Chapter Two

ALIYAH'S POV 

The vow carried me into his office the next morning, my heels clicking against the marble floor. 

Roland looked up from his desk, his cold gaze locking on me. 

The husband who had built me only to crush me, bits by bits, until I barely recognized myself. 

What a surprise. Why the sudden visit, Aliyah?Roland's voice was calm, taunting. 

After he left last night, he hadn't stepped into the house. But I was done with the endless waits. 

I stepped forward, slamming the divorce papers onto his desk. 

Sign them, I snapped.

My voice shook with rage, making the words cut through the silence like broken glass. 

Roland leaned back in his chair, smug and unbothered. His dark hair slicked back, cufflinks glinting, jaw freshly shaven. The ruthless billionaire the tabloids worshiped and feared.

He didn’t glance at the papers, just smirked. Sign them? His voice dripped with mockery. I don’t take orders from you, darling.

My nails dug into my palm until I nearly drew blood. I’m not asking.

He laughed, low and cruel. He rose from his chair, circling the desk like a predator who knew the prey couldn’t escape. 

Before I knew it, he towered over me, his cologne sharp, suffocating me with memories I wanted to scrub from my skin.

You are handing divorce papers over to me? He scoffed. You, Aliyah?

The way he made it sound, like I didn't have the guts. Just a fragile, broken lady that had always stayed obedient in his cage. 

Yes. Me, I lifted my chin, forcing my knees not to buckle. 

Roland's smirk widened. You think walking away makes you free? He asked, his eyes like steel traps.

I gave no response, just kept my gaze on him unflinching. 

Aliyah, you’ve always been naive. The word rolled out of his tongue, ending up like a slap to my face. 

Naive. When I caught him on the phone with his mistress just yesterday. Naive. After every broken promise, after every gaslit argument that left me feeling like the villain in my own story.  

Not anymore. I was done.

This marriage is over, Roland, I said, my voice steady. 

You made a fool of me. And I won’t play your puppet anymore.” My voice didn't waver. 

His smirk didn’t falter. If anything, it deepened. He leaned close, his breath hot against my ear.

You think a signature ends us? You’ll never be free from me, Aliyah.

The words made panic rise in my chest, but I swallowed it down. 

That wasn't a joke. The prenup, the contracts, the hidden clauses I’d signed. I was blinded by love. And in return, he had bound me to him not just in marriage, but in ink, in paper, in reputation, by law. 

You think you can leave? You'd be ruined, he whispered. You're nothing without me, Aliyah, he said, the words piercing through me like a blade. 

Leave now, and you're nothing.

My fists curled, the insult striking a nerve in me. 

I didn't care. At that moment, desperation clawed at me. For freedom, away from the man who thought he had built an empire in control.

I'd rather be ruined, than spend another damn minute as your wife,” I said, voice firm. 

For the first time, a glimpse of shock appeared on Roland's face. His smirk disappeared, gone for only a fleeting second. 

I turned, my heels clicking against the polished floor.

I had slammed the divorce papers in his face, but I wasn't convinced. 

I looked composed. Untouchable. But inside I was shaking, terribly afraid, but I wouldn't let him see me break. 

Each step away from Roland’s tower felt like reclaiming a piece of myself. And yet, his words gnawed at me like glass lodged under my ribs.

You’ll never be free... not while I still own your name.

The endless elevator ride came to an end, but the moment I stepped into the lobby of Voss Enterprises, people stared, whispers clinging to me like smoke slithering through the air. 

I felt uneasy. 

Why were they staring? 

My phone buzzed violently like an angry hornet, notifications pouring in relentlessly like the world had just caught fire. My face was plastered across half a dozen news sites, headlines across the screen. 

I froze. 

The whispers intensified, my world spinning around me. 

Roland Voss’s Wife Files for Divorce: Gold Digger or Scorned Lover?

From Mrs. Voss to Nobody: Aliyah’s Fall from Grace.

Sources Say Aliyah Voss Could Walk Away Empty-Handed.”

It had only been a few minutes, but had Roland made his move?

My stomach dropped, a weight pressing against my ribs. Each headline felt like a dagger, twisting deeper with every scroll.

The comments were worse.

What did she expect from marrying him? Everyone knows Voss men don’t stay faithful.

She thought she could play with the big boys and win. Cute.

Gold-digging bimbo. Hope she enjoyed the ride.

Cruel. They didn't know what I suffered, what I went through, but they judged. 

Roland. He had moved faster than I could have imagined, turning the world against me in less than an hour. 

I should’ve expected this. Roland was always three steps ahead, playing chess while the rest of us stumbled through checkers. 

Again, my phone buzzed, my gaze landing on a text that sent chills down my spine.

You’ll always be a Voss. Don’t forget it.

Roland Voss. 

I froze, my blood turning cold.

For the first time, I realized. 

Roland wasn’t going to let me go.

Tears stung my eyes, knowing the repercussions of my actions were coming back to haunt me already, but I refused to let them fall. My phone slipped from my fingers, clattering to the marble floor. 

With trembling hands, I picked the phone up, a lump forming in my throat. 

I was caught in his web. The truth crashed into me like a wave, making my breath hitch. 

You can't cry. Not here, Aliyah. 

I moved my feet, walking into the street. Horns blared, traffic roared, but I was out of the world. Then the tires screeched. 

“Aliyah!”

Strong arms yanked me back to safety before the car screeched past. My chest heaved, breath coming in ragged gasps. 

My gaze snapped up and I froze. 

The man holding me wasn't Roland, instead, it was him. 

Dominic Voss. 

Roland's younger brother.