Chapter one

ELOISE

“Honey! You left your files on my bedside table. I guess they’re important to you.”

I picked up the files and headed straight to the living room but didn’t find my husband there.

“Ma'am, the boss left early today. He said something about the inauguration ceremony.”

“Oh, dang! My miserable memory. I forgot about that.” Today was the inauguration ceremony, the day my husband would finally own the company. He’s been the acting CEO for the past few years. I should have been there for him too!

I quickly took a bath and rushed over to GED, the biggest construction company in Italy.

However, I was refused entrance to my own husband’s company.

“Excuse me?” My brows drew up in confusion.

“Sorry, ma’am, but only invited individuals are allowed in,” the security guard apologized.

“I know that, but I’m the CEO’s wife. Won’t you be in trouble if the CEO finds out you kept his wife outside? Besides, I need to give him some documents he left at home.”

“Don’t be like that, ma’am. The CEO came with his wife,” one of the security men said.

“What?”

“Yeah, I’m sure of it. The CEO came with his wife. She’s been visiting for a long time, and we’re all familiar with her face. You come here for the first time claiming to be the CEO’s wife? Can you stoop any lower to get what you want, ma’am?” another guard confronted me.

I was so embarrassed that my legs suddenly became wobbly. Still, I couldn’t move an inch from where I stood.

“Look. I mean Mr. Damon Huxley, the—”

“Are you okay, ma’am? We don’t have two CEOs at this company. I advise that you go back home. Other guests are arriving, and—”

“He’s my husband, and I need to deliver important documents! Wait until he answers this call. And believe me, you both will be fired.”

I wasn’t going to back down. I dialed Damon’s number, and after five attempts, he still declined my calls. The embarrassment was eating me up inside. Could they be telling the truth?

Damon has never told me much about his company. He said I didn’t need to visit, nor did I need to work—maybe because of my health. I’m sure of that, even though he claimed it was because he had more than enough money, and it was unnecessary for me to get a job.

I was diagnosed with cancer a few days after our wedding, and for a whole four years, I’ve been from one treatment to another. My husband was cool with it. He never shouted at me or got angry that I’d become a liability instead of fulfilling the future we planned together.

“Could you at least let me see Mr. Damon? He probably needs these documents, and what if he sends someone home to get them? That would be a waste of his time. God damn it, fellows, can’t you listen?” I raised my voice, losing my patience. I was ready to fight my way in.

“What’s going on here, madam?” A well-built, middle-aged man stopped in front of me, likely the chief of security.

“Oh, thank goodness. If you’d just listen to me. I have to give these documents to Mr. Damon.”

“Did you book an appointment, ma’am?”

I held my breath, biting my lip and clenching my fists in anger. “I don’t need to book an appointment to see my husband!” I said through clenched teeth.

“Unfortunately, ma’am, I think you’re at the wrong—” I didn’t let him finish before I pushed my way through the entrance and rushed into the company’s event hall.

A large crowd had gathered, all dressed to impress.

I wasn’t wearing much. The only thing elegant on me was the gown my husband gifted me for our 5th anniversary, which had been released at a boutique two months ago. I was still underweight, so the gown looked a little big on me.

My eyes scanned the hall until they landed on Damon. For a moment, I heaved a sigh of relief. A small grin appeared on my face as I waved to him and hastened my steps toward him.

As I got closer, I saw a pretty woman holding my husband, her head leaning on his shoulder.

“Honey, you forgot this!” I smiled and gently untangled the woman who was glued to my husband.

“Did you just say honey? Who is this woman?” she asked Damon, her voice loud enough to attract almost everyone’s attention. Damon looked speechless.

“Why the hell are you here, Eloise?” Damon muttered.

I turned toward the fair, pretty homewrecker. “I should be asking that question, miss. He might be your CEO, but that shoulder you just leaned on belongs to me. His wife.”

She scoffed. “You look like you escaped from a mental hospital because what the hell are you talking about, calling my husband yours?”

This woman was classy in every way. Her diction was perfect, and her style was top-notch. Somehow, I knew I looked like the fake one. Whatever was happening was beginning to overwhelm me.

Cameras kept flashing in our direction, and I knew what that meant. The press wouldn’t miss an opportunity to make extra cash off this scene.

“Enough of this embarrassment, Eloise. How long will you keep dwelling on the illusion that I’m still your husband? Do you really consider yourself worthy of being part of our prestigious family? What you’re holding in your hand is the divorce paper that you signed yourself. Maybe you got dementia post-cancer also.” Damon’s voice echoed across the hall.

Something wasn’t right. Damon had never raised his voice at me. These couldn’t be the words from the mouth that kissed me passionately the previous night. The look in his eyes had changed—they were no longer loving.

Damon turned to the cameras and bowed in apology. “I’m truly sorry for the trouble my ex-wife has caused today. I will take responsibility for this and personally escort her out.”

His hands gripped my wrist as he hastily dragged me out of the company’s entrance door.

“What was the meaning of that, Damon?” My voice quavered.

“What does it look like, Eloise? I’m fed up. I just wanted a marriage, and you turned me into your nanny.”

“Damon!” I lashed out.

“Look, I’m sorry, but everything is fine now. My cancer treatment ended a year ago, and I’m perfectly fine now. I promise—”

“Fine? You think you’re fine now, Eloise? This isn’t the woman I married. What if word gets out that you can’t conceive? You’re barren now. Has that not registered in your thick skull yet?”

“Don’t be like that, Damon. We can—”

“Get your hands off me! There’s no ‘we’ anymore, Eloise. The only way to fix this is for you to be reborn. Eloise, I loved you, but your life is too complicated and quite unbefitting for my social class now. I guess your father hasn’t told you yet?”

Damon pushed my hands off his body.

“What hasn’t my father told me yet?” I mumbled through my tears. My heart was too weak to handle the pain I was going through at that moment. “I’m sorry, Damon, but please don’t do this to me. You love me, and I love you too. I can’t live without you.” I held his hands, watching as my tears fell, but he wasn’t moved in the slightest.

“Let go, Eloise.” Damon pushed me to the floor. I didn’t care about the rain that had already soaked my clothes. I held onto his shoes and begged for his heart to beat for me again, for one last chance.

“That’s enough, lady. Don’t you dare touch my husband, or else you’ll pay for it with your life!” the other woman said. Damon kicked my grip away from his shoes and held the other woman by the waist.

I had been betrayed by the only man I loved, and now I wished the rain could wash me away into my grave. I sat on the cold, rain-soaked floor and cried my eyes out.

Being embarrassed by the flicking cameras or the many eyes that glared at me in pity was the last thing I thought about.