Chapter 2

“Are you out of your mind?”

Matilda's furious whisper cut through the chaos as she seized my arm and dug her fingers into my skin, dragging me away from the crowd—and, more importantly, away from Vice President Zachary Simon.

“Are you trying to ruin everything Ralph has worked for?” she hissed.

I stumbled after her, still too numb to react.

“Couldn't you have stayed at home and waited for Ralph to come back? Instead, you had to show up here and humiliate all of us.” Her eyes traveled over me with open disgust.

“Look at you!”

She lowered her voice further, making sure only I could hear.

“The kitchen is where you belong. You should have stayed there.”

I flinched.

Roman joined us, his expression no less contemptuous.

“And why did you even come here dressed in those rags?”

His gaze swept over me from head to toe as though I were something unpleasant he had accidentally stepped on.

I looked down at myself.

Simple clothes. Unstyled hair. Calloused hands that carried the faint scent of the chores I did today.

And I understood.

The disgust in their eyes wasn't because I had embarrassed them tonight. It was because, in their minds, I had never belonged beside them.

I had only been useful behind closed doors.

I swallowed hard.

“So I'm a maid…” The realization slipped from my lips in a bitter whisper.

“Not his wife.”

Matilda's expression didn't soften.

“Isn't it enough that my son married you?” Her voice dripped with disdain.

“You've brought nothing to this family except chores. You can't even give him a child.”

Every word struck like a blade.

“Now that Ralph has finally found someone he can proudly stand beside in high society—and someone who can give him a child—don't ruin this for him.”

She glanced toward Ralph and Dawn.

They were still speaking tensely with Zachary, but even from where I stood, I could see how different Ralph looked beside Dawn.

He didn't look ashamed of her. He didn't try to hide her. He stood beside her proudly.

Matilda's voice lowered into a warning.

“If you cause any more trouble tonight, Ralph will throw you out himself.”

I stared at her. For years, I had endured their coldness. Every dismissive glance, cutting remarks, every reminder that I wasn't good enough for their family. And still, I had held on to hope.

I thought that if I loved Ralph enough, if I took good care of him, if I proved myself as a wife, perhaps one day they would finally accept me.

So I served them. I cooked their meals. I kept their house immaculate. I remembered their preferences. I made sure everything was taken care of before they ever had to ask. I did everything I could to become the daughter-in-law they wanted.

Yet all this time…

They had never seen me as family. They had simply seen me as free help. A maid who happened to wear a wedding ring.

My chest tightened. Then Roman's cold voice brought me back to reality.

“Dawn secured the upcoming collaboration with the Wrights.” His expression hardened.

“If there is any trouble because of you after tonight…” He paused, letting the threat sink in.

“I will personally throw you out onto the street.”

I slowly lifted my eyes to him, and I see nothing but disdain. Not even the slightest trace of sympathy for the woman who had been married to his son for two years.

But before I could say another word, Ralph and Dawn hurried toward us.

Ralph reached me first.

“Why do you always have to ruin everything?”

His hand clamped around my arm, his fingers digging painfully into my skin. He yanked me toward him so violently that I stumbled.

If I had been a porcelain doll, I felt as though my arm would have shattered from the way he and his mother had been pulling me around all night.

Dawn followed, her beautiful face twisted with fury.

“I swear, if the Wright Group of Companies withdraws from the negotiations because of you, I will skin you alive!” Her eyes burned into mine.

“Do you have any idea how hard I worked just to get this opportunity? Do you know how much I sacrificed to even be considered for this collaboration?”

“I didn't do anything,” I managed to say. My voice was weak, but I fought to free my arm from Ralph's crushing grip.

Matilda suddenly looked around the ballroom in panic.

“Where is Vice President Simon?”

“He already left,” Dawn answered bitterly.

“And he looked displeased.” Her glare returned to me.

“Because of her.”

“I did nothing,” I repeated, my voice trembling.

Matilda's lips curled into a cruel smile.

“Showing up was enough.” Her words made my stomach twist.

Ralph's grip tightened.

“I endured you for the sake of our marriage,” he said coldly. “And for everything you've supposedly done for me.”

He stared down at me as though I were nothing more than an inconvenience.

“I should have left you a long time ago.”

Then he shoved me. Hard.

I stumbled backward, desperately trying to regain my balance. But my heel caught against the edge of the carpet.

I lost my footing. And the next second, I crashed onto the floor.

A collective gasp swept through the ballroom. But the humiliation of falling in front of everyone was nothing compared to his words.

My eyes widened. My chest felt as though an iron fist had closed around my heart.

“Ralph…”

My voice trembled as I called him, but he only stared down at me. Then he scoffed.

“Did you really expect me to be content with a wife who smells like garlic all day?”

A few uncomfortable murmurs rose from the crowd.

“Someone who can't even be bothered to comb her hair?” His lips twisted with disgust.

“I am ashamed to be seen with you.”

My throat tightened.

“Above all, I don't need a wife who can't even give me a child.” His voice rose, deliberately loud enough for everyone to hear.

“I don't need a barren woman dragging me down.” he arrogantly hissed.

Matilda immediately joined in.

“A barren woman like you has no place in our family.”

The ballroom erupted into whispers. I could hear them everywhere. The words blurred together, filling my already-dazed mind.

I remained on the floor, staring at the man I had once believed was the love of my life.

Never in my wildest nightmare had I imagined our love would end like this.

I had fought so hard for him. I had sacrificed everything for our marriage. I had built my entire life around him. And this was what I had earned. Not even basic respect. Just humiliation.

Something inside me finally snapped. I slowly pushed myself upright. Then I looked directly into Ralph's eyes.

“Then let's divorce.”

The words fell quietly into the ballroom. Silence followed. Even the guests seemed stunned.

Matilda was the first to react.

“Pfft…” A mocking laugh escaped her lips.

“Divorce?”

She looked at me as though I had just told the most ridiculous joke in the world. Then she burst into laughter.

“You can't divorce my son.” Her laughter grew louder.

“You're not even married to him.”

My blood ran cold.

“What?” I stared at her.

Ralph chuckled.

“I never registered our marriage, Bella.”

The world seemed to tilt beneath me.

“I was waiting for the right time to do it.” He shrugged casually.

“Thankfully, I never got around to it.” A cruel smile spread across his face.

“Looks like I saved myself from a lot of unnecessary complications.”

I stared at him, unable to fathom what I was hearing.

Two years.

Two years I had called him my husband. Two years I had worn his ring. Two years I had built my entire life around the belief that I was his wife.

And all this time… I wasn't.

Ralph turned toward Dawn. She was already laughing. He laughed with her.

“I don't want to be tied down to someone like you, Bella.” His gaze returned to me.

“You could never compare to Dawn.”

I slowly closed my eyes as their laughter filled my ears. The sound of mockery seemed to come from everywhere, surrounding me, suffocating me.

I felt utterly pathetic. I had given this man everything I had.

My love, loyalty, devotion. And he had deceived me so effortlessly that I hadn't even realized our marriage had never existed in the eyes of the law.

Matilda stepped closer.

“Did you really think you could latch onto our family?” Her voice dripped with contempt.

“Never.” She looked down at me with a victorious smile.

“And don't even dream of getting a single penny from us.”

I slowly opened my eyes. For a long moment, I simply stared at them.

At the family I had spent two years desperately trying to earn a place in.

At the man I had loved more than I had ever loved myself.

A bitter, broken chuckle escaped my lips. My eyes burned, but somehow, the tears refused to fall.

“So…” My voice came out barely above a whisper.

“I was never a wife to you.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

“I was just an unpaid servant.”

****tbh****