1

[MADISON ROSE]

It’s been a month since my husband disappeared — right after our first night together. He took my virginity, said nothing, and just left. I still have no idea why. He hasn’t even come back.

I sat there staring at the teacup on the table, sighing heavily, feeling all the disappointment and sadness weighing down on me.

Right now, I'm back living at my father’s house. I tried staying at Marco’s place for the first three days, but it was unbearable — just me, the guards, and a few house staff. The loneliness pushed me to come home.

I can still clearly remember how furious Dad was when he found out what happened. He blamed me, saying I wasn’t good enough to be a wife, and that’s why Marco left. I didn’t argue. I was used to hearing that kind of thing from him — I grew up with it.

"Maddie, do you need anything? Maybe you're hungry?" Our housekeeper appeared, giving me a warm smile.

I smiled back and shook my head. "No, thanks. I'm okay. Not hungry."

She nodded and left, and just like that, I was alone again.

Dad’s out at the company today. Ever since the news of my marriage to Marco Moretti broke, our company’s reputation has skyrocketed. Stocks are up, and investors are suddenly interested.

Funny thing is, Marco was never supposed to be my husband. Originally, I was supposed to marry Carson Jenkins, the son of one of Dad’s friends. But then Dad realized marrying Carson wouldn’t help the company; it might even hurt it. That’s when the Morettis made their offer. Dad jumped at the chance.

At first, my father wanted my sister, Violet, to marry into their family. But they specifically asked for the eldest daughter — and that was me. Dad wasn’t thrilled, but he agreed anyway.

"Maddie..."

I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Violet’s voice. She’s my younger half-sister — Dad’s daughter from his second marriage. My mother passed away when I was really little, so I barely remember her.

"Yeah, Violet?" I said, curious.

She smiled gently, but I could see the sadness in her eyes. "Wanna come to the mall with me and my friends? It might cheer you up a bit. I know Papa’s been hard on you lately."

I shook my head and smiled. "Thanks, Vi. But you go ahead and have fun. Don’t worry about me."

Even though we’re only half-sisters, Violet and I are close. Her mom — my stepmom, Aunt Mildred — has always been kind to me, so I’ve been lucky in that way, even if Dad isn’t always the easiest person.

Violet nodded, though I could tell she didn’t like leaving me alone.

After a while, I decided to head back to my room. I watched Violet leave through the window, then climbed onto my bed, hoping to get some rest. Even though I hadn’t done much, I felt tired all the time.

"Madison!"

When I heard my father yelling, I squeezed my eyes shut tight. I thought he'd be at work today, but clearly, he’d changed plans just to come home and yell at me again. I braced myself for the storm I knew was coming — after all, I was never his favorite. To him, I was the screw-up, while Violet was the golden child.

"Walter, leave Maddie alone!" Aunt Mildred tried to calm him down, but it didn’t do much.

The door to my room slammed open, and I didn’t even have to look to know it was Dad. I stood up, ready to defend myself, but before I could say anything, he threw a stack of photos onto my bed.

"Take a look at these!" he barked. "We just got them. The media probably hasn’t picked it up yet — Marco's family might be trying to keep it quiet. But there he is — your husband — with another woman!"

Tired and drained, I picked up the photos and flipped through them. There was Marco, living it up with some woman I'd never seen before, somewhere overseas, looking like he didn't have a care in the world.

"I don’t know anything, Dad. He hasn’t reached out to me—"

"If you had been a proper wife, he wouldn't have left you behind! You couldn’t even keep your husband, just like you’re no help to this family either!" he snapped.

I could hear Aunt Mildred trying to calm him down, but he wasn’t having it.

"Why are you blaming me for this, Papa?" I said, my voice trembling with anger. "I’m not the one who cheated. I’m not the one who left! Why is this my fault?"

Before I could say another word, Papa raised his hand like he was about to hit me — but Aunt Mildred grabbed his arm just in time.

"And now you’re talking back? You’re nothing but a burden! You’ve never brought anything good to this family, and now you’ve failed as a wife too!" he roared.

"Enough!" Aunt Mildred cut in, her voice sharp. "Maddie needs rest. She's been through enough already, Walter. Can’t you show even a little compassion?"

Papa kept muttering angrily under his breath, but finally, he turned his rage back on me one last time before storming off.

"If that man divorces you, Maddie, it’s going to be a disaster for me!" he shouted before slamming the door behind him.

Scenes like this had become my new normal since I came back home. Papa’s disappointment never missed a chance to find me. But thankfully, Aunt Mildred and Violet were always there, trying to shield me from the worst of it.

"Please try to understand him," Aunt Mildred said gently, resting a hand on my arm. "The company’s under a lot of pressure. There’s talk that Marco might leave you, and investors are getting nervous. Your father’s scared, Maddie. That’s why he’s taking it out on you."

I knew how much Papa cared about Marco — and even more about the investments Marco’s family brought in. They basically saved our company from going under. Now, with rumors flying about Marco being with another woman — or planning to divorce me — a lot of those investors might pull out.

By now, I was used to Papa's yelling and nasty words. I’d learned to let them roll off me. His insults didn’t sting as much anymore.

The next day, I got some unsettling news: Marco was rumored to be coming back to the country. I didn’t even know how to feel about it. Papa kept hammering me with lectures, warning me that Marco would probably show up just to file for divorce. I just stayed quiet, unsure of what to say.

After disappearing right after our wedding night, now he decided to come back? If it was just to end things, fine. I could live with that. What really scared me was how my father would react.

I wanted to run — to just get out of here — but that was easier said than done. Every time I even tried to slip away, Papa would catch me and lock me in the attic for weeks. He made sure I had food and water, but being trapped in that dark, cramped space was terrifying. I guess that’s why I still get scared of dark places even now.

Papa’s words that day hit harder than anything else:

"If Marco Moretti divorces you, I don't know what I’ll do to you! Your mother should have taken you with her when she died!"

Hearing that made me clench my teeth just to hold back the emotions. Whatever little appetite I had left was completely gone.

But the worst part wasn’t even the threats or the shouting. It was realizing that my own father — the man who was supposed to love me — was actually wishing I had died, too.