All Chapters of PHENOMENAL: After Everything : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

"Emilia, why are you still standing there? You have been there for a while now. Don't you want your money back?" The voice belonged to my ex-husband's father, a heavyset man whose shirt buttons strained across his stomach. He was calling me again, louder this time. I was only supposed to collect my money and leave. Rui himself had told me to get it back through his father, as though I were a stranger asking for a favor instead of the woman who had been his wife. Now his father was shouting my name across the room, and every part of me wanted to shout back. But I could not. I swallowed my anger, straightened my face into a smile, and answered sweetly, "Yes, Darling. I'm just getting myself ready."The word tasted bitter in my mouth. Saying it was irritating, but it was part of my plan. Rui would get exactly what he deserved, and soon. Until then, I would simply pretend to be interested. I turned back to the mirror and stared at my own reflection. My face looked calm, almost

“Nora, please. We didn’t come here to exchange words. We only came here to speak with Rui.” I tried to speak calmly. “Well, you are in my house.” “Only if you are wise enough to know that we aren’t here to exchange words.” “Who do you think you are?” Clara asked. I could hear the anger in her tone. “Clara, you shouldn’t...” Before I could finish my sentence, Rui immediately interrupted me. “Let’s go outside, please.” I simply forced myself to remain calm. Rui looked directly into my eyes, fully aware of what he had done, yet he stood there as though everything was perfectly normal. We eventually stepped outside so that we could speak alone. “I already know the reason you are here,” he said calmly. “Meet me at my office by four o’clock tomorrow. You will see the divorce papers, and everything will be clear to you when we meet.” I stared at him, confused by his words. “And you will get your money after signing the papers,” he added. “Fine.” I excused myself and w

I turned toward Rui, my hands trembling as I pointed straight at him. "You planned this." Then I faced the lawyer, my voice shaking with disbelief. "You know perfectly well you can't accuse me like this. It's only a recording. Anyone could have edited it, or created something like it from scratch." My throat tightened as the pain settled deeper inside me. I couldn't shake the feeling that Rui had planned everything from the very beginning. Perhaps he had even paid the lawyer to help carry out his scheme. Rui, however, showed no sign of concern. He simply clicked the recording again, and the same voice filled the room. Then he looked directly into my eyes. "Listen carefully, Emilia. It's your voice." I knew then that there was nothing more to say. I could not control what Rui chose to believe, and if he had already decided against me, no argument would change his mind. So I picked up my bag and walked out without looking back. As the door closed behind me, I could hear the murm

I tore myself away from the bed, and the relief that rushed through me was so sharp it almost hurt. Behind me, Gerald was begging. I pretended not to hear him. My hands trembled as I snatched up the briefcase and pulled it open. The cash was still there, clean and untouched. I stared at it, my chest tightening. It was my own money, and he had tried to turn it into a price for my body. The thought made me feel sick. "Emilia, you can't just leave me here," Gerald said, scrambling off the bed. "I'll talk to Rui. I'll make him take you back." When I didn't answer, his voice sharpened. "Stop playing deaf. I mean what I said." Something inside me snapped. I turned to face him, and my voice came out steadier than I felt. "Rui has already made his decision, and I don't need your help. Did you hear yourself? You want me to give you something in return for my own money." His face twisted, and he began to shout. I didn't wait to hear what he said. There was no time to change, so I ra

"Here you are."The words came from behind me, followed by slow, mocking claps. I stopped with my hand on the gate, my body stiffening before my mind caught up. I knew that voice. I had listened to it for eight years.When I turned, Rui was standing a few steps away, his hands still moving together, a thin smile on his face."Please, Rui," I said. "Not today. Not here."I turned to leave, but he caught my arm and lifted it above my head, as if I were a thief he had caught in the act. Then he shoved me away. I stumbled back, my wrist throbbing where his fingers had dug in."You have the nerve to tie my father to a bed?" he said. "How dare you, after the extra fifty thousand dollars I gave you?"The words hurt more than the shove.Fifty thousand dollars. That was the price he had put on eight years of my life; the dreams I put aside, the nights I waited up for him, the insults I swallowed to keep our home together. I searched his eyes for any trace of guilt or worry and found none. H