CHAPTER 1
Three years. That’s how long I stayed in this house, playing the role of a wife nobody wanted. Three years of waking up to an empty side of the bed, eating dinner alone, and pretending I didn’t care that the man I married acted like I was invisible.
Evelyn Hayes. Or should I say, Evelyn the burden. That’s what everyone here called me behind my back. Especially them.
I stared at the papers lying on the mahogany desk right in front of me. The signature at the bottom was already there—clean, sharp, cold. Just like the man who signed it.
Alexander Knight stood by the window, back turned to me, looking like the goddamned CEO of the universe he thought he was. Tall, broad shoulders, dark hair that always looked perfect, and that aura… that cold, untouchable aura that made every woman in the city want him.
Except me. Not anymore, anyway.
“Sign it, Evelyn.” His voice was deep, flat, didn’t even bother to look at me. “The contract is over. Three years are done. You got what you wanted—you lived like a lady for a while. Now it’s time to go back where you came from.”
My chest tightened, but I bit my lip and held it in. I wanted to scream, to ask him if any of those days meant anything, if there was even one second where he saw me as a human being. But I knew Alexander. He didn’t do feelings. He did business. And to him, I was just a contract that had expired.
Before I could say anything else, the heavy double doors swung open with a loud bang.
In walked his mother, Mrs. Knight, followed closely by his sister, Sarah. Two women who had made my life a living hell since day one. They walked in like they owned the place—which they did—and looked at me like I was some kind of dirt stuck to the floor.
“Well?” Mrs. Knight sneered, pointing a long, manicured finger at the divorce papers. “Are you still standing there? Sign it and get out! Honestly, I don’t know why Alexander even wasted three years on a girl like you. No money, no status, nothing. You were just lucky we took pity on you.”
Sarah laughed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Exactly. She probably thought she’d trap herself into this family forever. Too bad, isn’t it? My brother deserves a real woman. Someone like Bella, not… whatever you are.”
Bella. Right. The woman he was already seeing. The woman he probably loved.
I looked at Alexander, waiting for him to say something, to defend me just once. But he didn’t move. He just kept staring out the window, like my pain was nothing more than background noise.
It hurt. God, it hurt so bad I thought I’d break down right there. But then… my hand unconsciously drifted down, resting gently against my stomach. Flat, still hidden, holding a secret that none of them could even begin to imagine.
I’m not the only one you’re throwing away, Alexander.
My eyes stung, but I forced myself to stand up straight. I walked over to the desk, picked up the pen, and looked at his name again. Alexander Knight. I used to love writing that name next to mine. Now it just made me sick.
I signed it. Fast. Sharp. Like I was throwing away three years of my life all at once.
Silence filled the room. Mrs. Knight and Sarah were grinning, looking triumphant. Alexander finally turned around, and for a split second, I thought I saw something flash in his eyes—surprise, maybe? Like he actually expected me to beg or cry.
“Good,” he said, voice still cold, though maybe a tiny bit quieter now. “Get your things. Someone will drop your luggage outside the gate. Don’t come back.”
I turned to leave, my heart pounding so hard I thought it would burst. I reached the doorway, but then… I stopped.
I couldn’t just walk away like this. Not after everything. I turned back around, looking at all three of them—the family that had humiliated me, used me, and thrown me out like trash.
I looked straight into Alexander’s eyes, and I let a small, strange smile touch my lips. A smile that held everything they didn’t know.
“You think you’re the winner here, Alexander?” My voice came out soft, but clear enough for everyone to hear. “You think you’re so powerful, so untouchable? That I’m just some poor girl you can throw away?”
He frowned, confused by my tone. “What are you talking about? You have nothing, Evelyn.”
I took a slow step closer, my hand still resting protectively over my stomach, my eyes never leaving his.
“Keep telling yourself that. Enjoy your life right now… because mark my words. The day I walk out of this gate… everything you have, everything you built, everything you think is yours… it’s all going to start crumbling down.”
I saw his jaw tighten. He looked annoyed, like I was just being dramatic.
“You’re delusional,” he scoffed. “Just leave.”
I nodded, turning around again, ready to go. But right before I stepped out, I threw one last line over my shoulder, cold and sharp as a knife, making sure it pierced right through him.
“And Alexander? Just so you know… you didn’t just divorce a wife today. You divorced your biggest supporter, your biggest secret… and the only person in this whole world who carries your blood. You’ll realize that soon enough. And when you do… it’ll be too late.”
I walked out.
Behind me, I heard him call my name, confused and angry. But I didn’t look back.
I walked out of that mansion, head held high, tears finally spilling down my face the second the heavy doors slammed shut behind me. I got into the car waiting outside, and as the engine started, I looked back at the huge gate with the name KNIGHT written on it.
Wait for me, Alexander. Wait for me, and wait for the day I come back.
And you know what’s the funniest part?
You have no idea… that the company you’re so proud of, the wealth you brag about… it’s all mine. It has always been mine.
