Chapter 1 A SHOCKING BETRAYAL

NATALIA'S POV

The mall buzzed with life as I pushed my cart through the aisles, grabbing bottles of champagne, chips, and enough party favors to fill a banquet hall. It was my 24th birthday, and I could feel the excitement bubbling inside me. Tonight was going to be perfect!

Robert had promised to make today a special day for me and the mere imagination of the surprise he had in store for me, made me blush. We had been married for six months now and he was still the same charming and sweet Robert I fell in love with.

I paused in the middle of the aisle, and stared up at the rows of colorful balloons. Then, I picked a pack of gold balloons and tossed it into the cart.

"This is going to be the best night ever," I whispered to myself, a smile stretching across my face.

At checkout, the cashier gave me a knowing look. "Big party tonight?"

"Yeah," I said, beaming with smiles. "It's my birthday."

"Well, happy birthday to you!" She said and winked. "I hope you enjoy yourself."

I laughed lightly, thanked her, and hurried outside to hail a cab. The cool evening breeze swept through my hair as I loaded my bags into the backseat and the city lights twinkled like a promise of something wonderful waiting just around the corner.

The cab ride home felt longer than usual. I drummed my fingers on my knee, counting down the minutes until I'd be in Robert's arms. He'd probably set up candles, maybe even cooked dinner. My mind raced with possibilities and every single one of them made me blush in anticipation.

When the cab finally pulled up in front of our house, I grabbed the bags and stepped out at once. The porch light was on, casting a warm glow over the front steps and I frowned slightly when I saw that the door was slightly ajar.

Pushing the door open with my foot, I stepped inside and set the bags down in the hallway.

"Robert?" I called out, my voice echoing through the house.

A deafening silence greeted me and I sighed. He was probably working in his study upstairs. I couldn't bring myself to admit it but the truth was that I was disappointed.

There was no love note waiting for me. No candles. No flowers. Nothing.

I started to the kitchen to get something to eat, but I stopped in my tracks when I noticed something on the floor-a lady's shoe.

My stomach twisted. I took a shaky step forward, my eyes scanning the trail of clothing leading up the stairs. A scarf. A blouse. Lacy red underwear.

No. It couldn't be.

My breath hitched, and my chest tightened as dread settled over me like a heavy blanket. I didn't want to go upstairs, but my legs moved on their own.

When I reached the bedroom door, it was slightly open. My heart pounded in my chest as I heard his familiar voice from within, and then a lady's giggle.

I pushed it open fully and just as I suspected, he was there, naked in our bed, his body entwined with another woman's. Her fiery red hair spilled over the pillows, and her laughter froze in the air as she noticed me.

For a moment, the world stopped. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think.

Robert turned his head lazily, as if my presence in the room was some sort of inconvenience. A smug smile tugged at his lips as he assessed me.

"Oh, you're home finally," He said.

I blinked, my vision blurring with tears I refused to let fall. "What is this?"

He sighed, swinging his legs off the bed and pulling on his trousers with infuriating nonchalance. The woman giggled again, and I clenched my fists to stop myself from doing something reckless.

Robert sauntered over to me, his expression almost bored.

"Natalia, let's not make a scene."

"A scene?" My voice cracked. "You're in our bed with another woman!"

His eyes narrowed at me and he sighed.

"The truth is you've been a good wife to me, Natalia," he started.

"And you dare cheat on me?" I cut in, my eyes teary. "Worse still on my birthday."

"I can't keep up with you," He blurted out. "I'm the CEO of a respected company and you're a volunteer at a non profit organization, Natalia."

I couldn't believe my ears.

"What exactly are you saying?" I stared at him.

"I'm saying you're out of my league now," He stated. "I need someone who matches my ambitions."

"Your ambitions?" I chuckled bitterly. "I helped you start up your company, Robert."

He gestured toward the redhead, who was now lounging in bed like she owned it.

"This is Ciara. She's the CEO of Diamond. She's everything I need-successful, beautiful, powerful."

For a moment, I was too stunned to speak. Then, a cold laugh escaped my lips. "Diamond?"

He smirked. "Yeah. The biggest jewelry company in Los Angeles. I bet you've heard of it."

I shook my head, disappointment flooding me. If only he knew the truth. Diamond was the smallest of my father's chain of companies. The truth was that I'd been born into wealth as the only daughter of billionaire businessman, Vincent Carson, but I preferred to live a simple life.

Robert crossed his arms, and sighed.

"Look, Natalia. It's over. Just sign these."

He pulled a stack of papers from the nightstand and thrust them at me. I didn't need to take a second look to know that they were divorce papers.

"Sign them," he muttered, impatient. "You're keeping us waiting."

I swallowed hard as I stared down at the papers. I had given myself to this man in the last six months of my life, but this was what he wanted to repay me with.

My world was crumbling, but I refused to let him see me break. I grabbed a pen from the dresser, and scrawled my name across the bottom of each page.

"There," I slammed the paper on the desk in our room. "Happy now?"

Robert smirked. "You have no idea."

As I turned to leave, the sound of their laughter followed me down the stairs. I could still hear them chuckle and gossip about how stupid I was.

Of course I'd been stupid. I had used my influence as a billionaire heiress, pumping millions of dollars into Robert' tech company, TechXpert. And now that it had blossomed into something profitable, he revealed his game plan - he never even loved me. He had been using me all along.

My hands clenched into fists, but I kept walking. I was not going to give them the satisfaction of seeing me cry. They had no idea who I really was, but they would soon.

As I stepped out into the night, I felt a new sense of determination wash over me.

This was definitely not the end. I was going to make Robert and Ciara pay dearly for what they had done to me.