PROLOGUE

I slowly opened my eyes, the sterile white light of the hospital room blinding at first. My head felt heavy, my entire body disconnected from the bed I was lying on. Panic and confusion hit me as I tried to make sense of my surroundings. How did I end up here, in a hospital, of all places? I tried to recall what had happened, and immediately fragments of the morning's events began to piece together.

I remembered being at my hotel room, immersed in the usual chaos of preparing for legal cases, but today I wasn't myself. This morning started with a persistent cough that I had quickly dismissed as just stress, though it was the first time it felt this bad. It had been six months since I'd been dealing with this persistent cough that wouldn't go away, no matter how many medications I'd taken. Back then, I thought it was because of the winter season. The cough came with other symptoms, ones I had brushed off as nothing.

But this morning, the discomfort grew, twisting into a painful tightness in my chest, and suddenly I couldn’t breathe properly. Every breath felt like I was dragging air through a straw. I managed to get up from my chair but was immediately hit by dizziness. I staggered towards the door, trying to call out to someone, but I couldn't find my voice. I tried to reach for the doorknob, and that was the last thing I remembered before everything went black.

“Mrs. West?” A voice called out, interrupting the haze in my mind. I turned my head towards the sound, and a middle-aged doctor with kind but professional eyes approached me. His expression was grave, the kind of look no one wanted to see.

“How are you feeling?” he asked gently, holding a clipboard that seemed to contain answers I wasn’t ready to hear.

“Tired,” I admitted, my voice hoarse, almost foreign to my ears. “What happened to me?”

He sighed, pulling a chair closer to my bed. “We’ve run a series of tests while you were unconscious. Your fainting episode wasn’t a fluke. We’ve identified early signs of toxic cardiomyopathy—a condition caused by prolonged exposure to certain toxins.”

The words didn’t register at first. “Toxins?” I repeated blankly.

“Yes. Your heart has been under strain, likely from a substance you've been exposed to for an extended period. Have you been taking any medication or supplements?”

I froze. Medication? Toxins? But I don’t take drugs. I’ve never even smoked in my entire life. The medicine I've been taking for over two years now is the fertility medicine Daniel got, to help me conceive. Could it be? No, Daniel would never do something like that...

Could he?

"I... don't do drugs..." I mumbled.

The doctor nodded, his face softening. “I understand. These toxins can sometimes be hidden in so-called ‘safe’ supplements. If you suspect anything, bring the bottles to us for further testing. In the meantime, you’ll need to monitor your condition closely. You’re still young, Mrs. West, but if this continues untreated, it will progress.”

The weight of his words settled like a stone in my chest. I managed a nod, though I felt like I was barely keeping myself together. After he left, I dressed in silence, my hands trembling slightly as I buttoned up my blouse. As I step out, relief washed over me when I saw Anika, my secretary waiting by the door, her expression filled with worry. 

"Mrs. Sterling" She exclaimed when she saw me.

"You collapsed suddenly, ma'am. Thankfully, I had just entered your room to drop off a file when I saw you lying unconscious by the door, so I rushed you here immediately. Simone drove us." She explained.

"I see," I nodded weakly. "I'm okay now. Let's go" She followed me as I left the hospital to my car. Once the car pulled onto the main road, she reached into her briefcase and handed me a file.

“These are the updated financial reports you asked for yesterday,” she said.

I flipped the folder open, scanning the pages of charts and numbers. My eyes immediately locked onto a series of red-flagged transactions. Large sums of money—enormous, even by my firm’s standards—had been withdrawn over the past month. My brows furrowed as I traced the details to their source.

“Daniel?” I muttered, almost in disbelief.

“Yes,” Anika confirmed cautiously. “The withdrawals have been consistent. When I cross-checked the authorisations, it all led back to Mr. West.”

What the hell is going on?

My stomach churned as anger bubbled beneath the surface. First the medicine, now this?I closed the file, my grip tightening on its edges. “Do we know what he’s been using the money for?”

“Not yet,” Anika replied. “We could dig further, but…”

“No,” I interrupted, forcing a calmness I didn’t feel. “That won’t be necessary.”

In truth, I was boiling in the inside. Why would he take such huge amount without telling me and what the heck has he been using it for? But I also wanted to believe in him. We’d been married for six years. He was my partner, my confidant—or at least, he was supposed to be. This didn’t make sense but I know there must be a reasonable explanation. I'm sure he will tell me soon.

I pressed my lips into a thin line. “Thank you, Anika. Let’s head to the airport.”

