Chapter 1

“This is just a formality, Alyssa. You know I would never bring you down,” Rafael’s voice was gentle — too gentle, the kind that made Alyssa believe everything happening was simply part of their shared struggle.

She looked at him from across the long table in the cold, sterile conference room. The glass walls reflected her image — a young woman with weary eyes but still full of faith. In front of her, Rafael sat in a perfectly tailored black suit, exuding the aura of a man who commanded power, the kind that made others lower their heads in respect.

On the table lay a stack of documents.

Share transfer papers. Asset certificates. Endorsement signatures.

Alyssa swallowed hard.

“Is this really necessary, Rafael?” she asked softly, her voice nearly drowned by the hum of the air conditioner. “I don’t understand why the company has to be under your name alone. Haven’t we always owned everything together?”

Rafael smiled — a smile that once brought her peace now felt unfamiliar, transactional, like that of a man negotiating, not loving.

“You know the company’s in a tough spot. The investors need assurance, and they trust me more. Once things stabilize, everything will go back to how it was. I promise.”

Promise.

The word sounded sweet — and poisonous.

Alyssa took a deep breath. She remembered everything they’d gone through: the long nights at the office, the prayers whispered behind their bedroom door, the sacrifices to keep the family business alive. She trusted Rafael. She loved him more than herself.

“All right,” she finally said, forcing a smile. “I trust you.”

Rafael turned the file and placed it before her. “Sign here,” he said gently.

Her hand trembled as the pen touched the paper. Each stroke of ink felt like erasing a part of herself — but she kept writing. For my husband, she whispered inwardly. For our love.

The click of the pen marked the end of her trust.

Silence followed.

Then Rafael leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on the signature, a satisfied smile curling on his lips.

“Excellent.”

His tone had changed — flatter, colder.

Alyssa frowned. “Why do you sound like…”

Before she could finish, the door opened.

A woman walked in — tall, pale-skinned, with scarlet lips and a tight red dress that stood out amid the suits of executives.

“Maya?” Alyssa’s voice caught in her throat. She recognized that face — Rafael’s personal secretary, the woman who always looked at her with defiant eyes whenever they crossed paths.

Maya approached confidently and stood beside Rafael, looping her arm through his.

Rafael didn’t move away. Instead, he turned to Alyssa with a faint smile.

“Allow me to introduce someone,” he said calmly.

“This is Maya. My lover.”

Alyssa’s world stopped spinning.

“What?”

Rafael stood and walked toward her, his gaze now devoid of mercy.

“You heard me clearly. I don’t want to continue this marriage. I’m done living in your shadow, Alyssa. You’re too perfect, too controlling, too… boring.”

Maya smirked, her tone dripping with triumph.

“I’ve told him for a long time — Rafael deserves someone who makes him feel alive, not someone who cages him with rules and family expectations.”

Alyssa shot up from her chair, which screeched across the floor. Her breath quickened, her heart pounding violently.

“So this was all… a trap?”

Rafael’s expression didn’t waver. “You were too easy to trust. The assets are all under my name now. I no longer need a reason to stay in this marriage.”

Alyssa looked down at the documents on the table — the very ones she had signed with love. The words blurred before her eyes, turning into knives that pierced her heart.

“I did it because I love you, Rafael. Because I wanted to save our company.”

“My company, Alyssa,” Rafael corrected coldly. “It’s all mine now. You’re free. Free from a marriage I never wanted.”

The words exploded in her head.

She staggered back, her body trembling. “You lied to me? All those words of love… all those struggles… were just a game?”

Rafael glanced at his watch, his tone indifferent. “I don’t have time for theatrics. The lawyer has the divorce papers ready. Just sign them later. You’ll get a small compensation — think of it as a farewell gift.”

Maya chuckled. “You should be grateful, Alyssa. Not every wife gets left this gracefully.”

Alyssa’s cheeks burned. She took a step forward, her eyes red with fury and pain.

“Gracefully? You two destroyed my life!”

Rafael’s gaze was ice. “You handed it to me, Alyssa. I only took what you willingly gave.”

He patted Maya’s shoulder and headed toward the door. “Come, darling. We have things to celebrate.”

Maya laughed softly, clinging to his arm, and looked back at Alyssa one last time. “Don’t cry too long, dear. Tears will age your face.”

The door clicked shut — a sound that echoed across the room.

Silence.

Alyssa stared at the empty chair across the table.

Her eyes glistened, but no tears fell. She reached for the documents — the same papers she had signed with love. Now they felt cold and sharp in her hands.

She let out a quiet, bitter laugh.

“How ironic, Rafael… I just signed my own death sentence.”

The tears finally came — one, two, then a torrent, staining the fresh ink of her signature.

She collapsed to her knees, clutching the papers to her chest.

The ticking of the wall clock grew louder, counting the seconds of her downfall.

Outside, rain began to fall — softly at first, then heavily, as if the sky itself wept with her.

Alyssa lifted her gaze to the window, her vision blurred by tears and city lights.

Everything she had built with love had crumbled because of one fatal mistake: trusting the wrong person.

But beneath the sorrow and ruin, something began to flicker within her — small, yet fierce.

Anger.

Pride.

And a vow that one day, Rafael would regret every word he said today.

“All right, Rafael,” she whispered, her voice trembling but sharp.

“You want me free? Then I’ll be free. But don’t forget…” — she paused, eyes burning with resolve — “my freedom will become your nightmare.”