Chapter 1

14 days.

For 14 days, Eleanor Berkshire waited for someone to show her some care.

To show her that someone gave a damn.

That she wasn’t just an unloved daughter of the Berkshires, a forgotten heiress, and an ignored housewife of billionaire Nicholas Beaumont.

But no one came.

No one cared.

No one gave a damn.

“Mrs. Beaumont?”

Eleanor Berkshire-Beaumont looked up at the voice and saw a nurse standing at the foot of her hospital bed.

“Your discharge has been processed. Please collect your medication at the reception desk and pay your bills at the billing counter.”

The nurse left, and Eleanor sat there on the bed, looking out the window.

It was the fourteenth day since her car accident. The fourteenth day of being alone in a hospital room. The fourteenth day of realizing that no one was ever going to give a damn about her.

She could understand why her family wouldn’t come to see her, but the fact that Nicholas hadn’t even visited her once in 14 days…

It could only mean one thing.

He didn’t give a damn either.

It made sense. They had been living in the same house for two years, and he barely looked at her.

The only times he would willingly call her were to ask her to get ready for some business party, an auction, or a small family gathering that he couldn’t say no to.

But other times, it was always her texting him, calling him, wanting to know when he would be home, what he would like for dinner, or if he would take her somewhere nice, if only to find some respite from the city’s fast-paced life.

But Nicholas? He never replied. Not once. He would read her messages, sure, but that was it. Five minutes later, she would get a call from his assistant, Ethan Mars, telling her that Nicholas was busy and that she was free to do as she wished.

A tear slipped down Eleanor’s cheek, but she wiped it away just as quickly, angry at herself for being such a sentimental fool.

She was done crying over people who didn’t deserve her tears.

She got off the bed and went to the washroom. Her reflection in the mirror made her sigh.

Her hair was a mess, her skin was dry, and her body was sore from the accident and the lack of proper food in the hospital.

When she had been brought to the hospital with three broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and multiple bruises on her face and arms, the doctor had told her she would need to stay there for at least two weeks.

But no one had even called to ask how she was.

Not her parents.

Not her sister.

Not her husband.

No one.

And she had stopped hoping that someone would come.

She had finally accepted that she was a nobody in everyone’s life. That no one cared whether she lived or died.

It was a hard pill to swallow, but she had done it.

Eleanor washed her face and combed her hair, tying it up in a messy bun. She then changed into the clothes she had arrived at the hospital in—a simple white shirt and black jeans—and made her way out.

She paid the bills, collected her medication, and called a cab.

The ride back to the house she shared with Nicholas was quiet. She spent the whole time looking out the window as the city passed by in a blur.

The cab stopped in front of the huge mansion that was her home. Or at least, it was supposed to be. But it had never felt like one.

Eleanor paid the driver and made her way inside.

The first person to greet her as soon as she stepped in was the housekeeper, Luna.

“Mrs. Beaumont, you’re back!”

Eleanor gave her a small smile, trying to ignore the hollow feeling in her chest.

“Yes, Luna. I’m back.”

Luna nodded, relief evident on her face. She was the only member of the staff hired by Nicholas who had ever treated Eleanor like the lady of the house. The rest… well, they had made it clear that they didn’t like her.

“You must be hungry. I’ll have the cook prepare something for you.”

Eleanor shook her head. “I’m not hungry, Luna. I just want to go to my room and rest.”

Luna nodded and followed her as she made her way upstairs.

“Did Mr. Beaumont know that you were discharged today?”

Eleanor stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Luna.

“No, he doesn’t. And I don’t think he’ll care if he finds out.”

Luna looked at her with sad eyes but didn’t say anything. She knew better than to argue with Eleanor when it came to her husband.

Eleanor gave her a small smile and continued to her room. She opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her.

The room was just as she had left it—clean, organized, and… empty. It was a large room with a king-sized bed, a huge closet, a sitting area, and a balcony overlooking the garden. But it felt cold and uninviting.

Eleanor sighed and made her way to the closet. Ever since the moment she had stepped out of the hospital, she had made up her mind. She was going to ask Nicholas for a divorce. It was clear that he didn’t want to be married to her, and she was tired of being trapped in a loveless marriage.

She opened the closet and started packing her things. Clothes, shoes, jewelry… everything that belonged to her. She didn’t take anything Nicholas had bought for her or anything his family had gifted her.

She was leaving him.

And she wanted to leave without taking anything that would remind her of him or this life.

An hour later, her suitcase was packed, and she was ready to leave. But she couldn’t leave just yet. She would have to wait for Nicholas to come home for dinner, if he came home at all.

If not, she would have to wait until he returned from work the next morning.

She would talk to him then and get the divorce papers signed.