CHAPTER 6

Elena's POV

Not wanting to cause myself any further public embarrassment, I quickly scrambled up and left the estate before the security team could physically drag me away. It had been an incredibly draining day, and I desperately needed to rest before I could even begin to figure out my next move.

I absolutely despised the horrific situation I was in. I hated Raven for treating me like a piece of garbage, but I was completely powerless against him. I hated Tracy for stepping in and ruining my marriage. I even felt a flash of resentment toward her young son just for existing! It was solely because of his birth that Raven had discarded me. I had absolutely no clue where to go or how to rebuild.

Wiping the hot tears from my face, I found another passing taxi and gave the driver my parents' home address. Raven had told me my belongings would be sent there. I couldn't believe he could be so incredibly heartless as to dump my things there without even giving me a chance to prepare myself to face my mother and father.

The drive across town to my parents' estate felt incredibly short.

It seemed as though the universe wasn't finished laughing at my misery, because the moment the taxi pulled up to the house, I saw all of my designer suitcases stacked carelessly on the front porch. I knit my brows together in confusion. Were my parents not even home when Raven's drivers dropped my things off?

Pushing the heavy luggage out of the way, I knocked firmly on the front door. Ever since I moved out four years ago, I no longer carried a key to the house, so I couldn't just walk in.

A few agonizing moments passed before the heavy door was pulled open. The sight inside left me even more confused. I looked from my mother's angry face down to my suitcases, and then right back up to her.

Before I could even open my mouth to greet her, her hand flew out and slapped me hard across the face. I gasped sharply as my head snapped to the side from the force of the blow.

“You absolute disappointment of a child!” she shrieked out. “What on earth did you do to Raven to make him throw you out of his house like trash? Why couldn't you just be submissive, quiet, and obedient like I raised you to be?”

“Mom…” My voice broke completely, unable to believe the horrific treatment I was receiving from my own flesh and blood. I had already endured the most painful day of my entire life, and now my own mother was adding to the torture.

“Don't you dare Mom me!” she yelled, glaring at me with pure hatred. “I don't care a single bit about what happened between the two of you, but if you know what's good for your future, you will march right back to that mansion and get down on your knees to beg him. Beg him to forgive you and take you back! Tell him you will change into whatever he wants.”

For the hundredth time that day, hot tears filled my eyes. “I am your daughter,” I reminded her, my voice cracking with every single syllable.

“And right now, I truly wish you weren't,” she said coldly, as if that were a perfectly normal thing to say to your own child. “You are deeply embarrassing me, Elena! How incredibly difficult is it to keep a husband happy? Your father and I have been happily married for over thirty years. You've only been married for four years, and you've already signed divorce papers? What right do you have to make such massive life decisions without consulting us first?”

“But—”

“No arguments!” She didn't even want to hear a single detail of what had actually happened. I always knew my marriage was arranged solely to save our family’s struggling corporation, but they had literally sold me off to the highest bidder and didn't care about my happiness then, and they certainly didn't care now. “Go back and beg for his mercy. Do absolutely whatever it takes to make him take you back into that house. Until you fix this, you are no longer a daughter of mine!”

Her cruel words cut far deeper than the physical slap she had just given me, but I bit down hard on my bottom lip, refusing to argue back. I simply didn't possess the physical or mental energy to exchange words with her anymore. I didn't even know how to defend myself. “Where is Dad?”

“He is away on an international business trip, and I have already called him to report your shameful behavior.”

“Can you please just let me sleep inside? Just for tonight?” I begged, feeling utterly exhausted. It didn't matter how much she insulted me over a man who had broken my heart; I just desperately needed a safe bed to close my eyes.

“Over my dead body,” she swore fiercely. “Do not dare step foot inside this house until you have settled things with your husband.”

“Mom—” She slammed the heavy front door right in my face, not even waiting for me to finish speaking.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, completely devoid of any real humor. I didn't know how it was possible, but it seemed my own mother had been completely brainwashed by the immense wealth of the Calloway family. It wasn't as if our family was poor; the Calloways were just ten times wealthier, and that was the exact reason they had forced me to marry him in the first place.

When they first arranged the marriage years ago, I didn't fight it. I had always grown up knowing I would eventually be married off to benefit the family business, so I had accepted my fate a long time ago. It certainly wasn't my fault that my husband's ex-fiancée had suddenly returned with a secret child. I had absolutely no control over that, yet my own mother refused to even hear my side of the story.

My mother was awful, but my father was ten times worse. If he were home right now, he would have grabbed me by the arm, dragged me right back to Raven's estate, and forced me to plead on his behalf. I completely despised them for turning me into a bartering tool. I had never hated my life as deeply as I did at this exact moment.

I looked down at the three massive suitcases sitting on the covered porch. Knowing there was absolutely no way to get past my mother tonight, I began rolling them one by one down the concrete steps toward the main street. Passersby stared at me in shock, but not a single person dared to walk up to me. I was deeply grateful for that because I knew I looked like an absolute disaster. I could only pray that no one was taking photos of me.

I absolutely did not want to see my face plastered all over the celebrity tabloids looking the way I did right now. Every other time my picture had ended up in the newspapers, I was always dressed in stunning, elegant gowns as the proud wife of Raven Calloway. But now, as Elena Voss, I was a completely different person, stripped of all the power and luxury that Raven's billionaire name brought with it.

I dragged my heavy luggage down the street, knowing fully well I had nowhere to go. My marriage was over. My home was gone. Four years of my life had fallen apart in a single day.

Eventually, my arms ached too much to keep moving. I stopped and stood alone on the sidewalk with my two suitcases.

Then, it started to rain.

It began as a drizzle but quickly turned into a heavy downpour. I was soaked and freezing, but I couldn't move. I dropped to my knees on the wet pavement and cried until I had no tears left. People walked past, but no one stopped to help. I grew so cold that my body shook, and my vision started to go dark.

Just before I fainted, a pair of black shoes appeared in front of me.

I looked up. A tall man stood over me, holding a large umbrella. He knelt down closer to me.

“Miss,” he said quietly.

His voice sounded familiar, but I was too weak to think. My eyes closed, and I started to fall.

Before I hit the ground, a pair of strong arms caught me. The last thing I heard before passing out was the man's voice.

“Take her to the car.”