Chapter 1: The Divorce Papers

Rain hammered against the tall windows of the Sterling Mansion, blurring the city lights into streaks of silver.

The luxurious living room was silent except for the ticking of an antique grandfather clock.

Evelyn Hartley Sterling sat motionless on the cream-coloured sofa, her fingers clasped tightly together to stop them from trembling. Her eyes were fixed on the document lying on the marble coffee table.

DIVORCE AGREEMENT

Three years of marriage had been reduced to a few neatly printed pages.

She had spent countless nights imagining how her marriage might end. She had prepared herself for arguments, misunderstandings, even endless cold silences.

She had never imagined her husband would simply ask her to leave.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the room.

She didn't need to look up.

She knew them.

Damian Sterling.

The billionaire every business magazine admired.

The man she had loved with every piece of her heart.

The man who had never truly been hers.

He stopped a few steps away, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. Even after a long day at work, he looked flawless—calm, composed, and completely unreadable.

His deep voice broke the silence.

"Sign it."

No greeting.

No explanation.

Just two cold words.

Evelyn slowly lifted her eyes to meet his.

"So... this is how our marriage ends?"

Damian's expression remained unchanged.

"It should have ended a long time ago."

His words struck harder than she expected.

A bitter smile appeared on her lips.

"I waited for you every night."

She laughed softly, though it sounded more like a sob.

"I celebrated anniversaries alone."

"I defended you every time people said you didn't love me."

"And I kept believing that one day you'd come home as my husband instead of a stranger."

Damian said nothing.

His silence was all the answer she needed.

Before either of them could speak again, the front door opened.

High heels clicked across the polished floor.

Sophia Blake walked in as though she belonged there.

She wore an elegant white dress beneath a camel-coloured coat, her flawless makeup untouched by the rain outside.

Without hesitation, she walked straight to Damian and slipped her hand around his arm.

Neither of them looked uncomfortable.

Neither of them pulled away.

Evelyn felt the last fragile piece of her heart crack.

"I see," she whispered.

"So that's why."

Sophia offered her an apologetic smile that carried no sincerity.

"I'm sorry, Evelyn. Feelings can't be forced."

Damian remained silent.

Again.

His silence confirmed everything.

The late nights.

The cancelled dinners.

The endless business trips.

She had been trying to save a marriage that only she believed still existed.

Slowly, Evelyn reached for the pen.

But before signing, her hand instinctively rested against her stomach.

Neither Damian nor Sophia noticed.

Only Evelyn knew the secret she was carrying.

Just yesterday, she had stood inside the master bathroom of the Sterling Mansion, staring at two bright pink lines on the pregnancy test in her shaking hands.

She had cried tears of happiness.

After three years of marriage...

After countless disappointments...

She was finally pregnant.

She had imagined wrapping the test in a small gift box and surprising Damian over dinner.

She pictured him smiling.

Holding her.

Perhaps, for the first time, looking at her with love.

Instead...

Less than twenty-four hours later...

He handed her divorce papers.

Evelyn closed her eyes for a brief moment, swallowing the ache rising in her chest.

She looked back at Damian.

"You know..."

Her voice was calm now.

"I used to believe loving you was the greatest blessing of my life."

He met her eyes.

"And now?"

A tear slipped silently down her cheek.

"Now I know it was my greatest mistake."

She lowered the pen.

With one steady stroke...

She signed her name.

Evelyn Hartley Sterling.

The ink had barely dried before Damian picked up the papers.

There wasn't even a flicker of hesitation.

"Thank you."

Two words.

That was all three years of marriage was worth.

Sophia smiled faintly, unable to hide her satisfaction.

"I'll have someone escort you out."

Escort.

As though Evelyn were nothing more than an unwanted guest.

She rose slowly from the sofa.

A wave of dizziness washed over her, and she instinctively reached for the armrest to steady herself.

The morning sickness was getting stronger.

Sophia frowned.

"Are you alright?"

Evelyn forced a small smile.

"I'm fine."

She wasn't going to tell them.

Not today.

Not after everything.

This child deserved better than being used to hold together a broken marriage.

She picked up her handbag.

No jewellery.

No designer bags.

No demands for money.

She had entered this mansion as Damian Sterling's wife.

She would leave with nothing but her dignity.

As she reached the front door, she paused.

For just a second, she hoped he would stop her.

Call her name.

Tell her not to go.

Behind her...

Silence.

She smiled sadly.

Some hopes were meant to die.

The heavy doors closed behind her.

Cold rain soaked her within seconds.

She wrapped one arm around herself while the other gently cradled her stomach.

"It's alright," she whispered through trembling lips.

"It's just you and me now."

"I promise..."

"You'll never have to beg anyone to love you."

Without looking back again, Evelyn disappeared into the storm.

Behind the mansion walls, Damian watched the rain through the window, feeling nothing at all.

He had no idea that the woman walking away carried the child he would one day search the world to find.

And by the time he learned the truth...

It would already be too late.