I had two events today. Daniel’s grand opening ceremony—the one he had insisted I attend—and a client’s birthday party, one I couldn’t miss after winning a major case for him. I forced my emotions down, burying them like I always did. Pushing my feelings aside had become second nature over the years.

-------

Back at the hotel, I stood before the mirror, my reflection staring back at me, Slipping into my dress; a sleek emerald-green gown that exuded both power and elegance, I secured its delicate straps before smoothing the fabric over my hips. I added a pair of diamond studs and a matching bracelet, one that Daniel has gifted me back when the bond between was still strong. Now, I don't know where our marriage was heading.

The mirror reflected the woman I needed to be tonight: Elegant. Composed. Unshakeable. No one would guess what was really happening inside me. I twisted my hair into a high bun, a sleek style that exposed the sharp lines of my jaw and the column of my neck. A swipe of deep red lipstick was the final touch.

Hazel eyes stared back at me, darkened by exhaustion but I had covered the dark circles with makeup.

“You’re stronger than this,” I whispered to my reflection. The words felt hollow, but I clung to them like a lifeline and left. I wasn’t sure how long I could keep it up but I smiled anyway, slipping into the façade I had mastered over the years. When the doors slid open, Anika was already waiting by the car, dressed sharply as always. She gave me a once-over, her expression betraying a mixture of approval and concern.

“You look incredible, Ms. Sterling,” she said as she opened the car door for me.

“Thank you,” I replied, sliding into the back seat. 

---------

The car pulled up to the venue. I adjusted the hem of my dress as Zahra stepped out first, holding the door open for me. My heels clicked sharply against the pavement as I descended. I was late. Not late enough to cause a scene, but late enough to slip in unnoticed. It was better this way—I didn’t have the strength for small talk or the hollow smiles of Daniel’s social circle.

The large double doors opened before me, and I stepped into the hall. The air seemed to shift as I entered, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it. My attention was drawn to the stage at the far end of the room, where Daniel was climbing the steps, his confident stride amplified by the hush that fell over the crowd. This was supposed to be our moment yet he couldn't wait for me to arrive.

He paused, letting the room settle into silence before continuing. “Thank you all for being here today. This event is not just a celebration of a new chapter in my professional life, but also in my personal one.”

My brow furrowed. As I watched him smile, a cold chill ran through me and that was when I heard it. The announcement that shattered everything.

 “It’s with great joy that I introduce you all to my fiancée, Christabella Sterling.”

The air left my lungs in an instant. Time seemed to freeze as I watched Christabella step onto the stage, her arm sliding through Daniel’s like it belonged there. She smiled, a smug one, radiant and poised, as if she had been so long for this day.

Fiancée?

The crowd erupted into applause, their faces a blur of congratulations and admiration. My vision narrowed, focusing only on the two people on the stage—Daniel, the husband I thought I still had, and Christabella, my sister.

I stood there, frozen, as the world around me continued to turn. The applause echoed in my ears like the distant sound of waves crashing against rocks.

I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t even feel my legs beneath me. I watched as Daniel smiled down at Christabella, his hand placed casually on her lower back, guiding her through the applause. He looked... proud. Happy. He looked at her the way he used to look at me, when we were just starting out, when we built everything together.

I could feel my heart shattered into a million pieces, the pain so deep it felt like a dagger twisting mercilessly in my chest. I gripped the back of the nearest chair, my knuckles turning white as I fought to keep my balance. 

No. Not now. I can't break down here. Not in front of all these people. I need to get myself together. The world around me seemed to blur, but I forced myself to breathe.

“Anika,” I whispered, my voice low but firm. My secretary, standing at the entrance, immediately approached.

“Yes, ma’am?” she asked, her concern evident.

“Bring me the account report,” I said, my tone sharp enough to slice through the tension in the air.

Anika didn’t hesitate. Within moments, she was back, handing me the folder with a subtle nod of encouragement. All I wanted to do was walk up that stage and drags those two down. I wanted to expose them in front of everyone, especially Daniel. But I didn't have enough evidence and I couldn't cause a scene.

So I waited, till the ceremony was over and the entire family had gathered for dinner. I stood by the door and listened as they all congratulated the latest couple. No one noticed me as they were all busy in their own world which I've learned over the years I wasn't part of.

"So when do we begin the wedding plans? I advise it happens as quickly as possible" my father’s voice rang out, commanding as always.

"We're planning on three months from now. We don't want to rush anything, Sir" Daniel replied, his tone uncharacteristically different..

"Father, we're planning on having a grand wedding, one the entire country will talk of" Christabella's arrogant voice boomed.

