Chapter 1

Kenna 

"Please go to the hospital and provide blood ASAP." The person who sent the message is my husband and we have been married for three years. It has been a marriage of convenience more than anything. It hurts because I love him. Still, despite him not loving me back and going out of his way to ignore me. 

My husband, Xander Staniopolis, a CEO and billionaire who owns luxurious hotels and villas in America and Europe, with dark hair and mesmerizing blue eyes, needs someone who has a rare type of blood. Mine is the fit, AB negative. It’s for his precious friend, Violet. I am sick of Violet and having to always donate my blood to her. She is so needy, sometimes I think she is trying to drain the life out of me. But for Xander and his wealth I will do pretty much anything. 

But we have a deal, Xander and I. He gives me the wealth I want and in return I donate blood. It’s not what I imagined growing up, I wanted a husband who loved me back. My stomach flips just thinking about donating more blood. 

He only does it out of loyalty because her brother was his best friend. But he is now dead and still, Xander feels obligated. 

My phone beeps again, I sigh with exasperation as I see three messages from Xander appear.

"Remember our deal.  Hospital now."

"Be sure to come to the hospital to donate blood."

"Please come to the hospital immediately."

During our three years of marriage, most of the time, he treats me like a stranger. We haven’t even been intimate yet, I mean what the hell is a woman supposed to do when she has her own set of needs? Not to mention that I am in love with Xander, stupid I know. But I can’t help the way my heart feels. Which currently is shattered. 

The only time he contacts me is to request I go to the damn hospital to donate blood for Violet. Other than that I hardly see him. Xander is always too busy with his empire to pay me any attention. It hurts like a knife to the heart. 

It's the third time this month, and it's more than my body can take. I am weak and exhausted, my arms look like those of a heroine junkie. 

I'm sitting on the sofa and my eyes are getting a little watery and blurry. Yesterday I waited for him to get home from work as I usually do. I hate that I care for him and love him. I carefully prepared a dinner for our third anniversary, and yet I've been standing in the rain for over an hour waiting for him. 

Today I feel sick and my head is spinning. Xander probably doesn't even know I have a fever. He never notices anything about me. I could shave my hair off, all my luscious red hair and he’d still not notice. 

I endured the dizziness and tried to call Xander to explain. But the text message I just received after his, has crushed my last shred of dignity and hope.

"You ugly homewrecker. No matter how you disguise yourself, you will never be his wife. You know better than anyone that you blackmailed your way to be his wife! He spent last night with me." [Photo of her sleeping in Xander's arms]

Home wrecker？I feel sick to my stomach, it’s in knots. Just the sight of Xander in her arms asleep, his head resting on her, makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. Why can’t it be me he seeks comfort in. Jealousy runs through my veins. I hate her.. Hate her. 

My heart was weighed down with a deep, suffocating sadness. I am Xander’s rightful wife, Kenna. I gave up everything—my family, my friends — for this marriage, for three years of trying to make it work. And now, I’m the “other woman”? Unfuckingbelievable.

It felt as though someone had struck me in the chest, shattering the emotions I’d so carefully nurtured during those difficult days. I feel like a juggernaut has taken me down, I am crushed beyond belief. I can hardly breathe. 

Then, a photo appeared on my phone. It was of Xander, his expression serene in sleep. His handsome features, perfectly chiseled, were what once drew me to him, igniting a passion I couldn’t resist. This photo seemed to validate everything I had feared. I put my hand in front of my mouth, wanting to scream and cry out. 

The woman resting against his shoulder was Violet. Though they both had their eyes closed, the subtle curve of Violet’s lips betrayed her awareness, her satisfaction. She is snide.

They looked every bit like a couple deeply in love. It sickens me to see them like this. I want it to be me he sleeps with. After three years we still have separate bedrooms. I am lost in this relationship, totally and utterly lost. 

