parking lot. I knew that my decision had already been finalized and nothing was going to make me change my mind.I was keeping my baby. I wasn't going to terminate the pregnancy anymore, but I was also cutting every single string that tied me to the past which meant taking back all my belongings that were still left in the house I once considered to be my matrimonial home.I walked inside the mansion with my head held high like always. I believed I was too strong to be broken so easily, the mansion was quiet as usual but there was a sound that filled my ears and it grew louder the closer I got to my bedroom.There were sounds of moans and I instantly felt ashamed because no one needed to inform me on who was in there.I gripped the door handle and twisted it, pushing it open, only to reveal Sabrina and Damon tangled in the bedsheet . They were sweaty and breathless from the pleasure they both enjoyed and as soon as they saw me, the
Vanessa's POV.I wished there was a way for me to slam the elevator hard so the weight could shake the walls of the hospital. The anger burning inside of me was something no one could easily quench.I walked towards the parking lot as I held my car keys tightly in my hand. Doctor Morgan wanted the father of my unborn baby present. Or a family member.The father? The man who didn't think twice when he looked me straight in the eyes and denied he even knew me? The same bastard of a man who was more than happy to use me for a one-night stand but wouldn't dare own up and take responsibility for what came up after the pleasurable night.And as for my family? No one knew. No one because if my mother heard the news of this pregnancy. She wouldn't let me have my peace, not like she has been letting me have it anyways. She is just so hell bent on getting me remarried.It wasn't that easy. Nothing in my life was ever easy. I felt shame and anger inside of me as the emotions made it impossible fo
Vanessa's POV.The sharp sound of the doorbell which rang twice filled my ear, just as I was pouring myself a glass of cold watermelon juice.I moved towards the door and when I opened it, my eyes landed on Lawrence who stood in front of me with a look that lawyers carry when they have something big in their hands.“Goodmorning, Vanessa.” he greeted with a calm voice. It was almost casual but the white envelope I noticed in his hand wasn't casual at all.“What are you holding tightly onto Lawrence? Why do I feel you are here to complete a mission?” I asked with a frown on my face as I stepped aside for him to make his way inside the mansion.“It belongs to you. It is your divorce petition. Damon has already signed it. All you need to do is sign the divorce papers. And it becomes official.” he said, stretching it towards me as though it was a peace offering.For a moment, I just looked straight into his eyes. My chest tightened at his words, but not with sadness. It was more like my bod
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