Chapter 2

Aurelia’s Pov

The front door of my parents’ house had barely clicked shut behind me when the storm hit.

“What am I hearing?” Mom’s shrill voice sliced through the air like a whip. Emma Rodriguez- my own mother- stormed across the living room, her designer heels stabbing the marble floor.

 Before I could even draw a breath, her rough fingers clamped around my upper arm, nails digging in so deep I gasped. Pain flared hot and sharp, but it was nothing compared to the venom in her eyes.

“You fucking asked for divorce?” she hissed, jerking me forward so hard I stumbled. 

“Are you out of your goddamn senses?” I winced, trying to pull away, but her grip only tightened. My heart hammered against my ribs as I met her furious gaze. This was the woman who had given birth to me? The one who was supposed to protect me? All I saw was a predator ready to tear me apart for daring to choose myself.

“He doesn’t love me, Mom,” I fired back, my voice shaking but louder than I’d ever let it be in this house. “He’s marrying Aisha. What am I supposed to do- smile and play happy wife while he brings another woman into our bed?”

Dad- David Rodriguez- sat on the leather couch like a king on a crumbling throne, rubbing his face with both hands. His intense stare bored into me, but there was no comfort there. Only calculation.

Eva, my older sister, lounged on the opposite sofa, filing her fresh nails with that signature smirk. “How shameless can you be, Aurelia? Asking for divorce yourself? Like some desperate little girl who couldn’t keep her man.”

I glared at her, fists bunching in the soft fabric of my sundress. “I’m not ashamed to walk away from a man who loves someone else. You’d know all about clinging to things that don’t want you, wouldn’t you, Eva?”

She scoffed, rolling her eyes dramatically before going back to her nails. “Bitch.”

Dad sighed heavily, the sound of a man watching his empire teeter. 

“How am I supposed to face the Salvatores now? Do you have any idea what happens if you and Dante divorce? Vincent Salvatore will pull every string. He’ll withdraw support from our company. We’ll go bankrupt overnight.”

The words landed like bricks on my chest. Of course. It was never about me. It was never about my broken heart or the three years I’d spent bleeding love into a man who saw me as furniture. It was business. It had always been business.

I forced a bitter smile, tilting my head. “Then you’d better marry Eva off to another wealthy family soon. Problem solved.”

“Don’t you dare drag me into your mess, you little-” Eva started, but Mom cut her off with a glare before turning back to me, her face twisted in rage.

“Can’t you fucking understand? We will be ruined, Aurelia! Doomed!” Her voice cracked the air like thunder. “Drop this nonsense. Go back to that mansion and play the perfect wife you’ve always been. That’s why we married you into the Salvatores in the first place—business. Not some fairy-tale romance.”

I closed my eyes for a second, exhaling slowly through the ache in my throat. The room spun with the weight of their expectations.

 I had spent my entire life as the outsider in my own family- the one shipped away, the one who never quite fit, the one they could trade like a stock. Vincent Salvatore had been the only person who ever looked at me and saw something worth protecting. And now even that was slipping away.

I opened my eyes and looked straight at Dad, the man who had never once held me like a father should.

 “I’ve said what I needed to say. I’ve made my decision. I would appreciate it if, for once, my own family supported their daughter instead of treating me like a bargaining chip.”

Silence stretched, thick and ugly. Eva hissed from the couch, “Drop this nonsense and go back to your house. Play the role of the good wife like you always did.”

My fists clenched so hard my nails bit into my palms. I wanted to scream. I wanted to shatter every expensive vase in this cold, loveless room and watch them finally see me. But instead, I grabbed my purse from the side table, the leather strap digging into my shoulder like an anchor.

Without another word, I turned on my heel. My stilettos clicked against the marble like gunshots as I walked out, each step heavier than the last. No one called after me. No one ran to stop me. The door shut behind me with a soft, final click, and the ache in my chest bloomed into something raw and endless.

I stepped into the blinding afternoon sun, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill. Breathe, Aurelia. Just breathe. But as I lifted my gaze to the driveway, my stomach dropped.

A sleek white SUV idled at the curb. The driver’s door opened, and out stepped Jacob- Vincent Salvatore’s personal driver. His face was calm, professional, but his eyes held the quiet weight of bad news.

“Mrs. Salvatore,” he said with a respectful nod. “Sir Vincent Salvatore wants to see you. Immediately.”

My throat tightened. Of course the news had reached him. Grandpa Vincent- my only safe harbor in this storm- knew. And now I had to face him. Tell the man who had chosen me, who had believed in me, that I was walking away from the grandson he loved more than life itself.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. “Take me to him.”