My mobile rings, I look at the screen and can see it is a call from Xander’s family home. My fingers move on autopilot accepting the call. As I answer, Karen’s voice - the voice of Xander’s mother - comes through, laced with command and expectation. I don’t like anything about his mother. She is cold and calculating, a total bitch. 

“Kenna, have you forgotten what today is? The maid’s off, so get over here and cook!”

A cold laugh escaped my lips as I end the call without another word. Seriously, I am his wife, the wife of a CEO and billionaire. It’s not my job to cook for them. Why can’t Karen simply hire another cook for the day. 

I’ve spent all this time treading carefully around Xander, desperately trying to keep our fragile marriage together. At work, I’m underestimated by everyone, yet I still give everything I have, playing the role of his secretary to perfection. 

At Xander’s home, his mother Karen and sister look down on me as if I’m some kind of outsider. They’re always so condescending, nitpicking at every little thing. Cooking, laundry, even cleaning—they made me do it all. I’ve been nothing more than an obedient servant, never once burdening Xander with the truth, never wanting to trouble him. Even though I should, I mean who else will stand up for me. Nobody, exactly. 

I’ve become accustomed to enduring it. No matter how much others scorn me, I’ve been willing to bear it all for Xander’s sake. And I hate myself for being like this, so subservient, allowing everyone to control me, to tell me what to do and push me around. It has to stop. 

In the three years we have been married, Xander does not respect me nor treat me like he should a wife. I am just that person who he expects to be his secretary and to give blood for Violet. It’s not a life for a young woman like me who gave up everything to be with him.  I had hopes for a blissful, happy marriage, not this life of suffering. 

And now, I’m just too tired. I feel like I can’t hold on any longer.

This isn’t the first time Violet had tried to undermine my place as Xander’s wife. In the past, I could brush off her cruel, cutting words with a smile. But this photo—it shattered what little dignity I had left. I know she must have feelings for him, maybe she thinks that she can persuade him to divorce me and be with her instead. Not going to happen.

Whether she likes it or not, he needs quick and easy access to my blood type to donate on a regular basis. Sure hospitals have this type of blood, but they also run out and if in case of an emergency, yeah you’ve got it. He has me on hand to donate straight away. 

Our marriage is like a cruel joke. What did I ever do to deserve to be treated like an object, a mere thing? I deserve happiness, passion and love just like anyone else. I am overwhelmed and exhausted with this latest sting of humiliation. His cold indifference to me, hardly even acknowledging me in the house or at work. Everyone talks about it, I know they gossip. They can’t help themselves. 

Above all that, however, is the crushing loneliness. I have nobody to talk to, no girlfriends to hang with. Xander doesn’t allow for me to see my parents often and as for friends, he won’t allow it. He tells me my place is in the home and not to forget it. 

I inhale deeply, tears rolling down my cheeks. There isn’t anything else I can do. I have to get out. No matter how my heart hurts just thinking about it, my resolve to change my life is stronger. I need to do something about it. I need this joke on me to be over, least ways that is what it feels like. 

I open the chat with Xander one more time and send him a message.

I want a divorce.

Even though my mind was clouded with exhaustion, loneliness and bitter hatred for Violet; I knew this was the right choice. It is the only choice if I am to claw my life back and find eternal happiness one day with a man who will love me because of me. 

Immediately my phone rings, it’s Xander. “Kenna,” his voice is deep, it cuts right through me. “What the fuck has gotten into you? The doctor said that Violet is in a critical condition. Get your ass down here now.”  

I shudder as I can almost feel the anger in his voice. His tone is cold, detached as if he is scolding a child not a grown woman and not his wife. My own anger surfaces, eradicating the fogginess I feel. 

“Xander, I am warning you. If you do not sign the paper in an hour, you can kiss your sweetheart goodbye. I will not come to the hospital and she will die!”

There is silence on the line, I can imagine him clenching his fists, those big strong hands of his by his side. His eyes will be glittering daggers and I know he’d love to throttle my neck right now. I send him one last message to drive my point home. 

Either divorce me or your precious, Violet will die……………