Chapter 1 The end of us

Dami's POV

The door slammed shut. The sound crashed through my chest like a thunderclap, and my hands began to tremble. My knuckles turned white as I clutched the duvet closer, as if thin fabric could shield me from the storm in his eyes.

"Do you even know what you've done?" Axel's voice cracked through the room like a whip, sharp and merciless.

I shook my head, my throat burning though no words could come. Tears stung, blurring my vision.

"Everyone on the internet now knows that my wife is mute. Do you hear that, Dami? I'm the biggest joke in the city. My name is a laughing stock because of you!" he yelled.

The shame in his tone cut deeper than a knife. With trembling fingers, I reached for the notebook on the bedside table and scribbled, I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to embarrass you. I held it out, my eyes begging for a little understanding. Just a little.

He snatched the page, glanced at it, and scoffed. "Nonsense! I can't cope with your sorry ass anymore. You can't do anything for me. You can't even stand beside me at parties or meetings. What's your use? You're useless."

His words were a dagger. Hot tears spilled, streaming down my cheeks. I wasn't useless. I hadn't been born this way, I wasn't born mute. The accident a month ago had stolen my voice, left me broken and silent. But instead of holding me close, Axel had grown distant and cruel.

"This marriage thing won't work between us," he continued, his face as cold as stone. "I'll call my lawyer to prepare the divorce papers. I'm done."

The finality in his voice hollowed me out. My chest tightened as he stormed out, leaving the echo of the slamming door ringing in my head.

We had promised each other forever. But now I saw the truth. He never loved me, he only loved the perfect image of me. And now that image was shattered.

The humiliation began the night before.

He had thrown a party in our home, filled with dignitaries and reporters. He had told me to stay upstairs, hidden away like a shameful secret. But thirst drove me down to the kitchen. The moment the crowd noticed me, questions came like daggers, questions I couldn't answer.

And then Alexa, his wicked sister, smirked and announced, "She's mute. My brother's wife can't even speak."

The room erupted with loud noises. Phones recorded. Laughter spread. By morning, the internet crowned me with a new name as the Ceo's mute wife.

Now, walking downstairs, I faced Alexa again. She clapped mockingly. "Here comes the mute wife."

I ignored her until I froze. Axel's lips were on another woman's. The world spun, and it all felt like a dream.

"He's getting married to her soon," Alexa whispered, her words slicing me open.

"Baby, your wife is so ugly," the woman giggled, twirling a strand of her perfect hair.

And Axel..my Axel nodded. His eyes, those green eyes that once softened when they looked at me were now cruel.

"I didn't realize it until now. I was blinded by love," he muttered.

The cruelty made my knees weak. I wanted to scream, to curse him, to remind him of the vows we once made. But no sound came. My silence mocked me as much as their laughter.

Alexa tilted her head, feigning pity. "Do you have something to say?" She gasped and clapped her hands. "Oh, I forgot you can't even speak. Dumb girl."

Their laughter crashed over me. I stood there, burning inside, but refused to let a single tear fall.

His mother appeared, her eyes dripping with disgust. The lawyer in her had been waiting for this day. "I told you not to marry the daughter of a nobody, Axel. I warned you. And now, look at her."

Axel sighed, wrapping an arm around the woman at his side. "I'm sorry, Mother. You were right. Samantha is the perfect woman for me."

Sam's laugh was delicate, triumphant. "Your mother is wise. I have everything in the world. A degree, class, status and a wealthy family. Unlike her, she didn't even finish high school."

Their words slammed into me harder than any physical blow. My vision blurred with tears I refused to shed. I turned and fled upstairs.

In the mirror, I caught my reflection: red, swollen eyes, a woman who no longer recognized herself. I didn't deserve this torment. I had to leave.

My hands shook as I packed my bags. I texted my grandmother in London that i was coming home. She had begged me after Grandfather passed, but I had stayed behind for Axel. For love. For nothing.

I was done.

When I came back down, Axel and his mother were already waiting. "She's packed her bags. Perfect. Let's sign the papers," she said with satisfaction.

He pushed the papers toward me, his face blank, his voice clipped. "Please, leave my house and shut the door behind you."

I stared at him, memorizing the face I had once loved more than life. His green eyes now looked at me with hatred. My hand trembled as I signed. Then I slid the ring off my finger, the weight of it suddenly disgusting.

"Are you sure she's okay?" Samantha whispered, her smile faltering.

I flung the ring at Axel, lifted my middle finger, and smiled through the pain. Their laughter turned to silence as I turned on my heel and walked out.

The night air bit against my skin, but it felt like freedom. This wasn't the end. No, this was the beginning.

They thought they had broken me. But one day, they would regret every word, every betrayal, every laugh at my expense.

I wasn't sure how yet but I would return. Stronger, colder and merciless.

"Goodbye, New York," I whispered in my mind, as the cab pulled away.

I would come back. Not as Axel's broken wife but as the storm that would destroy them all.