Rise Of The Wasted Shadow Wife

The sky was already dark, but the city lights reflected a golden glow along the streets. In one corner of the most exclusive French restaurant in the heart of the city, Alessia stood with hesitant steps. Her hands trembled slightly as they smoothed the folds of her simple but elegant dress. The sky-blue satin dress contrasted with the restaurant's tall glass windows, reflecting the dim light from inside. She stared at her reflection in the glass of a twenty-six-year-old woman with a gentle face and a shaded but questioning look in her eyes. It's been one and a half years since he met Axel Anthony, the mysterious man who came to the art gallery where he worked and bought a painting for three times the price, leaving behind his business card and an unforgettable smile. The waiter opened the door and greeted her. "Good evening, Miss Alessia. Mr. Axel is waiting." Alessia's heart skipped a beat, whether from nerves or too much anticipation. She followed the waiter through the restaurant's hallway, then into a dark wood-paneled room with a subtle lavender scent. Inside, Alessia sat in a neat black suit, her hair slicked back, and a glass of red wine in her hand. His gaze fell directly on Alessia, and it was a smile that seemed to know how to make all worries evaporate again. "You came," he said briefly, but warmly. Alessia nodded as she sat down. "You said it was important." "Tonight... I want to do something I've been thinking about for a long time." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box. Alessia froze. "What is this?" opened it slowly. Inside was a simple ring with a single diamond, tiny but sparkling in the candlelight. "Alessia, I want to marry you." Alessia's breath caught. The world seemed to stop spinning. She looked at Axel, searching for any clue if this was a joke. But he kept looking at her seriously, almost emotionally. "I know we're just getting to know each other, and maybe this sounds too soon. But I've never been this close to anyone before. You made me believe that I could love again... after all the chaos in my life." Alessia opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She knew the feeling was there. She liked Axel, the way he treated her like a special woman. But marriage? Axel continued, "There is one thing you must understand. If you agree, I want our marriage to remain a secret. At least for a while." Alessia's brow furrowed. "Secret? Why?" Axel let out a long sigh, then sat closer. "I have a lot of business dealings and also a very conservative extended family. If they knew I was marrying someone who wasn't from their circle, there would be a lot of pressure. I just wanted to protect you from that." There was a long pause between them. Alessia looked down, contemplating. Behind her happiness, there was a small doubt. But love, or something very similar to love, made her dismiss all logic. "If this means good for you, I agree." Axel smiled with relief and hugged her softly. That night, two hearts from different worlds bonded over an impulsive decision, but for Alessia, it was the beginning of a dream. Two weeks later. Their wedding was held privately at Axel's private villa far from the city center. There was only an elderly priest, two witnesses Alessia didn't know, and a discreet photographer. Alessia wore a simple white dress prepared by Axel. There was no family. No friends. No party. "Everything will be official later, after all my business is done," Axel said at the time, rubbing her cheek gently. And Alessia believed. Three months passed. Alessia woke up that morning feeling strange. Her head felt heavy, her stomach queasy. She looked at her face in the mirror, pale, but there was a tinge of pink on her cheeks. She opened the calendar app and calculated that she was three weeks late. Her hand trembled as she held the pregnancy test. Two bright red lines appeared. Alessia slumped to the bathroom floor. There was fear, but also hope. She decided to tell Axel that very night. However, all she got was disappointment. Axel came home late at night, looking tired and not saying much. Alessia greeted him with a nervous smile and said softly, "I'm pregnant." Axel was silent. His face didn't show happiness. Instead, he took a deep breath and looked away. Axel turned around, and for the first time in Alessia's life, she saw the blank stare of the man who used to call her 'my love'. "We need to talk seriously, Alessia," Axel said quietly but firmly. "Our marriage is not legally valid." "What do you mean?" Alessia stammered. "Our papers are only symbolic. It was never registered with the registry or the courts. It was just a written agreement between the two of us and two paid witnesses." Alessia's body collapsed. "You... Are you kidding?" "I never really wanted marriage. I liked you, yes. But love? I can't promise that. Everything I gave you was compensation. Now everything has to be done." "And this baby?!" "That's your business." That day, Alessia was thrown out of the mansion she once called home. With no possessions, no legal protection. She carried only a few clothes, a cell phone, and the body that bore the child of the man who had played her. The sky was as red as the first time she met Axel. She walked down the sidewalk with an empty stomach and puffy eyes, not knowing where she was going. But deep down, something began to grow that wasn't just pain. It was anger. And it was that anger that would later become the fire that burned Axel's way of life.