Chapter 002

Damon dropped to one knee, his eyes locked on Lily’s, and pulled a small box from his pocket. The diamond ring sparkled under the dim light, a mockery of the vows they had once exchanged.

“Marry me,” he said, his voice low, his tone almost smoldering.

Lily’s gasp was audible as she gazed at the ring, her face lighting up with joy.

But across the room, Aneeka’s world shattered.

How could he? The question tore through her mind, jagged and unforgiving. The emptiness, the loneliness, the countless nights of wondering where she had gone wrong.

She had convinced herself she could endure a loveless marriage, telling herself stability and familiarity were enough. But this? Proposing to another woman? It destroyed her.

The sound of Lily’s ecstatic screams were the last things Aneeka heard before the darkness overtook her.

Aneeka woke to the sterile smell of the hospital room. Her head throbbed, her limbs heavy, but it was Damon’s cold voice that pierced the haze of her drug-induced sleep.

“Here, you need to sign these today.” He handed her the divorce papers, his expression as lifeless as the documents he placed before her.

She stared at them, unblinking, her heart a hollow ache in her chest. For a moment, everything was still. Then, with slow deliberation, her gaze shifted to Damon. The man who had once been her world. The man who had just promised a future with another woman.

A bitter smile twisted her lips, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

The memories of his proposal to Lily—the way she had collapsed in shock, the rush of tears—lingered in her chest, raw and painful. But strangely, seeing the divorce papers felt like a strange kind of relief.

That's why he withdrew so much money, she thought, her breath catching. That’s why he’s been so... happy.

Her limp was a sharp reminder of the pain, the bruises still fresh from her fall. She made her way toward him, her sprained ankle a searing reminder of her suffering.

“Do you love her?” Her voice barely broke the silence, fragile and small.

“Yes. More than anything in the world,” Damon replied, his words like ice. No warmth, no remorse.

Aneeka stared at him, her eyes empty. "Was this all just a joke to you?"

Damon’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You wanted this, remember? You asked me to marry you.”

Aneeka’s throat burned. “We needed access to my trust fund for your mother’s heart surgery. You wanted this too.”

Damon sighed, his gaze dismissive. “I never wanted to marry you. This marriage was a business transaction. Nothing more.”

“I wasted years of my life loving you?” Her words were barely a whisper, a quiet defeat in her tone.

Damon didn’t respond, but his silence spoke volumes.

Aneeka’s voice cracked, but she pushed through. “I stayed when it was hard. I cooked, I cared for your mother, I stayed…”

“Your insecurities made you stay,” Damon interrupted, a dismissive edge to his voice. “Don’t be so sensitive. It’s not that big of a deal. You should be lucky I even married you. No one else would put up with you.”

Lily, now standing by the door, chimed in with a laugh. “Exactly! You really did a good job sticking it out this long, D.”

Damon’s focus shifted to Lily. “Just sign it. She’s pregnant, I need to be there for my child.”

Aneeka sat, staring at the floor, the words ringing in her ears. Pregnant? The last shred of her hope crumbled to dust.

"I just want to be free from this hell," Damon muttered under his breath.

Aneeka’s throat tightened as she swallowed, her hands gripping the edge of the chair, her entire body trembling.

"Sure," she said sharply, the word slicing through the room like a knife. Damon looked up, startled.

He studied her, confusion flickering in his eyes. She was tired, but not broken. He had expected tears, pleas, a meltdown, but she seemed... different. As if she had been waiting for this moment.

Her relief made him angry. Why wasn’t she begging?

“I could wish you the best, but I doubt it would be genuine,” Damon added bitterly, his words dripping with contempt.

“I know. Thanks,” Aneeka replied, her voice icy and composed.

Damon’s eyes narrowed. Something was wrong. The woman he had expected to crumble was standing there, indifferent to the devastation he had just unleashed. The spark of frustration inside him burned hotter.

“You're not fulfilling my needs, so I sought comfort elsewhere. My mom loves Lily.”

“That’s cute,” Aneeka sneered, the words slipping from her mouth before she could stop them.

Their marriage had been a sham from the start—he had used her to access her inheritance, to fund his mother’s surgery. He never cared for her, but she had tried so hard to make him love her. Even his own mother had never approved of their union.

Aneeka picked up the pen, twirling it between her fingers, her eyes flicking from the divorce papers to Damon’s tense face. She set it down again.

“I’ll need my lawyers to look over these documents before I sign. I need to ensure my inheritance is protected. Especially Blue Horizon.”

Blue Horizon. Her mother’s luxurious cruise ship. One of the country’s most prestigious tourist attractions. It had been part of Aneeka’s inheritance, a rare treasure. Damon had boasted about owning it so many times, proudly flaunting it as though it was his accomplishment, his legacy. But it wasn’t. It had never been his. It had always been hers.

Damon’s obsession with it had never been hidden. From the beginning, he had made it clear that Blue Horizon was his golden ticket—a symbol of wealth and status that he craved, that he wanted to claim for himself. But now, as she sat there, pen in hand, staring down at the divorce papers, the realization hit her with the force of a crashing wave: He had never loved her. He had loved her inheritance. He had used her for it.

“You can’t be serious,” Damon spat, his voice rising. “Blue Horizon belongs to us—we are supposed to share it, to build our future around it.”

Aneeka’s lips curved into a cold smile. “By ‘us,’ you mean me, and only me.” She leaned forward, the words coming out like a quiet accusation. “Blue Horizon is my mother’s legacy. My inheritance. You’ve never been part of that. And you never will be.”

Damon’s face twisted with rage, his nostrils flaring. His eyes burned with a mix of disbelief and fury, the reality sinking in that everything he had hoped to take from her was slipping away.

Aneeka’s heart hammered in her chest, but her voice remained steady, unwavering. “Blue Horizon stays with my family. Not yours. And not ours. So, you can forget any claim you thought you had.”

Damon’s face turned a violent shade of red. Blue Horizon wasn’t just an asset—it was the pillar of his ambitions, his ticket to the life he’d dreamed of. And now it was out of his grasp.

His fists clenched at his sides. “I’ll wait until after the month’s tour,” he muttered through gritted teeth. The thought of waiting—of letting him enjoy the income, the fame, the prestige of the ship—was unbearable. He could hardly hide his desperation.

“No,” Aneeka replied sharply, without hesitation. “No more waiting. I’m done letting you control my life.” Her voice had grown hard, resolute.

“I will not let you hold me back any longer. No more compromises, Damon. No more lies.”

She stood up, the chair scraping against the floor. Her gaze never left his, daring him to respond. The silence that followed was thick, suffocating, as if the weight of everything that had built up between them had finally reached its breaking point.

Damon opened his mouth to say something, but the words died in his throat. He could see it in her eyes now—she was done. And for the first time in their marriage, he realized that he had lost.

And it felt like the floor had been pulled from under him.