CHAPTER 1
1625 Words
ELENA’S POV
I wiped the blood from my nose, wincing as my fingers trembled against my skin.
This wasn’t a new thing; over the years I had become a constant victim of physical pain, but it was still nothing compared to the hollow ache that was spreading through my chest.
I had spent the last three days without sleep, finalizing a contract that would change everything for my husband. Three days locked in endless negotiations, achieved through nothing but endless intake of caffeine and a desperate hope that this deal would make him love me again and see me — not as a burden, not as someone to tolerate, but as the woman who had stood by him through everything.
The woman who loved him.
Clutching the thick envelope to my chest, I stepped into the penthouse, hoping to see relief on Noah’s face. Maybe even pride that I finally did it.
Instead, I was met with something else entirely.
Noah was seated on the couch, legs crossed, a glass of whiskey balanced in one hand. He looked completely at ease — too at ease — and then I saw her. Sophia Lancaster.
The daughter of his boss. A woman whose name was always on the covers of business magazines, whose pictures were splattered across gossip columns with rumors of her latest wins.
She was curled against him, her manicured nails trailing lazy circles across his chest. She didn’t even have the decency to look surprised at my arrival. Instead, her red lips curved into a smirk, like she had been expecting my presence. Like I was the outsider in my own home.
For a moment, my mind refused to process what I was seeing. And then Noah’s voice broke the silence.
“Sign these.”
I blinked. My grip tightened around the envelope as I looked down at the documents he had tossed onto the glass table.
The words blurred together before I was finally able to read through them, making my eyes spread apart.
Divorce papers.
I let out a shaky breath. “What?”
Noah sighed like I was an inconvenience. “Huh? They’re divorce papers, Elena. I need you to sign them.”
My hands trembled as I struggled to hold onto the contract I had fought so hard to work on. I didn’t move; I couldn’t.
This had to be a joke. He couldn’t be doing this to me, not now.
My gaze turned between them, searching for anything, any explanation that made sense. But Sophia simply stretched, curling in deeper on my husband like he was hers.
“You… you’re serious,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “You want to divorce me? But why?”
Noah took another sip of his drink. “I owe you no explanations but — well, I’m marrying Sophia.”
I gasped, his words hitting me harder than any slap ever could.
I took a step back, my legs suddenly weak beneath me. “But… we…”
“You had your time,” Sophia interrupted, pretending to sympathize with me as she tilted her head. “And honestly, you should have seen this coming.”
I turned to Noah, still hoping that this was a prank, that they were just pulling my leg, but there seemed to be no such thing.
“You promised me,” I choked out. “You promised we would fight for this marriage. For each other.”
Noah’s jaw tightened. “Elena, don’t be naïve. Love doesn’t pay the bills. You are nothing but—” He paused, then added, “She is everything I need and want. Her father also has connections that will take me further than you ever could.”
His words were like a dagger to my ribs.
I had stood by him when he was nothing — when we barely had enough to scrape by, when I had worked double shifts just so he could chase his ambitions.
And now, he was putting me aside like I was nothing more than a stepping stone.
Sophia sighed dramatically. “Look, just sign the papers. We can make this easy, or we can make this messy. But either way? You’re leaving.”
I should have cried. I should have begged for an explanation, for a reason, but something inside me refused to break.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. How foolish I had been.
Slowly, I pulled forward the thick contract, the one that had kept me up at night, the one that had taken every ounce of my energy to perfect, then I tossed it onto the table.
“There’s your deal,” I said coldly. “Consider it my parting gift.”
Noah barely spared it a glance. Instead, he slid the divorce papers closer. “Then do me a favor and sign these, too.”
Sophia smirked; I could see the gleams of satisfaction in her eyes. “You’re smart, Elena. You know when you’ve lost.”
Lost? I had not lost. Noah had. He just didn’t know it yet.
I reached for the pen with steady fingers. My heart was fighting for survival when I pressed the tip of the pen against the paper.
One signature.
That was all it took to erase five years of marriage. Five years of love.
As I pushed the papers back, I lifted my gaze and met Noah’s eyes, letting him see the determination that he hadn’t seen in me before.
“You’ll regret this,” I said softly. For the first time, Noah’s expression seemed to change.
I turned on my heel and walked out of the penthouse, swearing to myself that this wouldn’t be the end.
I walked aimlessly through the streets, the thought of it all biting at my mind. I didn’t know where I was going; I just knew I had to keep moving.
I had nothing left. No home. No husband. No future.
I had spent years building a life around Noah, and not myself, only to be discarded like I meant nothing.
I didn’t know how long I walked before I found myself outside a building — the headquarters of Vaughn Enterprises.
Leonard Vaughn’s empire.
I had never met the man in person, but I had heard a lot about him. He was mostly referred to as a ruthless businessman. A king in a world ruled by wealth and power.
Noah had spoken of him once: “Leonard Vaughn doesn’t make deals. He makes demands. And people either obey or disappear.” He had talked about him with fear and respect, and I had scoffed at the time, thinking it was just another exaggerated rumor.
But now, standing in front of the very building owned by the most feared man in the corporate world, I wasn’t so sure. I had no reason to be here but, yet, something pulled me in.
The doorman barely spared me a glance as I stepped inside. I didn’t stop until I reached the reception desk.
The woman behind it glanced up, her brows furrowing at my disheveled appearance.
“Good day. I am here to meet Leonard Vaughn,” I said after taking a deep breath.
She wasn’t sure I had what it took to meet her boss; hence her skeptical look. “Do you have an appointment?”
“No,” I admitted, swallowing back my nerves. “But I need to see him. It is urgent.”
She hesitated. “Mr. Vaughn doesn’t—”
“Tell him it’s about Noah Sinclair,” I cut in. “And a contract worth millions.”
Part of it was a lie. More like a gamble that I was willing to take.
The woman gave me a long, assessing look before finally picking up the phone. A few moments later, she nodded. “Take the elevator to the top floor.”
My breath hitched. I hadn’t expected it to work, but it did, and now I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go through with it, though I still headed to the elevator.
And soon I was standing in front of the almighty Vaughn’s office. The doors slid open.
I walked into a massive office, the type that I had never seen before. It spelt wealth. This man was extremely rich, but this wasn’t all; the view wasn’t the only thing that stole my breath.
My eyes caught onto the man standing behind the black desk. Leonard Vaughn.
He was taller than I expected, his broad shoulders encased in a tailored black suit. His presence alone was suffocating, and he oozed authority. There was this intimidating look attached to his face.
His eyes were so unsettling and unwelcoming — cold, calculating, dangerous.
They swept over me once, assessing me, before he spoke. “You have five minutes.”
What? Now I knew that this was a terrible idea. He was rude, just like my ex-husband.
I needed him still, so I swallowed hard before I proceeded. “I need your help.”
He arched his brow. “What? Why would I help you?”
I forced myself to meet his gaze. “Because I know something that could ruin Noah Sinclair.”
His interest was piqued at once. He leaned back, studying me. “And why should I believe you?”
“I am his ex-wife.” He glanced at me for a while. He didn’t need to ask me why I was doing this; being his ex-wife was explanation enough.
“What do you want in exchange?”
I took a shaky breath, shutting my eyes real tight. “A marriage contract.”
There was a beat of silence, and I opened my eyes to find a smirk on Leonard Vaughn’s face.
- Writer
