Chapter Two

ADRIELLE~

Time didn’t just pause, it fractured. Everything inside me stalled: my breath, my heartbeat, my brain. I stared at Doctor Jay like I hadn’t heard him right. Like maybe the world had glitched and would fix itself in a second.

But it didn’t.

His words kept echoing in my skull: “Your husband... he has married another.”

No, it couldn’t be. There had to be a mistake. He was confusing me with someone else, another patient who’d lost everything and gotten stuck in this cruel joke of a life. Not me. This wasn’t my story. It couldn’t be.

Valen? My Valen?

He’d never cheat. Never. He wasn’t like the gold-digging men who clung to me for my father’s wealth. He was different. Tender. Earnest. He’d stayed because he loved me. Valen saw me – not my last name, not the companies, not he legacy. Me.

And he showed it in ways that felt pure. Thoughtful surprises, handwritten notes, days he skipped meals just to get me something pretty. Even when he didn’t have much, he gave like he had everything. Because I was his everything. And he was mine.

There was no way. No fucking way he’d do this to me.

A scoff tumbled from my lips, followed by a bitter laugh. “You’re joking, right?”

I turned to Matilda. “He’s joking, isn’t he?”

But she didn’t say a word. Her face – God, her face – held that same calm, mournful quiet that made everything hurt worse.

Doctor Jay shook his head slowly. “I’m far from jokes, Adrielle.”

I spun toward him and blinked hard. My lungs constricted. “I don’t know why you’re saying this to me. Why are you trying to break me?”

“I’m not. I wish I didn’t have to be the one telling you this. But your husband–”

“No!” I snapped, cutting him off before his words could carve deeper. “Don’t you dare. He loves me. He would never...”

“You’re lying,” I choked out, stepping back, wild-eyed. “Both of you are.”

Doctor Jay exhaled like he’d been holding his breath. “I’m not,” he said quietly, stepping closer.

“Adrielle, listen to me. Since your husband left this hospital, since the day he walked out of here healed...He only came once. But after that, he didn’t show his face near here anymore. He’s never come to see you again.”

The words landed like bullets. My chest burned. My body vibrated. I stared at him, unable to blink.

“You said what?” My voice came out thin. Weak.

“He refused to see you. When your father passed, I tried to reach out. To discuss funeral rites. I emailed. No way. I called. He didn’t pick. He blocked my number. Everywhere. No contact. Nothing.”

My heart bled in silence. His voice, calm and firm, wrapped around my brain like a vice. “Did you call home? M–maybe h–he didn’t see your t–texts and c–calls... Maybe–”

“I did, Adrielle. I did everything possible. I even went to the mansion to see him in person. He instructed the security man at the gate to throw me out.”

I shook my head slowly, violently, digging my nails into the bed. “No... No. My husband can’t do that. He wouldn’t. He’s not like that. There’s a mistake.”

“I buried your father, Adrielle,” he said, his voice breaking. “Alone. Out of respect for your family, and the love I had for your father, I took care of everything myself. Your husband didn’t send a single flower. Didn’t show up. Not even a text. Nothing.”

Every word lodged in me like glass. My heart slammed against my ribs, desperate to escape the pain. This couldn’t be real. I shook my head, over and over, trying to force it out, like denial could rewind time.

“No, no, no. It cannot be true. It cannot–”

“NOOO!!”

I ripped the IV from my arm, blood spurting in red drops. I didn’t care. I tore off every monitor, every wire. The machines wailed, beeping wildly. Matilda gasped.

“Adrielle, stop!” Doctor Jay cried, reaching for me.

But I was gone.

I shoved past the doors, stormed out barefoot into the night. The security man at the gate stepped aside too late. I was already on the road. Cold wind slapped my face, rain soaking me instantly. The city blurred, but I kept running. Running toward the only place that made sense – our home.

The mansion I built with my money. Our beginning.

I didn’t care about the few people who recognized me in the dark, their gasps, their whispers, the camera flashes behind me. The only voice I could hear was mine, trembling and soaked in pain.

“Valen...”

Please, let him have a reason. Let him explain. Let this be a dream.

After what felt like forever, I reached our mansion. The gates were wide open.

Wrong. Just so wrong. We never left them open. Jake, our security was gone. His quarters were dark, empty, abandoned.

I moved through the compound like a ghost. Familiar shadows now felt foreign. Unwelcoming.

Another crack in the mirror.

I stepped inside, soaked to the bone. My legs ached. My hands trembled. I took in the house – the lights, the windows, the silence beneath the storm. Our wedding song drifted faintly from the bedroom upstairs.

Our wedding song.

No.

I stepped into the house, every footfall echoing like the beat of a war drum. The air was warm. Sweet. Like expensive perfume and betrayal. Hurriedly, I climbed the stairs, one by one, dizzy and breathless, until I stood before the bedroom door.

Our door. It was ajar. Just then, a moan floated out.

I froze. Then came another moan, louder, rawer.

I moved forward. One step. Then another. Shaking. My palm sliding along the wall for balance, for proof that I wasn’t dreaming. Every step felt like walking on glass.

Slowly, I pushed the door open, my heart thudding violently.

And I saw him.

Valen.

Naked. Laughing. Flat on his back.

And on top of him, a woman. Bronze skin. Long legs. Riding him like she owned every inch. Her head thrown back, her hands tangled in her hair.

My world shattered.

Instantly, grief lunged and sank its teeth in my chest. A small gasp fled my throat. That was Valen. That was really my husband. In the flesh. Inside another woman. On our matrimonial bed.

His hands were on her ass.

“Fuck, baby,” he groaned, eyes blinking. “You feel so good.”

“Hnnnghh, YEAH!” she cried.

He slapped her ass, chuckling darkly. “Don’t stop. Ride daddy’s cock till you can’t anymore.”

Something cracked in me. Not just my heart. My sanity.

I stood there, dripping, shaking, every nerve ending screaming.

I couldn’t cry. Couldn’t scream. My knees gave, but I didn’t fall. My fingers gripped the doorframe like it was the only thing keeping me alive.

It wasn’t just sex. It was the smile on his face. The ease. The joy.

He looked free.

A whisper slipped from my lips, hoarse and broken.

“V–val–len?”