“I don’t want to exist like this anymore. I want to vanish and become someone new.” My voice shook, but I didn’t retreat from the words. “If you can make that happen for me… then I’ll marry you.”
There was a brief silence on the line. Then came a low, deliberate laugh—soft, dangerous, and far too calm.
“Doing that is easy,” Luigi replied smoothly. “Five days, Isla. That’s all I need.” His tone dipped, heavy with unspoken threats and promises I couldn’t afford to doubt. “But once I come for you, there’s no return. From that moment on, you’re mine.”
I closed my eyes, squeezing them shut as if I could block out the reality of what I’d just agreed to. My fingers curled tight, nails biting into my skin.
“I understand,” I murmured. Then I disconnected the call.
The quiet rushed in all at once, thick and suffocating. The steady rhythm of hospital machines was the only sound left. My gaze drifted to the peeling paint on the wall across from me as I fought the urge to break down again.
Luigi Villaraza. The man my family had branded as the enemy. The man I was taught to despise before I even understood why. And now—my last refuge. Because anyone was better than remaining tied to a husband who had been deceiving me for five long years.
Everything fell apart five days ago.
That night, my parents and I had been heading to a charity gala. We were seated in the back of my father’s sleek black car, watching the city lights blur past the windows. The auction was one of those glamorous, invitation-only events—the kind filled with sky-high bids, crystal glasses, and neatly hidden agendas. Mateo had always attended with me before… but not this time.
“He said a board issue came up,” I told my parents as I adjusted the emerald necklace resting against my collarbone. “He’ll meet us later.”
My mother tilted her head, unconvinced. “A sudden emergency meeting? On a weekend?”
I shrugged lightly, avoiding her gaze. “That’s how business works. You know that.”
My father studied me carefully, fingers interlaced. “Isla… are you truly alright with him? You’ve sacrificed so much for that man. If he’s mistreating you—if there’s another woman—”
I laughed instantly, a sharp, forced sound. “Another woman? Mateo would never betray me like that. He’s under pressure, that’s all. He loves me. He’s just overwhelmed.”
Neither of them spoke after that. The silence pressed in harder than the hum of the engine.
Then everything happened at once.
The car lurched violently. My body slammed forward as the world twisted. The brakes screamed uselessly. Steel collided with steel. Tires shrieked. Headlights blinded me. And then—nothing.
When consciousness returned, I was on an operating table. Drugged. Half-lost between sleep and death. But in that haze, I heard voices.
“Tell her the baby didn’t make it,” a man said coldly. “Blame it on the crash.”
I recognized that voice instantly.
Mateo.
“And take out her uterus too,” he added without hesitation. “It’s no longer necessary.”
The doctor hesitated. “She’s already lost her parents. If she ever learns the truth, the emotional impact could destroy her—”
“Even better,” Mateo chuckled. “Maybe she’ll die of a broken heart and save me the effort. For now, I still need her breathing. There are documents to sign. Once I take over the company, my child with Layla will inherit everything.”
Layla.
My best friend.
Five years earlier, she vanished the night before her wedding to Mateo. His family collapsed financially, their reputation dragged through every circle that mattered. Layla disappeared without a word, leaving him standing before a crowd of shocked guests and ruthless investors. I still remember watching him from the edge of the ballroom—his face frozen in humiliation, whispers slicing through the air like knives.
And I—foolish, devoted Isla—stepped forward.
He wasn’t free. He was still my best friend’s fiancé. I should have stayed out of it. But I loved him. So I married him. I bore the disgrace with him. When the world turned its back, I stood at his side. I tied my family’s empire to his ruins and rebuilt everything with my own hands. I gave him power again. I gave him status. I gave him my name, my loyalty, my future.
For a while, I believed I had his heart in return.
Then Layla came back.
She walked into my office without warning and said softly, “I’m not here to destroy you. I just want to fix what I ruined. I only want us to be friends—you, me, and Mateo.”
I should have had security escort her out.
Instead, I listened.
Mateo swore it meant nothing. He said he despised her. Said he would never forgive her cowardice. He cursed her return with fury so convincing I believed it.
But I ignored the warning signs.
The looks he thought I didn’t catch. The disappearing hours. The polished lies. The unfamiliar scent on his skin. The nights he stopped reaching for me. The way his touch faded, as if I were no longer permanent—just convenient.
And now, he wanted to erase me entirely.
My body.
My child.
My existence.
He wanted Layla to take my place.
Pain tore through me as I clenched my eyes shut, choking back the scream trapped in my chest. My breathing broke into shards. The suffering wasn’t only in my body—it cut into something far deeper, something that left me empty and torn open.
No.
I refused to let it end this way.
With trembling fingers, I lifted my phone and called our lawyer.
“Draw up the divorce documents,” I said, steadier than I felt. “Immediately. I want everything dissolved—the marriage, the shares, everything.”
A stunned pause. “Mrs. Madrigal, this is sudden. There’s also a merger pending—”
“Cancel it all within five days,” I cut in. “Once I leave—”
I ended the call.
Before I could even lower the phone, a presence filled the doorway. The light shifted.
Mateo stood there.
“Once you leave?” he repeated softly, amusement and suspicion twisting together in his voice. “Who were you just speaking to, Isla?”
