Semua Bab Divorced, But Taken By My Ex’s Uncle For Revenge: Bab 1 - Bab 10

“Are you out of your mind?!” is the first thing my father asks before slapping me out of nowhere and simultaneously cutting off my sentence.About wanting to leave my husband.The sound of the slap resounds in the quiet leaving room, my head snapped to the side, and for a short moment, I see nothing.Slowly, the sting sets in, my cheek throbbing, and my ears ringing as I struggle to keep my balance.Across from me, my stepmother has her eyes widened, her palms covering her opened mouth, while my stepsister — her daughter — looks less shocked.If anything, she looks like she is interested in the drama with the way she’s forgotten her beloved phone in her hand, legs crossed as she seats on the arm of the sofa.“You want to leave your husband?” My father, Jonathan Ellis, says when I straighten up, his eyes blazing with fury. “Just because of what? Because you don’t feel loved?”He says it louder this time for them to hear.And as if my step mother, Victoria Ellis, has been waiting, she c

Adrian is asleep.He’s lying on his back, one arm thrown over his head, his breathing even. He looks calm and at peace, like whatever happened earlier during dinner didn’t happen. Like our son hadn’t disrespect me and call me a terrible mother, like Vivienne hadn’t smiled at the table while he chose her over me.I, on the other hand, lie beside him, staring at the ceiling. My cheek where the knife hit me is still sore, but the dull ache is nothing compared to the one I’m feeling inside me, like I’m being ripped into two from within.Because I can’t stop thinking about us and how our marriage is only going to fray even worse now that his ex girlfriend is here, living under the same roof with us.Seven years. That was the contract marriage agreement. I was to give him an heir, and he was to provide more financial stability for my own family. It had also been agreed that if we didn’t fall in love after seven years — which we’ve already clocked — we’d go our separate ways.Maybe tonight i

The glass doors slide open as I step into the law firm.Cool air from the air conditioner hits my face, and I keep my head down, the brim of my hat low, sunglasses hiding most of my face. It’s ridiculous, considering I’ve done nothing wrong, but the city has decided otherwise. Divorce turns women into public property. Everyone feels entitled to an opinion.Which is why I don’t want anyone to see my face.Two weeks.That’s how long it’s been since everything fell apart.Two weeks of a small furnished apartment, unfamiliar ceilings, boxed food, and waiting. Waiting for my visa. Waiting for my name to fade from headlines. Waiting for the noise to die down.It hasn’t.Everywhere I go, screens glare back at me. I always see Adrian’s face, Vivienne’s fake smile, and Theo standing just close enough to look loyal, all of them looking like the new happy family they’ve painted themselves to be since news about the divorce came out.Pushing them away from my thoughts, I walk towards the receptio

The car stops in front of the building. It doesn’t stop gently, and neither does it stop abruptly either. It’s just enough of a pause to tell me we’ve arrived.The car engine is still running, the vibrating hum going through the seat, through my spine, and into my chest. Outside, I can hear the distant sounds of traffic, voices of people, and the normal life continuing at a pace that has nothing to do with mine.But I still don’t move. I simply just settle my gaze on the building before me. The registry where Nathaniel asked me to meet him after our call yesterday afternoon. And for something that legally changes a person’s life, the civil registry looks almost disappointingly ordinary, the pale walls slightly faded, with the metal gate half open as people move in and out without much attention.So this is where it happens. I reach out to push open the car door and step out, but I pause when my gaze falls on the couple who’ve just walked out of the building together. The woman is

The moment the glass doors close behind me, the noise from inside fades into a dull murmur, and the cool night air hits my face.For the first time since we arrived, I can breathe.At least, barely. I walk a little farther into the garden, my heels sinking softly into the gravel path before stopping near the low stone railing that overlooks the dark lawn.My chest still feels painfully tighter than it had been earlier, and I find myself thinking back to the people inside. Dinner had been exactly what I expected. It had been awkward, tense, and judgmental, and every conversation at that table had felt like walking across broken glass.Adrian’s father barely spoke to Nathaniel at first. When he finally did, his tone was clipped and formal, like he was addressing a stranger instead of his own brother.Nathaniel, of course, remained perfectly calm, polite, and untouchable. And even when his brother asked short questions, he gave short answers.Nothing more.Across the table, Adrian, bar