CHAPTER ONE: THE DAY HE REJECTED ME
"Sign the divorce papers, Isabella."
Alexander Blackwood's cold voice filled the luxurious penthouse.
Isabella Grace stared at the man she had loved for three years. The divorce papers lay on his desk, waiting for her signature.
"Alexander, please. What have I done?"
He threw a photograph toward her.
"Explain this."
She picked it up and gasped. The picture showed her standing outside a hotel with Daniel, a former colleague.
"He contacted me about a job. Nothing happened between us!"
"Do you expect me to believe that?"
"Yes! You're my husband. You should trust me!"
Alexander laughed bitterly.
"I gave you everything, and this is how you repay me?"
Tears filled her eyes.
"I never married you for your money. I married you because I loved you."
Before he could respond, his phone rang.
Victoria Sinclair.
Victoria was a beautiful, wealthy heiress who had always wanted Alexander for herself.
He answered the call.
"Alexander, I'm sorry," Victoria said softly. "I didn't want to interfere, but Isabella has been telling people that she regrets marrying you because she expected more money from your family."
"That's a lie!" Isabella shouted.
Victoria sighed. "I'm only trying to protect you."
Alexander ended the call and glared at his wife.
"Don't drag Victoria into this."
"She's the one destroying our marriage!"
"Enough!"
Isabella flinched.
For three years, she had endured his family's insults because she believed their love was worth fighting for. She had remained faithful, supported him, and waited for the day he would finally treat her as an equal.
Now, he wouldn't even listen to her.
"Look into my eyes," she whispered. "Tell me you truly believe I betrayed you."
Alexander remained silent.
Her heart shattered.
"All right," she said quietly.
She picked up the pen and signed the divorce papers.
Isabella Grace.
"There. You're free."
Alexander watched her, expecting tears and desperate pleas.
Instead, she wiped her cheeks and straightened her shoulders.
"One day, you'll discover the truth. But when you do, don't come looking for me."
She turned toward the door.
"Where are you going?" he demanded.
"Somewhere I can breathe."
"This is your home!"
She looked around the expensive penthouse.
"No, Alexander. A home is where someone trusts you. This is just a building."
Then she walked away.
---
Rain poured over the city as Isabella stepped outside.
She had nowhere to go and very little money. Her parents were gone, and she had no close family to turn to.
Her phone vibrated.
A message from Alexander's mother appeared.
I warned you that you were not good enough for my son. Stay away from our family.
Another message arrived moments later.
It was from Victoria.
I'm sorry things ended this way. Alexander deserves a woman who understands his world.
Isabella clenched her phone.
How had Victoria known about the divorce so quickly?
Something wasn't right.
She opened the photograph again and examined it carefully. In the background, a person stood behind a pillar, apparently taking a picture of her and Daniel.
Someone had been watching her.
Someone had wanted Alexander to see that photograph.
Could Victoria have arranged everything?
Isabella didn't know, but she would find out.
She wiped her tears.
"I will never beg you to love me again, Alexander Blackwood."
For the first time that night, she felt something stronger than heartbreak.
Determination.
She would find a job, rebuild her life, and become independent.
One day, Alexander would regret the way he had treated her.
---
Inside the penthouse, Alexander stared at the signed divorce papers.
He should have felt relieved, but the silence troubled him.
He noticed Isabella's favorite mug beside the coffee machine and remembered the inexpensive watch she had bought him for his birthday.
She had saved for months to purchase it.
He had laughed at the gift, but she had smiled and told him that its value wasn't measured by its price.
Alexander frowned.
Had he been too harsh?
His phone rang again. It was Victoria.
"Have you signed the papers?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Good. You deserve someone better."
Something about her eagerness irritated him.
After ending the call, Alexander examined the photograph again.
It had been sent anonymously that morning. He had never asked who took it or why the sender wanted to expose his wife.
He picked up his phone and called his private investigator.
"I need you to investigate a photograph. Find out who took it and who sent it to me."
"Understood, sir."
"And investigate Victoria Sinclair, too."
He ended the call, staring at the divorce papers.
For the first time, he wondered whether he had made a terrible mistake.
---
At the bus station, Isabella received an email from a luxury hotel where she had applied for a job.
Dear Miss Isabella Grace, your application has been successful. Please report to our head office tomorrow morning for your final interview.
She read the message twice.
A job was exactly what she needed.
She contacted her old school friend, Grace, who agreed to let her stay temporarily.
As the bus pulled away, Isabella watched the city disappear behind the rain-covered windows.
She had lost her marriage, but she hadn't lost herself.
She would work hard and build a life no one could take away from her.
She didn't know that five years later, Alexander would desperately search for her.
She didn't know that Victoria's lies would eventually unravel.
But she made herself one promise.
She would never again allow anyone to determine her worth.
Five years later, Alexander Blackwood would discover the truth about the wife he had rejected.
And by then, Isabella Grace would be a woman he could never forget.
END OF CHAPTER ONE
