Mag-log inAlice Markston once loved Vincent with all her heart — until that love became her greatest mistake. Framed, humiliated, and abandoned by the man she called husband, Alice walked away from the Markston family, vowing never to return. Years later, she’s no longer the fragile woman he broke. She’s stronger, wiser — and utterly unreachable. But fate has a cruel sense of irony. When Vincent’s world begins to crumble, the only person who can save him is the woman he betrayed. Now, the once-arrogant heir kneels before her, begging for forgiveness, for love, for a second chance. But some wounds run too deep… And this time, Alice might be the one to turn her back.
view moreIsabella’s POV
The silence between Damon and me was suffocating—so thick I could almost hear it. I sat across from him in his sleek office, the same space where we’d once laughed and talked about our dreams. But now, nothing felt familiar. Nothing felt warm. Just cold, sterile air and the weight of what was about to end.
My eyes dropped to the paper on the table—divorce papers. My name stared back at me, printed in bold, formal ink. His signature was already there. Neat. Confident. Final. The man I had shared my soul with had already signed away our future.
I blinked back the tears threatening to spill. I had promised myself I wouldn’t cry. Not in front of him. Not when he had chosen someone else.
Damon stood by the window, hands in his pockets, back turned to me like I didn’t even exist. He was always good at distancing himself when things got real. The man who used to pull me into his arms at the end of a long day now couldn’t even look me in the eye.
Funny how love fades when you least expect it.
“Isabella,” his voice broke through the silence like a blade. Cold. Detached. “You know this is for the best.”
Best? For who? Him?
I stood slowly, my hands trembling, as I smoothed down my dress. “You’re going to tell me that leaving me for her is for the best?” I scoffed. “Are you sure about that, Damon? Who is she?”
He didn’t answer. His reflection in the window barely moved, but I saw his jaw tighten. A flicker of emotion—regret, maybe—but it was gone before I could hold on to it.
“I’m sorry,” he finally said, still not facing me. “I never meant to hurt you.”
A bitter, humorless laugh escaped my lips. “You never meant to hurt me, yet you lied to me, disappeared for days, and made excuses about business trips and late nights at work. You stopped showing up. You stopped choosing me.”
He turned then, slowly, and our eyes met. But his eyes were empty—gray and hollow like the storm clouds gathering behind him. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
But it is, I whispered in my mind, swallowing the lump in my throat. “You chose her over me, Damon. Without explanation. Without even trying to fix us. You made your choice. And now, you’ll live with it.”
I reached for the pen beside the papers and signed with shaking fingers. My name now felt like a betrayal. As if I had given up. As if I had accepted that I wasn’t enough.
But I wasn’t done.
I looked up, meeting his eyes one last time. “You’ll get exactly what you deserve.”
With that, I turned on my heel and walked toward the door, the sharp click of my heels cutting through the silence he left behind.
And then it happened.
Just as I reached for the handle, the door opened—and she walked in.
I froze.
Tall. Confident. Perfect hair, flawless makeup, and a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. She didn’t look surprised to see me. No. She looked prepared. Like she expected me to be here. Like this had been planned.
There was something familiar about her. Something I couldn’t place at first. But the moment Damon stepped toward her—too quickly, too comfortably—I knew.
The woman he had chosen…the one I was being thrown away for…wasn’t just anyone.
She was his ex.
Kiara.
The name hit me like a punch to the gut.
I had heard it before. In whispers. In arguments that ended too soon. In the silence when I asked him about her, he brushed it off like she didn’t matter.
Now, she was here. Walking into his office like she belonged. Like she had taken my place—and he had let her.
My heart cracked open in a way I wasn’t prepared for.
I stood there, gripping the doorknob like it was the only thing holding me together. My chest burned. My head spun. All those nights he claimed to be out on business…all those missed calls and empty apologies…they made sense now.
She was the reason.
And the worst part? He didn’t even have the decency to tell me.
They didn’t speak to me. They didn’t need to. Their body language said enough. The quiet smile she gave him. The small nod he returned. I had been erased before I even walked out the door.
I turned away without a word. My heels felt heavier than before as I stepped into the hallway. The cold air outside slapped me harder than any truth Damon could’ve thrown at me.
This wasn’t just a divorce.
It was a betrayal.
As I walked to my car, the sky cracked open with thunder. Rain started to fall—first as a mist, then in steady sheets that blurred the world around me. I didn’t run for cover. I let it soak me. Let it chill my skin. Let it match the ache that lived inside my chest.
By the time I slid behind the wheel, my hands were shaking. I gripped the steering wheel and stared at the empty passenger seat beside me.
There was a time Damon would reach over and hold my hand when I was anxious. There was a time when just his voice could calm the chaos inside me.
Now… there was just silence.
And a name echoing in my mind.
Kiara.
I didn’t know where I was driving. I didn’t care. I just needed to get away. Away from that building, from those papers, from him. From her.
I kept driving until the city lights faded behind me, until the only sound was the rain on my windshield and the erratic thud of my heartbeat.
I ended up at a roadside motel—cheap, quiet, and far from everything that once defined me.
As I checked in, the clerk didn’t even look up. Just handed me a key and pointed toward a room at the far end. I was grateful for the anonymity. For the blank walls and peeling wallpaper that didn’t expect anything from me.
Inside, I dropped my bag and collapsed onto the bed, still in my soaked clothes. I stared at the ceiling, the sound of rain beating like war drums on the roof above me.
How did we get here?
How did a love that once felt so unbreakable turn to ashes?
And why—out of all people—was she back?
