All Chapters of Shattered Vows: Chapter 1 - Chapter 4

CHAPTER 1— THE SECRET BRIDEAlthea Rivera’s POVI used to believe that love could survive anythingndistance, lies, even silence. But I’ve learned that sometimes, silence isn’t peace. It’s the sound of a heart breaking quietly in a room no one knows exists.My name is Althea Rivera Navarro.At least, it’s supposed to be.Only a handful of people know that name exists Damian’s family, our lawyer, and me. To the rest of the world, I am simply Althea Rivera, the marketing head of Navarro Group, brilliant at presentations and loyal to my boss, the CEO everyone adores Damian Navarro, my husband.Our marriage is not a secret because it’s forbidden. It’s a secret because he wanted it that way.I wake up to the familiar echo of my alarm cutting through the stillness of our bedroom. The soft hum of the city beyond our penthouse window barely reaches me. For a moment, I stare at the ceiling, tracing the faint reflection of dawn’s light on the white paint. The space around me feels too big, too q

Chapter 3 – The Stranger’s EyesAlthea Rivera’s POVThe bus wound through a serpentine road surrounded by towering pines and slopes bathed in gold. The air smelled of salt and pine sap, thick with the promise of something unfamiliar. Everyone was buzzing with chatter, but I sat quietly by the window, the sound of laughter behind me blending into a blur.It had been a long week. Meetings, reports, sleepless nights and Damian, as usual, had been more ghost than husband. He said he’d follow on a private flight; appearances had to be maintained. Always appearances.I ran a thumb over the simple silver ring on my chain, hidden beneath my blouse. It was all I could wear of our marriage. No one could know.When the bus finally pulled into the resort gates, everyone gasped. Navarro Haven Resort stretched like a painting come to life endless blue pools glimmering beneath the sun, villas tucked into the hillside, and glass buildings that seemed to float over water. It was perfection. Expensive,