01

“You’re unbelievable and stupid, Adriana. You definitely heard her moan. Loud and clear—I cheated on you again, and here you are, just sitting there like some lost puppy. Still hoping I’ll change, huh?”

Antonio's words sliced through Adriana like a blade. But still, she said nothing. Her gaze dropped to the floor, and her mind wandered back to how she had been so hopeful that today would be different.

“Could he have forgotten again?” Adriana pressed her right hand to her forehead, as she stared at the glowing screen of her phone. Antonio, her husband's contact, stared back at her—the same number she’d dialed nine times already today. 

With a soft sigh, she tapped it again. The call rang and rang, but no answer, again!

A cold knot twisted in her, and she made her way through the mesmerising halls of Migos Enterprises. 

Today, once again, she found herself alone—overlooked, and forgotten by him.

Outside, she marched to the parking lot, and in less than twenty-five minutes, she pulled up in front of her husband’s penthouse.

Without bothering to check her reflection, she simply stepped out and made her way to the front door.

The moment she stepped deeper into the sitting room, her heart skipped. She knew the house too well—its quietness. But this time, there was something else—faint noises—soft, unmistakable moans.

She froze mid-step, her breath caught in her throat.

“No. Not again. Please, God—not again.” 

She prayed silently, clinging to hope, and her feet moved on their own, slowly, until she reached the curve of the staircase. But the moans grew louder—high-pitched, indulgent, feminine. Her chest ached with every sound.

She had come to ask her husband why he wasn’t answering his phone. She had brought ideas for their anniversary dinner. She had hoped that today would be different, but hope had betrayed her, yet again.

With trembling legs, she turned away from the stairs, unable to bear the thought of walking in on him again. She descended and walked to the sitting room instead, lowering herself onto the velvet sofa like someone tired, and defeated.

As she sat in silence, her phone remained in her hand, the last dialed call mocking her from the screen. Her thumb hovered over it again, but she didn’t press. What was the point?

Minutes passed; she heard approaching footsteps.

Antonio descended the stairs shirtless and unbothered, with the casual arrogance of a man who knew he would not be held accountable. He saw her seated, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then, Adriana slowly looked up at him. She met his eyes—the same ocean-blue ones that once made her believe in forever. Those eyes had been her weakness, still were, and she hated that.

Antonio laughed under his breath, a low, cruel sound.

“You’re pathetic, Adriana.”

His words cut deeper than a knife this time, but Adriana didn’t flinch. She continued to sit in silence, her eyes fixed on the marble floor beneath her feet.

Then, Antonio ran a hand through his hair, letting out a sigh of theatrical frustration.

“You see? This is exactly what I mean,” he muttered, his voice sharp and dismissive. “You just sit there like a fool. No fight, no fire—just that pathetic look on your face like you’re waiting for a miracle.”

He uttered, and paced a few steps before stopping cold. 

“You know what? I’m done. This—whatever we are—it needs to end.” His voice came low but firm, and final.

Adriana's head shot up instantly. Her eyes, wide and glassy, locked on his back as a cold rush swept over her. Her lips parted, but no sound came out.

She watched Antonio reach into his briefcase on the table, and with a thud, he tossed a thick envelope onto her lap.

“Here,” he said without emotion. “Divorce papers. I want them signed. I want you out of my home by dawn.”

Adriana's breath caught in her chest the moment the words left his mouth. The envelope felt heavier than anything she had ever held—heavier than any heartbreak, heavier than the years she had given to this man.  

Right then, Antonio turned and began walking toward the staircase.

But before he could take the first step, Adriana leapt to her feet, her instinct taking over. She ran to him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist from behind.

“No,” she whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of her pain. “No, don’t do this to me, Tonio. Please.”

Her body trembled as the tears finally broke free, streaming down her cheeks in rivers of silent grief. 

“Today… today is supposed to be our fifth anniversary. I made reservations. I bought you a gift. I still love you, Antonio. I love you so much, honey. Please, we can talk about this; we can fix it. We always fix things. Don’t give up on us.”

She buried her face into his back, her sobs muffled by the fabric of his shirt. But Antonio didn’t budge. He stood there, cold and unmoved.

Then, with a sudden, violent pull, he wrenched himself from her grasp and turned to face her. 

“Did I just hear you say ‘fix this?” He asked, a cruel smirk curling at the corners of his mouth. “God, you really don’t get it, do you?”

“I’m tired, Adriana. Tired of you. Tired of pretending. I don’t love you anymore—I haven’t for a long time. And I sure as hell can’t keep living with someone as delusional as you.”

His voice dropped into a low, bitter whisper. Each word was a dagger, and he knew it.

“Sign the damn papers. And be gone by morning.”

He added and turned again, ready to climb the stairs and return to the life he had clearly chosen—a life without her.

But Adriana wasn’t ready to let go. 

With a choked sob, she threw herself at him again, wrapping her arms around him tighter than before. “Please, Tonio”, she begged through the tears, “please don’t do this. We promised forever…”

This time, Antonio didn’t just pull away; he shoved—hard. 

The force of his push sent Adriana stumbling backward, her heels catching on the rug. She hit the floor with a soft thud, but it was nothing compared to the pain inside her chest.

As she sat there, stunned, on the cold tiles, her sobs came freely, now raw and broken. 

She had loved Antonio with everything she had, and he had just walked away like she was nothing.