Chapter 1

“Venus… meet Annalise.” He smiled. “And this is my son, Alexander.

The words hit her like a fist to the chest.

Venus was sitting at the dining table with a cup of tea in her hand. Slowly, she lifted her eyes to look at Leo standing a few feet away from her.

Her hands shook violently, and the cup of tea she hadn’t even finished slipped from her grasp.

Ann… Annalise?

Her throat went dry, “What…. What is this? She said, her voice barely above whisper.

Leo’s eyes were obsidian. The man she had loved, the man she had trusted, the man she had married… standing there with his ex-lover, the woman who had once left him broken, who had walked away and shattered his heart.

“They’re my family now,” Leo said casually, like it was nothing.

Her eyes widened in shock, family? Her gaze bounced between them, her mind refusing to accept the scene as reality.

She felt a tickle in her eyes, but she tried so hard to hold back the tear.

She can't believe this was the same man who showered her with love and affection for years. Was it just a pretense? Was he faking it all along?

“These are divorce papers,” he said, sliding them in front of her. “Sign it”.

She swallowed painfully. It was like a heavy hammer had struck her.

Divorce?

She stood up, looking at him in disbelief. She had never imagined he could go this far. After seven years of being together, after building a life side by side, he now wanted to destroy it all… all because of her.

“You can't be serious, Leo”.

Every memory, every promise, every quiet moment they had shared felt like it was being ripped away, and the thought made her chest ache with a pain she could barely bear.

Leo smirked, a cruel curve of his lips. “I am serious. I've always loved Ann, I never stopped, not even after she left.

I never loved you and you know it. You were just a convenient mistake I made. I shouldn't have married you, I should have remained friends with you. But now I can’t continue with this anymore.

Her heart tightened. All these years, all the nights, all the whispered promises… All a lie?

Tears she had been trying so hard to suppress finally streamed down her cheeks. hot and unforgiving. She knew he never loved her, but hearing him say it out loud shattered her heart into pieces.

“I won’t divorce you,” she said, trembling, wiping the tears off her face and sniffing. “I won't sign it”

Leo stepped closer, his presence swallowing her space. His fingers lifted her chin with a grip firm enough to make her breath hitch.

“Don’t test me, Venus,” he said quietly, his voice low and cruel.

Pain pulsed through her jaw as she tried to pull away.

“Let go of me, Leo! You’re hurting me!” she screamed.

His eyes darkened. “I’ll make your life more miserable if you refuse to sign it,”

He released her abruptly, slamming his fist against the table. The papers rattled. “I’ll break you until you beg.”

“What more can you do?” she hissed, voice rising. “You can’t break me anymore than you already have. I won’t sign it, Leo. Do your worst”.

She stared at his face, desperate for any trace of the man she had loved, any spark of memory, any regret. Nothing, just stone face.

He smirked evilly, “sweetheart, you have no idea how much more damage I can do.”

He turned around and stomped out the dining room and went upstairs. Annalise followed him. Venus then sank down against the table.

What did I do wrong? I’ve been faithful, sacrificed everything, and now… he brings her here, in my home, and asks for a divorce?

A shiver ran through her, but she forced herself to straighten her shoulders.

No, she said. She wiped away the tears furiously, mad at herself for being weak. I can't give in to weakness now, because if I do, I'll lose what I hold dear to my heart. I can't give in to what that bitch wants.

A small, tentative voice broke her thoughts.

“Aunty…”

Venus froze, her heart lurching. She turned, and there he was Alexander, hands reaching out, eyes wide and innocent.

“I’m hungry,” he said softly, almost shyly, looking up at her.

Her chest tightened. Pain and warmth collided in a confusing swirl. She had no idea how to feel. Angry? Hurt? Afraid? Or… tender?

She knelt to his level, forcing a small, uneven smile.

“Okay, baby,” she whispered, her voice breaking slightly. “Let’s get you something to eat.”

Alexander clambered onto a chair, fidgeting with his small hands.

She busied herself in the kitchen, chopping, stirring, trying to focus on the cooking.

“You want… pasta?” she asked softly, glancing at him.

Alexander nodded, eyes brightening. “Yes, please, Aunty.”

She caught herself hesitating, a memory flashing of Leo, of the life she had lost.

But this little boy… he didn’t deserve her pain, and yet, seeing him, so small and trusting, she felt a pang that was impossible to name.

As she stirred the sauce, Alexander padded around her legs, tiny footsteps soft against the floor. He tugged gently at her apron.

“Can I help?” he asked quietly.

Venus smiled at him, swallowing hard. The sight of his hopeful, innocent face made her heart ache in ways words couldn’t describe.

“Not yet, baby,” she said softly. “You stay here and watch me, okay?”

He nodded solemnly, eyes wide, then leaned against the counter, watching her cook.

Her hands shook slightly as she plated the pasta, her mind torn between her anger at Leo and an unexpected, strange tenderness for this small boy who had become part of that life she never wanted.

She set the plate in front of him. “Here… eat slowly, okay?”

Alexander dug in eagerly, humming happily with each bite. The sound hit her heart painfully, yet somehow comforting.

For a moment, she let herself just breathe.

She reached for a cold glass of water from the fridge, hoping it would calm the burning in her throat.

Behind her, there was a slight movement. A presence. She assumed Alexander had finished eating. She didn't hear the footsteps, her mind was too full.

As she turned to check on the little boy, a hit landed on her face with brutal force….

Slap!!