The drive to the Salvatore Empire felt like an eternity wrapped in minutes. My mind raced with every possible reaction. Would he be disappointed? Angry? Would he beg me to stay for Dante’s sake? The thought made my hands tremble in my lap.

When we pulled up to the towering glass building that bore the Salvatore name like a crown, I stepped out on shaky legs. The moment I crossed the marble lobby, every head turned. Staff rose from their desks like soldiers at attention.

“Mrs. Salvatore,” they murmured with deep respect. Whispers followed me. Wife of Dante Salvatore… daughter-in-law of the empire. I had once felt warmed by that title. Now it felt like chains.

Dante’s second secretary, Dani, spotted me and rushed over, his bob-cut curls bouncing with every hurried step. He was all bright energy and kindness, the one person in this cold world who never made me feel small.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Salvatore!” he chirped, flashing a warm smile. “You’re actually glowing today. That dress is serving absolute fire-”

“Dani,” I cut in gently but firmly, my voice steadier than I felt. “I’m not here for Dante. I’m here to see Grandpa.”

His perfectly shaped brows shot up in surprise. The old Aurelia would have smiled politely, waited patiently, never interrupted. But today? Today I was done performing.

I didn’t wait for his reply. I turned toward the private elevator, my heels echoing with purpose. The doors slid open with a soft ting, and I stepped inside, heart pounding as the numbers climbed toward the top floor.

When the doors opened again, two men in black suits guarded the hallway like silent sentinels. They parted for me without a word. Vincent’s office doors swung open, and there he was- Grandpa Vincent, seated on the plush leather couch, looking every bit the powerful patriarch who had built an empire from nothing.

“Afternoon, Grandpa,” I said softly, forcing a smile as I walked closer and sank down beside him.

He took my hand immediately, squeezing it with a warmth that almost undid me. “How are you, dear?”

“I’m… fine,” I lied, but my voice cracked. It was obvious I was anything but.

Vincent studied me for a long moment, his sharp eyes seeing straight through the mask I’d worn for years. “I heard about Dante’s decision.”

My breath hitched. I looked away, staring at the intricate patterns on the carpet as tears burned behind my eyes. “I’m sorry, Grandpa. I-I can’t do this anymore. I told him I want a divorce.”

The silence stretched for what felt like forever. Then he exhaled deeply, his voice calm but firm. “Leave him.”

My head snapped up. “What?”

He met my gaze without flinching, his expression steady and kind. “I don’t want you to stay with him if he can’t make you happy, Aurelia. You’ve already given three years- more than enough. You’re more important to me than my own blood at this point.”

Tears spilled over before I could stop them. Hot, grateful, disbelieving tears.

 “Grandpa… you’ve done more for me than anyone ever has. You chose me when my own family never did. I don’t know how to thank you for-”

He lifted a hand, cutting me off gently. “You don’t have to thank me, dear. I know what you’ve endured. I know how hard you tried. I won’t let you waste another second of your life on people who don’t see your worth.”

My chest ached with a different kind of pain now- relief so sharp it hurt. For the first time in years, someone was choosing me. Not the business deal. Not the family image. Me.

Suddenly, the door opened. Michele- Vincent’s most trusted manager walked in with a respectful nod. “Afternoon, boss. Afternoon, Mrs. Salvatore.”

He placed a thick file on the coffee table in front of us. My brows furrowed in confusion. 

“What’s this, Grandpa?” Vincent didn’t answer right away. He simply gestured for me to look. I leaned forward, fingers trembling as I flipped open the folder. The bold header on the first page hit me like a slap.

Divorce Papers.

My heart slammed to a stop. The words blurred through fresh tears as I scanned the document- my name, Dante’s name, the cold legal language that would finally set me free. Vincent had already prepared everything. He wasn’t fighting me. He was handing me the key to my cage.

I looked up at him, voice barely a whisper. “You… you did this for me?” He smiled, the kind of smile that carried decades of love and regret.

 “Sign them whenever you’re ready, Aurelia. But know this- once you do, there’s no going back. And I will stand by you every step of the way.”

My hand hovered over the papers, the weight of three years of pain, love, and shattered dreams pressing down on me. Freedom was right there. But so was the terrifying unknown.

And deep down, a small, broken part of me wondered… what would Dante do when he found out his grandfather had chosen me over him?

I picked up the pen.

The choice was mine now.

And for the first time, I wasn’t afraid to make it.