CHAPTER 1

SERENA

The one day of the year meant for love, filled with chocolates, flowers, and streets drowned in red, became the day that the world I knew finally crumbled.

I should have been at home, curled up on the couch with a book, pretending this day didn’t exist, like I’ve been doing for the past two years in my marriage. But instead, here I was storming down the spotless hallway of the five-star hotel, the slippers I wore made soft slaps against the glossy marble floor, my heart beating fast.

Room 807. If you want to know what your husband is up to, see for yourself. The anonymous text I had received earlier replayed in my mind over and over, gluing itself to my brain, even though I hoped against all hope that it wasn’t true.

My fingers clenched around my phone as I stopped in front of the door, my breath coming in quick, shallow gasps. Damian had told me he was working late, just like he did on every other day and previous Valentine’s Days. There was no way he was here. Not with her.

There was no way, but I needed to see and confirm it with my own eyes. Just before I pushed the door open, I heard Naomi’s unmistakable laugh. It was loud, cruel, and like the sting of a slap to the face.

“Told you.” She giggled. “She believed every lie you fed her. I mean, I get that she believes for the other days, but God, Damian… she thought you’d spend Valentine’s working late. It was almost too easy to win.”

I froze as her laugh echoed in my ear. Before Damian could respond, I pushed the door open, and my eyes landed on him, my husband of two years. He was shirtless and hovering over Naomi, my best friend of ten years, covered only in a bathrobe. Their heads snapped toward me, and their eyes went wide with shock.

His face was inches from hers, and her arms were wrapped around his neck as they lay flat on the bed. My fingers suddenly went numb, and my heartbeat thundered in my ears. I stepped back and held onto the doorframe with shaking fingers.

Damian moved first, scrambling to sit up with his mouth opening and closing like he was searching for words that could fix this. My eyes shifted to Naomi, staring at me without remorse. I looked back at Damian as he got out of bed with his pants. However, as soon as he drew close and tried to reach for me, I avoided his touch like the plague.

"Serena—"

I turned around and ran out the second my name left his mouth, not wanting to hear whatever excuse he had. The hotel hallway walls seemed to be closing in on me, and I hardly noticed those that I collided with as I staggered out of the elevator and through the lobby. Despite the chilly wind outside, I felt the pain clawing at my chest.

My chest felt tight as the scene from earlier played in my head. Damian had looked into my eyes and deceived me about staying late at work, and I fell for it like an idiot. My vision blurred as I wondered how many more times he had done this with that excuse.

And Naomi…

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the image of the same Naomi, whom I had called my best friend for years, being tangled up in those sheets. The same Naomi who was the bridesmaid at my wedding.

I walked past the couples holding hands and exchanging gifts under the blinking city lights, past flower stands filled with red roses that seemed to mock me. Finally, I found myself outside the place I had been calling home. The place that had once been my haven, despite it being all cold within, now felt even more like a prison than it did before.

As I walked in, I perceived the scent of the candles I had burned earlier that day. I felt like throwing up, but threw myself into my bed instead. My hand reached for my phone, and before I realized it, I checked the message once more. The pictures, the texts, and at the bottom of the thread, the final blow—a DNA test confirming that Naomi was pregnant. With Damian’s child.

Damian was my high school lover, but we were never meant to marry. We were both forced into the marriage by our parents to keep the relationship between both families going, but the two years together have been hell and silence. A choked sound escaped my throat. I didn't notice I was in tears until my sight became foggy, warm tears streaming down my face. My fingers wrapped around the material of my dress, holding it so firmly that my knuckles became pale.

Damian was going to be a father. But not only to our baby. I felt sick as my sobs subsided. Betrayal was one thing, but this? This was unforgivable.

My vision blurred as I threw the phone into the space beside me. Looking down, my gaze landed on the piece of paper I had thoughtlessly tossed aside earlier before rushing out of the house. Moving towards them, I picked the paper up with shaky hands before sitting back on the bed and smoothing out the crumpled edges.

My pregnancy confirmation. I had been waiting for the right moment since yesterday, but now, there was no point as Damian had made his choice.

I pushed myself off the bed and grabbed my laptop to print out the divorce papers my lawyer had sent to me two weeks back, with my name already signed at the bottom. An hour later, I had my bags packed, and that’s when I heard the front door open. I guess he still decided to take his sweet time. I scoffed as I felt my stomach twist slightly before dropping the divorce papers on the coffee table.

The moment Damian stepped through the door, I saw his tense expression. His tie was loosened, and his hair slightly scattered. He looked at me, at the suitcase by my side, and then at the papers on the coffee table before his gaze settled back on me.

"Serena, wait—"

I held up a hand. "Don't, just don’t." My tone was icy, just as his had been over the past years.

“It wasn’t what it looked like.” He breathed out forcefully, running a hand through his hair as he moved a step nearer.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “Oh really? Because it looked a lot like my husband screwing my best... ex-best friend.”

“You’re letting one moment ruin everything?” His brows furrowed. “You don’t even know what you saw...”

“Oh, so now I imagined the whole thing?!” My voice rose as I cut him off. “Don’t you dare try to rewrite what I saw.”

“Serena, I swear...”

I picked up the papers and slammed them into his chest, cutting him off. “Sign it.”

He flinched, staring down at the documents like they had physically hurt him. “You don’t mean this,” he scoffed.

“I do,” I said through gritted teeth. “If you were so tired of this marriage, you should have manned up and ended it. Why did you have to go through such corners?”

"I didn't... I mean... It just happened, Serena. It was a mistake."

"A mistake?" I scoffed. "Was it also a mistake that you got her pregnant?"

The color drained from his face, and his lips parted, but no words came out.

"Yeah," I whispered, my throat tight. "Just what I expected."

Damian ran a hand through his hair, his jaw tightening. "Serena, we can fix this. I swear, I..."

“No, we can't.” I cut him off again. “I'm not staying in a marriage where another woman is carrying my husband’s child, so sign the damn papers." My voice didn't waver.

"Serena..."

"Sign them, Damian." I glared at him hard.

His jaw clenched, his shoulders lifting and lowering with a deep sigh. For a brief moment, I thought he wouldn't sign them, but then he eventually did. My heart raced as he placed his signature on the papers.

And just like that, the vows of till death do us part were broken, over, and done for. As I took the papers back and folded them back into the envelope, a vibration buzzed through my phone. I picked it up and instantly regretted it.

Naomi: I thought you deserved a Happy Valentine’s Day, too. Xoxo.

My grip on the phone tightened until my knuckles went white. I didn’t respond. I wouldn’t give her that satisfaction. Instead, I grabbed my suitcase and walked towards the door.

“You’ll get the final court documents from my lawyer," I said flatly.

Damian stepped forward. “Where are you going?”

I didn’t answer. I walked out of the cold home we had shared, out of the marriage. At that moment, I made up my mind to disappear, and Damian would never know or hear of me again. I'm cutting off all ties with him, and that includes terminating the pregnancy.