LOGINLucas’s POVAs the days turned into weeks and the seasons began to change, I found myself counting the time not by business milestones or profits, but by the small, meaningful moments I shared with Alessandra. Every morning when I woke up and saw her nearby, every evening when we sat together to talk, every challenge we faced and overcame as a team — these were the things that now mattered most to me. And as the date of our sixth wedding anniversary drew near, I knew this was not just another date on the calendar; it was a moment to reflect, to acknowledge the journey we had traveled, and to speak from the deepest part of my heart.In the past, anniversaries had been treated as social obligations. I would arrange grand parties, invite hundreds of guests, give expensive gifts, and make sure everything looked perfect from the outside. But inside, there had been emptiness. The gifts were gestures, not expressions of love; the parties were displays of wealth, not celebrations of partnersh
ZARA AUTHOR POVLife inside the mansion continued to be a cycle of pain and humiliation for Zara. Every day felt like a test of how much her heart could take before it completely stopped beating. Adrian was colder than ever, and his affection was reserved only for Serena. He would look at Zara with eyes full of anger and disappointment, but whenever Serena was around, he would turn into a soft and caring man. It was like living with two different people, and Zara hated the person he had become.But Carter, even after being beaten and kicked out, refused to give up. He knew that Adrian was being controlled by his emotions and Serena’s manipulation, so he took it upon himself to be the guardian angel that Zara needed. He could not stay inside the house, but he was always watching from the outside. He would talk to the maids, he would leave medicines or food secretly, and he would make sure that Zara knew she was not alone.One evening, Zara was feeling very down. She was sitting alone
ZARA POVDays passed after the violent incident in the garden, and the atmosphere inside the mansion became heavier than ever. Carter was gone, or so everyone thought. Adrian had ordered him to leave and stay away, but Carter could not just abandon Zara to suffer alone. He loved his cousin, yes, but he also knew right from wrong, and seeing Zara being treated like trash was something he could not accept.So Carter came back secretly. He did not stay in the main house, but he made sure he was always nearby. He would talk to the trusted maids, asking about Zara’s condition. He would wait in the shadows, watching from afar, ready to jump in and protect her the moment something bad happened. He was like a silent guardian who refused to leave his post.One afternoon, Zara was feeling very sick. Her body was weak from lack of sleep and too much crying. She had a high fever and her head was spinning. She tried to walk to the bathroom but her legs gave up and she fell on the floor with a loud
ZARA AUTHOR POVThe mansion felt like a battlefield where every corner held a possible fight or a moment of heartbreak. Zara tried her best to stay in her room and avoid everyone, but she could not hide forever. She needed to eat, she needed to breathe, and she needed to feel that she was still alive even if her heart was slowly dying inside.Carter, despite the warnings and the anger of his cousin, refused to leave Zara’s side. He believed that doing the right thing was more important than obeying a blind and angry man.Every time he saw Zara looking sad or alone, he would approach her quietly, make sure she was okay, and give her the support that her own husband refused to give.One afternoon, Zara was in the garden sitting on the swing, looking at the flowers but not really seeing them. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying all night. Adrian had not slept in their room for three days now, saying that he was busy or that he was sleeping in the study room because he was still ma
ZARA AUTHOR POVThe days inside the mansion had turned into a living hell for Zara, but she tried her best to keep going and stay strong. Every morning, she would wake up with a heavy heart, seeing the empty space beside her where Adrian used to sleep. He was always up early, either busy with work or spending time with Serena in the garden, making her feel like a stranger in her own home and in her own marriage—But no matter how hard it got, Zara was not completely alone. Because Carter was there.Carter had become her solid rock and her shield against all the pain. He made sure that he was always nearby, watching out for her, making sure she ate, making sure she was safe. He knew that Adrian was being unreasonable and blind, so he took it upon himself to be the brother and protector that Zara desperately needed.One afternoon, Zara was in the kitchen trying to make herself a cup of tea to calm her nerves. Her hands were shaking slightly because she was feeling so anxious and sad. Sh
ZARA (AUTHOR POV) The walk back inside the mansion felt like an eternity of torture for Zara. Adrian was dragging her by the arm, his grip so tight it was leaving bruises, and his face was twisted in anger that she had never seen before.He was not looking at her, he was not talking to her, but she could feel the waves of rage coming from him. Every step she took felt heavy, and her heart was beating so fast it felt like it would jump out of her chest. She was crying silently, tears falling down her face like rain, but Adrian did not care. He was too consumed by his anger and his jealousy to see that he was hurting the person he claimed to love.When they entered the ballroom again, all eyes turned to them. People stopped talking and watched the scene unfold. Everyone saw how angry Adrian was, and everyone saw how Zara was being pulled like a naughty child. And standing near the dance floor, looking elegant and worried, was Serena. She was watching them with eyes that pretended to
ZARA (AUTHOR POV__)Zara didn’t speak for a long time after that.Not because she had nothing to say, but because everything she wanted to say felt like it would only feed into the structure Adrian already seemed to have built around her existence. The more she argued, the more he observed. The mor
ZARA (AUTHOR POV__)The car moved in silence, cutting through the city streets with a steady, controlled speed that made everything outside the window feel distant and unreal, as if Zara was watching a life she no longer belonged to. She sat stiffly on one side of the backseat, her hands resting on
ZARA(AUTHOR) POVThe moment Zara stepped inside the mansion, she immediately felt it—the kind of silence that wasn’t peaceful, but suffocating, as if the entire place was holding its breath and watching her every move. The doors closed behind them with a heavy finality that echoed through the vast
ZARALINDA LIN CANTOVA (author POV) Zara never believed that a single signature could destroy a person’s life, not until the moment her father slid the document across the table and asked her to sign it as if it were nothing more than a simple agreement. The room felt suffocatingly quiet, the kind







