Chapter 2

Emerson POV:

My fingers ached from clenching them so tightly. I was re-reading Alicia' s old social media posts, a pit forming in my stomach. Everything was public, laid bare for the world to see, yet I had been blind.

Her posts were a chronicle of a lost love, a longing for something she' d given up. There were blurry photos of a younger Axel, his arm around her, a genuine smile on his face. Captions spoke of a shared future, of dreams shattered.

One post, timestamped four years ago, caught my eye. A photo of her on a plane, her face tear-streaked but resolute.

"Leaving everything behind. For his future. Even if it means sacrificing mine. Some debts can never be repaid."

Debt? What debt?

Another post, from around the same time: "He got into so much trouble for me. His family... they were furious. But he stood up for me. He always does."

A cold dread seeped into my veins. This wasn't just a childhood friendship. It was something far deeper, far more entangled. She spoke of her happiness being sacrificed for his potential, a martyr in love.

Then, the posts shifted. A year ago, a flurry of activity, all centered around a messy divorce. "My heart aches, not for what I lost, but for what he might lose because of me. He deserves so much more."

And then, the kicker. A comment from a mutual friend, responding to Alicia's lament: "Don' t worry, your Axel is getting married soon. It' s all part of the plan. You' ll be safe."

My blood ran cold. My Axel? Getting married soon?

I scrolled further, my thumb a blur. A week later, another post from Alicia. "Free. But at what cost? He' s chosen another. I should be happy. But I just feel... empty."

The date. The date of her divorce. It was the exact same day as my wedding to Axel.

A searing pain, sharp and sudden, ripped through my chest. It wasn't a metaphor. It was a physical tearing, a visceral horror. I wasn't married to Axel because he loved me. I was a pawn. A condition. He married me so Alicia could get her freedom from a bad marriage, a marriage that apparently had something to do with the "trouble" Axel got into for her.

I was the price. The tool. The convenient solution for his guilt and her escape.

My hands flew to my mouth, stifling a cry. I felt used, cheap, discarded. Every grand gesture, every seemingly loving act, twisted into a grotesque mockery.

My mind reeled. I walked out of the house, not even remembering to grab my car keys. I just walked. My legs moved on their own, carrying me through the unfamiliar London streets, the cold wind biting at my exposed skin. I was numb. Disoriented.

I tried to hail a cab, but my voice wouldn't come out. I had nothing. No car, no wallet, no sense of direction. I was truly stranded. Dependent.

Just then, a sleek black car pulled up beside me. Axel's car. He and Alicia were inside, their faces illuminated by the streetlamps. Alicia glanced at me, a fleeting, almost imperceptible smirk on her face, before quickly turning her head and pressing a hand to her forehead.

"Axel," she murmured, her voice weak. "My head... it's pounding."

Axel' s expression immediately shifted from concern to alarm. "Alicia? What's wrong? Are you alright?" He pulled her closer, his hand stroking her hair.

"It's just... a little dizzy," she whispered, leaning into him. "All this... drama. I just want to go home."

Axel' s eyes, filled with a deep, protective tenderness, met mine for a brief, fleeting moment. He looked torn, but only for a second.

"Of course," he said, his attention back on Alicia. "We'll go home. Don't worry about anything." He looked at me then, his expression hardening. "Emerson, I'll send a driver for you. Just wait here."

He didn't wait for my reply. Didn't even really look at me. He just pulled Alicia closer, whispered assurances, and then drove off, leaving me standing on the curb.

Alicia turned her head as they sped away, her hand still pressed to her forehead, but her eyes, cold and triumphant, met mine. A silent message. She had won.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. He had sent a driver for me. Like I was a package, to be delivered. I stood there, the exhaust fumes stinging my eyes, watching their taillights disappear into the distance.

I finally managed to hail my own taxi, much later. The driver Axel had promised never showed. He had forgotten. Just like he had forgotten me.

I paid the driver and walked into the house. Laughter. His laughter. It echoed through the halls, warm and genuine.

He was in the living room, holding Alicia, stroking her hair. She was nestled against him, a blanket around her shoulders. He was murmuring soothing words, his voice so gentle, so full of care.

"You should get some rest, Em," he said, not even turning his head as I walked past. "You look tired."

I just nodded, my heart a hollow shell. I didn't belong here. Not anymore. I climbed the grand staircase, each step a testament to the illusion I had lived.

Halfway up, a shiver ran through me. I sneezed, a weak, pathetic sound. I was cold. So utterly cold.

I pushed open the door to our bedroom, the sanctuary that was never truly mine. My mind was made up.

"Axel," I said, my voice cutting through the forced calm of the house. He looked up, his eyes wide with surprise. "I want a divorce."