Prologue

A month earlier

With shaky hands and a smile of excitement plastered on her lips, Lena rang the doorbell of the large, elegantly structured house.

Adrenaline rushed up to her brain, and she felt jittery with happiness as her dirt-stained fingers made their way to caress the flat circular pendant of her golden necklace.

She walked over to the window beside the door and peered through. The classy golden brown interior was just as she remembered, but a bit shinier. "Looks like Adrian had the maids prepare for my return," she thought, her stomach fluttering with butterflies.

"I miss him so much!" She beamed and bounced back to the front door, ringing the bell again with more excitement.

"Coming!" A female voice sang from within.

Lena paused, frowning for a nanosecond. She knew that voice. "How thoughtful of Mira to come help Adrian set up the house," she thought, her heart ringing with more joy.

The door opened with a swift movement, and Lena's wide smile plastered back on her face. "Mira!!" she exclaimed, pulling her in for a hug, which Mira didn't return. Instead, Mira stood there with her eyes widened in shock.

"I'm so glad to see you, Mira," Lena said, but Mira pushed her away, looking her over with disgust.

Lena didn't mind. "You look so good, you know." She chuckled and continued, "Unlike me, though. The cells definitely didn't have disinfectant nor—"

"Baby, who's that?" A male voice interrupted, and Lena's soul brightened up more than it already was.

"Adrian!" She screamed, running towards him with her arms wide open, but in the blink of an eye, she felt a sharp pain in her neck, and she was on the ground.

Before she could realise what had just happened, Adrian and Mira towered over her. There was a look of satisfaction and spite on Mira's face and one of anger on Adrian's as she let out a slight cough.

"W—what's wrong?" Lena asked softly, looking from one person to the other as her hand made its way to her neck, which was starting to burn.

"Holy shit, Adrian, I still can't believe you got married to such a stupid human being!" Mira snared, with a fraustrated hand on her forehead.

"I know, right? What was I thinking?" Adrian growled, crouching to Lena's level.

"What's going on? Is everything alright?" Lena asked again, staring into her husband's eyes. But it didn't seem like the same man who stared back.

Her brows creased. "Adrian," she muttered softly.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Adrian asked.

Lena's voice quivered. "I—I don't understand. I just got released from prison. You were so busy at work. I didn't bother calling you, so I—"

"Shhh," he shushed.

Lena could feel hot liquid settle beneath her eyeballs. She didn't like his demeanour at all.

"I mean, what are you doing in my house, Lena?" Adrian asked, his tone cold.

Lena's face contorted in confusion. "I returned from prison to my husband's house."

Mira rolled her eyeballs. "She gets dumber by the second."

"Does this place look anything like where you were married into?" Lena turned to look around the house, though she could swear she walked into the right house. She turned back to him.

"You don't remember? We're married, Adrian. Two years ago, twenty-sixth of May, remember? You said you love me." A tear rolled down her cheeks as she explained in half a whisper.

"Oh, really?" His face lit up with a smile of mockery. "Where's the ring to prove it?"

Lena swiftly brought her fingers to her face, suddenly realising she hadn't left with her ring. She wiped off her tears and began touching every space, hoping they'd slipped it somewhere in her clothes.

"It's here, I swear," she said, repeating her action continuously. She didn't know which hurt more; the reality staring right in her face or the pain in her neck, which was getting worse with every movement her head made.

Either way, she felt her heart empty out, leaving a painful space that made more tears cascade down her cheeks and blur her vision.

"Anyway," Adrian stood up and walked away from her pathetic figure on the ground. "Without wasting anymore of my time," he collected a few stapled papers from Mira and gave her a deep kiss on the lips while Lena watched helplessly.

He tossed the papers on Lena's face, and as she blinked away the tears in her eyes, they landed on the heading of the page: "Divorce agreement."

"No, Adrian, no, please," she muttered, as her shattering heart echoed in her ears. She quickly stood up from the ground and slowly began walking towards them with the paper shaking terribly in her hands.

“I promise I won't touch your things anymore. I can live in the garage like you always wanted. I'll obey anything you tell me. Please don't do this to me." she could feel a migraine on one side of her head. A sickness she never had the chance to cure completely.

"Just sign the fucking documents and be on your way, Lena. You're stinking up the place." Mira said and turned back to Adrian, who was squeezing every part of her sophisticated body.

Lena stared back down at the tear stained documents which her dirty hands held. More tears dropped. “I have nowhere else to go," she said weakly. Remembering the terrors that awaited her if she went back home, especially in this state.

“Please,” she whispered, lips quivering

“You really don't have to sign it now. You can take it wherever you're going but make sure it's signed the next time you walk towards this building," Adrian warned sternly.

Mira proudly walked over to the door and held it open for her to leave.

Lena looked from one person to the other, not wanting to believe either one could betray her this way. Was this really happening? She thought as she slowly and weakly walked towards the door, remembering she hadn't eaten for days.

“Adrian." She suddenly stopped halfway through the door and turned around. With teary eyes, “I—”

Mira swiftly interrupted “Get out, Lena.”