Chapter 1 - The Divorce He Demanded

Serena's POV

The sharp knock on the office door came just as I finished signing the final document on my desk.

“Come in,” I said distractedly, not bothering to look up immediately.

I heard the door open roughly, followed by a loud slam that made me raise my head.

Damian walked into my office without greeting me, his expression cold and impatient. Behind him, my assistant looked nervous.

“I tried my best to stop him, but he wouldn't—”

“Go,” he said coldly.

She paused for a second, then looked at me for a signal.

“Don't worry, you can go,” I reassured her.

After she left, I frowned slightly at him.

Damian looked at me with so much anger and disgust. He didn't sit.

I slowly placed my pen down. “What's the problem?”

Without answering, he violently threw a thick file onto my desk.

The papers slid across the table. I looked at them and froze.

Divorce papers.

I thought I had misread them.

I looked up at him. “What is this?”

“Exactly what it looks like,” Damian answered flatly.

I waited for him to say it was a joke. I knew our marriage hadn't been going smoothly, but I didn't know it was this serious.

“You're divorcing me?” I asked quietly.

“I'm ending a marriage that stopped working a long time ago,” he answered.

I stood up from my chair. “Where is this coming from?”

Damian finally sat down across from me, leaning back comfortably.

“Vanessa and I are together.”

I froze. The world stopped for a second. I blinked once.

My throat suddenly felt dry. “What?” I whispered as I sat back down.

“I love Vanessa. I want to be with her.”

My stomach twisted. For a second, I couldn't process the words properly.

Vanessa. My half-sister.

I stared at him, trying to see if there was any guilt written on his face. There was none.

“You're joking? My sister?” I whispered.

“I'm not.” He didn't even pause.

“Damian, you're sleeping with my sister?” I asked with a laugh, trying to stay as calm as possible.

“You don't need to be dramatic. Just sign the papers,” he said calmly.

Dramatic?

“You walk into my office with divorce papers and tell me you're in love with my sister, and you think you have the right to call me dramatic?” I asked.

“I'm trying to be honest with you for once.”

My chest tightened.

For once.

“How long?” I asked quietly.

“A while.”

I nodded slowly. “I see.”

“Serena, don't paint me as the bad guy. This marriage has been dead for years.”

I looked at him sharply. “Maybe for you.”

He leaned closer. “You care more about this company than this marriage.”

“You don't get to make excuses or blame me for cheating,” I said.

“I'm not blaming you,” he sighed. “It's the truth.”

Damian slid the papers closer toward me.

“Sign them.”

I didn't move, still in shock.

He leaned back in his chair and said casually, “I also want half of Vale Holdings.”

I looked at him and frowned. “Excuse me?”

“I helped the company too.”

This time, I actually laughed. A disbelieving laugh. He couldn't possibly be serious.

“So, if I understand you correctly, you cheated on me with my sister and now you want half of my company?”

“Our company,” he corrected.

I laughed bitterly.

“No,” I said firmly. “My father built this company, protected it, and left it to me to continue protecting it. You do not get half of it because you slept with Vanessa or me.”

Damian’s jaw tightened. “You're being irrational and greedy.”

“And you're being an ass,” I retorted.

Silence fell between us, cold and tense, both of us standing our ground.

Damian suddenly stood up and tapped the papers.

“Think carefully before refusing me, Serena.”

I crossed my arms. “I already did.”

“You'll regret making this difficult.”

I stared directly at him. “Get out of my office.”

For a second, neither of us moved.

Damian scoffed, grabbed his jacket, and walked toward the door.

Before leaving, he turned back. “Vanessa makes me happier than you ever did.”

Then he walked out.

Just like that, five years of loving someone collapsed in under ten minutes.

The second he left, my legs weakened. I sat back down and stared at the divorce papers still sitting on my desk.

My hand trembled, not because I wanted to cry, but because I didn't know what to do.

I grabbed my phone immediately and texted the only person I could think of.

Evelyn.

| I need you.

Her reply came less than a minute later.

| What happened?

I stared at the screen for a second before replying.

| Damian… he wants a divorce, and he's sleeping with Vanessa.

Three dots appeared, disappeared, then appeared again.

| I'm coming over.

Two hours later, Evelyn sat across from me in my living room while I explained everything.

Every word felt unreal coming out of my mouth. Even Evelyn looked horrified.

“That psychopath actually asked for half the company?”

I nodded tiredly.

“He said I'd regret refusing him.”

Evelyn scoffed angrily. “Don't you dare give him anything, Serena.”

I rubbed my temples tiredly. “I don't even know what to think anymore.”

“Yes, you do,” Evelyn said firmly. “You built this company. Your father trusted you with it for a reason.”

I looked down quietly.

“You don't back down.” Her voice softened. “And you definitely don't hand over half your life's work to a man who betrayed you with your sister.”

Tears burned my eyes briefly, but I blinked them away. I was too exhausted to cry properly.

Evelyn reached over and squeezed my hand. “You're stronger than this. Call me if they try anything, okay?”

I promised I would, but somehow, deep down, I already knew tonight wasn't over.

It was almost eleven when the doorbell rang.

My stomach dropped.

I knew who it was.

I opened the door, and there they were.

Damian stood there while Vanessa stood beside him, completely shameless.

Vanessa walked inside like she owned the place. “You've had enough time to calm down,” she said calmly.

I stared at her in disbelief. “You really came here together? You both are truly shameless.”

Damian shut the door behind him. “Sign the papers, Serena.”

Vanessa crossed her arms. “Dragging this out won't help you.”

“And sleeping with my husband helped you?”

She rolled her eyes. “God, stop acting like a victim.”

Damian snapped, “Don't think you can keep the company from me.”

“Yes, I can keep my company from you.”

His eyes darkened. “You think you can survive without me?”

I stepped closer. “I survived before you. I'll survive after you.”

Vanessa scoffed loudly. “You're so arrogant.”

I turned to her sharply. “And you're pathetic.”

“Serena, sign the papers.”

“No.”

“Serena—”

“No!”

My voice echoed loudly through the living room.

For a second, silence filled the house.

Then suddenly, Vanessa shoved me hard.

It happened so quickly I barely reacted.

My body stumbled backward violently. Pain exploded through my skull as the back of my head slammed against the sharp edge of the coffee table.

A horrible crack filled the room.

The floor hit me next, hard.

Everything went blurry, and the last thing I heard was a panicked voice yelling my name.

I tried moving, but my body went numb. I felt warm liquid slowly spreading beneath my head.

The last thing I saw was Damian bending down to pick me up while Vanessa backed away in shock.

Voices echoed around me, muffled and far away.

I slowly forced my eyes open.

Light blurred my vision before the room finally came into focus.

It wasn't my house.

And it was definitely not a hospital.

I winced from the sharp pain at the back of my head.

The room looked massive. Golden curtains lined the walls while unfamiliar servants moved around quietly nearby.

An elegantly dressed woman sat beside me with visible relief on her face.

“Oh, thank God,” she whispered. “Miss Lilith, you're finally awake.”

I frowned weakly. “What?”

“We were beginning to think your accident would delay your engagement.”

Confusion flooded me instantly.

“Engagement?”

The woman nodded happily.

“Yes, Miss Lilith. Your marriage arrangement with Mr. Adrian Knight is tomorrow.”