Chapter 3
1421 Words
Zoya's POV
The door opened without a knock.
Dante never knocked…..
He walked in adjusting his cufflinks, expression composed but edged with concern.
He did always know how to play the concerned husband.
“I heard you frightened the staff,babe…” he said lightly. “You were shouting.”
Babe? After everything he had done to me. Sometimes I wondered if they were ever tired of the act…or the lying.
“I remember falling,” I replied calmly.
He paused mid-step.
“Falling?” A faint smile. “Zoya,my love….you had a nightmare.”
He came closer, lowering his voice as if soothing a child.
“You’ve been sensitive lately. Especially about…” He hesitated. “The baby.”
There it was.
In my first life, that word broke me.
This time, it made my stomach twist with disgust.
“You mean the baby I couldn’t have?” I asked evenly.
Dante sighed, running a hand through his hair. “We talked about this….The doctors said stress plays a role,You put too much pressure on yourself..you’re perfectly healthy we'll have a baby when the time is right.”
Nothing about my barrenness had anything to do with stress or pressure—it was closely tied not the steady stream of silent sabotage I now suspected.
I never did anything around the house except sitting in my room like a trophy wife while Ruby commanded my staff and now she was moving in, marking her territory. It was better to run away from an already sinking ship.
Meanwhile, my husband was trying to gaslight me out of divorce
“I don’t want to discuss my health,” I said sharply. “I want to discuss our marriage.”
That caught him off guard.
His brows knit together. “Marriage?”
“Yes. I want a divorce.”
He stared at me as if waiting for the punchline.
When none came, he laughed softly.
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do.”
He studied me more closely now.
“You’ve never spoken to me like this.”
I tilted my head slightly. “Perhaps you’ve never listened.”
His jaw tightened.
“Is this about the east wing?” he asked carefully. “About Ruby staying here?”
The way he said her name. Gentle and protective….they were already having an affair.
“Should it be?” I countered.
“She’s your sister.”
“Half-sister.”
The correction burned on my tongue…just as he had corrected me on that stairs.
“You were the one who insisted she move in,” I said calmly. “Without consulting me.”
“I was going to tell you.”
“When?”
He hesitated as I knew he would. Old Zoya would've never countered his decision.
He stepped closer, lowering his voice again. “Zoya, I love you, you know that. I can’t even consider or think of divorce.”
The word love felt rotten.
“You can’t consider it?” I repeated softly.
“No. And even if we were having difficulties — which we are not — I would need to speak to your parents first. You know how important family reputation is. Especially at this time of the year, the foundation. The ball. Investors—”
This was about Money and his reputation.
I felt something inside me settle coldly into place.
Before I could respond, the door opened again.
Ruby. Effortlessly radiant as usual.
“Oh good, you’re both here,” she said brightly. “I was looking for you.”
Her eyes flicked between us.
“What’s going on?” she asked sweetly.
“Nothing,” Dante said too quickly.
I noticed it then.
The glances between them.
Ruby’s gaze softened when it landed on him and his eyes lingered on her.
How had I not noticed all these before?
“Our parents just arrived,” she announced. “They wanted to surprise you before the ball.”
My chest tightened.
Already?
That was sooner than I expected.
Ruby continued as if she owned the house. “I’ve had the staff prepare the west sitting room. And I told the chef to adjust the lunch menu — you know how mother hates rosemary.”
I stared at her.
She was ordering my staff in my house.
I almost burst out in anger
Almost told them about the fall, the betrayal, the way Ruby’s hand lingered on Dante’s arm the night I died.
So instead—
I smiled.
Slowly.
Controlled.
“How thoughtful of you,” I said to Ruby.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, smiling weakly.
“I should freshen up before greeting them,” I added.
Dante stepped forward. “Zoya—”
But I was already walking out.
I didn’t look back.
Until I reached the hallway.
Then I paused and stepped quietly back toward the door.
I pressed my ear against the wood.
At first, there was silence.
Then…
I heard Dante’s voice. Low and annoyed, not the one he had just spoken to me with.
“What the hell was that?”
Ruby exhaled sharply. “Don’t snap at me.”
“ Why is she suddenly for a divorce.”
A pause.
Ruby scoffed softly. “She’s dramatic…. it'll blow over.”
“No,” Dante said. “She’s different.”
That made my pulse spike.
“She’s been acting weird all morning…..She even refused the coffee.”
Then Ruby’s voice dropped.
“You said she always drinks it.”
“She does.”
“She didn’t even touch it!” Ruby pressed.
“Are you serious?.”
Another pause.
I could almost see them now…. through the key hole. Standing very close.
“She’s catching on,” Ruby murmured.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Dante snapped, but he didn’t sound convinced.
“ The maid told me she asked what year it was,” Ruby continued. “She looked at me like she knew something.”
“You’re overthinking it.”
“Am I?” Ruby shot back. “You said the dosage was enough to keep her unstable and emotional.”
Dosage?
What dosage?
My stomach dropped.
Dante lowered his voice further. I strained to hear.
“It’s birth control, not poison….and the doctor said there's no side effect.”
Birth control.
The word rang like a gunshot in my head.
“You’ve been slipping it into her coffee for months,” Ruby said coldly. “Don’t act innocent now.”
Months?
My knees nearly buckled.
“She couldn’t conceive even before that,so it has nothing to do with the pills.” Dante argued weakly.
“But it guaranteed she wouldn’t,” Ruby replied. “No pregnancy. No heir. No complication in our plan.”
I felt like the air had been ripped from my lungs.
All those doctor visits….All those tests.
All those nights I cried alone in that bathroom
“She’s blaming herself,” Ruby continued, almost amused. “That makes it easier.”
Easier.
For what?
“For you to move shares quietly,” she added.
Dante swore under his breath. “Keep your voice down.”
“You’re the one panicking,” Ruby hissed. “If she suspects anything, you’ll lose everything.”
Then Dante said something that made my blood turn to ice.
“If she files for divorce now… we have to accelerate the plan.”
Plan.
“The one where she signs everything over before she realizes she’s been infertile by design.”
My vision blurred.
Infertile by design?
It wasn’t stress or my body failing me.
It was them.
I pressed my hand against the wall to steady myself.
Careful not to make a sound.
My hands were shaking from rage.
Ruby’s soft laughter drifted through the door again and something inside me snapped. I stepped back from the door slowly, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure they would hear it.
I couldn’t breathe.
They had poisoned me.
Year after year… cup after cup.
My fingers curled into fists as I backed away down the hallway—
And suddenly I slammed into someone.
A sharp gasp escaped me.
My heart leapt straight into my throat as I spun around.
Standing behind me was a tall, elegant figure dressed in dark silk.
My stepmother.
Her eyes swept over my pale face, my shaking hands… the closed door behind me.
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then her lips curved into a slow, knowing smile.
“Hello, dear.”
- Writer
