Divorced by the Billionaire, Mated to the Alpha

Chapter 2: Broken Pieces

“I can fix this,” I whispered as I flipped another pancake. “I can still fix it.”

Sunlight slipped through the kitchen window, lighting up the tears that were already forming in my eyes. My chest still ached from last night. Our anniversary dinner had turned into something I didn’t want to remember. The way Zane said her name instead of mine kept echoing in my head.

I heard footsteps on the stairs. I wiped my eyes quickly and forced myself to smile. Zane was coming down for breakfast. Maybe today could be better. Maybe if I just kept trying, something would change.

“Morning,” I said, placing the pancakes on the table. “I made your favorite.”

He sat down without even glancing at me. “Thanks,” he said, already staring at his phone.

My heart sank. It was like nothing had happened. Like he had already forgotten the look on my face when he said her name. I watched him scroll, not even taking a bite of the food I’d gotten up early to make.

“Did you sleep okay?” I asked, hoping to break the silence.

“Yeah. Fine.” He didn’t look up.

I pressed my lips together and stared down at my hands. Three years of marriage, and this was where we were. Just silence and small talk. I used to think that if I loved him hard enough, he’d learn to love me back. That if I tried, he’d stop seeing me as a mistake or a replacement.

His phone buzzed loudly on the table. He picked it up right away. His whole face changed when he read the message.

“Work?” I asked, though I already knew.

“Maya needs me early today,” he said, standing up. “Big meeting.”

Maya. Always Maya. His assistant. Her name rolled off his tongue so easily. The way he said it sounded soft, almost happy. Nothing like the way he spoke to me lately. When he talked to me, his voice always seemed tired.

Before I could say anything, his phone rang. He stepped out into the hallway, but his voice still reached me.

“Hey, Maya,” he said, and I felt the words hit me like a wave. “No worries. I’ll be there soon.”

That voice. That warmth. I hadn’t heard him speak like that in a long time. At least, not to me.

I leaned against the counter, trying to breathe. My heart felt too heavy. I didn’t know if I was losing him.

Or if I already had.

When he came back into the kitchen, he was already pulling on his jacket.

“I have to go,” he said. He didn’t even look at me.

“You didn’t eat anything,” I said, glancing at the plate still full on the table.

“I’ll grab something at work.” The front door shut behind him before I could say goodbye.

I stood there for a moment, just staring at the food. The pancakes I made that morning were cold now. I’d put effort into them. Thought maybe we could sit and talk, even if just for a few minutes. But they were untouched. Just like me.

I picked up the plate and scraped everything into the trash. Watching it all disappear made something inside me feel smaller.

I cleaned the dishes slowly, then walked around the house. It was quiet. Too quiet. Every room looked perfect, like something out of a magazine, but it didn’t feel like home anymore.

Along the hallway, family pictures lined the wall. Smiles frozen in time. Smiles that lied.

I stopped at our wedding photo. I looked so happy in it. I know I was. He looked happy too, but now, I wasn’t so sure. Maybe I just wanted to believe it back then.

My eyes landed on the hallway mirror. I looked tired. My eyes were red. I gave myself a smile anyway. A weak one. The kind you give when you're trying not to fall apart.

Maybe I was trying too hard. Or maybe I needed to try something different.

A thought came to me. What if I surprised him at work? I could bring him lunch. Something small, just to remind him that I still cared.

“One more try,” I whispered to the mirror. “Just one more.”

I spent the next hour making his favorite sandwich and picked up the cookies he liked from the bakery down the street. The whole time, I kept imagining his face lighting up when he saw me. Maybe he’d smile. Maybe he’d pull me into a hug. Maybe he’d remember what it used to feel like between us.

Hope can be dangerous when you’re the only one still holding on.

In the car, I practiced what to say. Should I mention how distant he’s been? Or should I act like everything’s fine? My hands were shaking a little, but I kept going. This marriage still meant something to me. It had to.

---

At his office building, the receptionist looked surprised when she saw me.

“Mrs. Hayes. It’s been a while.”

“I wanted to surprise my husband,” I said, holding up the lunch bag. “Is he in?”

She nodded. “He’s in his office. You can go right up.”

The elevator felt slower than usual. My heart was racing. I kept telling myself to stay calm. Be warm. Be steady. Be the perfect wife.

When the elevator doors opened, I saw Zane’s office right away. The walls were made of glass. Anyone walking by could see inside.

Including me.

I froze.

He was standing close to a woman with long dark hair. Maya. They were laughing at something. Their shoulders were almost touching, and his hand rested on her desk, just a few inches from hers.

He looked happy. At ease. Like the man I hadn’t seen in a long time.

I should have turned around and left. But I didn’t. I had to know if what I was afraid of was really happening.

I walked toward the office, my legs shaking. A few people glanced my way. Maybe they were wondering who I was. Honestly, I wasn’t sure either. Was I the caring wife? The clueless one? Just a replacement?

Maya noticed me first. Her smile froze for a second, then stretched into something bigger. But it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Mrs. Hayes!” she said in a bright voice. “What a surprise.”

Zane turned fast. His eyes widened. “Aria,” he said, stepping back from her. “What are you doing here?”

I lifted the bag in my hand. It trembled slightly.

“I brought you lunch,” I said, trying not to let my voice shake. “Since you didn’t eat breakfast.”

“That’s so sweet,” Maya said, her tone light but sharp. “Mr. Hayes, your wife is just perfect, isn’t she?”

Perfect.

That word hit harder than I expected. I had spent three years trying to be perfect for him. And for what?

Zane cleared his throat. “Thanks, Aria. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to,” I said quietly. I was hoping he’d smile or say something warm.

But there was nothing. No smile. No look that told me he was glad I came. Just guilt. And discomfort.

Maya looked between us and gave a small shrug. “Well,” she said, “I’ll let you two talk.” She glanced at Zane with an expression I couldn’t read, then turned to me. “Always a pleasure to see you, Mrs. Hayes.”

As she walked past, she leaned in close and spoke low, just for me.

“You deserve someone who actually loves you,” she said. “Not someone who’s settling for a replacement.”

Her words stopped me in my tracks. The lunch bag nearly slipped from my hand.

She didn’t wait for a reaction. She just kept walking.

I stood there, stunned. Did she know about Ava? Had Zane told her? Or did she just see right through us?

“I should go,” I said quickly, placing the bag on his desk. “You’re busy.”

“Aria...” he started.

“I’ll see you at home,” I said, cutting him off. I didn’t want him to see the tears forming in my eyes.

I walked back to the elevator with my head high, ignoring the stares. Only when the doors closed did I let the tears fall.

Maya’s words echoed in my head. Replacement. That’s what I was. A stand-in for the woman he really wanted. My sister. And maybe now, Maya too.

For three years, I gave everything I had. I thought if I just loved him enough, he would love me back. But standing there, wiping my tears, I finally let the truth in.

You can’t make someone love you when their heart is already taken.

Outside, the sunlight was bright. It hurt my eyes after the cold air inside. But something inside me shifted. The pain was still there, sharp and raw, but something else started to grow too.

Anger.

I had tried so hard to be what he wanted. But what about me? What if I stopped trying to be perfect and started thinking about what I needed?

“No more,” I whispered as I walked away from the building. “I can’t do this anymore.”

I didn’t know what would happen when Zane came home tonight. I didn’t know if our marriage could be fixed. But I knew one thing.

Something had to change.

Maybe that something was me.