Shattered Vows

CHAPTER 1— THE SECRET BRIDEAlthea Rivera’s POVI used to believe that love could survive anythingndistance, lies, even silence. But I’ve learned that sometimes, silence isn’t peace. It’s the sound of a heart breaking quietly in a room no one knows exists.My name is Althea Rivera Navarro.At least, it’s supposed to be.Only a handful of people know that name exists Damian’s family, our lawyer, and me. To the rest of the world, I am simply Althea Rivera, the marketing head of Navarro Group, brilliant at presentations and loyal to my boss, the CEO everyone adores Damian Navarro, my husband.Our marriage is not a secret because it’s forbidden. It’s a secret because he wanted it that way.I wake up to the familiar echo of my alarm cutting through the stillness of our bedroom. The soft hum of the city beyond our penthouse window barely reaches me. For a moment, I stare at the ceiling, tracing the faint reflection of dawn’s light on the white paint. The space around me feels too big, too q

Chapter 3 – The Stranger’s EyesAlthea Rivera’s POVThe bus wound through a serpentine road surrounded by towering pines and slopes bathed in gold. The air smelled of salt and pine sap, thick with the promise of something unfamiliar. Everyone was buzzing with chatter, but I sat quietly by the window, the sound of laughter behind me blending into a blur.It had been a long week. Meetings, reports, sleepless nights and Damian, as usual, had been more ghost than husband. He said he’d follow on a private flight; appearances had to be maintained. Always appearances.I ran a thumb over the simple silver ring on my chain, hidden beneath my blouse. It was all I could wear of our marriage. No one could know.When the bus finally pulled into the resort gates, everyone gasped. Navarro Haven Resort stretched like a painting come to life endless blue pools glimmering beneath the sun, villas tucked into the hillside, and glass buildings that seemed to float over water. It was perfection. Expensive,

Chapter 5 – The Weight of Secrets(Althea’s POV)Morning light streamed weakly through the sheer curtains of our suite the same suite Damian and I had checked into the night before the retreat began. But now, it felt cold. Hollow. As if the warmth that once lingered there had been swallowed whole by silence.He wasn’t beside me when I woke up.That wasn’t unusual. Damian was always up before dawn, already answering calls, diving into spreadsheets, making the world turn for everyone but me. But today, that silence carried something else distance.I pulled the blanket around myself and glanced toward the table. His phone lay there, face down. A rare sight. Damian never left it unattended. My chest tightened as I traced my fingers over the surface. The screen lit up briefly with a message notification.> Samantha: I’ve reviewed the projections. You were right. Let’s discuss it before lunch.A faint ache bloomed

CHAPTER 7 – ECHOES OF GUILTAlthea – First Person POVThe city never felt colder than the day we returned from Navarro Haven Resort.It wasn’t the weather. It wasn’t even the tall silver buildings or the gray morning sky hiding behind layers of cloud. No the cold came from inside me. It dug into my skin, into the hollow space in my chest, a space that had formed ever since that night.That night.I hadn’t said the word out loud. I couldn’t. Every time the memory rose fragments, touches, breaths, whispers something inside me tightened. Damian’s name tangled with another voice. A warmth that didn’t match his usual distant coldness. A tenderness that… wasn’t him.But I kept convincing myself I was imagining it. I had to be.Our service car dropped us off at Navarro Enterprises’ main building. The moment I stepped out, the familiar sterile scent of glass, steel, printer ink, and polished floors wrapped around me like an unwelcome reminder that reality had returned.Damian walked ahead

CHAPTER 9 – FRACTURESAlthea – First Person POVThe storm doesn’t start with thunder or lightning.It starts with a stare.A quiet, unnerving gaze that I feel long before I see it. I’m in one of the small function rooms beside the main hall, arranging presentation materials for the next team session. The room is bright with LED lights and chilled by the resort’s central air-conditioning. Employees move in and out with boxes, coffee cups, or tablets, preparing for another long day of corporate exercises designed to “grow synergy.”But synergy feels like a myth right now.I sense him before I hear him Damian.His presence always comes with a faint shift in the air, a heaviness tightening between my shoulder blades.I’m fixing the projector cables when he speaks from behind me.“You’re avoiding me.”I go still.Slowly, I turn. Damian stands near the doorway, his hands in his pockets, suit cris