Chapter 1

Thrown Away

Elena’s POV

Three years.

That was how long I had spent trying to become the perfect Mrs. Blackwood.

Three years of smiling through loneliness.

Three years of pretending I didn’t notice my husband coming home later every night.

Three years of swallowing every insult his family threw at me because I believed that one day they would finally accept me.

Tonight was supposed to be different.

I stood in front of the full-length mirror inside the dressing room at the Blackwood Charity Gala, smoothing invisible wrinkles from my silver evening gown. Adrian had chosen the dress himself last week. He had even told me I looked beautiful in it.

It was the first compliment he’d given me in months.

I had foolishly allowed myself to hope.

Maybe this was our fresh start.

Maybe he had finally remembered the woman he married.

A soft knock came on the door.

“Mrs. Blackwood,” one of the hotel staff said politely. “The guests have arrived. Mr. Blackwood is waiting downstairs.”

“I’ll be right there.”

I took one last deep breath before forcing a smile onto my face.

No matter what happened tonight, I would stand beside my husband like I always had.

That was what wives did.

The ballroom glittered with expensive crystal chandeliers. Waiters walked through the crowd carrying champagne while reporters snapped pictures of the city’s wealthiest families.

The Blackwoods loved attention.

They loved looking perfect.

I spotted Adrian almost immediately.

He stood near the stage, wearing a perfectly tailored black tuxedo. He was handsome enough to make women stop and stare wherever he went.

Three years ago, I had believed I was the luckiest woman alive when he asked me to marry him.

Now I couldn’t remember the last time he had looked at me with love.

As if sensing my eyes on him, Adrian glanced in my direction.

For a brief second, our gazes met.

His expression remained cold.

No smile.

No warmth.

Nothing.

I walked over anyway.

“You look handsome,” I said quietly.

He barely looked at me.

“You’re late.”

“I was only—”

“It doesn’t matter.”

His voice was flat, almost bored.

“You know how important tonight is. Try not to embarrass me.”

The words stung more than I wanted to admit.

“I won’t.”

He adjusted his cufflinks without another glance at me.

Before I could say anything else, a familiar voice interrupted.

“Elena.”

I turned around.

Vanessa.

My cousin walked toward us wearing a tight red gown that hugged every curve of her body. She smiled brightly, wrapping her arms around Adrian’s arm as though it belonged there.

Something inside me tightened.

“Vanessa,” I greeted politely.

“You look lovely tonight,” she said.

“So do you.”

She laughed.

“Oh, Adrian helped me pick this dress.”

I blinked.

Adrian had taken Vanessa shopping?

He had told me he was too busy with work that day.

I looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

He simply sipped his champagne.

“I’ll see you both later,” Vanessa said sweetly before walking away.

But not before squeezing Adrian’s hand.

I stared after her.

“Since when are you two shopping together?”

Adrian sighed impatiently.

“Does it matter?”

“It does to me.”

“It’s business.”

I wanted to believe him.

I really did.

But the knot in my stomach only grew tighter.

The lights inside the ballroom suddenly dimmed.

The guests turned toward the stage.

The master of ceremonies smiled into the microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for attending tonight’s Blackwood Charity Gala.”

Applause filled the room.

After several speeches and donations, the host looked toward Adrian.

“Now, we’d like to invite Mr. Adrian Blackwood to say a few words.”

Adrian walked confidently onto the stage.

I smiled proudly despite everything.

No matter how difficult our marriage had become, I had always supported him.

He accepted the microphone.

“Good evening.”

The room fell silent.

“I know everyone expected me to speak about tonight’s charity event.”

He paused.

“But I’d rather speak about something more personal.”

A strange feeling settled in my chest.

Adrian looked directly at me.

My smile faded.

“I believe honesty is important.”

The reporters immediately raised their cameras.

“So tonight, I’d like to officially announce the end of my marriage.”

The words hit me so hard that I stopped breathing.

Murmurs spread through the ballroom.

I stared at him, unable to move.

Surely I had misunderstood.

Surely this wasn’t happening.

“Our marriage has been over for a long time,” Adrian continued calmly. “Unfortunately, some relationships simply don’t work.”

Every eye in the room turned toward me.

Heat rushed to my face.

I wanted to disappear.

“I tried my best,” Adrian said, sounding almost sympathetic. “But I want a family. I want children.”

He looked at me again.

“My wife couldn’t give me either.”

The room exploded with whispers.

My hands trembled.

He had promised we would discuss the divorce privately.

He had promised.

Instead, he was destroying me in front of hundreds of people.

Before I could even process what was happening, Vanessa stepped onto the stage.

Adrian reached for her hand.

Gasps echoed around the ballroom.

“I’ve found someone who can give me the future I deserve,” Adrian announced.

Vanessa smiled shyly, resting a hand on her stomach.

“We’re in love.”

My vision blurred.

No.

No…

This couldn’t be real.

My own cousin.

The cousin I had trusted.

The cousin I had welcomed into my home.

Someone laughed behind me.

Another guest whispered loudly, “No wonder he divorced her.”

“I heard she couldn’t have children.”

“What a waste of three years.”

I couldn’t breathe.

Then Margaret Blackwood, Adrian’s mother, stood gracefully from her seat.

“I warned my son from the beginning,” she said loudly enough for everyone to hear. “A woman from a poor family could never be a suitable Blackwood.”

Several guests nodded.

Margaret looked directly at me.

“You failed as a wife.”

The last piece of my heart shattered.

Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

Not here.

Not in front of them.

Adrian signaled to one of his assistants.

The man walked toward me carrying a folder.

“Sign the divorce papers,” Adrian said into the microphone.

“Let’s end this with dignity.”

The folder felt impossibly heavy in my hands.

My fingers shook as I opened it.

Every page carried my name.

Every signature line waited for me like a final goodbye.

Three years.

Reduced to a stack of papers.

I looked up at Adrian one last time.

“Did you ever love me?”

For the first time all night, genuine emotion crossed his face.

It lasted less than a second.

“No.”

The single word sliced through me.

I lowered my head before anyone could see the tears finally escaping.

Without another word, I signed my name.

The ballroom erupted into applause.

Applause. For the end of my marriage.

I handed the papers back, turned around, and walked toward the exit as fast as my trembling legs could carry me.

No one stopped me. No one cared.

The cool night air hit my face the moment I stepped outside, but it wasn’t enough to stop the tears pouring down my cheeks.

I had lost my husband.

My family. My home. Everything.

I wrapped my arms around myself and stepped into the pouring rain, not caring that my dress was soaked within seconds.

I just needed to get away.

I didn’t know that from the highest balcony of the hotel, a pair of dark eyes never left me.