Chapter 1

Leah's Pov

I clutched the report tightly in my hand, feeling a rush of excitement and joy bubble up inside me.

"Congratulations Mrs. Russo, you are three weeks pregnant," the doctor's voice thundered in my ear.

I was filled with an overwhelming mix of emotions; I laughed, cried, and then laughed again.

This baby had been long awaited, a dream finally coming true.

The thought of sharing this wonderful news with Axel filled me with anticipation.

I walked briskly to the sleek black car waiting for me at the other side of the road. As I settled in the back seat, the chauffeur asked, "Ma'am, where do we go next?" I pondered for a moment, contemplating the best way to celebrate this momentous occasion. "Take me to the grocery market," I told the driver.

A good news like this should be shared over a delightful meal and a glass of wine.

The car ride was filled with my continuous grinning as I read the report over and over again, rubbing my stomach gently and silently asking, "Are you there?"

After a whole day of bustling and bustling around, I finally finished preparing a masterpiece of a meal. Placing the last piece on the table, I clapped my hands happily.

I swiftly went upstairs to change into a black nightgown, letting my hair fall gracefully.

As I descended the stairs, I addressed the servants in the house, "You can all return for the night," and they respectfully left.

I sat down in the dining room, eagerly watching the time—it was just 8:30 pm, Axel would be back in just thirty minutes.

The clock ticked on, and several hours passed without any sign of Axel.

Frustration and worry gnawed at me as I checked the time again, finding it already 11:30 pm. I tried calling his phone, but there was no answer.

Feeling both tired and anxious, I continued to glance outside.

I was desperate to share the good news with Axel. The minutes dragged on, and I began feeling scared and angry.

Axel had never been late coming home before. I couldn't help but wonder what had gone wrong. As the clock edged closer to midnight, I made the difficult decision to prepare to raise an alarm for a missing person if Axel didn't show up.

Just then, as I was on the verge of dozing off, I heard the sound of a car honk.

Jolting awake, I rushed to the door and eagerly wrapped my arms around Axel, feeling a surge of relief and happiness wash over me.

Axel returned my embrace with a tired smile, his face carrying the weight of a long and exhausting day.

Ever since taking over the family company at the young age of twenty, Axel had consistently proven himself in the business world.

Eager to share our news, Axel took me to the sofa, and with a hint of hesitation, he said, "I have something to tell you." Excitedly, I replied, "Me too! You go first."

With a sigh, Axel bent down to my level and opened a briefcase, taking out a file. Handing it to me, he said, "Here."

Confused, I looked at the file and assumed it was another grand gesture from Axel, who always wanted to spoil me. “Oh, Axel," I said, "Why did you get me a new property? I've told you to keep your money; I have more than enough already."

With a gentle smile, I opened the file, but my smile quickly faded as I saw the bold word "DIVORCE" written on the paper.

My heart sank, and I looked up at Axel, hoping that this was all just a terrible misunderstanding.

As I tried to hand the file back to him, I said, "I think you gave me the wrong file, Axel." But Axel's eyes conveyed a solemn determination as he uttered those dreaded words, "Let's divorce, Leah."

Confusion and disbelief washed over me, and I laughed nervously, desperately hoping he was joking. "You must be joking, Axel, right?" I asked, my voice trembling with uncertainty and shock.

He was joking right??

Axel looked at me with a stern expression and said seriously, "I'm not joking." I met his gaze, his deep blue eyes looking as calm as an ocean, a stark contrast to the turmoil I was feeling inside.

I asked him, "Why?"

Axel sighed and rubbed his hands together. "Louisiana is awake," he said.

I gripped the file tightly in my hands. "Louisiana is awake?" I asked myself.

I thought she was in a coma. How could she suddenly wake up? I looked at Axel, trying to understand his feelings.

The diamond stud in his ear glinted under the living room light, but its brightness hurt my eyes.

Louisiana was Axel's childhood sweetheart who had fallen into a coma after a terrible accident.

"But... we've been married for five years," I whimpered.

Axel replied, "Our marriage was just an agreement from the beginning. You know that."

As he stood up, his tall height made me feel small in comparison. He's 199 cm tall, and I'm only 150 cm tall.

The pain I was feeling was enormous. It was true — our marriage was an agreement. But I had fallen in love with him over time.

Axel continued to drop bombshell after bombshell. "We agreed to divorce when Louisiana woke up. She's awake now," he said, looking straight into my eyes.

I felt my whole world crashing down, and I gripped the file tighter. "But you love me, Axel," I said.

A glint flashed across Axel's eyes but quickly disappeared. "I have never loved you, Leah," he said coldly.

I stood up, feeling a mix of anger and despair. "You lie, Axel," I screamed. "If you didn't love me, you wouldn't have treated me the way you did. You wouldn't have made me the envy amongst elites. You wouldn't have done all those things," I cried out.

Axel replied, "It was all part of the agreement. I had to take care of you to make our marriage look real before the world."

My heart stopped. I was just a cover-up for him?

I kept questioning him, holding on to any hope. "What about going to the movies with me?"

"It was part of the agreement," he replied.

"What about going to the spa, to the mall, showing affection in public?" I asked.

"It was all lies,"

The depths of my agony only deepened as I pressed on, my heart breaking with each word. "How about when you said you wanted me to be the mother of your children? Don't tell me it was all lies," I cried out, a mixture of hurt and desperation in my voice

As Axel remained silent, I couldn't bear it any longer. I grabbed his shirt and shook him, my voice breaking with emotion, "Tell me it was all lies, Axel," I

cried out, shaking him with a mix of anger and despair. "Tell me it was all lies, Axel," I repeated, my voice cracking with emotion.

Axel said coldly, crushing my last hopes. "I don't love you, Leah," he screamed, looking into my eyes. He shook my hands off his shirt and dropped a pen on the table. "Please sign the divorce papers," he said.

I stood there weakly, feeling like my whole world had crumbled. It had all been lies.

Where had I gone wrong?

What had I done wrong?

Why was this happening of all nights?

Feeling agitated and confused, I bit down hard on Axel's chest, not stopping until I tasted the iron of blood in my mouth. His fair chest was streaked with blood, the first button of his shirt undone, making him look disheveled. With the blood, he looked almost vampiric.

"I won't sign the papers," I said, running upstairs.

If I didn't sign the papers, there wouldn't be a divorce, right?

Axel, remaining calm, warned me, "Then get prepared for my lawyers to sue you to court."

My pupils dilated. Axel's lawyers?

The lawyers of the Russo Empire were the number one in the country. If I went against the agreement, I might spend the rest of my life in jail.

I walked back downstairs, still in turmoil, and took the pen to sign the papers. Axel smiled as he took the papers from me. He then handed me a checkbook. "Write any amount of money you want and withdraw it from the bank," he said, placing the checkbook on the table.

But my mind was in a storm of emotions. When Axel saw that I didn't respond, he asked calmly, "What's the good news you have for me?"

"Never mind," I replied, my heart breaking with every word spoken, tears welling up in my eyes..

"Oh," Axel said as he stood up and straightened his coat, his demeanor unnervingly composed. "It was nice doing business with you, Miss Leah Thompson." With a formal bow, he made his exit, leaving me stunned and reeling at his words.

Miss Leah Thompson?!!!

Doing business with you?!!!

The realization hit me like a sledgehammer – I was no longer Mrs. Russo.

My so-called marriage, which I had held so dear, was nothing but a business deal to him??

"Ahhhhh"!!!!

I held my head in agony, screaming loud with all my might.