Chapter 1

ANNALISE'S POV

 "No, it can't be."

The words echoed in my head, over and over, as I stood frozen in the doorway. 

My hands trembled, clutching the doorframe, my breath shallow and erratic. This couldn't be real. 

This couldn’t be happening. Yet, here I was, staring at the sight before me 

"It couldn't be," I whispered, the words barely escaping my throat. 

My pulse quickened, pounding in my ears like the beat of war drums. 

With a hand over my chest i gave it a gentle squeeze hoping it will numb the pain inside but it was just a wishful thinking. 

My husband, Diego, lay curled up in our bed with a woman wrapped in his arms. 

His hold on her was tender, protective, the kind of embrace I had never experienced from him. Not once in our entire marriage. 

The dull ache in my chest deepened into something sharp as i stared at them with envy. 

I had long accepted that ours was an arranged marriage, orchestrated by our parents for the sake of business and status. 

Diego had never cared for me, but to see him with her—it was like a knife twisting in a wound I hadn’t known was still open. 

And then i realized how much i loved him. How much i trusted him. 

Even in our cold marriage, I had expected at least some form of respect. 

But here he was, with her, right under our roof. In the bed we shared, though I used that term loosely. 

Diego had never been able to stomach being near me unless he was drunk, and even then, sex was a miserable, soulless chore.

The disdain in his eyes after each encounter had long since burned itself into my memory.

My fists clenched at my sides, my nails digging into my palms 

Without thinking, I strode toward them, my feet silent against the floor, though my heart screamed. 

They were sleeping, Diego’s arms around her, holding her as if she were something precious, something worth protecting.

I couldn’t make out the woman’s face,her head was buried in his chest. 

My eyes flicked to the bedside table. 

A glass of water. Without a second thought, I grabbed it and dumped the contents over Diego’s face.

“You fucking cheater!” I screamed, my voice cracking as the tears burned in my eyes, threatening to fall. 

I yanked the covers off their bodies, exposing their betrayal fully. 

I wanted him to see it, to see how much his actions had broken me. 

"How could you do this to me." My lips trembling as i forced the words out from my mouth. 

The woman stirred, blinking as she groggily lifted her head. 

And then I saw her face. 

It was Kathrine my youngee sister. 

 Of course, it had to be her. 

The favored one. 

The one our father had always deemed worthy of everything worthy enough to take over the family business, while I was sent off like a piece of property to marry Diego, the son of our family’s business partner. 

Kathrine, who had always been praised, adored, while I was left to fade into the background. 

When she caught sight of me, that victorious grin appeared on her face, a sight that currently only heightened my disgust.

Diego, still in shock, sat up, rubbing his face as if trying to piece together how he had ended up here. 

“Annalise, wait. I-I don’t know how—I swear this isn’t what it looks like!”

"Oh really. " I scoffed in disbelief. 

"It's pretty clear that you are fucking my sister Incase you didn't notice." I yelled at the top of my voice. 

 "The only reason i invited Kathrine was to talk about work and we were downstairs then...." His voice faltered as he tried to explain, but I didn’t care not anymore. 

"Save it, Diego because i don't want to fucking hear it.” I hissed, the tears now freely spilling down my cheeks. 

“All those nights you said you were working late—was this what you were doing? Sneaking around with her? My own sister.”

I bit my lip to hold back the tears as one slipped from my eye. 

My shoulders shook with their betrayal, and I covered my mouth with my hand still in disbelief. 

Diego stood from the bed, his movements frantic, like a man scrambling to piece together a broken vase. 

“I don’t know how this happened. You have to believe me.”

“Believe you?” I let out a hollow, bitter laugh, shaking my head. 

“Believe you? After this? I may have been blind for so long not to see you for who you truly are but I'm not stupid.”

“This marriage was a lie from the start,” I whispered, more to myself than to him. 

“And now, you’ve shown me exactly how little I mean to you.”

The realization began to shink in and my heart was shattered even more. 

Why did he have to treat me like this. 

Why did everyone i care about treated me like crap. 

My parents, my sister and now my husband wasn't an exemption. 

I felt so useless and worthless. 

Diego stepped closer, his hand reaching out as if to touch me, but I averted his touch immediately. 

 “Annalise,. I don’t love her. I don’t know how we—”

“I don’t care what you feel,” I interjected, my voice was cold, the fire inside me turning to ice. 

“You’ve made your choice and you choose her over me."

"Please..."

Diego's voice trailed off as his eyes began to feel with tears.

He reached out to me and grabbed my hand before i could even react and his knees sinking onto the chilly ground.  

"Annalise please just listen. I can explain.."

I turned my face away, refusing to look at him. 

Now i could see that men where nothing but a bunch of liars. 

I stood there, my breath heavy as Diego clung to my hand, his grip tightening. 

It was like my heart had been torn out, and in its place, there was only numbness.

Despite the air conditioning my lungs felt choked up and i couldn't breathe. 

Annalise, breathe. You have to breathe.

“I don’t care if you love her or not!” I bluntly, pulling my hand from his grasp. 

"You chose her. Over me. Over us." I stumbled back a step i shook my head, my face was evident with disappointment. 

"Don’t leave me like this." He begged. 

"Honestly i tried." I started softly. 

"I tried to be better for you. I gave up my dreams to be with you to stay by your side, longing for the day you'll finally see me."

I clenched my teeth as my fingers dug into my hair.

"Argh! God I'm such a fool." 

"Ann, can you stop being so dramatic. If you weren't so useless dad wouldn't have...." Kathrine's voice halted as my palm met her cheeks. 

Her eyes were wide with disbelief, her hand pressed against her cheek. 

It was the first time I had ever laid a hand on my sister, and deep down, I relished the feeling.

"You don't get to speak to me. " I groaned with fierceness in my eyes. 

She was shocked because she had never witness this side of me before. 

I was done being a pushover, tired of being treated like trash. 

Diego was equally stunned as he stared at me in disbelief. I took a deep breath, then shifted my gaze to him. 

"You made your choice, and now it's time for me to make mine."