Chapter 2

"Raya," he scoffed, his gaze dropping to the divorce papers that had fallen at his feet. "So this is all about her?"

He ran a frustrated hand through his raven-black hair before stepping closer to me, his presence suffocating. "I've told you several times, I had nothing to do with Raya. I haven't seen her since we got married."

The world around me seemed to spin, my breath hitching in my throat. His words cut through me like a blade, not because they were unexpected, but because of how easily he lied. My legs felt weak, and for a brief moment, I thought I might collapse under the weight of it all.

He had no idea.

He didn’t know that I had seen him with Raya. He didn’t know that my mother had orchestrated the entire situation so flawlessly that he never suspected he would be caught.

I clenched my fists, pressing them tightly against my chest in an attempt to hold myself together. "Then who is this?" I asked, my voice strained but firm.

I lifted my phone, the screen glowing in the dim room. The video played in silence, but words weren’t needed.

The facade he had built so carefully shattered in an instant. His face twisted in horror as his eyes darted from the screen back to me. Then, as quickly as the shock had appeared, it vanished, replaced by something colder.

"I didn't know you were this obsessed," he sneered. "So now you're stalking me? Taking videos like some desperate, jealous wife?"

My eyes widened at his response. Even when caught red-handed, he showed no remorse. Not an ounce of guilt. Just arrogance and denial.

I forced myself to stay still, to keep my breathing steady. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me break.

"You really think this changes anything?" His voice was cold, calculated. He let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head. "Juliet, I never loved you. I married you because of Raya. She’s the one I wanted all along."

The air left my lungs in a painful rush, as if I had been punched in the stomach. My fingers tightened around the phone, my nails digging into my palm. His words should have broken me, but instead, they ignited something else—rage.

"Then why the hell didn't you just married her," My voice was steady, but inside, I was unraveling. "Why pretend? Why put me through all of this?"

Edward shrugged, as if the answer was obvious. "Because she was unattainable back then. Your mother made sure of that. But now... things have changed." His smirk widened, eyes gleaming with something twisted. "I was never yours, Juliet. I was just waiting for the right moment to have her."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "You’re disgusting." My whole body trembled, but I refused to let him see me weak. "Well, congratulations. You can have her. But not as a married man." I pointed at the divorce papers still on the floor. "Sign them."

His smirk faltered. "No."

I blinked, taken aback. "No?"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not signing it."

A wave of nausea rolled through me. I had prepared myself for many things, anger, denial, maybe even begging, but this? I hadn't expected him to flat-out refuse.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. "You don't have a choice, Edward. If you don’t sign it, I'll release the video. The whole world will see what a cheating bastard you are."

For the first time since our confrontation started, I saw it, the flicker of fear in his eyes. He knew exactly what that video would do to him. His pristine image, his reputation, everything he prided himself on—it would all crumble. And Raya? She wouldn’t be spared either.

"You wouldn't," he said, but his voice lacked its usual arrogance.

"Try me," I challenged, stepping closer. "I have nothing to lose. But you? You have everything on the line. Your business partners, your family, the perfect image you’ve built—they'll all see the truth."

Edward’s jaw clenched, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "You think you can make me do whatever you want because of that video, Juliet. Do you really think anyone would want you after this? You think you’ll find someone who actually loves you?"

His words stung, but I refused to let them sink in. "I don’t care," I said firmly. "I’d rather be alone than stay with a man who never wanted me in the first place."

A tense silence stretched between us. He was cornered, and he knew it. His breathing grew uneven, his nostrils flaring as he glared at me.

Then, with a sharp exhale, he strode forward, snatching the papers from the floor. He looked at me with a stern stare before he ripped the divorce paper into shred in front of me, the shattered fragment floating in the air before they dropped to the ground.

“If you think serving me a divorce letter or trying to blackmail me will make me sign that," he pointed to the pieces of paper on the floor with fist balled. “Then you're wrong."

I felt my blood boiling at the fact that he had the gut to cheat on me and then refuse to sign the divorce letter, I bit my lips in anger, even though my heart felt like it would jump out of my chest.

“Lets see how wrong I am,” I groaned my stomach twisted in anger. "I'll have another divorce paper ready tomorrow in court, and if you don't show…”

I gasped as I felt Edward hand on mine and he immediately pulled up roughly against himself, his grip on me tightened until it hurts. His face was an inch from mine his warm breath fanning my neck. "Don't you dare act smart on me, you're mine Juliet. And if you know what's best for you. Go into the kitchen and be the good house wife that you are!" He groaned letting go of my hand.

I staggered backwards trying to steady myself as I summoned to the courage to look his way as he was already starting to leaving the room. "If you don't show up tomorrow, I'll let everyone know about your affair with Raya."

I shouted after him but he didn't stop. The moment the door slammed shut, I collapsed on the couch crying my heart out. I couldn't control the hurt that the love that I've held onto for five years was nothing than a lie.