"Of course it will. You're a Sterling, Christabella. We expect nothing less than perfection for a true Sterling" My mother voiced with pride.

“You mother is right,” my father added. "We have a reputation to uphold. It will be grand. And as a way to welcome you, Daniel, I’ll handle all the expenses for the wedding."

"Oh, you're so generous, Mr. Sterling. How lucky we are to be welcomed by you" Susan West, Daniel's mother chuckled.

"Thank you, Sir.” Daniel bowed slightly, a gesture he had never made for me in all the years we were married.

"It’s nothing," my father said dismissively. "You’ve already proven yourself worthy of our daughter. This opening ceremony shows it all."

Enough!

"Well, I beg to differ!" My voice rang out clear and strong, cutting through the conversation. The chatter stopped abruptly, and all eyes turned toward me.

Their expression turned sore the moment they all saw me but I kept my chin high, walking steadily toward the dinner table. On the inside I was unraveling but I couldn't let them see how shattered my heart was.

The silence in the room was broken only by the sound of my heels clicking against the tiled floor as I made my way toward them. Christabella's eyes caught mine first, and her lips curled into a slow, smug grin. I didn't need to be told. She had planned this all. I should have known. She'll always find a way to out do me. Daniel's gaze fell on me and instead of the panic or shame I expected to see, he too grinned.

They’d been waiting for this.

As I stopped in front of them, my mother glared "You're late, Isabella. That's unbecoming of a Sterling" 

“No, Mrs. Sterling. She's right on time" Daniel mused "I knew you wouldn’t disappoint”

His words sent a chill down my spine, but I forced myself to remain composed. "I beg to differ, Father," I repeated, this time directing my glare at Daniel.

“Of course you do,” he said, his tone mocking. “You just can’t let anyone else be happy, can you?”

"What?" 

"Your pathetic self just can't let anyone be happy, can it?"

" Pathetic?" My voice rose, anger blazing in my chest. “How long have you been doing this? How long have you been cheating on me with her?” I demanded.

"Cheating?" My mother’s voice shot up, her shock evident.

Daniel laughed—a sound so cruel it felt like a slap. “And what relationship do we share for me to cheat on you?”

"We're fucking married, Daniel. Six fucking years, that's how long we've been married" I stated not for him but for everyone present to hear. 

The room fell silent, all eyes darting between us. My father’s brows furrowed in anger as he turned to Daniel. “Is this true?”

"Everything she said are all nothing but lies" Daniel denied. I froze, disbelief flooding me. 

"Yes, we dated back in our college years and got married but things didn't work out between us and we annulled the marriage a year later"

"What?" His word hit like a shock and my pulse quickened as I stared at him with widened eyes. A man entered and handed a document to Daniel who immediately held it up so everyone can see and placed it before my father.

"These are our annulment papers. As you see, Sir, it isn't forged. I had kept them secured in case a day like this came" He explained.

My father’s face darkened as he scanned the papers, then passed them to my mother, who went pale.

“Is this true, Isabella? Did you get married without telling us?” my mother snapped, flinging the document to the floor at my feet. I dreaded to touch it. I couldn’t move. The papers sat there like a cruel mockery of everything I had believed.

"It's been six years, Isabella. Why can't you just move on?" Christabella hissed.

My gaze snapped to her then to Daniel who was glaring at me, a triumphant smile on his face. It was only after I looked at everyone did the realization sink in.

The reason Daniel had told me he didn't want my family to know about our marriage. The reason he was against our marriage going public wasn't because he didn't want any paparazzi. It wasn't because he didn't care if my family would accept our marriage or not. It was because he has been planning this, him and Christabella, for six years.

How did I not realize sooner? How did I miss the signs?

The dinner table was tense, laden with expensive dishes that no one touched. My mother’s shrill voice cut through the silence, “You better start explaining what the hell is going on, Isabella!”

Father remained stoic, but I knew it was only a matter of time before his anger surfaced too.

Daniel stepped closer, his expression cold, and leaned in to whisper, “You see how pathetic you look right now, Isabella? This is just the beginning.”

I flinched. His voice was unrecognisable. Was this the same man I had loved for twelve years?

"Why?" I decided to ask. "Why did you do this, Daniel? We've been together for 12 years" My jaw clenched and so did my fist.

"Pathetic" Daniel snorted. "Did you seriously believed I loved you? Did you really think anyone would love a rigid, pathetic workaholic like you? You were nothing but an ice queen, a hollow shell. No emotion, no passion, like a withered flower. Believe me, no man can love a woman like you, Isabella. You were useful—pathetically easy to manipulate. But love?" He snorted. "I could never love someone like you"