Chapter 002

Damon dropped to one knee, his eyes locked on Lily as he pulled a small box from his pocket. The diamond ring sparkled under the dim light—a mockery of the tiny diamond on Aneeka's finger. This one was huge, like a rock.

"Marry me", he said in a low voice. It was a humiliating attempt to sound sexy… he sounded horrible, but it destroyed Aneeka.

Lily’s gasp was audible as she stared at the ring with excitement.

Across the room, Aneeka's world crumbled. She could barely breathe. How could he? The question clawed at her mind. The emptiness, the loneliness, the sleepless, countless nights wondering what she could do to make them work.

She knew he was sleeping with Lily, and a string of other girls too, but she'd made her peace with it. She'd convinced herself he still loved her, that he would always come back to her. Nothing prepared her for this.

The sound of Lily’s ecstatic screams was the last thing she heard before darkness overtook her.

Aneeka woke up to the sterile smell of the hospital room. Her head ached, her eyes felt heavy, and she couldn't feel her legs. Damon's cold voice pierced the haze of her drug-induced sleep.

“You need to sign this today”, he said, handing her divorce papers. His expression was as lifeless as the document he placed in front of her.

She stared at the documents, unblinking, for long minutes, afraid to admit what she knew they were. Then, with slow movements, her gaze shifted to Damon. The man she'd spent years loving. Her husband, who had just proposed to another woman.

A bitter smile twisted her lips, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

The memories of his abuse, his proposal to Lily—it all came rushing back, and she felt a sharp pain in her chest. But strangely, seeing the divorce papers made her feel relieved.

That was why he'd withdrawn so much money from her accounts, she thought. That was why he'd been so… happy. Smiling at his phone and talking to himself like he was losing it.

She got off the bed and limped towards him. “You love her?”, her voice was barely audible.

“Yes. More than anything in the world”, Damon said without hesitation. His words held no remorse nor warmth.

Aneeka stared at him, her eyes empty. “Was this all a joke to you?”

Damon’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You wanted this, remember? You asked me to marry you”.

Aneeka’s eyes blurred with unshed tears. “You wanted this too. You wanted to be with me”.

Damon sighed, his gaze dismissive. “We needed access to your trust fund. It was your idea we got married. I never wanted to get married to you”.

“My trust fund? Was that the only reason you married me?”, her words were barely a whisper.

Damon didn’t respond, but his silence spoke volumes.

Damon's mother had been ill before they got married and needed surgery if she was to survive. Damon didn't have that kind of money, but Aneeka had more than enough in her trust fund to cover the cost, but she could only access it once she got married. Damon had been a shadow of himself, and she felt bad. She proposed and they got married.

They were lovers, and she didn't feel wrong asking him to marry her. He'd agreed without hesitation. Their wedding had been the talk of the town, and right after, his mother was wheeled into surgery. Aneeka's honeymoon was spent in the hospital where she took care of his mother, even when Damon traveled out of the country to 'rest'.

Aneeka’s voice cracked, but she pushed through. “I fucking gave your mother life. I took care of you and your ungrateful family. You…”

“You wanted to stay. You needed me to feel good about yourself”, Damon interrupted, with a dismissive edge in his voice. “Don’t be so sensitive. It’s not a big deal. You said you were the luckiest woman when we got married, so what gives? I gave you life too”.

Lily appeared at the door and chimed in with a laugh. “True, D. You took care of her real good babe”.

His focus shifted to Lily and he smiled a satisfying smile. “Just sign the damn thing. Don’t make this an issue, besides…… she’s pregnant”.

Aneeka sat, staring at him in disbelief. His words rang in her ears. Pregnant? The last shred of her hope dashed.

“I need to be with my family, Doris," he said.

Aneeka's throat tightened as she swallowed. Her hands gripped the edge of the chair, her entire body trembling. She couldn't believe her ears. Family?

"Sure", she said sharply. The word sliced through the thick silence like a knife. Damon looked up, startled.

He studied her carefully, confused. She looked tired, but something was different about her. He'd expected her to break down in tears and beg. Maybe she'd finally transfer her shares to him, like he'd been asking.

She'd bribed him plenty of times to stay when he threatened to leave. He had the latest editions of fragrances and a brand-new, unreleased version of a Mercedes, courtesy of her. It was her apology gift to him.

He'd anticipated that she would beg so he could make his demands again and get a settlement that would keep him and Lily comfortable for at least a year.

But he hadn't expected this side of her, didn't even know it existed. Something was wrong. She looked relieved, like she'd been waiting for this moment.

Her calmness made him worried and angry. Why wasn't she begging? Or crying?

“I would wish you the best, but it……”, he said bitterly.

“Nah. It’s cool. Thanks”, Aneeka cut in, her voice icy and composed.

Damon held back a scream. Something was definitely wrong. He didn’t recognize this woman in front of him. She was too calm and very indifferent. He was getting frustrated.

“You couldn’t fulfill my needs, and besides my mom loves Lily”.

“Aww, that’s cute”, Aneeka sneered.

She should have known their marriage was a sham from the first day. He'd been so obsessed with the details of her inheritance and always asked to represent her at corporate events, even when he had no business being there. Even during his mother's surgery, all she'd asked about was Aneeka's trust fund. She'd never approved of their union and only agreed to it when Damon mentioned the trust fund.

Aneeka picked up the pen, twirling it between her fingers, her eyes flicking from the divorce papers to Damon's tense face. She dropped the pen.

“I’ll have my lawyers look at the documents before I sign. I need to make sure everything’s in order. Especially Blue Horizon. Plus, I don’t trust you”.

Blue Horizon was a luxurious cruise ship that belonged to her father. It was the biggest cruise ship in LA and the country's most prestigious tourist attraction. It was worth billions of dollars and raked in massive revenue. It was part of her trust fund. Damon had boasted about owning it so many times, proudly flaunting it as his achievement. Many of their fights had been because she'd refused to make him a part of it.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Damon spat, his voice rising. “Blue is ours. It belongs to us. We’re supposed to build our future with it. Your father said so!”

Aneeka’s lips curved into a sinister smile. “There’s no us, Damon. It’s just me and I”, she leaned forward, still smiling. “Blue is mine. It belongs to just me. You’ve never been a part of it, so what are you talking about?”

His face twisted with rage, his nostrils flaring. His vision blurred with fury and disbelief at her audacity. He was about to lose Blue Horizon.

Aneeka’s heart hammered in her chest, but her voice remained steady and unwavering. “Blue stays with me…… D”.

His face turned a violent shade of red. Blue Horizon was his ticket to the dream life. He'd boasted about owning it to everyone, and now he was about to lose it.

His fists clenched at his sides. "I'm sure we can wait till after the month's tour", he muttered through gritted teeth. He didn't want to lose out on the revenue from the month's tour. He could barely hide his frustration.

Blue Horizon was scheduled for a month-long tour by the president for a campaign. The estimated revenue was in millions.

“Nope”, Aneeka said casually, without hesitation. “I want this over and done with, so we can move on… D".

She stood up, the chair scraping against the floor. Her gaze never left his, daring him to respond. The silence that followed was thick and suffocating. For the first time since they'd gotten together, Damon realized he'd lost.

He opened his mouth to say something, but the words died in his throat. He didn't know what to say to her. He'd never seen her like this. He could see it in her eyes—she was done, and that made him scared.