Chapter 4: The Last Straw

Nadine’s POV

​The full year finally passed, and during those twelve long months, I endured endless humiliation, severe loneliness, and constant accusations from everyone around me, but I kept my head down because I knew the agreement would eventually come to an end. The final event of the year was the Kingsley annual gala, a massive corporate party where the entire city’s elite gathered to celebrate the family business, and Adrian’s assistant had made it clear that my attendance was mandatory to keep up appearances one last time.

​"Just stand by my side, smile for the cameras, and do not say anything that could complicate the business merger," Adrian muttered as we stepped out of the limousine and walked toward the entrance of the grand ballroom, his hand resting heavily on my waist only for the benefit of the photographers flashing their lights at us.

​"You do not have to remind me, Adrian, because I want this night to end just as much as you do," I replied quietly, keeping my eyes fixed ahead while we entered the crowded room where investors and family members were already drinking and chatting.

​We had only been there for an hour when Nadira approached our table, holding a tablet in her hand with a frantic expression on her face that immediately drew the attention of the nearby board members and reporters.

​"Adrian, you need to look at this right now because someone just leaked the confidential bidding files for the new tech project to our main competitor, and the documents were sent directly from Nadine’s personal email address," Nadira announced loudly, her voice carrying across the immediate circle and causing the entire section of the room to fall completely silent.

​"What are you talking about, Nadira?" Adrian demanded, snatching the tablet from her hands and scrolling through the screen as his expression turned incredibly dark, "Nadine, explain this to me right now."

​"I did not send those files, Adrian, I have never even seen those documents in my life," I said, my heart pounding against my ribs as I looked around the room and saw the disgusted glares from his parents and the shocked whispers from the investors, "Nadira is lying to you, she is framing me because she wants to ruin any chance of me leaving this house with my dignity intact."

​"The evidence is right here on the screen, Adrian, how can she look you in the eye and deny it?" Nadira sobbed, wiping a fake tear from her cheek and stepping closer to his mother for comfort, "She has always been jealous of our family business, and now she is trying to destroy yours too."

​"Adrian, please look at me and trust me just this once," I pleaded, stepping closer to him and reaching out to touch his arm, desperately needing him to see the truth in my eyes after everything we had shared in the quiet moments at the mansion, "I have never lied to you, and I would never do something so malicious to hurt your company."

​"Do not touch me, Nadine," Adrian hissed, pulling his arm away from my grip with so much force that I stumbled back a step, his eyes completely cold and devoid of any trust as he turned his back on me to look at my sister, "Nadira, call the security team and have them handle the press, because we are going to handle this internally right now."

​"Adrian, you are not even going to hear my side of the story?" I asked, my voice cracking as the realization of his complete lack of faith hit me like a physical blow, while the entire room erupted into loud whispers and mocking sneers aimed directly at me.

​"The data does not lie, Nadine, and I am not going to let your petty jealousy ruin my family’s reputation any further," Adrian stated coldly, his voice booming through the quiet space as he publicly sided with Nadira without looking back at me even once.

​Once again, I stood completely alone in the center of a crowded room, watching my husband and my sister walk away together while the guards moved in to escort me out of the building through the service exit to avoid the media.

​That night, the mansion felt colder than it ever had before, and as I sat on the edge of the bed in my room, the truth finally became painfully clear to me, stripping away any lingering hope I might have kept hidden in my heart.

No matter how hard I tried to be perfect, no matter how much I stayed out of the way or how carefully I followed their rules, nobody in this world was ever going to choose me or defend me when things got difficult.

​I walked down the dark hallway to Adrian's study, knowing he was still at the gala dealing with the aftermath of the scandal and found the documents that had been delivered to his desk a few days prior.

I picked up the black pen sitting on the table, and with a hand that had finally stopped shaking, I quietly signed my name at the bottom of the divorce papers, leaving the gold wedding ring right on top of the pages.