Chapter 1

Camilla Varela’s Point of View

I never thought my life would turn out like this. I stood at the entrance of my own house, frozen and humiliated, as my husband Lucas and his mistress disappeared upstairs. Before they left, the woman had given me a disgusted look, her words still ringing in my ears.

"Is she your wife, Lucas? Gosh! I didn’t know you had such bad taste in women." She stared me up and down with pure disgust. "Tsk. What a completely trash!" she sneered. And then, just like that, she walked away with my husband — as if I didn’t even exist.

I stood there, my heart breaking all over again. How long was I supposed to endure this pain? How much more of this humiliation could I take?

When Lucas and I first got married, no one was happy. His family hated me, and everyone around us judged our relationship. But we were in love — at least, I thought we were. In the beginning, we were happy, content with each other. But over time, Lucas changed.

He became cold and distant. And then he started bringing his mistress into our home. I stayed quiet, pretending that it didn’t care at all. I let his mistress insult me, call me names. I did it because I loved him. I made a vow to the church that I will be on his side.

But until when? Until when I became foolish for him?

“Camilla, why are you letting him treat you like that?!” my best friend Cassandra exclaimed when I finally told her everything. She was furious. “Your husband is an asshole! You’re being too kind — no, you’re being stupid for letting it happen.”

Maybe she was right... she's right that I was being stupid because of love.

“I love him, Cass—”

“Oh, shut that crap, Camilla! Stop with that so called nonsense love of yours!” she cut me off, her frustration clear. “He’s cheating on you, insulting you, and you’re just letting it happen! You don’t deserve that!”

But I am too scared to leave him. I am scared that I'll be living with nothing.

“What am I supposed to do, Cass? Divorce him? I… I can’t. I don’t want to end up with nothing.”

Cassandra took my hand gently. “You’re smart, Camilla. You’re talented. You don’t need him — you never did. If you leave him, I’ll help you rebuild your life. I’ll even recommend you to my boss. You can stand on your own two feet.”

“I… I don’t know if I can.”

“Of course you can,” she said softly but firmly. “You’re brave and intelligent. You shouldn’t stay in a relationship where there’s no respect. Lucas doesn’t deserve you — he’s a liar and a cheater. And you deserve so much better.”

Cassandra words keep flashing in my mind. She was right. I did deserve better. If I kept tolerating my husband behavior, he would never respect me. He would always see me as someone weak, someone he could walk all over.

It took me weeks to finally decide. Part of me kept hoping Lucas would change — that he’d stop bringing his mistress into our home, that he’d stop hurting me. But that hope faded as the days passed. He had already pushed me to my limit. And I wasn’t going to let him or his mistress insult me again.

“How long are you going to keep bringing your mistress here, Lucas?” I asked, my voice trembling with pain but staying firm.

Lucas looked at me with a tired, uninterested expression. “Oh, so now you suddenly care? I thought you didn’t care at all.”

My heart ached as I looked at him. “What happened to us, Lucas? What happened to our marriage? How could you just throw everything away like this?”

He rolled his eyes. “Oh, stop being so dramatic, Camilla. This is all your fault anyway…”

My fault? How could this possibly be my fault?

“And why do you even care now? I’ll bring as many women here as I want. This is my house, and I can do whatever I please. If you don’t like it, you can leave,” he said coldly, his words hitting me like a sharp knife.

At that moment, I realized the painful truth — he was choosing his mistress over me. He wanted me out of his life.

I smiled bitterly. "If you say so..."

After that arguements we have, Lucas left again. I didn't know where he was going. He didn't bother to tell me though.

When the morning came, I packed all my clothes, shoes and bags into my huge luggage. I just decided to leave him. I couldn't stand him anymore.

With my luggage and a divorce paper that I prepared weeks ago on my hand, I started to walked down the stairs—ready to leave when I saw Lucas mother walking out from the kitchen.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Lucas’s mother sneered as she stepped out of the kitchen.

Without hesitation, I handed her the folder. She looked confused but took it anyway.

“I’m leaving,” I said, my voice steady and strong. “I can’t stand your son’s toxic behavior anymore.”

Her laugh echoed through the house, cold and mocking. “You? Leave Lucas? Don’t be ridiculous. You wouldn’t last a day without him.”

I used to think that too — that without him, I’d have nothing. But not anymore. I finally remembered that I had my own life, my own strength, and I wasn’t going to let him or anyone else take that away from me.

“I can live without him,” I said, smiling softly. “And I will.”

Her face twisted with anger. “You’re nothing without my son! He took you out of your miserable life and made you someone. Without him, you’re just trash.”

I nodded, surprising her. “You’re right — without Lucas, I wouldn’t have this life. But you know what? That’s a good thing. Without him, my life will finally be better. Peaceful. Happy. Without him, I couldn't experience to be cheated."

Her eyes widened as my words sank in. “I regret ever marrying your son,” I added softly, watching her cruel smile fade.

Before she could respond, I gripped the handle of my suitcase and turned toward the door. I didn’t need to hear any more of her insults — I was done listening to people who didn’t respect me. But before I left, I paused at the door and spoke one last time.

“Tell Lucas I’m done. I’ve signed the divorce papers, and I hope he cooperates. And you can also tell him that my decision should make him happy — now he can enjoy his life, sleeping around with his mistresses without any guilt.”

With that, I walked away — not looking back. For the first time in a long time, I felt free.

“You did a great job leaving him, Camilla!” Cassandra cheered, clapping her hands as she sat on the couch. I was at her condo — she had insisted I stay with her for a while.

“I’m done tolerating him, Cass. I’ve finally woken up from this nightmare, and I’ll prove to everyone — and to myself — that I can live without Lucas,” I said, though deep down, I still hoped I’d really be strong enough to stand on my own.

“Don’t worry, Camilla. You have me,” Cassandra said warmly, squeezing my hand. “I’ll help you until you’ve fully healed and found your way again.”

“Thank you so much, Cass… for everything you’ve done for me,” I whispered, my heart full of gratitude.

Cassandra had always been there — my anchor when the world seemed against me. She never left my side and always found a way to lift me up when I felt broken.

“Promise me one thing,” she said softly. “That you’ll never let him hurt you again.”