Chapter One

CHAPTER 1

THE NIGHT BEFORE THE DIVORCE

Elena’s POV

I woke up with a smile on my face and for a few seconds, I lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

My heart felt happy, warm and light and then I turned my head and looked beside me.

Damien was gone, the other side of the bed was neat but my smile remained because for the first time in three years, I fell asleep in his arms and he stayed.

Not for a few minutes, not until I closed my eyes, he stayed the whole night.

My fingers moved over the bedsheet and I remembered the way he held me, the way he looked at me and the way he brushed my hair away from my face.

My cheeks grew hot, and last night kept playing inside my head. We had dinner together, just the two of us.

There were no bodyguards, there were no phone calls, and there were no business meetings and work, it was just us.

It was like a normal husband and wife.

I almost laughed. Normal?

There was nothing normal about Damien Moretti.

The entire city feared him, men lowered their heads when he entered a room, people disappeared after crossing him and yet last night was different.

I remembered standing on the balcony and the city lights shone below us.

Then Damien walked behind me and his arms were wrapped around my waist and then I froze because Damien never did things like that. Never.

Then his lips touched my forehead, it was only a small kiss but my heart almost stopped.

“Damien?” I whispered.

“Hm?”

I turned and looked at him.

“Are you drunk?”

A laugh then left his lips.

“I only drink one glass.”

I stared at him and his eyes stayed on me, not on his phone, not on his watch and not on the city, on me, only me.

I wanted that moment to last forever, then he touched my cheek.

“You’re staring.”

I smiled.

“So are you.”

Something then flashed in his eyes but I did understand it but it made my heart beat faster.

Then he kissed me and everything else disappeared.

I buried my face in the pillow.

God.

I sounded like a teenager but I could not help it.

For three years, I loved this man. Three years, three years of waiting, three years of hoping and three years of wishing he would finally see me.

Maybe yesterday changed everything, maybe he finally loved me too.

The thought made my heart race and I sat up on the bed and then my eyes landed on the bedside table and my smile disappeared.

A black file sat there and then I frowned.

What was that? I reached for it and then I stopped.

A strange feeling settled inside me, something felt wrong and I didn’t know why.

Slowly, I picked it up, the file was heavy but I opened it.

My eyes moved across the first page, then everything stopped and I stared, blinked and read it again, and again.

No. No. No. And my hands began to shake.

The words remained the same.

DIVORCE AGREEMENT.

My heart dropped and I stared at the page, maybe it was a joke, maybe it was a mistake… maybe…Anything.

But the words did not change and my chest hurt.

I quickly turned the pages. Legal terms, property division and signatures.

At the bottom was a space waiting for my name and I couldn’t breathe.

The happiness I felt a few minutes ago disappeared and last night flashed through my mind again, his arms around me, his kiss and the way he looked at me.

The way he held me while I slept.

None of it made sense. Why would he do that? Why would he stay? Why would he make me believe everything was changing?

Only to hand me divorce papers?

The bedroom door opened and I looked up immediately. Damien walked inside and my heartbeat became uneven.

He was already dressed, black suit, silver watch and he was perfect as always. Powerful, untouchable and his face showed nothing.

No happiness, no regret, nothing.

It was like the man from last night never existed.

I stood up so fast that the papers slipped from my hand and they scattered across the bed.

“Damien.”

He looked at the papers and then at me.

“You’re awake.”

I forced out a laugh, a nervous one, a confused one and I held up the file.

“What is this?”

He said nothing and my smile became stiff.

“Very funny.”

There was still nothing. He then walked toward the wardrobe, like nothing was wrong, like my world was not falling apart.

My heart rang harder.

“Damien.”

He adjusted his watch and I hated how normal he looked.

“Tell me this is a joke.”

There was silence and my throat burned.

“Say something.”

Finally, he turned around and his eyes met mine.

There was nothing in them, no emotion, nothing.

Then he spoke.

“Sign them.”

The air left my lungs and I stared at him, waiting for him to smile, waiting for him to tell me he was joking, waiting for something, anything but he just stood there.

“Stop it.”

My voice shook.

“You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

The answer hit me hard and I shook my head.

“No.”

“Elena.”

“No.”

I then took a step back.

“Last night…”

My voice broke and I couldn’t finish the sentence because last night meant everything to me.

If last night was real, then this made no sense and if this was real…

Then what was last night?

I looked at him and my eyes burned.

“Tell me what I do wrong.”

His jaw tightened, only for a second and then it disappeared.

“I already arrange everything.”

I stared at him and one question kept repeating in my head.

Why? Why now? Why after last night? Why after three years?

My voice came out as a whisper.

“Why?”

Damien looked at me and for one second, something changed in his eyes and then it disappeared.

And he said the words that destroyed everything.

“She’s back.”

My entire body froze and the room became silent and then my heart stopped because I knew exactly who he meant.

The woman who disappeared four years ago had returned.