All Chapters of Shattered Vows: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

CHAPTER 12 – A GLIMPSE OF THE TRUTHAlthea’s POVI used to believe truths revealed themselves gently like petals opening in warm light, soft and harmless.But this truth didn’t arrive gently.It arrived like a crack in glass: small, sharp, almost invisible at first…and then growing, spreading, threatening to shatter everything beneath my feet.After the “confession game,” my heart still hadn’t stopped pounding.I lied.Not about a meaningless detail, but about the one thing everyone in that room would never guessThat I was married to the CEO they all worshiped.That I wasn’t just a nobody or a simple marketing head.That I was Damian Vega’s hidden wife.The secret burned in my chest even now, long after the game ended and everyone scattered back to their villas. Celine had smiled at me a little too sweetly when she walked away. Damian had barely looked at me, too busy tearing his gaze away when

CHAPTER 14 — The Brother’s TruthAlthea’s POV • conversational formatI didn’t even remember walking to Darius’s villa.I didn’t remember knocking.I only remembered the moment the door opened and his eyes met mine and the world I’d been clinging to finally collapsed.“Althea?” he said softly. “You’re shaking.”“Then open the door wider,” I whispered, “because I’m either going to pass out or scream.”He stepped aside instantly. No hesitation.I walked inside, not trusting my legs, my breath, or my sanity.The door clicked shut behind me.And then… silence.He stayed a few steps away, watching me like he already knew why I was here and dreaded it.I spoke first.“You have a scar,” I said. My voice was thin, almost breaking. “On your shoulder.”His jaw tensed.“I do.”“Damian doesn’t.”Darius closed his eyes briefly. Like he was praying. Or br

CHAPTER 16 – THE COLD DISTANCEDamian’s POVShe was distant. That was the first thing I noticed—though I tried not to admit it, even to myself. The way she avoided eye contact. The way her laughs didn’t quite reach her eyes. The way she lingered a little too long on her phone, tapping it like she was waiting for something, anyone, to distract her from… whatever it was.And maybe it was work. I told myself it was work. She was always meticulous, always trying to keep the balance. I shouldn’t overthink it. I kept repeating that like a mantra, but every time she brushed past me, there was a chill in her touch that hadn’t been there before. I felt it, and I hated it.I hated it because I didn’t understand it. And I hated it because I did.I kept watching her from across the room during our meetings, the way her shoulders stiffened when I entered, the way her hands curled around her pen a little too tightly, the way she didn’t answer me immedi

CHAPTER 18 – THE LETTERAlthea’s POVThe note came without warning.I found it tucked beneath my laptop one morning, crisp and clean, the paper faintly scented with something I couldn’t place cologne, maybe, or something sharper, something Darius. My hand trembled as I picked it up, eyes flicking around the office to make sure no one was watching.It was unsigned at first, just a carefully folded sheet of white. My pulse hammered as I unfolded it, revealing his familiar handwriting.Althea,If you are reading this, I’ve gone before you could see me. I didn’t want to leave like this, but I also couldn’t stay without saying what I’ve carried in my chest every day. I owe you the truth everything I’ve never said aloud, everything I’m too afraid to voice when you’re near.My stomach twisted. I pressed the paper to my lips, inhaling the faint scent again. His words were gentle, tentative, like he was speaking to a frightened v

CHAPTER 20 – THE STORM WITHINAlthea’s POVI hadn’t slept well in days. Not because of work. Not because of deadlines. Not because of meetings, or projects, or any of the usual stresses that normally kept me awake. No, this was different.This was because of him. Damian.Or maybe because of us.I stared at the ceiling, the faint glow of the city lights through the curtains casting shadows across the room. My chest felt heavy. My hands trembled slightly as I clutched the blanket around me. I could still see his face his eyes, that dark, unreadable gaze that had always made me feel like he could see right through me. And now… now I felt like he had started seeing something I wasn’t ready for him to see.The letter.Darius’s letter.I could still feel the weight of it, even though it wasn’t in my hands anymore. I’d left it where it belonged or at least where I thought it belonged. Out of sight, out of mind. But the