Chapter 2

Anastasia’s POV

I can still feel the sting of betrayal burning in my heart as I drive into the parking lot of my parent’s house. I can't do this anymore— masking my pain beneath a smile for their reputation— not anymore. 

“I'm getting divorced!” I say to my father, my eyes flashing with defiance despite the storm of emotions swirling within me. 

He tilts his head up slowly, his sharp gaze boring into me, sending a cold chill down my spine. 

“You aren't serious about it, right?” He asks, his expression hardening. 

“I am, father!” I say, wiping the tears flowing down my cheeks. “Liam doesn't love or respect me. I can't do this any—” 

A slap lands on my cheeks before I can finish my words. Terror widens my eyes as I move my palm to my cheeks, feeling the burning sensation of the slap. I lift my head slightly and my gaze meets the cold gaze of my mother. 

“How dare you!” She thunders, her eyes burning with rage. “If Liam doesn't love or respect you, it's because you didn't put in the work to get his love or respect.” 

Her words hit me like a slap. My heart aches in my chest as hot tears flow down my cheeks. What kind of parents do I have? 

“No one has ever been divorced in this family and it won't start with you. You either make your marriage work out or you keep suffering in silence.” She whisper-yells, the venom in her eyes as clear as day. 

“You shouldn't even be called a part of this family if you can't handle your home, Anastasia. If you can't do a simple task such as making your husband love and cherish you for the past three years, then you are nothing but a failure.” My father mutters. 

A failure? Tears blur my vision as their words cut deeper than a blade. 

My parents had always asked me to endure whatever I experienced in the damn marriage. I had endured Liam's infidelity for their sake because I didn't want to ruin their reputation. 

However, I can't do this anymore. I take in a deep breath, my eyes flickering with determination. 

“I'm ending this marriage,” I say, my eyes flashing with defiance. “You two knew Liam didn't love me before you married me off to him. He is still in love with his first love and he keeps cheating with her. He even gave her the CTO position that was supposed to be mine.” My voice is steady, despite the fear crawling up my skin. 

My father lifts his eyebrow and rises to his feet. My body tense as he takes deliberate steps closer to me. Instinctively, I take a step back, my heart pounding against my chest. The tension in the room thickens as I brace myself for what is coming next. 

His cold, calculating gaze locks on me and his brows furrow. “This wasn't how you were trained, Ana.” He says, his tone devoid of any warmth. 

“I believe you weren't perfect enough for Liam, otherwise, he wouldn't have made his first love the CTO of his company.” 

His words hit me like a blow, leaving me momentarily breathless. Do they even know how hard I've worked to build Liam's company? My years of dedication and sleepless nights to seal contracts deal? Do they know about the sacrifices I made? 

I stand there, staring at him. He is still the same— cold and heartless. They never care about me and it seems like they would never care. There's no point in proving to them that my marriage can work out. 

A tear slips down my cheeks but I quickly wipe it away. I am no longer the weak daughter who does whatever they want. I have only lived for them all my life, but this time, I'm doing what's best for me. 

“You don't know how much I tried to make this workout,” I say loudly, my voice shaky. “I won't try to prove you wrong anymore. I'm ending the marriage.” 

I can feel the fury radiating from both my mom and father but I don't care anymore. Without waiting to hear any more of their words, I turn on my heels to leave. 

As soon as my fingers grab the doorknob, my father's words stop me in my tracks. 

“Once you divorce your husband, you are no longer our daughter.” He says coldly, his words slicing through the room. 

His words feel like a dagger in my chest, cutting deeper than any of his words earlier. He's willing to disown me just to keep my marriage with Liam? Does he not care about my feelings at all? My fingers tremble against the doorknob and I take a deep breath. 

“Then, so be it,” I mutter, my resolve hardening. 

Without another word, I walk out of the room, slamming the door shut behind me. And for the first time in years, I feel a strange sense of relief wash over me. 

*** 

“What's this, Anastasia?” Liam raises his voice, fixing his eyes on the divorce papers in front of him. 

“You can see clearly, Liam,” My tone rises slightly. 

I had prepared the divorce papers just months after we got married but my parents kept holding me back. I knew the marriage was going nowhere and even now, I still don't understand why they married me off to Liam Thompson. 

Liam's face contorts with rage and disgust. He sinks onto the sofa, tossing the divorce papers away from the table as if they were useless. A sinister smirk tugs at his lips, making my blood boil in fury. 

“Do you even know why your parents married you off to me?” He asks, crossing his arms over his chest. 

My eyebrows narrow in confusion and a shudder runs down my spine. For what reason did my parents marry me off to this bastard? 

“I guess you don't know. You are paying the debts owed by your parents, Anastasia. You will be my wife and employee until I say otherwise if you want your parents to be safe.” He whispers his tone firm, not leaving room for any argument. 

My eyes widen in shock and dread plummets in my stomach. Tears pool in the corner of my eyes and my hands tremble beside me.

All these years, my parents had married me off to this bastard just to pay back what they owed him, and I knew nothing about it.