LOGINI thought divorce would free me from Roland Voss, the man who turned our marriage into a gilded prison. But walking away from a Voss isn’t freedom. It’s war. The press calls me a gold-digger. His lawyers call me a liability. And Roland? He just smirks across his mahogany desk and murmurs, “You’ll never escape me, Aliyah. Not while you carry my name.” I swore I’d never shatter again until I met him. Dominic Voss. Roland’s younger brother. The man I shouldn’t even look at, let alone want. He sees the cracks in me no one else bothers to notice. When the world turns its back, Dominic leans close and whispers, “Let me protect you. Even if it means going against my own blood.” Every stolen glance is treason. Every brush of his hand sets me on fire. And when Victor Hale, a rival billionaire with teeth sharper than Roland’s, circles closer, I realize I’ve become the prize in a game where men like them never lose. But I’m not the same woman Roland once broke. This time, I’m willing to risk everything, scandal, ruin, even the wrath of the dynasty that branded me theirs to choose the man who makes me feel alive. The question is… Will my freedom cost me my heart? Or will loving Dominic ignite a war that none of us survive?
View MoreAliyah's POV
I sat on the couch as I watched the minutes pass by, the clock ticking continuously as I awaited the arrival of my husband.
The clock ticked closer to midnight, but Roland wasn't here.
No. Not tonight. Not on our third anniversary night.
Frustration boiled within me, heat rising in my chest.
This could only mean one thing. He didn't care about tonight.
I didn't care. No matter when, I'll be here waiting.
My eyelids grew heavy, but I forced them open. No sleep until Roland gets back.
My gaze shifted to the dining table, the dinner I had personally prepared because of the special day lying untouched. The meal had turned cold, making anguish press deeper in my chest.
Moments later, the door swung open and Roland stepped in.
I jumped to my feet, my words filled with anger. It's our wedding anniversary tonight, Roland, I reminded him.
He shrugged, like he didn't have a care in the world. What about it?
His words send a surge of anger coursing through my veins, setting my blood on fire.
How dare he treat today as nothing?! After three years of enduring this loveless marriage?
It's our anniversary, Roland! I yelled. I made dinner, waited for you for hours only for you to come back now? My tone was etched with disbelief.
And all you say is "What about it? I said, my voice laced with sarcasm.
I've had a hectic day, Aliyah. I'm tired, so just rest, he muttered, attempting to ascend the stairs.
I grabbed his arm, forcing him to face me. What have I ever done, Roland? All I did was love you! All I ever wanted was your attention! I've never asked for too much! My voice quivered.
He groaned in frustration, his eyes darkened. “Don't forget your place, Aliyah." This marriage was not built on love, but on power! Wealth! Don't act naive.
His words shattered my heart, tears brimming my eyes.
“But I loved you with every fiber of my being,” my voice cracked.
Roland scoffed, looking so cold and distant. “Don't be mistaken,” he said, the words coming out of his mouth with so much hatred. You are merely a pawn for this game in the business world, Aliyah. A pawn I'm supposed to exploit to my advantage.
I recoiled, taking a step backwards, my voice barely audible as I whispered. What did you just say?
I said what I said, dear wife. You're a trophy. Nothing more. His words crashed into me like a storm, the impact of his cruelty becoming unbearable.
A trophy.... Meant to stand by his side, forcing a smile while acting like the perfect wife.
To the world, we were perfect. A perfect marriage every woman would have prayed for.
Tears cascaded through my cheeks, every word he had uttered, shattering my heart into a million pieces.
I sniffled, letting out a bitter laugh. So that's all I am to you? A pawn. A trophy you flaunt whenever you want?
“Don't twist my words, Aliyah!” he snapped.
I don't need to twist anything, you just made yourself clear. My voice trembled with fury.
Roland sighed heavily, like my pains were nothing but a nuisance to his existence. “It's past your bedtime, Aliyah.
That was a way of telling me I've done enough.
The anguish in my throat tightened, Roland. All I wanted was your love. Your attention.
His gaze darkened. You got married to a Voss. Don't expect more.
His cold words struck deeper than a knife. The way he said it, as though I had married him because of his name....his power.
Visions of building a family with him shattered in an instant.
I should have known, My voice cracked. From the very beginning, I should have seen through you.
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, Then what?
It made my fists curl, but Roland Voss wasn't done.
He stepped closer, his words filled with mockery. If you had seen through me then you would have done what?
Don’t forget. Consider yourself fortunate, Aliyah. You married a Voss.
"Don't make it sound like I married you because of your damn name!" I roared. I married you because I loved you!
Roland chuckled. Love? Don't be naive, dear wife. His hands cupped my face, his grip firm, gaze merciless.
“Love is for the weak!" We don't live on love, we live on power!” He gritted, then took his hands off my face roughly before he stormed upstairs.
