One

CHAPTER 1

“Did you ever, even for one moment, think you could love me?” Mercy asked softly, her voice full of hope as she looked at Bradley’s hard and serious face.

“Don’t make me laugh, Mercy. Everything between us was only for pleasure and business.”

With a sad heart, she signed the divorce papers, still holding a small hope that one day she would meet a man who would truly love her and see how special she was.

Mercy

On a quiet night at Serenity Pines Estate, the place I have lived in for three years, the small click of the door told me my husband had arrived. My husband is Bradley Cornell, who is competing to become the president of Luminary Productions, a big entertainment company.

I stood up from the sofa where I always waited for him and looked at the clock on the wall. It was already very late. It was one in the morning.

The heavy wooden door slowly opened, and Bradley walked in with shaky steps. The strong smell of alcohol came into the room before he did. His arm was resting on the shoulder of his assistant, Alexander Davies.

“What happened to him?” I asked Alex.

“Madam, I’m very sorry. Something happened. Boss Bradley drank too much tonight,” he said quietly. He did not explain anything else like he usually did, even though I wanted to ask more questions because Bradley had been coming home drunk many times lately.

“Please help me. Let’s take him to the bedroom.”

Alex and I carried Bradley to the room together. His body was much bigger and heavier than mine, and I felt like my bones would break from the weight. I was also sure I would get bruises on my arms.

Both Alex and I were breathing hard when we finally placed Bradley carefully on the bed.

“Th-thank you!”

Alex gave a small smile and walked toward the door to leave Serenity Pines Estate. We rarely talked, just like I rarely talked with my husband Bradley.

I slowly removed Bradley’s shoes and socks while my face felt hot with embarrassment. After that, I tried to take off his polo shirt, which was something I could only do because he was unconscious.

How long had I been having these secret thoughts about him? He was my husband, very close to me physically but still very far away in his heart. We both followed an unspoken rule not to interfere in each other’s lives.

When I finally managed to pull off his polo shirt, he suddenly vomited. The terrible smell filled the room. My stomach turned and I almost vomited too. I tried very hard to stop myself while tears of frustration filled my eyes.

We do not keep servants in this house because I prefer it that way. However, maids from the Cornell family house come three times every week to help clean Serenity Pines Estate.

I cleaned the messy and sour vomit he left beside the bed.

Three years ago, my mother-in-law said that a woman’s duty was to serve her husband. I hoped that if I did my duty well, Bradley would notice me or maybe see that I truly loved him.

While I gathered the cleaning tools to wipe the floor, tears filled my eyes because the situation felt heavy in my heart.

How long must I keep living like this? How long will I wait for the love I give to my husband to finally come back to me?

But Bradley is the man I love so much. I have already given up many things for him. Can his sickness and drunken mess really be the thing that breaks my heart?

After carefully scrubbing the floor and making sure no bad smell remained in the room, I walked to the wardrobe to find his pajamas.

Inside one cabinet, I saw a beautiful box that I had never noticed before. Curious, I opened it and saw a very lovely necklace with a shining blue sapphire surrounded by small diamonds.

Tomorrow is our third wedding anniversary, and the thought made me feel excited. Could this be Bradley’s surprise gift for me?