“How dare you!”
The words tore themselves from my throat before I even realized, my palm connecting sharply with Marina’s painted cheek.
She screamed immediately, stumbling backward like I had shattered her delicate bones, clutching her face as though it were made of porcelain, her wails high and practiced. Every motion, every breath, every tremble was perfect, rehearsed to perfection.
Gasps swept through the crowd. Whispers erupted like wildfire.
“Did you see that?”
“Poor Marina!”
“Vivienne has completely lost it.”
“That’s Mr. Dominic’s wife—why is she striking her?”
All eyes dug into me, sharp and accusing, but I didn’t care. Not anymore.
“You think I haven’t seen through you?” I shouted, my voice raw and shaking with years of silent fury. “You slithered into my life, whispered lies into Dominic’s ear, poisoned his heart against me. You destroyed my family! And now—you tried to kill my son!” The words ripped from me, every syllable scorched with truth. “You can smear your face with tears and pretend to be fragile, but I know exactly what you are—a scheming, venomous snake!”
Marina’s sobs intensified, her head shaking as if she were the wronged angel. The crowd’s hearts softened for her, but I saw the poison beneath.
Then Dominic’s voice rolled like thunder behind me.
“Vivienne!”
I spun just in time to see his hand rise. The slap struck me with brutal force, knocking me backward.
He loomed over me, every inch the tyrant. “After trying to poison my son, you dare touch the woman I loved first? If it weren’t for that cursed arranged marriage, Marina would have been my wife!”
The murmurs of the onlookers grew louder, whispers slicing the air.
“She’s clearly unstable.”
“No wonder he never loved her.”
“I heard their child isn’t even his. She’s unfaithful.”
Marina’s sobbing made her appear delicate, innocent, adored. And there I was—the monster. Always the villain.
Tears blurred my vision, but I forced words past my lips. “Then divorce me! I’m done with this sham of a marriage. I don’t want to be your wife anymore!”
Dominic’s laugh was cold, venomous. “You’re pathetic, desperate, insane. First, you stage a fake kidnapping for attention, and now this pitiful display? You should win awards, Vivienne, for acting.”
He reached into his jacket and pulled out papers, flinging them at my feet like garbage. “Here. Isn’t this what you’ve been begging for?”
I bent, trembling, to gather them. But before my hands could close around the sheets, he swooped down and snatched them away, a cruel smirk curling his lips.
“You really thought I’d make it that easy?” he spat. “You will serve me another week before I sign this. Until then, you’re mine.”
He waved the papers like a leash, and then turned, sliding an arm around Marina’s shoulders. Together they walked away, and the world seemed to confirm it: she was the cherished wife, I was nothing beneath his feet.
The crowd’s eyes never left me—disgusted, condemning. My hands shook as I forced myself upright, legs weak, heart crushed.
I dragged myself down the hall until I reached my son’s room. The door closed behind me. My forehead pressed against the wood as sobs wracked me, chest aching from the force of it.
“Well then, Dominic,” I whispered through tears and trembling lips, a promise coated in blood and fire. “By this week, I will no longer be yours.”
---
Three days later, I finally brought Ethan home. He was still pale, fragile, weakened by trauma—but alive. If I could, I would have never set foot in that house again. But I had no choice. I needed my mother’s heirlooms, a few of Ethan’s things, and some personal belongings I couldn’t leave behind.
The door swung open, and my breath caught. Marina stood in the center of the living room, regal, untouchable. Asher sprawled across the couch, laughter spilling from him like he owned the world.
Ethan’s small voice quivered beside me. “Mama… why is Asher here?”
Before I could answer, Asher’s smug grin stretched across his face. “Because this is my house now. I’m the true son. You’re… just a bastard.”
Ethan recoiled, his hand tightening around mine. Anger flared inside me, hot and wild. I wanted to rip that arrogance from his lips, but Marina’s soft, poisonous voice stopped me.
“Asher, go to your room,” she said smoothly.
He sauntered upstairs, satisfaction in every step.
The maids passed, their eyes flickering to me but never meeting mine. Whispered words, sharp as knives, filled the hall.
“Everything’s been moved… Madam Vivienne’s belongings are now in the maid’s quarters.”
I swallowed hard, forcing my tears down. Marina pressed a hand to her chest, feigning concern.
“Oh, Vivienne… Dominic told me to stay here with Asher. I didn’t expect your things to be moved. Please, don’t misunderstand me.”
Honeyed words. Eyes laughing.
I clenched my jaw for Ethan’s sake. Taking his hand, I led him to the maid’s quarters.
Inside the cramped room, his resistance broke. He wept into my sleeve, small tears soaking my clothes.
“Mama… why does Papa treat us like strangers?”
I held him close, rocking him gently. “Don’t cry, baby. Soon, very soon, we’ll leave this place. You’ll never have to bow your head for anyone again.”
---
That night, the villa glowed with lights, music drifting from the dining hall. Dominic hosted another dinner for his business partners, and I was relegated to the far end of the table, an uninvited shadow in my own home.
Marina sat at his side, hand brushing his arm, claiming her place as if she were already queen. Her smile was serene, sweet, and the men at the table admired her like she was some untouchable goddess.
One of them glanced toward me. “And who is she?”
