Chapter 1

Chapter 1

(Arya’s POV)

It was my third wedding anniversary with my lovely husband, Derek McClain, and I had been out shopping for groceries when the housekeeper had called to inform me that my husband had planned out a perfect surprise for me. I didn’t even bother to buy all the items on the list and headed straight home immediately, eager to see what my husband had in store for me.

Stepping into our home, the warm glow of candlelight hit me first. Rose petals were scattered around and traced a path to the bedroom from where I could hear my favourite song playing softly from the speakers upstairs.

My heart hammered with childlike excitement as I gently slipped out of my clothes, revealing the sexy red lingerie I had stopped to purchase on the way home.

I followed the rose-petalled path to the bedroom, and as I neared the top of the stairs, I began to hear strangled sounds, muffled beneath the music, but I brushed it aside, believing it was just Derek panting from his thorough workout routine.

I adjusted the lingerie and took a deep breath before pushing the door open, and to my greatest shock, I saw my husband and the only sister I’ve ever had naked and lost in passion right on my matrimonial bed.

“De – Derek,” I managed to say, tears welling up in my eyes.

Derek’s eyes snapped towards my direction and he gently got off my sister who grunted in frustration.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” He barked at me, as my sister rolled her eyes.

My knees buckled, unable to believe my ears. “W-what… what am I doing in my own matrimonial home?”

“You were supposed to be at his grandmother’s place, dummy. Who said you could just come in here and ruin all the fun?” Cassidy retorted.

The tears I had been struggling to hold back came streaming down my cheeks. “You call this having fun? Having sex with my own husband is your definition of fun? How could you do this to me? We may only share the same father, but we’ve known each other all our lives. How could you betray me in this manner and… and not even feel sorry about it?” My voice broke.

Neither of them flinched.

Derek leaned back casually, a smirk on his face. “I don’t get why you’re so upset that I’m with your sister. Would you rather I’d brought in someone you weren’t familiar with?”

Cassidy squeezed his thighs gently. “Don’t let her get to you, baby. She’s just an ungrateful little wench. You’ve given her everything she could possibly need in this life, but she has failed to give you the one thing you’ve ever wanted. Yet, she has the audacity to try to dictate who you can and can’t see.” 

My fingers trembled as the tears multiplied, blurring my vision as I turned to Derek. “So, this… this is about us not having a child of our own—“

“For heaven’s sakes, don’t drag me into your infertility problem. You’re the one who has failed to produce an heir in the last three years of our marriage. How can you even call yourself a woman?” Derek thundered.

I shook my head vehemently, beating my chest. “This… this has nothing to do with me. Every doctor… every hospital I have ever visited have all said I’m fertile. Go through the medical records yourself. I… I am not infertile, and even if I were, it doesn’t make me any less of a woman. It doesn’t mean I deserve to be treated this way. I have done everything to make this marriage work. I gave up my life, my career, let myself be forced into several procedures like some kind of lab rat all to please you and give you the heir you so desperately want. Something should tell you that if I’ve been unable to conceive after all we’ve done, then the fault is probably from you,” I heard myself say.

Cassidy’s laugh was venomous. “Oh, Arya. Bold of you to assume we don’t know you’ve been falsifying all those medical records.”

“I have never—“

“That’s enough. I didn’t want to tell you this initially because I was trying to protect you, but since you’ve dared to make this my fault and not yours, I have no choice than to inform you that Jeremy is in fact my biological son with your sister, Cassidy. I don’t have any problem with impregnating a woman. You’re the barren one,” Derek revealed.

I staggered backwards, crashing into the wardrobe and falling to my knees. 

“I know you must have a lot of questions, so let me explain it to you. Do you remember that period I told you I’d be going for a one-year Masters program? Well, that was when I was actually pregnant and had privately delivered our son, Jeremy. You can be a pain in the neck sometimes, Arya, but I guess I should thank you for taking care of my son for the past two years,” Cassidy explained.

For a moment, time seemed to stop. The world around me spun as every memory, every sacrifice, and every dream I had invested in my marriage seemed to dissolve in front of me. “It had all been a lie,” I muttered underneath my breath.

“What?” Derek and Cassidy asked in unison.

“My marriage of three years was all a lie,” I muttered again, standing up dejectedly as I grabbed a suitcase.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Derek barked, finally getting out of the bed.

I chose to ignore him as I stuffed some clothes into the suitcase, but he grabbed my hand and shot a terrifying gaze at me which I had never seen before.

“When I ask a question, I expect a reply. Where the hell do you think you’re going?” He roared.

“You’re hurting me,” I cried, but he only tightened his grip.

“Answer me!”

“It’s clear both of you are a match made in heaven. I’m leaving quietly with no drama, and I’ll send you the divorce papers as soon as possible,” I stated.

Derek snickered. “Divorce papers? Do you think you can actually just walk out of this marriage whenever you want? You are my wife, Arya, in case you’ve forgotten, and you can’t leave unless I say it’s over,” he said firmly, glaring fiercely at me.

“How can you cheat on me and just expect me to suck it up? That’s impossible. I can’t forgive this betrayal—“

“No one asked for your forgiveness, silly! This — this isn’t betrayal. This is an open marriage, everyone does it these days. You don’t need to get so worked up. I’ll keep on providing for you like I always have. You’ll still be Mrs McClain. Can’t you see? It’s a win-win situation,” he stated.

I laughed bitterly, finally forcing my hand out of his grip. “I can’t live like this. No, I refuse to live this way and tolerate your disrespect. I’m getting a divorce and that’s it,” I said, shutting the suitcase. 

“Fine. If you insist, leave, but you can’t take anything I’ve given you. Not your clothes, your bags, your shoes or your car,” he yelled.

I clenched my fists in anger, then proceeded to take off my jewellery and let go of the suitcase.

“Good girl. Now, go to the guest room and wait for me,” Derek instructed.

“I’ll do no such thing. Goodbye, Mr McClain, and to you, Cassidy. You’ve always had a thing for my leftovers,” I said defiantly, then yanked off my wedding ring and let it clatter to the floor.

With that, I turned around, my heart shattering into a million different pieces, as I walked out of the life I’d once thought I had.