Marceline’s POVI walked straight to the closet as soon as I entered the bedroom. Without wasting time, I changed out of the clothes I was wearing into something far more fashionable. Today, I had plans...shopping for outfits and jewelry.There was this new brand in town that Celesta had been raving about. So I decided to check it out...typically the kind of thing a wealthy housewife would do.I paused before the standing mirror, admiring myself. Gorgeous, I whispered, smiling at my reflection. I grabbed my bag, slid in my payment cards, and picked up my car key.“Ready to go,” I murmured to myself as I headed downstairs.But the moment I reached the bottom step, my chest tightened with scorn. Philip was still standing exactly where I had left him earlier, frozen in thought. He hadn’t even moved.“Wait, Marceline,” he said as I was about to walk past him. His voice was calm now, nothing like the shouting earlier.I let out a tired sigh and stopped.“Why are you doing this?” he asked,
Marceline’s POV “Marceline! Marceline!” I heard Philip shouting my name from upstairs, but I ignored him. My focus stayed on the woman standing before me. “I have gone through the file, and I must say, I’m impressed,” I said calmly, placing the file beside me. “Thank you, ma,” she replied gratefully. "You will start work tomorrow…if that’s okay with you,” I told her, stressing the words deliberately. I didn’t want her to begin the job with an unprepared mind. She would be working as our housekeeper, and honestly, it was long overdue. I could not keep breaking my back washing and cleaning the entire house by myself, pretending everything was fine, just to please Philip who hated the idea of hiring help. “Yes ma, it’s very okay with me,” she answered quickly, her face filled with joy at being hired. “Good. See you tomorrow.” I dismissed her with a nod. She bowed slightly, gratitude written all over her face, before she walked out of the house. The moment the door click
Dominic POV The graveyard was cold and heavy with silence. The wind cut through the bare branches, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and old flowers. Rows of weathered stones stretched endlessly, but my eyes found only one. I stood before it, my chest rising and falling slowly as my dark eyes lingered on the portrait of a woman carved into the granite. Under her face, the elegant words were etched clearly: Helena Halvourne, 30 years old. My wife. The woman I had loved all my life. The woman who had died eight years ago while giving birth to our son, Matthew. She would have been thirty-eight years old today. I remained unmoving, but my heart was heavy. The sharp ache inside me was the same as the day she left. Slowly, I lifted a hand and rubbed at the corner of my eye where a single tear threatened to fall. Eight years. Yet it still felt like yesterday. The wound had never healed. She was not only my wife..she was my childhood friend, the only person who truly underst
Marceline POV I sat on a bench in the garden of our mansion, knitting a sweater for Roman while watching him play happily on the grass. I had returned home after dropping Celesta at her place, and Roman was already back from school. The sun was dipping low, painting the sky orange. “Daddy!” Roman’s voice rang out suddenly. I looked up and saw him running toward Philip, who lifted him into his arms and twirled him around with a smile. My heart clenched, and I quickly dropped my gaze back to my knitting needles. My fingers moved automatically, but my chest trembled. I couldn’t bear to watch them. It wasn’t that Roman didn’t deserve his father’s love...he did, he deserved every ounce of it. But Philip didn’t deserve Roman. He didn’t deserve the title of father, or husband, anymore. Still, I bit down on my bitterness. For Roman’s sake, I would endure. I would never take away the happiness he found in his father’s arms. Philip’s footsteps drew closer, and the bench shifted slightly a
Marceline POV I stepped out of my car and walked into the mansion, trying to steady my steps. My legs were still shaking from last night. From what that man had done to me. I could still feel him… his touch, his strength, the way he had taken me again and again in different positions until I almost forgot my own name. He told me I would feel good and I did. More than I had ever imagined. “Where are you coming from?” The first thing I heard as soon as I entered was Philip’s angry voice. I didn’t answer immediately. My eyes went to my son, Roman, standing beside him in his school uniform. “Mummy!” Roman called, running into my arms. “My baby.” I bent down, hugging him tightly. God, I had missed him. “You’re ready for school?” I asked with a smile. Roman nodded brightly. “You’ve eaten, right?” I pressed. “Yes,” he replied quickly. “Let me see your bag and lunch box,” I said, taking them to check. I needed to make sure he had enough food and snacks for the day. “Don’t worry,
Marceline POV Knock. Knock. The sound pulled me out of sleep. I frowned, raising my heavy head and blinking, trying to recognize where I was. Relief washed over me when I realized I was still in my car. But then the headache hit me again, pounding hard. Knock. The sound came again. I turned and saw a traffic warden knocking on my window. I sighed and lowered the glass. “Are you okay, ma?” he asked, his voice full of concern. “Yes… I’m fine,” I replied, rubbing my forehead. The pain throbbed stronger. “Are you sure, ma? You’ve been here for five hours.” “Five hours?” I blinked at him, stunned. My eyes darted around. The sky was already dark. He was right. I had been sitting here for hours. I hadn’t even realized it. I must have cried myself to sleep after leaving Anastasia’s villa. How had I even managed to pull my shaking body out of that house? I didn’t know. “If you’re really okay, ma, can you move your car?” his voice pulled me out of my thoughts again. “Yes