All Chapters of After The Vows: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Chapter One — The pains of a single mother People like to say life gets better with time.That’s a lie.If anything, mine kept getting worse, like the universe had picked me as its favorite punching bag and decided to never get tired.I wiped the counter for the third time, even though it was already clean, my mind drifting somewhere far away from the small café and the smell of burnt coffee. My feet ached, my back hurt, and my head felt heavy from lack of sleep. I had worked two shifts yesterday and barely slept three hours before rushing here this morning.Bills don’t care if you’re tired, Hunger doesn’t either, I was doing all of this for my children , the ones who made life worth living.“Alia!”I flinched at the sound of my manager’s voice, snapping me out of my thoughts. Before I could even turn around, I heard her heels clicking angrily toward me.“What are you daydreaming about?” she snapped. “Customers are waiting…Alia , What is wrong with you ?”“I’m sorry,” I said quickly,

Chapter Three — Drew Jacob's WifeHe wasn’t, in fact, dying to meet me like my parents made me believeThat realization didn’t come on my wedding day because that day was perfect , It came as I became his wife , Actually living with him was hell .I had been married to Drew Jacobs for two years, and in those two years, I learned that a marriage could exist without love, affection , or kindness and still look perfect to everyone watching from the outside, We just had to play our paths perfectly.My parents had sold me to him as a flawless woman. A daughter raised abroad, They had told so much lies about me that.I became who never question him, never inconvenience him, never embarrassed his family.I tried to become that woman.I memorized his routines. Learned his moods. Studied his life in just the few months of our marriage . I learned when to speak and when to disappear. Somewhere between playing the part , I fell in love with him.I hated myself for it because of how he treated

Chapter Five —“ Get out of my life " The twins sat quietly in the back seat as I drove out of my parents’ compound.I wiped my tears with the back of my hand, blinking hard so the road wouldn’t blur. My chest felt tight, like someone had wrapped a rope around it and kept pulling.I was scared even though I took the brave step to tell my mother that I was ready for what was next but a part of me still wanted things to work with Drew Drew was the only man I had ever loved since the one-night mistake that changed my life forever. After that night at eighteen, after the man who got me pregnant disappeared like I never existed, I had sworn I would never love again.And yet… I loved Drew.Even when he made it hard.Even when he didn’t love me back. I had endured so much because I believed patience could fix anything,because I had fallen in love with this man after my life had been shattered years ago and I vowed to never love any man But now his past lover had resurfaced and I knew nothi

Chapter 7“Alia!”My sister screamed in my face.“When will you ever learn to do things right? Do you know how important your marriage to Drew is to this family?”I looked at my kids. I could see the panic on their faces.“Babies, go to your room,” I said softly. “I’ll join you later.”“Okay, Mommy,” Liam replied.I knew they didn’t want to leave my side. I could see it in their faces. But I didn’t want them witnessing another chaos. Not anymore. I watched until they were out of sight.“Alice,” I said, turning back to her. “Did you even bother to ask what caused the divorce before pouring all the blame on me?”“I don’t need to ask,” she lashed out. “You are the reason, Alia. Same old you, always ruining every opportunity you get. You had just one job—stay married to Drew Jacobs. And you failed. Whose fault is that? Mine? Or Dad’s? Or Mum’s?”“He was with another woman in our home,” I said, my voice shaking. “The kids saw him.”She frowned. “Wait… you didn’t say you were taking them to

Chapter 9 Alia’s pov I wasn’t dreaming. This was all real, and even if it was a dream, I sure didn’t want to wake up from it. I stood in the living room and slowly turned around, assessing the house again. I had always wanted to buy a house for myself and the kids. A place we could call home without the fear of being chased away. A place that belonged to us. I turned to Liam and Luna. They were still running around, opening doors, checking every room. Their laughter filled the house as they jumped from one room to the other, excitement written all over their faces. “Mum, is this really ours now?” Luna asked, jumping. “Yes, baby.” I walked over and squatted in front of her. “Come here.” I held both her and Liam’s hands. “Do you like your rooms?” “I love it!” they both screamed in unison. “It’s bigger than the ones we had at Grandma and Grandpa’s house,” Liam added proudly. “I’m glad you like them,” I said softly. “I’m sorry I had to take you both out of the city l