Chapter Two: Abandoned & Replaced

EVA’S POV

Pain.

A sharp, crushing feeling deep inside my chest, like someone had removed something from my inside.That was the first thing I felt when I opened my eyes.

My body felt heavy, drained. The world around me felt… wrong. Empty.I blinked against the harsh morning light filtering through the curtains. My head throbbed. Then, it hit me.

Daniel. The divorce papers. The blonde woman.

What happened last night came rushing back, slamming into me with such force.

My heart beat fast as I looked around the living room,expecting—hoping—that this was all some terrible prank.I shut upright, my breath coming in shallow gasps.

But reality was merciless.

Daniel’s side of the shelf was empty.

The side table where he kept his watch, his cologne, his night reading glasses—all gone.

I stood up from the floor where I fell the night before , my legs weak under me. I picked up my phone, my fingers shaking as I dialed his number.

Disconnected.

I tried again.

This number is no longer in service.

My throat tightened. No. No, he wouldn’t—

I checked my messages. Nothing. No apology. No explanation.

Just… silence.

I refused to believe it. It's not possible for him to just leave me like that right?.

I rushed out of the living room and into the passageway. My feet were slapping against the cold wooden floors as I made my way there.

The house was too silent.

I turned back into the living room, and that’s when I saw it.

The shelves were completely empty. The pictures of us—gone.

His laptop. His favorite whiskey. His books.

All gone.

As if he had never lived here. As if I had never mattered.

A broken sound escaped my lips.

He really left.

Not just left. He had erased himself.

Tears blurred my vision as I sank onto the couch. My hands clenched the divorce papers still sitting on the coffee table, the ink mocking me.

You were never his choice, Eva.

That cruel, insidious thought wrapped around me like a noose, tightening with every passing second.

My hands shook as I flipped through the pages, the cold legal terms smudging beneath my damp fingers. He had everything arranged—a clean, effortless exit.

He had been planning this.

For how long?

Weeks? Months? Years?

A hollow laugh bubbled up my throat. Had I really been so blind?

I held the papers to my chest, my nails scraping the thick pack. He was gone. My husband. My best friend. The man I had sacrificed everything for.

And he didn’t even look back.

FLASHBACK – FIVE YEARS AGO

"Eva, you have to eat something."

Daniel sat beside me on the hospital bed, his warm brown eyes filled with concern. I was exhausted, my body aching from working back-to-back shifts at the diner, trying to pay off his tuition.

But when I looked at him—at us—I felt invincible.

"I’m fine," I whispered.

He frowned, shaking his head. "No, you’re not. You can’t keep doing this. I promise, once I graduate, things will change. I’ll take care of you, Eva. Just a little longer, okay?"

His fingers brushed away a stray strand of hair from my face, his touch gentle, protective.Loving.

I had believed him.

I had believed in us.

PRESENT MOMENT

A sob fell from my lips as I held unto the memory, as if it could somehow bring him back. Back to me.

But that Daniel? The one who had promised to take care of me?

He was long gone.

I reached for my phone again, desperation clawing at my chest. I needed to hear his voice. To hear him say something—anything.

I dialed his number one last time.

The call did not even ring.

Blocked.

Tears flowed down my cheeks, my hands shaking slightly as I looked at the screen.

Then, another notification popped up.

A message.

From Vanessa.

The blonde woman from last night.

My stomach twisted as I hesitated, then opened it.

Vanessa: You were never good enough. Move on.

Sharp, cold anger flowed through me, cutting through my pain like a hot knife in butter .

I bit down on my lips with my teeth, my fingers getting tight around my phone.

How dare she?

How dare she walk into my life, take my husband, and then have the audacity to mock me?

I wanted to scream. To throw the phone across the room.

Instead, I did nothing.

Because deep down, I knew she was right.

Not about me not being good enough.

But about moving on.

Daniel had made his choice.

And I was done begging.

I wiped my tears away, inhaling shakily. I wouldn’t break. Not for him. Not for them.

A loud knock on the door startled me.

I froze.

For a brief, pathetic second, I thought—Daniel?

I forced myself to breathe. No. It cannot be.

I immediately got up and walked toward the door, as I swallowed the lump in my throat.

Another knock. This time, more impatient.

I gripped the handle and pulled it open.

A tall, striking man stood on my doorstep.

Sharp, chiseled features. Dark, piercing eyes. He wore a perfectly tailored suit, his presence radiating a quiet intensity.

I knew exactly who he was.

Leon Castello.

CEO of Castello Enterprises. Ruthless. Powerful. One of the wealthiest men in the city.

And Daniel’s biggest competition.

His eyes took me in, he kept at it for a moment before he spoke.

"Eva Sinclair?"

I swallowed hard. "Yes?"

His lips did something that was not quite a smile.

"I think we need to talk to you."