Chapter 1

ANGEL

“Sign it,” my husband, Gideon, pressed, sliding the paper toward me.

My gaze fell to the document, and the familiar ache settled deep in my chest the moment I saw what it was.

Divorce agreement.

I had seen those many times already. Throughout our marriage, it had become a routine. And, as always, it ended in only one way: he would ask, and I would always refuse.

“No,” I said, steady despite the tightness in my throat.

He let out a sharp breath and leaned back in his chair. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were dark with irritation, looking as though he could kill me with a stare.

“Damn it, Angel.” His fingers raked through his hair. “Why won’t you let me go?”

I averted my eyes from him. My foot tapped against the floor, the nervous habit betraying me. My hands twisted together above my thighs, holding myself in place.

“If you’re hoping time would somehow make me fall for you, stop deluding yourself. Don’t keep your hopes high. I would never love you. Not then, not tomorrow, not ever,” he spat those words with contempt.

His words struck hard, but I chose to act like they didn’t affect me at all. I didn’t want him to think that those words were enough for me to give him up. I never would.

I swallowed, my throat burning.

“I know,” I whispered.

“Then why won’t you fucking sign this?” he snapped, shoving the papers closer to me. “What more do you want from me? Money? Sex? Properties? Tell me!”

Slowly, I lifted my head and met his stare. My eyes stung, glossy with unshed tears, but I refused to let them fall.

“You’re everything I have right now, Gideon,” I confessed. “I can’t lose you.”

For a moment, he stared at me. Then he laughed, short and bitter, the sound filled with mockery.

“You lost me the moment you agreed to this fucking stupid marriage,” he growled, his teeth clenching.

Guilt washed over me. I looked down, my shoulders sagging. “I know,” I murmured. “I’m sorry…”

Stupid as it may have seemed, I believed that maybe, someday, if we stayed together long enough, he would learn to love me. It might not be as much as I gave, but even a little would be enough for me.

It was foolish, pathetic even, but I was holding on to that hope anyway.

I reached for the paper, my fingers trembling slightly as I lifted it. The page shook between my hands, but I only stared at it.

If I signed it, I would lose the only family I had left.

When he noticed that I had no plans of signing it again, Gideon stood up abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. Without another word, he turned his back on me and stormed out.

***

“How’s Amanda?” Gideon asked.

“She arrived just yesterday. She wants to see you. I’ll visit her tomorrow. Wanna come along?”

I froze in my tracks. I was outside my husband’s bedroom, my hand hovering inches from the door. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but my feet refused to move as I listened to Gideon and his sister’s conversation.

“No,” Gideon replied firmly. “I want it to be just the two of us when I visit her.”

“Suit yourself,” Zenaida remarked. “How about your wife? Won’t she get mad?”

“No,” Gideon answered without hesitation. “She doesn’t have the right to. We’re only married on paper.”

The words sliced through me sharply.

“When will you divorce that girl?” Zenaida pressed on. “Amanda is back. What are you waiting for? She has a lot of admirers. If I were you, I’d make my move and take her back. Decide fast, or someone else will,” she provocatively said.

I stared blankly at the door, my chest tightening with every second that passed. Inside the room, Gideon fell quiet for a moment.

“No. Of course not. I’ll make sure—”

I chose not to hear the rest as I turned away from his room and walked back to mine. Tears spilled freely, one after another, sliding down my cheeks as his words echoed in my head.

Amanda.

They had been talking about his greatest and only love.

They had broken up because Amanda wanted to leave the country and chase a life in Hollywood. He had planned to go after her in Los Angeles to get her back, but his parents had forced him to marry me to honor an agreement made long before my parents had died. He had refused to marry me, but his parents had threatened to disinherit him if he didn’t.

Furious and left with no choice, barely a month after she had left, Gideon had married me… on paper.

No wedding gown. No celebration. No love.

Now that she was back, earning my husband’s affection had become even more challenging, knowing he would do anything to be with her again.

***

I paced back and forth in the front yard, my arms wrapped tightly around myself as the night grew deeper. It was already late, and Gideon still hadn’t come home. I couldn’t stop the worry from creeping in.

Every time my husband went out, he never told me where he was going, much less when he would be back. And still, I always waited for him.

“You wanna know where your husband is?”

I turned around upon hearing that voice.

It was Zenaida. She stood a few steps away, arms crossed over her chest, lips curved into a knowing smile. Her eyes swept over me.

“Can you tell me where he is?” I asked.

Zenaida’s smile widened, though there was no warmth in it.

“Of course I can. I’m not always that mean,” she said. “Besides, he messaged me. He said you should go to the restaurant at the address he sent.”

My heart skipped a beat. Restaurant? Was he planning to take me out on a date?

Still, that sounded too good to be true.

“He told you that?” I asked, my voice betraying the hope I tried to keep in check.

“Yeah,” she said with a small shrug. “Even I couldn’t believe it. I think he’s trying to make it up to you.”

My lips curved into a smile before I could stop myself.

“What are you waiting for?” she added, waving a hand dismissively. “Go now. He might get tired of waiting and cancel your supposed date.”

I hesitated, doubt creeping in, but when she mentioned the name of the restaurant, it faded. I thanked her quickly and excused myself.

As I turned away, I caught the faint curve of her smug smile, but I chose to ignore it.

I took the old car and drove into the night. The streets blurred as I gripped the steering wheel, my thoughts raced faster than the car itself. I was so excited that I couldn’t stop smiling at the idea of us eating together—just the two of us.

Did he have a change of heart decided to work on our marriage?

When I arrived, I parked across the street. I unbuckled my seatbelt and was ready to step out when my hands suddenly froze.

I saw him through the glass window.

He was sitting at a corner table, and across from him was a woman I recognized instantly. She laughed softly as she talked, her hand resting near his.

Amanda.

He was with her? I thought…

Zenaida was just playing with me?

Gideon had never asked me to come here. There was no date.

The excitement I had been feeling just a few minutes ago instantly vanished and was replaced by something painful and bitter. I felt stupid for believing it so easily.

I should have known better. Zenaida despised me. They all did. Even my own husband hated me.

Amanda laughed again, and he smiled at her.

I finally looked away, unable to bear what I was seeing.

He was laughing. He had never laughed like that with me. He had never smiled at me that way. He had never taken me out on dates. He had never looked at me like I was someone he wanted to be with.

I tilted my head back, forcing the tears away. My fingers clutched at my chest as breathing became difficult.

When I looked back at their table, they were gone.

My gaze darted to the exit just in time to see Gideon wrapping an arm around Amanda’s tiny waist as they walked toward his car.

My heart pounded violently as I watched her lean forward, rising onto her toes. She pressed a kiss to his lips. I watched my husband push her gently against the car and kiss her back without hesitation, as if the world around them didn’t exist at all.

I looked away again, blinking hard as my vision blurred.

I shouldn’t have been hurting like this. I had chosen this path. I was the one who had let myself be a fool.

But how was I supposed not to? I loved him so much, and it broke me knowing that even after all these years, his heart still belonged to her.