I closed my eyes, and for the first time in weeks, I let the tears come. They slid down my cheeks quietly, like a confession I hadn’t meant to make.
But beneath the heartbreak, something else stirred.
A strange tug in my chest. A whisper I couldn’t place.
Not of love.
Of something lost.
Something forgotten.
And I didn’t know it yet—but soon, everything I thought I knew about myself… would burn.
It’s been two daysTwo wonderful, almost surreal days since I arrived in Paris.Two days of air that tasted like freedom. Two days that almost made me forget the pain that lingered like a shadow at the back of my mind.Adrian had kept me busy. He’d taken me everywhere through the charming cobblestone streets, to cafés that smelled of freshly baked croissants, to the Seine River where the golden reflections danced like sunlight on water. We laughed, took pictures, and for the first time in a long time, I felt alive.Paris was everything people said it was. A city of romance, of lights, of memories. The air was always soft and cold, filled with laughter from strangers who looked like they had no pain in their world. And somehow, I wanted to feel that too—just for a little while.But even paradise had ghosts.Vincent—my husband, my nightmare—remained the same cold shell of a man. The workaholic. The perfectionist. The man who thought meetings and numbers mattered more than lives and love
I woke up with a start, my breath catching in my throat. For a second, I didn’t recognize where I was. The room was far too elegant, too expensive the golden curtains flowing to the marble floor, the crystal chandelier glittering faintly above, the soft hum of the heater running somewhere near the corner. I blinked rapidly, sitting up in bed, my heartbeat racing.Then it dawned on me.This was the hotel. The luxurious one we checked into this morning after arriving in Paris.Gosh, I almost thought I had been kidnapped, or worse that Vincent had finally carried out his plan and taken me to the hospital to force that terrible procedure on me. A wave of panic rushed through me, and I pressed my palm to my chest, forcing myself to breathe. You’re fine, Alice. You’re fine.I threw off the sheets, padding toward the bathroom. My feet met the cool marble, and I turned on the tap. The sound of rushing water echoed around me. I leaned forward and splashed water on my face again and again unt
Vincent’s POVThe cold air outside the Markson Family Estate bit at my skin as I walked out, but I barely felt it. My mind was numb. The old man’s words still echoed in my head — harsh, cutting, true. I could hear the echo of the cane hitting the table, the sound of Alice’s trembling voice, the shock in her eyes when I’d told her to come on the trip.My jaw tightened. I didn’t regret what I said. I couldn’t. Regret was weakness, and weakness had destroyed too much in my life already.I got into the car, slamming the door harder than necessary. “Drive Lillian home,” I said quietly to Noah, my assistant, my voice void of emotion.He hesitated, glancing through the rearview mirror as if he wanted to say something, but one sharp look from me silenced him. Lillian was quiet beside me, her hand fidgeting on her lap.When we reached her home, she turned to me, eyes soft, hopeful. “Brother Vincent, please rest early, okay?” she whispered, reaching to touch my arm.I nodded faintly, forcing a
The journey to the Markson Family Mansion was silent.The car glided through the cold streets, the tires slicing through the snow as flakes drifted lazily from the sky. I sat in the back seat, my palms resting over my belly protectively, as if my hands could shield the tiny life inside me from the storms raging outside—and inside Vincent’s heart.When we arrived, the mansion stood tall as ever—grand, cold, intimidating. It was the kind of place that always made you feel small no matter how strong you tried to stand. The heavy double doors opened before I could even reach for the handle. A butler stepped aside, bowing slightly. “Madam,” he greeted softly.I nodded and stepped in. The warmth from the mansion immediately wrapped around me, chasing away the cold that clung to my skin. The old patriarch was already there, seated in his grand chair near the fireplace. His gaze found me immediately—sharp yet filled with something softer today.“Alice,” he said, his tone carrying both authori
Vincent suddenly stood up from his chair, the metal legs scraping harshly against the marble floor. The sound echoed through the vast boardroom like thunder, making me flinch. His face had gone rigid — that cold, domineering expression I used to fear but once loved because I thought it came from strength.Before I could step back, his hand shot out, gripping my wrist tightly. His touch was firm, cold, unyielding.“Let’s go,” he said sharply, his tone devoid of emotion.I blinked, confused. “W–What?”He yanked my wrist, pulling me closer. “Let’s get to the hospital now and continue with the procedure.”For a second, my mind went blank. Then fury exploded in me, raw and uncontrollable. I struggled to pull my hand free, my voice breaking through the room like a crack of lightning.“Don’t touch me!” I screamed.He didn’t even flinch. His jaw tightened as he took another step closer, his shadow swallowing mine. “Stop making this harder than it already is, Alice. The longer you delay this,
I quickly dressed up simple, leaving Morgan’s apartment. My fingers were trembling as I buttoned my coat, but I didn’t care. My chest ached, my throat burned from crying, and my heartbeat thudded so hard it almost hurt.The moment I stepped outside, the world hit me with a blast of cold. The snow had thickened overnight; soft white flakes drifted down slowly, covering the pavement, the roofs, the cars parked by the sidewalk.The air was biting, almost cruel, stinging my cheeks and nose, but I barely felt it. I walked fast, my boots crunching through the thin layer of snow, each step heavy and unsteady. My mind was numb the recording, his voice, Lilian’s mocking tone they all looped in my head like a curse that wouldn’t stop echoing.“Vincent…” I whispered under my breath, the name falling out like a broken prayer.I hailed a taxi with a shaky hand. One stopped almost immediately. The driver glanced at me through the mirror, eyes softening when he saw my red eyes and pale face.“Wher












Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Mga Comments