Chapter 1

PROLOGUE

BLAIRE

I was sipping my hot Americano as I stared at the pictures in my hand.

Catherine, my stepsister, was sitting across the table. I had an urge to

rip off that wicked smile from her face, but I stopped myself. I wouldn't

let my hand be dirty with her filthy blood. The bitter taste of my coffee

was nothing compared to the bitterness I am feeling right now towards

my husband and my stepsister.

No matter how hard I tried to come up with an explanation for these

scandalous pictures in my hand, I couldn't find any. My eyes landed on

the pictures once again, and my heart breaks every minute. It was a

picture of her wrapped around my husband's arm while they were on

top of our bed. The same bed that we shared for the last three years.

“ also brought the divorce papers so you could sign them immediately,”

Catherine said before pushing the divorce papers towards me.

My eyes shifted to the paper on top of the table. I was deliberating what

decision I should make. Should I sign it right away and free myself from

this nightmare? Or should I stay in this marriage and let the three of us

suffer?

I understand that it was I who came into the picture. They were once

lovers and promised to each other. But when my stepsister chose to

run away from their engagement, my family decided to put me in as her

replacement. This marriage was nothing but a political alliance to

strengthen the ties between the two companies. It doesn’t matter which

daughter they are going to send away for marriage.

“Oh, one more thing. I think this will make you decide better,” she said

before bringing another piece of paper from her bag.

My world shattered when my eyes landed on the ultrasound result that

she handed me.

“Yes, I'm pregnant, sister. And Sebastian is the father,” she said,

answering my unspoken question. “So, quit being a bitch and let us

have our happy ending. You wouldn't want your niece or nephew to

grow up as bastards, would you? Now, sign the divorce paper and get

out of our lives.”

For the past three years, I've been nothing but a good and devoting

wife to Sebastian. I tried my best to fill the void just to make this

arrangement work. But in the end, he still chooses to cheat on me. After

all that she did to him, he still chooses him. And despite my efforts, he

had strayed, seeking solace in another woman's arms. Catherine, the

shadow from his past, had returned, and he welcomed her back with

open arms.

I mustered every ounce of inner strength, my voice firm as I asserted,

“This matter is between me and my husband. I'll speak with him before

making any decisions.” Perhaps it was the tiniest flicker of hope that

compelled those words, a desperate wish that everything I had

painstakingly built over the past three years had etched a place for me

in Sebasti.

She smirked. “Fine. You want to see it with your own eyes? Here's my

key card. Room 209. Come see for yourself,” she said before leaving

the key card on the table.

I could hear the shrieking sound of the chair against the floor as she

stood up from the table. My eyes remained fixed on the things above

the table. I'm trying to hold myself up as I process everything.

an's heart.

She, with her insufferable smirk, responded, “Fine. You want to see the

truth with your own eyes. Here's my key card. Room 209. Come and

discover reality for yourself,” dropping the key card on the table with a

soft clink.

The scraping of her chair against the floor as she rose echoed in my

ears, but my gaze remained locked on the objects resting on the table. I

struggled to hold myself together, my world unraveling as I grappled

with the painful truth that lay before me.

My heart raced with each step as I exited the elevator. A heavy lump

lodged firmly in my throat, refusing to dislodge. Standing before Room

209, the door that held the enigmatic secrets of my crumbling world, I

hesitated. The number 209 had become etched into my consciousness,

a haunting reminder of my unspoken fears. But today, I couldn't delay

any longer.

With trembling hands, I finally found the courage to raise my knuckles

and rap them softly against the door. The sound echoed in the corridor,

the seconds stretching like an eternity.

Just as my heart thundered with anticipation, the elevator chimed, a

sound that sent a jolt of panic coursing through me. Without a second

thought, I fled, darting into one of the shadowy nooks that lined the

corridor. My heart raced as I dared to peek out from behind the wall, my

breath catching in my throat.

Then the world as I knew it unraveled before me. Sebastian, his

handsome face etched with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation,

emerged from the elevator clutching a bouquet of flowers. The sight of

him holding those blossoms meant to win another's heart left me

shattered and vulnerable, my own heart aching with the weight of

betrayal.

The door opened before he could even knock. Catherine's arms quickly

wrapped around his nape as she pulled him inside the hotel room.

I think that's more than enough reason for me to leave this misery. I

went straight home to pack my things.

“Mrs. Foster, what would you like us to prepare for dinner?” Celia, our

housekeeper, asked me as I stepped inside the house.

“Go, ask the new lady of the house, Celia,” I vaguely answered before

heading straight to our room.

As I moved with purpose, carefully selecting a few pairs of jeans and

shirts, I gathered my essentials into a travel bag-a passport, a wallet,

and the remnants of a life I had strived to build. Amidst the rush, my

gaze snagged on a piece of paper peeking from the depths of my bag.

With a racing heart, I retrieved it and snatched up a pen from my vanity

mirror, determination etched across my face.

There, in that quiet moment, I signed the divorce papers without

hesitation, the ink flowing like a bittersweet confession. I laid the

document on top of the bedside table, a stark declaration of my choice

and a message for Sebastian to confront.

With my essentials packed and that final act of separation completed, I

set out on a path unknown, away from the life that had become a web

of betrayal and heartache. The airport beckoned, and without a second

thought, I secured a ticket to the first destination that caught my eye, a

beacon of hope on the horizon.