He left me picking the shards of my emotions.
He dared to call my love weak?
No love. No feelings. But I was just finding out after three years.
I trailed behind him, walking into our master bedroom but was met with surprise when I saw the sight of him.
Roland was shredding his clothes off, getting dressed in a new suit adorned with designs, the sharp scent of his cologne filling the air.
You....are going out again? My voice trembled.
Without turning to look at me, he responded. Yeah. To a bar.
The realization hit me hard.
He was preparing to go to a bar, seeking pleasure in the arms of another woman.
Pain washed over me, intensifying the torrent of emotion swirling inside me.
Now you humiliate me by flaunting your infidelity? I asked.
I sacrificed everything for him, but to him, this marriage is nothing.
His face twisted with rage. Don't accuse me baselessly, Aliyah.
Before I could retort, his phone rang. He stormed past me, answering the call.
I'm waiting, a woman's voice said from the other end of the phone.
I'll be there in a jiffy, Roland replied, his tone flat.
The sound of his retreating footsteps echoed through my ears.
Then he was gone, leaving me to process everything that had happened.
He wasn't just discarding me, he was cheating. Betraying me.
The realization cut sharper than a blade.
Then I knew it was time... time to liberate myself from the shadows that had consumed our marriage.
Tonight, I vowed. I was done being his trophy. And this was the beginning of my end with Roland Voss.
~ Ronald’s POV~I pushed open the door to my office, the irritation from last night still crawling under my skin. I hadn’t slept. I couldn’t. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing Aliyah’s face when she bit my lip… and the way she looked everywhere except at me.She still didn't understand that she had to maintain a good image before the public. My reputation was almost on the line yesterday, but she didn't seem to care.I dropped my briefcase on the table and reached for my chair, ready to sink into work and shove the thoughts away.But then…Ping.My phone vibrated. Once. Loud enough to break through everything.I frowned and pulled it out of my pocket. It was in the headlines again. I was really interested in it but the moment I spotted her face in the picture, I knew something w
~Aliyah’s Pov~The first thing I felt when I opened my eyes was the stiffness in my neck. The second was the throbbing ache in my wrist, and the third....the cold metal lock on the door staring at me.I blinked slowly, disoriented for a moment, then everything rushed back.The fight that occurred in the car. Me shouting, the bruises.The night.I sat up, breathing shakily.Still locked in.Still trapped.I reached for my phone immediately.Two percent battery.“Great,” I whispered.My fingers trembled as I scrolled for Clara’s contact. She picked up on the first ring.“Aliyah?” Her voice instantly sharpened. Where have you been? I tried calling you since yesterday.....“He locked me in,” I whispered, my throat tightening. “Clara, I’m still locked in.”There was a sharp inhale from her end.What do you mean locked in? As in, locked? With a key? Aliyah....“Yes,” I choked out. “He dragged me in and locked the door and I just woke up now.”“Oh my God. Are you okay? Talk to me.”“I don’t
~ALIYAH’S POV~His voice still echoed in the car, loud enough to shake the air around me.“WHERE HAVE YOU REALLY BEEN?”My lungs strangled themselves. My fingers twisted into the hem of my dress.“I.... I told you, I whispered. “I went to the restroom.”Ronald leaned closer, eyes burning. “Try again.”“I’m not lying.”“You expect me to believe that?”“It’s the truth,” I insisted, my voice cracking. “I.... I really did go there.”He scoffed. “For twenty minutes?”“Yes!” I said quickly, desperate. “There was a line and I felt dizzy. I stayed inside for a bit.”He stared at me like he was peeling back my skin to find whatever I was hiding.I swallowed hard. I couldn’t say I ran into Dominic. I couldn’t say the kiss happened. I couldn’t say I saw him. I couldn’t say anything.Ronald’s jaw ticked. “Aliyah, don’t test me tonight.”“I’m not,” I whispered.“You smell nothing like a woman who spent twenty minutes in a restroom.”I froze.His voice dropped lower, sharper, like a blade sliding a
~RONALD’S POV~The moment Aliyah stepped close to me in that hall, an instinctive jolt hit me before her eyes even met mine. It wasn’t a thought. It wasn’t suspicion, it was something far more primal.A scent.At first, I tried to place it, something faint drifting through the air between us. But it wasn’t hers. It wasn’t the soft, warm perfume she always wore. It wasn’t the familiar sweetness I had memorized on her skin, the one that clung to her whenever she leaned too close.No.This was different.This was him.Dominic.A sharp, familiar undertone threaded through the space around her, clinging to her like something that refused to be washed off. My brother’s scent, subtle, but unmistakable. Embedded in the fibers of her clothes. Tangled in her hair. On her breath. A






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