Chapter 5

~Eliza~

I still couldn’t believe it.

Twisting my simple gold band on my finger, my heart thudded against my ribcage as it sank in that I was actually married.

For the second time. To my ex-boyfriend. Who was also my ex-husband’s uncle.

If the evidence weren’t staring me right in the eye this moment, I would dismiss this as a dream. It was as real as the deep blue colour of Atlas’ unsmiling eyes in the picture frame.

Four weeks ago, my marriage to Damien officially ended, and I was left with nothing to my name. Somehow, Atlas pulled some strings to get us married two weeks later.

The whole ceremony had been a blur, and I had barely managed to greet the two people he had brought in as our witnesses. He introduced them as his friends, but the two of them had been as warm as a block of ice.

And maybe I had imagined it, but one of them, a tall, beautiful blond-haired woman, had been especially hostile towards me. I had wondered whether she had some sort of claim over Atlas, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask, so I let it go.

Mercifully, the ceremony ended as quickly as it began and soon, the registrar pronounced Atlas and me husband and wife. Atlas has ushered us outside to take a few pictures while his so-called friends rushed off to wherever.

To anyone else, I probably looked like a happy bride standing beside her handsome husband. But the picture couldn’t hide the strain around my lips and eyes.

And if they looked closely, they would see my white knuckles from how tightly I gripped the bouquet that Atlas had thrust into my hands right before we walked into the ceremony hall.

I decided there and then that I hated the blown-up image. It was just another painful reminder of how my life had been turned upside down, all because I trusted the wrong man.

Daniel had wasted no time in posting, showing off his new woman, as if he hadn’t wrecked my life. The sight made me spend long minutes repeatedly hurling my guts into the toilet bowl.

Remembering that day made my stomach queasy again, but it also brought back the memory of Atlas finding me hunched over. I felt a smile creep onto my face as I continued turning my ring.

He had silently held my hair back from getting messed up with vomit. Then he wiped my face with a wet towel when I was done and tucked me back in bed. At that moment, I couldn’t help but remember the short time we had spent together as a couple.

He had been just as caring then, which was why his betrayal had completely blindsided me.

The smile froze on my lips and my face hardened as I turned away from the frame and stalked through the silent house, back to my room.

It would be the highest foolishness to let myself be taken in by his act now. Because that was exactly all it was, a mere performance for whatever benefit.

Even though he has not been back home since the evening of the day we got married, I had to remain on guard. Otherwise, I would risk slipping back into the same pit I had crawled out of.

When I asked Atlas why he was willing to go against his nephew, his only response had been a small shrug and a dismissive, “Don’t bother about that.”

How could I not, though? I mean, I knew Daniel disliked his uncle. After we got married, I had been forced to listen to his constant complaints about one thing or another that his uncle had done to piss him off.

Of course, I knew the real reason for his resentment. Immediately after finding out about Daniel’s relation to Atlas, I told him about my past with his uncle.

At first, Daniel had seemed cool and unbothered about it, but that quickly changed when we got married.

I should have seen the signs that something was seriously wrong with him, but then, I had been blinded by love. Or so I had thought.

Now I realize that he had certainly hated the fact that I had had anything to do with Atlas. He had even refused to let me meet his family, saying that he didn’t want them to judge me.

And I had accepted his silly explanation hook, line, and sinker.

With a soft sigh, I shook my head in disappointment as I reached my door and entered my room.

The whole space was larger than the one Daniel and I used to share before he decided to sleep in the guest bedroom. He said my nightmares kept him awake, as if I wanted to have them.

As if our baby’s death had not caused him any pain whatsoever. He made me feel like I was carrying the burden all by myself.

Clenching my jaw, I blinked quickly to hold back the tears that rose to my eyes each time I thought about what could have been.

There was no point wallowing in the past anymore. I had to focus on taking back what Daniel had stolen from me. I had only given him temporary control of the company while I grieved, but apparently, the greedy bastard had decided that it wasn’t enough.

And even though Atlas was already helping me with it, somehow, a part of me was unsettled. I didn’t want to leave the whole bulk of the work to him.

There had to be something else I could do instead of just sitting around in a house that felt as strange as my marriage.

I dropped onto the bed with a huff and leaned back to lie on the covers. I draped an arm over my face and took several deep breaths as I started to get overwhelmed.

Everything just seemed too much, happening too quickly, and I was starting to feel suffocated, like I was drowning. If only I hadn't been so blindly trusting. If only my mo—

Wait! I bolted upright with a loud gasp as an idea popped into my head.

My wide eyes stared at nothing as my mind whirled. Then finally, it clicked into place, and I let out a bubbly laugh as I clapped my hands in delight.