Chapter 1 [1]

I don't know if this is my last day in this house or just the beginning of a longer suffering. However, one thing was certain, Roderick Langley no longer wanted to see my face in this house, in the house that I once thought could be my refuge.

I winced in pain. My hair was grabbed with a force that knew no mercy. I staggered, my hand reflexively gripping the man's arm-my husband-Roderick Langley. But instead of easing, his grip tightened, as if to remind me that I was nothing more than an unwanted intruder.

"Rick... it hurts... please let go," I whispered weakly, hoping that there was a shred of kindness left in his heart. But all I found was a hateful gaze, something that had been lingering in his eyes for so long whenever he looked at me.

"How many times have I told you, Eva! Get out of this house!" his voice thundered, echoing throughout the room, making the cold marble walls seem to absorb his anger. I could only swallow, holding my body from falling as he pushed me. I almost bumped into the corner of the table, but my steps were quick to balance my body. Even so, the pain on my scalp from his grab still throbbed, as if a reminder of how I never really had a place here.

I shivered with fear, but I smiled anyway. Not out of happiness, but out of hope. The foolish hope I'd been pinning in my heart, the belief that maybe, just maybe, this man who became my husband still cared about me even a little.

I prepared his favorite cake today, something he always liked in the past. I thought, after the death of Sebastian Langley-his father, the only reason this marriage is still standing-he would have mellowed out a bit. But I was wrong. I was too naive.

"My tolerance limit is up, Eva!" Rick looked at me sharply, as if my presence was an insult to him. I didn't dare to look into his eyes for too long, afraid of discovering even deeper hatred.

Rick no longer had any reason to defend me. His father was gone. The man who had been my shield of protection, the only reason I was still in this house, had succumbed to the disease that was eating away at his body. Now, without Sebastian Langley, I was just a burden, a mistake that Rick wanted to erase from his life.

"Maria!" his voice boomed, making me flinch. Maria, the head butler of this house, rushed in, her face filled with anxiety. I could tell that she sympathized with me. I could see it in her sad eyes. However, she was too afraid to defy Rick.

"Y-yes, sir," Maria replied in a trembling voice.

"Clean up this woman's clothes! I don't want to see her wandering around my house again."

I gasped. My heart sank. I looked at Rick with a pleading gaze. "Rick, please. Don't kick me out. I... I have nowhere else to go. I'm guilty, I know. Whatever you want, I'll do. Punish me if it will satisfy you, but don't throw me out."

I reached for her leg, grasping it tightly, hoping she would even slightly consider my plea. However, all I got was a hard kick to my arm, sending me crashing to the floor. I could feel the pain spreading from where he kicked me, but it hurt even more the humiliation he had just inflicted on me.

Rick looked at me with disgust. "Your biggest mistake was coming into my life, Eva. And even more stupidly, you accepted my father's offer five years ago."

I lifted my face, looking at him with tears beginning to blur my vision. Five years ago, I accepted this marriage in the hope that time would make Rick accept my existence. I thought, love could grow between us. I thought that if I was patient enough, if I was kind enough, he would see me as someone who deserved a place in his heart. But now, it all feels like foolishness.

Rick stepped closer, looking at me with a cold gaze that made my blood freeze. "I've been waiting for this moment, Eva. When I can finally divorce you without anyone holding me back. My father is gone. There's nothing standing in my way anymore. And you know what's even better than this? I can finally marry the woman who should have been Mrs. Langley from the start."

I swallowed, my body shaking even more at the sound of her name.

"Isadora Kensington," Rick said the name with pride. "There's only one woman worthy of being Mrs. Langley, and it's not you, Eva. You should have known that from the start."

I felt my world crumble. I had heard her name so many times from the gossip circulating among the socialites. Isadora-the woman who had always been by Rick's side, the woman who had been my shadow, who had always been superior to me in every way. But still, hearing it directly from my husband's mouth made the wound in my heart deepen.

My eyes began to tear up, but I couldn't cry any more. I'd cried over Rick too many times, and I knew it wouldn't change anything. I knew, I had already lost.

"Before my patience runs out, Eva, leave." The grip of his hand on my cheek felt even more pressing. I could feel his rough fingers digging into my skin, but I remained silent. "I don't want to see you in this house again."

I wanted to retort, wanted to ask if I really meant nothing to him during these five years. But I knew the answer. I never meant anything to him. I was just a barrier, a small obstacle that he could now easily remove.

I took a deep breath, trying to gather the remnants of my shattered self-esteem. With a trembling voice, I said, "Give me three days to pack, Rick. Please."

He closed his eyes for a moment, then exhaled harshly. When he looked back at me, his eyes were full of burning anger. His index finger pointed right at my face, making me reflexively move away.

"One day, Eva. I don't want to see you here any longer."

And with that, he walked away, leaving me in painful silence. I remained still on the floor, my body trembling, my heart and soul shattered into pieces. I didn't know where I should go. I didn't know if I could survive after this.

But one thing I knew for sure: I was no longer part of the Langley family.